University of Georgia Athletics

Wednesday, April 22
Athens, Ga.
6:00 p.m.

University of Georgia

vs

Georgia Southern

26SB Game Notes - Georgia Southern

No. 11 Bulldogs Hosting Georgia Southern on Wednesday Night

April 21, 2026 | Softball

ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 11-ranked Georgia Bulldogs will host Georgia Southern in a midweek clash on Wednesday night at the Jack Turner Stadium with first pitch slated for 6:00 p.m. ET.
 
No. 15/11 Georgia
vs. Georgia Southern

Location: Athens, Ga.
Venue: Jack Turner Stadium
Date: Apr. 22, 2026
First Pitch: 6:00 p.m. ET
Promotion: Fan Appreciation Day – Fan-Design T-Shirts to first 200 Fans
 
Media Information
Streaming: SEC Network+
                  PxP: Kaleb Frady; Analyst: Mary Wilson Ross
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
X Updates: @UGASoftball
 
Leading Off
Georgia is set to host Georgia Southern at the Jack Turner Stadium before hitting the road to take on No. 1 Oklahoma at Love's Field this weekend.
 
Series History
Georgia Southern
- Georgia and Georgia Southern have met on 35 prior occasions, and the Bulldogs own a 34-1 record against the Eagles.
- Last season, Georgia defeated Georgia Southern, 1-0
- The Eagles only win against the Bulldogs came on Feb. 19, 2000 - a 1-0 win in Statesboro.
- Under Baldwin, Georgia is 4-0 against Georgia Southern included two run-rule victories.
 
Georgia in the Polls
Georgia in the Polls: Week Eleven
     - NFCA/GoRout: 15
     - ESPN/USA Softball: 11
     - D1Softball: 12
     - Softball America: 13
 
Opponent Outlook
Georgia Southern enters the midweek clash after dropping a home series to Troy this past weekend. The visiting Trojans swept the Eagles in three narrow contests.
 
Alana Barnard and Bailey Holland lead Georgia Southern with 22 appearances as piece. Barnard, who owns a 3.16 ERA and 6-13 record, has pitched 108.2 innings with 10 complete games, 117 hits, 49 earned runs, 19 walks and 50 strikeouts while Holland commands a 3.73 ERA to go with an 8-10 record, 101.1 innings pitched, 116 hits, 54 earned runs, 44 walks and 39 strikeouts. As a staff, Georgia Southern has a 3.96 team-ERA and opponents have batted at a .288-clip.
 
Offensively, Emma Davis paces the Eagle offense with a .354 average to go with a team-best 13 doubles and .472 slugging percentage. She's also drawn a team-high 20 walks. Delanie Thomas leads her squad with 10 home runs on the year, as well as 40 RBIs. Kayla Christensen has hit a team-high three triples - exactly half the program's total on the season. As a squad, the Eagles are batting .273 with 182 runs off 314 hits and 165 RBIs alongside 61 doubles, six triples and 18 home runs. 
 
Head coach Sharon Perkins is in her fifth season at the helm of the Georgia Southern program. In the last four years, she's helped several Eagles earn All-Sun Belt conference honors, and last season, Maddie Johnson - now a sophomore right-hander for the Bulldogs - achieved freshman All-American honors under her leadership. Perkins previously served as the head coach of the Georgia Tech program for seven seasons where she led the Yellow Jackets to three ACC titles and six postseason berths. Prior to her time in Atlanta, she served on the Georgia staff as an assistant and associate head coach from 2001-2006.
 
Conference Stat Leaders (as of Tues, Apr. 21)
Jaydyn Goodwin
The junior from Paris, Ky. is among the top ten in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Triples: Tied Seventh - 3
 
Sarah Gordon
The senior from Louisville, Ky. is among the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Doubles: Tied Fifth - 14
 
Presley Harrison:
 
The freshman from Baxley, Ga. is in the top ten in the conference in two statistical categories:
 
Holds: Tied First - 3
Saves: Tied Sixth - 3
 
Bailey Lindemuth:
The sophomore from Burleson, Texas is in the top ten in the conference in two statistical categories:
 
Assists: Fourth - 91
Fielding Double Plays: Tied 10th - 13
 
Marisa Miller
The senior from Suwanee, Ga.is in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Caught Stealing By: Second - 7
 
Gabi Novickas:
The freshman from Chicago, Ill. is in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Fielding Double Plays: Fourth - 19
 
Natalie Ray:
The senior from Covington, Ga. is in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Batting Average: Sixth - .446
 
Randi Roelling:
The junior from Modesto, Calif. ranks in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Wins: Tied Ninth - 9
 
Keirstin Roose:
The graduate from Wolcottville, Ind. ranks in the top ten in the conference in one statistical category:
 
Fielding Double Plays: Tied Ninth - 15
 
NCAA Stat Leaders (as of Tues, Apr 21)
The Bulldogs remain one of the nation's best defensive teams with a .984 team fielding percentage to go with just 19 errors - third in the conference. 
 
