Midweek Test at Georgia Tuesday at 6 p.m.

GEORGIA STATE (20-21) at GEORGIA (23-17)
Tuesday, April 25 | 6 p.m. | Foley Field, Athens, Ga.

Georgia State travels to Georgia for a Tuesday game at 6 p.m. at Foley Field. The Bulldogs won the first meeting this season with an 8-3 victory March 21 at Coolray Field.

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LEADING OFF
> Georgia State is No. 6 in Division I with 79 home runs, led by Max Ryerson and Luke Boynton with 11 each, Dylan Strickland with 10 and JoJo Jackson with nine.

> The Panthers' total of 79 home runs is the second-highest season total in program history. The GSU season record is 82, set in 2010. Georgia State hit 75 last year for a total of 154 since the start of the 2022 season.

> Georgia State also ranks in the top three in the Sun Belt in batting average, scoring, on-base percentage, and stolen bases.

> Seventeen different Panthers have hit at least one homer, including three freshmen--Michael Maginnis, Colin Hynek and Jaden Anderson--whose first career hit was a home run. Seven different players have hit six or more homers.

> Max Ryerson leads the Sun Belt in batting average at .412 (No. 21 in D1) and on-base percentage at .527 (No. 11 in D1). He has 11 homers and 31 RBI, and his OPS is 1.236. He is tied for 10th among active D1 players with 42 career home runs.

> Friday starter Ryan Watson earned his 17th career victory last Friday at South Alabama to move into sole possession of fourth place in GSU history. The super senior right-hander also ranks third in Panther annals with 12 career saves. He Georgia State's career leader in combined wins (17) and saves (12) with 29.

> Fourth-year head coach Brad Stromdahl earned his 400th career victory vs. James Madison on April 8. Stromdahl (405-196 overall) took over the Georgia State program in 2020 after seven seasons as the head coach at Georgia Gwinnett, where he started the program from scratch in 2013 and compiled a record of 328-104. He led the Grizzlies to the Avista-NAIA World Series three times, including his last two years (2018-19).

WHO'S HOT
> Cameron Jones leads the Sun Belt and ranks No. 5 in Division I in stolen bases with 28. That is the second-highest season figure in program history, six behind the school record (34 by Jimmy Fowlkes, 1980)

> Jones stole four bases in Game 1 at James Madison, coming within one of the school record of five, set by Henry Reese vs. Samford in 1985.

> Jones, the junior outfielder, has also been hot at the plate, hitting .560 (14-for-25) for his last seven games with seven RBI and a .607 on-base percentage.

> Max Ryerson has also been hot for his last seven games with a .500 average (12-for-24), a .647 on-base percentage, four homers and 10 RBI.

> Catcher Colin Hynek hit two homers last week with a grand slam vs. Mercer and a solo shot in Friday's win at South Alabama. He combined to go 5-for07 with seven RBI in the two wins. Hynek has eight homers on the season.

> Luke Boynton's 11th homer was a grand slam in the Friday win over Arkansas State. He hit three homers in the Clemson series and two in the Coastal Carolina series. The junior first baseman has 23 career homers.

> Dylan Strickland was named National Player of the Week by Collegiate Baseball and Sun Belt Conference POTW on March 20 after going 7-for-14 with five homers, 10 RBI and nine runs scored in four games. He hit all five homers in the Troy sweep.

> On the season, Strickland is hitting .353 with 10 homers and 31 RBI.

> Third baseman Will Mize and shortstop Matt Ruiz, the transfer from USF, are tied for the team lead with 35 RBI. Both also have six homers.

> Sophomore outfielder JoJo Jackson is hitting .319 with nine homers and 29 RBI. He leads the team with 29 walks.

SERIES NOTES
> Georgia State won back-to-back games over the Bulldogs in 2013 10-7 in Atlanta) and 2014 (3-1 in Athens). Other recent wins by the Panthers over SEC foes include wins at Vanderbilt (2021) and Ole MIss (2014 and 2017.)

> Georgia holds a 46-8 lead in the series.

> Georgia assistant coach Brock Bennett spent three years on the GSU staff in 2016-17 and 2019.

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