ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Golden Grizzlies baseball team is headed for the toughest stretch of their non-conference slate for a four-game series at No. 9/11 Georgia. First game is scheduled for tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. ET, while Saturday is set for a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m ET. The series finale is set for Sunday, March 1, for a 1 p.m. ET first pitch at Foley Field in Athens. All games will be streamed live on SEC Network+.
The team spent week two of the season on the road again in Evansville, Ind., where they dueled Southern Indiana in a four-game series, succumbing to the Screaming Eagles in all four over the weekend.
Game 1 (Thursday, Feb. 19): Southern Indiana 18, Oakland 9
Oakland dropped the series opener 18–9 to Southern Indiana on Thursday as Southern Indiana surged ahead with an eight-run first inning and never relinquished control, despite Oakland's five-run second that featured a three-run homer from Aidan Orr. Nick Mardis added a two-RBI triple as the Golden Grizzlies trimmed the deficit to three runs midway through the game, but the Screaming Eagles responded with seven combined runs in the seventh and eighth innings to pull away. Oakland added a final run in the ninth, but early pitching struggles and Southern Indiana's consistent offensive pressure proved too much to overcome
Game 2 (Friday, Feb. 20): Southern Indiana 10, Oakland 7
The Golden Grizzlies battled back multiple times but ultimately fell after the home team built an early cushion. Southern Indiana capitalized on errors and timely hitting to jump ahead, including a four-run fourth inning that made it 8-3. Oakland responded with a strong fifth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Jack Lux that trimmed the deficit to two runs, and added another run in the ninth. However, the early damage proved too much to overcome despite steady relief outings, particularly from freshman Ben Green, who tossed four solid innings.
Game 3 (Friday, Feb. 20): Southern Indiana 14, Oakland 4 (7 inn.)
Oakland struck first with a two-run opening frame and added two more in the third behind RBI hits from Tony Konopiots and Sam Patton to briefly regain momentum. Southern Indiana answered decisively in the bottom of the third, erupting for eight runs to take control of the game. The Screaming Eagles tacked on additional runs in the fifth and sixth innings, taking advantage of miscues and timely extra-base hits to extend the lead and secure a run-rule victory. Despite early offensive production, Oakland was unable to slow Southern Indiana's surge as the doubleheader concluded.
Game 4 (Saturday, Feb. 21): Southern Indiana 7, Oakland 6
The boys in Black and Gold closed the weekend with a narrow 7–6 loss on Saturday, battling back after five unearned runs in the second inning put them behind early. Oakland responded with a four-run third inning, highlighted by a two-RBI double from Tony Konopiots and a two-RBI single from Jack Lux, and Lucas Day later tied the game with a solo home run in the fifth. Southern Indiana regained the lead with a two-RBI single in the seventh, and despite a late ninth-inning rally that saw Sam Patton score on an RBI single from Aidan Schuck, the Golden Grizzlies came up just short in the series finale.
SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS
The No. 9 ranked (USA Today Coaches' Poll) Georgia Bulldogs are posting 6-2 on the season, going 2-1 against Horizon League opponent Wright State, sweeping Samford last weekend, and going 1-1 in midweeks, including a 5-6 loss in extra innings against Troy this week. The Bulldogs are ranked in the top-25 in every major baseball poll in the country. The Georgia bullpen is sporting a 3.13 ERA with 109 strikeouts and 24 walks in 69 innings, as in the box, they are hitting .338 with a .687 SLG% and .477 OB%.
This is the first meeting between Georgia and Oakland in program history. The Bulldogs are the first SEC opponent since 2020 (Auburn) the Golden Grizzlies have faced.
How to Follow Oakland Baseball: For complete information on Oakland Baseball, follow the team on X at @OaklandBSB and head coach Brian Nelson at @CoachNelly11. The team is also on Instagram.