Individually, Natalie Ray is tied 36th in the nation with a .446 batting average. Tyler Ellison sits 28th in the nation with a .550 on-base percentage. Jaydyn Goodwin, one of the toughest in the nation to strike out, has just six strikeouts in 145 at-bats.
 
Transfers in the Mix
Several members of Georgia's 2025 transfer class are starring for the Bulldogs this season.
 
In the circle, RHP Addisen Fisher sits at 10-4 with a team-best 2.11 ERA. She has one shut out on the season, as well as two saves. Through 73.0 innings pitched, she's surrendered just 22 earned runs with 50 strikeouts.
 
In the order, Keirstin Roose has impressed in the lead-off role for the Bulldogs. She has a team-best 12 home runs on the season while also driving in 29 runs. Delani Sullivan, while being a threat at the plate, has been a consistent presence in outfield recording 39 put-outs this season with a perfect fielding percentage. Bailey Lindemuth has flashed her glove at the hot corner this season with just three errors through 43 games and a team-best 91 assists. Natalie Ray has batted a team-best .446 overall and .433 in conference play.
 
Roelling is Rolling
LHP Randi Roelling is on pace for her best season as a Bulldog through 24 total appearances. She currently has allowed 35 earned runs - just above one per game. In 2025, through 22 appearances, she had allowed 56 earned runs - a 38% decrease at this stage.
 
More, her 98 strikeouts this season surpasses her 80-strikeout mark last season - a 18% increase - through 24 appearances. Further, she has dropped her walks from 68 last season to just 39 this year - a 43% decrease.
 
Impressively, in the series against Missouri, Roelling pitched two complete game shutouts to go 2-0 on the weekend with 13 strikeouts across 12.0 inning pitched.
 
Freshman at First
Gabi Novickas has made 42 appearances this season including 31 starts at first base. In those appearances, she's batted at a .388 clip - fourth best on the team - while recording 31 hits, 21 runs, 18 RBIs, six doubles and five home runs - including a grand slam against USC Upstate.
 
More, she's recorded a team-best 226 put-outs with a perfect fielding percentage.
 
Lindemuth Looking Up
In conference play, sophomore Bailey Lindemuth has batted at a .365-clip, good for third-best on the team. She's recorded 19 hits and 12 runs with two doubles, one triple, three home runs and 11 RBIs during SEC action. In the last 5 games, Lindemuth's average has spiked up to .500.
A Ray of Light
Against Missouri, senior Natalie Ray led the team in batting average (.714) going 5-7 with a double and two RBIs while slugging .857. She leads the Bulldogs with a team-leading .433 average in conference play to go with 13 hits, four runs, three doubles, one home run and 12 RBIs.
 
Since jumping into the lineup, Ray has helped pace the Bulldog offense. She's batting at a .446-clip with 29 hits, 19 runs, four doubles and three home runs this season. In the last 10 games, Ray is batting. 464, second best on the team.
 
More from Miller
The senior catcher's bat has come alive in conference play. Batting .271 through the first 23 games of the season, Miller is now batting .286. Strictly in SEC play, Miller is batting .310 with 13 hits, three runs, three doubles, one home run and seven RBIs.
 
Texas Recap
The Bulldogs welcomed the No.5 Texas Longhorns to town last weekend and dropped a heart-breaking rubber match to the visitors on Monday night at The Jack.
 
On Saturday, after falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first frame, Georgia piled on five runs in the bottom of the third inning behind Tyler Ellison's two-RBI single and Sarah Gordon's three-run homer. The Longhorns responded with a three-run shot in the fifth inning before adding on three more runs in the final two frames to take game one, 7-5.
 
Georgia evened the series on Sunday afternoon with a 4-2 victory. The Longhorns again took an early lead with two runs in the top of the first frame. A three-run third inning put the Bulldogs in front before Natalie Ray recorded and RBI sac-fly to give Georgia a two-run advantage and the eventual win.
 
