LEADING OFF
Led by Preseason All-America pitcher Hunter Gaddis, Georgia State opens the 2019 season with the fifth annual Atlanta Challenge as Richmond, West Virginia and UIC visit Atlanta for one game each at Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State.
FIFTH ANNUAL ATLANTA CHALLENGE
Friday, 4 p.m.: Richmond at Georgia State | UIC at Georgia Tech | West Virginia at Kennesaw State
Saturday, 2 p.m.: West Virginia at Georgia State | Richmond at Georgia Tech | UIC at Kennesaw State
Sunday, 1 p.m.: UIC at Georgia State | West Virginia at Georgia Tech | Bradley at Kennesaw State
Admission and parking at the GSU Baseball Complex are free.
COVERAGE: Free live audio PantherVision for Saturday's game only.
THE TEAMS 2018 RECORD SERIES vs. GSU
Georgia State 26-29, 10-29 Sun Belt
Richmond 32-24, 15-9 A-10 First Meeting
West Virginia 29-27, 9-15 Big 12 First Meeting
UIC 30-18, 15-9 Horizon GSU leads 3-0
PROBABLE PITCHERS GEORGIA STATE (2017) OPPONENT
Richmond Jr. RHP Hunter Gaddis (9-4, 2.95) R-So. RHP Tim Miller (5-3, 3.13)
West Virginia Sr. RHP Jake Rogers (4-6, 4.92) So. LHP Jackson Wolf (1-1, 4.07)
UIC So. RHP Trey Horton (0-1, 6.45) TBA
TOP RETURNEES
RHP Hunter Gaddis (9-4, 2.95) - Preseason All-America & Sun Belt Pitcher of Year
OF-RHP Brandon Bell (.333, 5, 26) - Preseason All-Sun Belt; hit for cycle vs. Arkansas State
1B-3B Ryan Glass (.241, 7, 19) - Preseason All-Sun Belt; 2018 All-Sun Belt (2nd)
CF Luke Leonard (.282, 3, 22)
RHP Jake Rogers (4-6, 4.92)
TOP NEWCOMERS
INF Daino Deas (Jr., Dyersburg State)
C-DH Elian Merejo (Jr., Eastern Florida State)
C Dalton Davies (Jr., North Central Texas)
RHP Joseph Brandon (Fr., Loganville H.S.)
LHP Seth Clark (Fr., Loganville H.S.)
RHP Ryan Watson (Fr., North Gwinnett H.S.)
OF Josh Smith (Fr., North Springs H.S.)
INF Jackson Sisk (Fr., Etowah H.S.)
NOTING THE PANTHERS
>Georgia State opens the 2019 season with the fifth annual Atlanta Challenge as Richmond, West Virginia and UIC visit Atlanta for one game each at Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State.
>The Panthers have won six straight Opening Day games, all at home, including last year's 3-1 win over Bradley.
>GSU is 7-5 for the four previous Atlanta Challenge weekends, including two out of three in last year's event with wins over Bradley and Minnesota and a loss to UConn.
>Georgia State has never faced Richmond or West Virginia. The Panthers have met UIC, sweeping a three-game series, 5-0, 5-3 and 18-5, at Panthersville in February of 2000. Playing the outfield and leading off for the Flames was future Major Leaguer Curtis Granderson, then a freshman who went 1-for-10 in the series.
>Georgia State returns 19 letterwinners, including nine seniors, and the Panthers welcome 13 newcomers with nine freshmen and four junior college transfers. GSU graduated its entire infield, including All-Sun Belt catcher Nick Gatewood, an 11th-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres, and four-year starting shortstop Justin Jones, along with Sunday starter Jordan Lee.
>Preseason All-America and Preseason Sun Belt Conference Pitcher of the Year Hunter Gaddis takes the mound for the Panthers on Opening Day. The junior right-hander enters his third season with 13 career victories, including a 9-4 record and a 2.95 ERA in 2018, when he tied for the Sun Belt lead in victories while ranking second in the league in innings pitched (100.2), third in strikeouts (98) and fourth in ERA.
>Gaddis is one of three Panthers named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team. Senior Brandon Bell (.333, 5, 26), GSU's top returning hitter, was named as a utility player; he could start at third base or right field and is also a right-handed reliever. Sophomore Ryan Glass was selected as the DH after earning second-team all-conference honors there in 2018, when he belted seven homers.
>The GSU bullpen is boosted by the return of fifth-year senior reliever Rhett Harper, who missed the 2018 season after elbow surgery. The righty led the Panthers with six saves in 2017. He is also the team's top student, maintaining a 4.1 GPA while majoring in accounting and finance.
>Now in his 13th season as the Georgia State head coach, Greg Frady is the Panthers' career victory leader with 355 in Atlanta as part of his 542 career wins in 18 seasons.
QUOTING COACH FRADY
“We have two parts to this team. We have an older group that has a lot of experience, and then we have a large freshman class that has no experience. In the upperclass group, we have guys who have been in big games and know what to do, led by Hunter Gaddis. In the younger group, these are very good players who just the lack the opportunity to play in a college game. Our coaching staff and our older players have a lot of confidence in our freshmen, and our freshmen feel very good about the way they are being led by the veterans.
[More on the freshman class] “I'm really not looking for any of them to be the guy who has to hit third in the order and carry the team. Everyone of those guys brings something unique to the team, so I'm going to use them in shorter spurts and find the right spots to get them in and put them in a position to succeed. This is the future of our program because there are some really good players in that group.
