The Georgia baseball team came back to defeat Clemson early Wednesday morning after 20 innings of baseball. The official game clock read 6 hours and 33 minutes when Connor Tate crossed the plate at approximately 1:34 am in the morning.
The Bulldogs had just completed the longest baseball game in their history, alongside a number of exhausted fans.
We talked to Wes Jackson, a loyal supporter of Georgia Athletics and graduate student at Terry College’s MAcc, to get a fan’s perspective on the game that never would end.
Q+A
You are one of the biggest UGA sports fans out there. What sports have you attended while a student at UGA? If you had to guess, approximately how many games have you been to in total? (Hundreds, thousands, etc).
“I have been to at least one of every single sport except equestrian in my time in Athens. The main sports that I attend are football, men’s basketball, gymnastics, and baseball. I’ve been to every UGA home football game since 2007, and while in college (I’m on year 5), men’s hoops, baseball, and gymnastics home attendance rates have to all be above 80%. Of the 45 conference games for men’s hoops (9 conference basketball home games per year x 5 years), I think I’ve missed 4 in total.”
I know you do not miss many games unless there you have something already going on. What inning did you make it in for on Tuesday and what made you come out to the park with it being so late?
“I actually got to the game in the 10th inning. I was listening to the bottom of the 9th on the radio after Cru and decided to go watch the extra innings. I was actually only planning to see a few innings (cause who expects a game to go 20 innings) and then go watch the Blazers-Thunder game with some friends. I didn’t get to see any basketball, haha. I actually was able to go see the last out of the Tech game last Tuesday after Cru. Mainly due to the bullpen call with 2 outs in the 9th, which gave me time to run to Foley, but who doesn’t want to see Tech lose?”
Did you ever consider leaving the game? If so, how many innings do you think you would have stayed before calling it quits? In addition, what was it like seeing the initial crowd of fans file out and the ballpark empty around midnight, then Foley filling up again with packs of students?
“Oh yes, I considered leaving, especially in the drag of the 13-16 innings. However, the last 4 innings the intensity picked up, as the frat guys who came were egging on the old man howling at the moon, and then a whole crowd came to watch history, and then it went to calling the Dawgs and doing the Braves chop. Without their intensity, I probably would have left but with more people coming to the game, it made it fun and energetic despite the game going well past midnight. As crazy as it seems, the last 90 minutes were more hype than the first 2 hours of extras between 10 and midnight.”
Many Georgia fans tend to focus on football and occasionally basketball but not the other sports. However, you have a passion for all of Georgia Athletics. Being a loyal and diehard fan, what’s it like to see the athletic program have so much success as a whole right now, especially baseball?
“I remember coming to baseball games my first three years that were uncompetitive or just not enough, despite our solid pitching staff. However, the support for the Dawgs never wavered. Now, the last two seasons we were actually good, it’s so fun to watch and so entertaining to see a 2008-like atmosphere at Foley Field.”
“As a baseball fan, it allows me to enjoy the spring and not just long for football season. I can enjoy the “ping” of a hit off a metal bat and the warmth and sunshine of spending a beautiful day outside watching the Dawgs play competitive SEC baseball.”
“In terms of athletic success as a whole, it’s fun to see a buzz around campus other than the fall. Gymnastics, baseball, and women’s tennis are all top teams and Tom Crean has hoops buzzing with the commitment of Anthony Edwards. We’re not just a football school.”
What are your expectations for UGA baseball this year? What would you consider a successful season as opposed to not reaching expectations/hype?
“Expectations for this team are for sure Omaha. And anything but Omaha would probably feel like a mild disappointment. I think this team has a grit and determination about them, shown in the weekends against LSU and Vandy and last night against Clemson, that can help them in regionals and super regional play. Since our appearance in the College World Series finals in 2008 (where I went to bed crying after that Game 3 loss to Fresno State), every year except 2016 has had an SEC team play for it all. So I have to say to that stat, why can’t it be us playing in the finals again? We have shown we are a top SEC team, and top SEC teams compete for College World Series titles, so we have the talent to compete with anybody in the nation.”
What do you think will happen this weekend against Missouri? Who will win the series and how many games will they win?
“I think Georgia will carry its momentum from the Clemson game into the weekend and sweep Missouri thanks to huge pitching performances by our weekend starters.”
The Bulldogs open up a three-game series with Missouri on Thursday night. Georgia (30-8), is only ten wins away from surpassing its season-long total last year.