In the rubber, trailing 3-1 going in the bottom of the seventh, Jaydyn Goodwin sent a two-run shot to deep right center to send the game to extras. The Longhorns hit two home runs in the top of the eight to take the series with a 6-3 (8 inn.) win.
 
Missouri Recap
Georgia took the series last weekend over Missouri with wins in games one and three. 
 
On Friday night, Georgia run-ruled the visiting Tigers, 8-0 (5 inn.), to take a 1-0 lead in the series. LHP Randi Roelling made the start in the circle and pitched the complete five inning game with four strikeouts while allowing just one hit. Gabi Novickas was 2-3 at the plate with a solo home run and two RBIs. The Bulldogs scored eight runs off eight hits in the win.
 
Missouri evened the series on Saturday afternoon with a 4-3 decision that saw Georgia climb back from being down 4-0 to make it a one-run game in the seventh. Starter Addisen Fisher went 4.2 innings in the loss with RHP Presley Harrison and LHP Ada Little pitching in relief. 
 
In the Sunday rubber match, Roelling returned to the circle with another complete game shutout, this time going seven innings with four hits and a season-high nine strikeouts. Tyler Ellison and Jaydyn Goodwin each homered in the game as the Bulldogs saw off Missouri, 4-0, to take the series.
 
Texas A&M Recap
Georgia dropped a road series at Texas A&M last weekend to slide to 7-5 in conference play.
 
The Aggies took game one, 3-2, on Thursday night to kick off the series. Down 2-0 going into the sixth inning, senior Marisa Miller stepped up to the plate and blasted a two-run homer to left field to tie the game. Texas A&M was able to jump back in front with a base hit in the bottom of the frame.
 
Due to weather in the area that weekend, the two schools played a doubleheader on Friday. Georgia raced out to a 9-2 lead through five innings thanks to home runs from Gabi Novickas, Bailey Lindemuth and Keirstin Roose, and the Bulldogs held on to win 10-6 in game two. 
 
In the rubber match that night, after the Bulldogs took an early 1-0 lead off Emily Digby's solo home run, the Aggies jumped back in front 2-1 in the fourth inning and held on for the series-sealing victory.
 
April Position Rankings
In Softball America's April position rankings, four Bulldogs were included in their respective fields.
 
Keirstin Roose came in as the No. 11 2B, Emily Digby as the No. 15 SS, Sarah Gordon as the No. 5 UTL, and Tyler Ellison as the No. 7 UTL.
 
SEC Player of the Week
Outfielder Natalie Ray was selected as the SEC's player of the week for games played between Tuesday, Mar. 24 and Monday, Mar. 30.
 
Outfielder Natalie Ray batted a team-best .714 this past week while also leading the team in RBIs (11), home runs (2), slugging percentage (1.714) and on-base percentage (.750). On Wednesday against Mercer, she was 2-3 at the plate and blasted a two-run home run to go with an RBI single in the Bulldogs' 18-1 (5 inn.) win over the Bears. On Friday night against Kentucky, she launched a three-RBI double as a pinch hitter to put Georgia up 10-2 and in position for the six-inning run-rule victory. On Saturday, Ray recorded her 100th career hit in dramatic fashion with a grand slam to put Georgia up 4-0 over the Wildcats. She went 2-3 on the afternoon with five RBIs.
 
On the Horizon and In the Rearview
Junior Emily Digby made her 150th career start in the Sunday rubber match against Mississippi State. 
 
Natalie Ray recorded her 100th career hit in Georgia's win over Mercer.
 
Bailey Lindemuth made her 100th career start against Mercer.
 
Jaydyn Goodwin made her 200th career appearance in last Friday's series opening win over Kentucky.
 
Marisa Miller made her 100th career start in the series opener against Texas A&M. In the Sunday rubber match against Mississippi State, the senior recorded her 50th career RBI.
 
Destin Howard made her 50th career appearance with her start against USC Upstate.
 
Tyler Ellison is in position to jump into the top 10 in single season batting average. Batting .421 at this stage of the season and have already eclipsed the 100 at-bat minimum to qualify, if the season ended today, Ellison would be tied-seventh.
 
Gordon is four hits away from 200 career hits.
 
Ellison is also one hit away from 100 career hits.
 
Addisen Fisher is one appearance away from hitting 50 on her career.
 
Randi Roelling is 11 appearances away from her 100th career appearance. More, in game one of the series at Arkansas, she made her 50th career start.
 
Keirstin Roose made her 200th career start in the rubber match against Arkansas. She is 13 hits away from 200 career hits and eight runs away from 150 career runs.
 
Delani Sullivan is one hit away from 50 in her career.
 
Half-Century Mark
The series final win over Mississippi State marked Coach Baldwin's 50th career SEC victory as head coach.
 
Baldwin is currently 192-85 all-time as the Bulldogs' head coach could hit the 200-win threshold this season, as well as the half-century mark in top 25 wins.
 
Mississippi State Series
Georgia hosted Mississippi State last weekend in its SEC home opening series, earning wins in games one and three to take the series.
 
On Friday, Baldwin's side capitalized on a six-run fifth inning despite being out-hit 12-3 in the game. LHP Ada Little earned the win in the circle for Georgia - her third of the season. Jaydyn Goodwin and Sarah Gordon each tallied two RBIs in the game to power the Bulldogs to the series opening, 6-3 win.
 
Mississippi State responded on Saturday with a 3-2 win with State's starting pitcher Alyssa Faircloth going the distance in a 7.0 inning, 11 strikeout performance. Goodwin opened the scoring on Saturday with a solo shot to right field before the visitors responded with three successive runs to tie the series. Saturday was also Alumni Day at The Jack with over 60 Georgia softball alumni returning to Athens to honor Coach Lu Harris-Champer on her Hall of Fame induction.
 
In the Sunday rubber match, Georgia jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first inning after loading the bases with no outs. Baldwin's team added a four-spot in the bottom of the third inning thanks to three RBI-singles and a RBI-sac fly from Digby. The visitors plated two in the fifth and one in the seventh to narrow the gap, but ultimately, LHP Randi Roelling's 7.0 inning, six strikeout performance propelled Georgia to the series win with a 7-4 Sunday decision.
 
SEC Opening Weekend Series
Georgia kicked off conference play on the road at No. 9 Arkansas last weekend going 1-2 across the weekend.
 
The Bulldogs took Friday's series opener, 7-2. Senior Jaydyn Goodwin kicked off the scoring in the top of the first inning with a solo home run. Georgia stacked on five more runs in the third inning behind four successive RBI-hits and a fielder's choice. Arkansas scored in the bottom of the third on a two-run shot before Tyler Ellison wrapped up the afternoon with a solo homer to left field.
 
The Razorbacks jumped out to an early lead with a first inning grand slam on Saturday, but the Bulldogs rallied to tie the game in the second off a two-RBI double from Bailey Lindemuth and a two-run shot from Keirstin Roose - her 10th home run of the campaign. Arkansas plated two more runs in the third inning before Lindemuth launched her first home run of the season to make it a one-run game. The Razorbacks added one more run in the fifth inning. Entering the top of the seventh down two, Roose scored off an infield single from Sarah Gordon. Ultimately, Georgia was unable to tie the game or take the lead with runners aboard, and Arkansas took game two, 7-6.
 
On Sunday, the Bulldog offense was never able to get rolling. Arkansas jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after the second inning before adding one insurance run via a solo home run in the sixth inning. The Razorbacks took the series with a 6-0 victory on Sunday.
 
National Recognition
A trio of Bulldogs have earned preseason recognition from both Softball America and D1Softball. In the Softball America preseason Top 100 Player Rankings, Sarah Gordon checked in at No. 78 and transfer pitcher Addisen Fisher spotted in at No. 93. More, Jaydyn Goodwin, Gordon and Fisher were tabbed as the No. 12 outfielder, the No. 8 UTL player and the No. 23 pitcher, respectively, by the outlet. 
 
D1Softball had three Georgia players in its D100 preseason Player Rankings with Goodwin at No. 52, Gordon at No. 67 and Fisher at No. 74. Positionally, by D1Softball, Goodwin was pinned as the No. 20 outfielder, Gordon as the No. 14 outfielder and Fisher as the No. 25 pitcher. 
 
Eyes on the Freshman
Four Bulldog freshmen earned spots on Softball America and D1Softball's preseason Freshman Watch Lists. Pitchers Presley Harrison and Ada Little along with infielder Brooke Smith were all selected to the Softball America Freshman Watch List. More, Harrison and Little joined infielder Gabi Novickas on D1Softball's SEC Freshman Watch List.
 
 
New Faces, New Places
12 new players will don the red and black this season with six transfer athletes and six freshmen.
 
Out of the portal, Baldwin and his staff welcome sophomore pitchers Addisen Fisher and Maddie Johnson. Fisher, a UCLA transfer, was tabbed to the Big-10 All-Freshman Team last season, as well as the D1Softball Freshman All-American First Team. Johnson, an Athens native, arrives from Georgia Southern after being named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team and to the D1Softball Freshman All-American Second Team. Outfielders Natalie Ray and Delani Sullivan join infielders Bailey Lindemuth and Keirsten Roose to round out the portal class. Ray is a North Georgia transfer who started her career at Ole Miss while Sullivan arrives from SEC opponent Kentucky. Lindemuth comes to Athens after reaching the Womens' College World Series with Texas Tech last season, and graduate transfer Roose joins the Bulldogs after four strong seasons with Coastal Carolina.
 
Two of Georgia's six freshman signees will join the pitching staff in Ada Little from Georgetown, Ky and Presley Harrison from Baxley, Ga. Gabi Novickas, Brooke Smith and Katelin Smith hail from Chicago, Ill., Brandon, Miss. and Glennville, Ga. Outfielder Natalie Donaldson, a native of DeWitt, Mich. rounds out the freshman class
 
Clearwater Recap
After suffering a loss in the opener in Clearwater to No. 23 Oklahoma State, the Bulldogs rallied for five successive wins including to close out play in Florida.
 
On Thursday, down 6-0 going into the sixth inning, the Bulldogs scored three in the bottom of the frame before adding another two runs in the bottom of the seventh against Oklahoma State. Later that afternoon after falling to Oklahoma State, 6-5, Georgia rebounded with a 6-5 win over No. 8 Nebraska.
 
On Saturday, the Bulldog bats came alive in successive five inning, rule-rule victories over NC State and UCF. Georgia took down the Wolfpack, 16-2 (5 inn.), and UCF, 13-5 (5 inn.).
 
To end play in Clearwater, Georgia won both games against Northwestern and No. 22 Duke. With the score level after three innings against Northwestern, the Bulldogs punched a seven-spot in the top of the fourth inning en route to an 8-3 win. Later, against Duke, Georgia hit three straight home runs in the top of the first inning - the first time since Feb. 9, 2024 against Murray State - to run out 9-1 (5 inn.) victors.
 
Over the course of the weekend, Georgia tallied 57 runs in six games. More pointedly, in the fourth inning alone across all six games, the Bulldogs tallied 26 runs. 
 
What's Up Next?
Baldwin's side will trek to Norman, Oklahoma for a series against the top-ranked Sooners. A complete list of this weekend's conference slate is compiled below:
 
Missouri at Arkansas, Fri. Apr. 24 - Sun. Apr. 26
 
LSU at Mississippi State, Fri. Apr. 24 - Sun. Apr. 26
 
Texas at Kentucky, Fri. Apr. 24 - Sun. Apr. 26
 
Texas A&M at South Carolina, Fri. Apr. 24 - Sun. Apr. 26
 
Ole Miss at Auburn, Fri. Apr. 24 - Sun. Apr. 26
 
Georgia at Oklahoma, Fri. Apr. 24 - Sun. Apr. 26
 
Alabama at Tennessee, Sat. Apr. 25 - Mon, Apr. 27
 
Gordon Tabbed National Player of the Week
Senior Sarah Gordon was tabbed the National Player of the Week by D1Softball, Softball America and Softball on SI following play in Clearwater, Florida. During the week, Gordon went 12-18 with nine runs, 10 RBIs, six doubles, one triple, three home runs and two walks while only striking out once. She also slugged 1.444 while boasting a 0.700 OBP with a perfect fielding percentage and a team-high 17 put-outs.
 
2025 Season Recap
- Georgia finished the 2025 season at 35-23 after reaching the Gainesville Super Regional, falling one win short of a sixth trip back to Oklahoma City.
- The Bulldogs tallied a 7-16 mark in conference play.
- Senior Dallis Goodnight was named Second Team All-SEC after hitting at a .345 clip for 45 runs off 61 hits with four doubles, four triples, two home runs and 11 RBIs.
- Four Bulldogs earned NFCA All-South Region honors. Goodnight and Jaydyn Goodwin landed on the Second Team, and Sarah Gordon and Marisa Miller were named to the Third Team.
- Rising senior Destin Howard was named to the 2025 SEC Softball Community Service Team for her actions within and commitment to her home and Athens communities.
 
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