Q&A with David Perno

Courtesy of UGA Athletics:

Q: What is your overall assessment of fall practice?

DP: "It was good. I don't know if we can really pitch or we just
can't hit a whole lot. We'll find out soon enough. I think there
are two things we did pretty consistently: we threw strikes and
played good defense. Offensively we have some holes to fill. We
will have a little different identity this year for us offensively,
but it can be just as effective as it was last year."

Q: How do you see the pitching shaping up?

DP: "Potentially it's the best staff we have had. Trevor Holder,
Alex McRee and Michael Palazzone look to be the front three with a
good bullpen behind them. Dean Weaver will be our closer this year."

Q: Did any of the veterans surprise you with their performance?

DP: "Adam Fuller got off to a really hot start, but he kind of faded
late on us. He had a good fall nonetheless. He was a pleasant
surprise, and everybody else did what we expected them to do."

Q: If you played today, what would your lineup be?

DP: "It would be Jonathan Taylor leading off, Matt Cerione in the two
hole, Colby May in the three, Rich Poythress in the four, Bryce
Massanari in the five, Chase Davidson in the six, Joey Lewis in the
seven, Levi Hyams in the eight and Michael Demperio in the nine.
That's with Demperio just starting to come back, so he could move up
to the front of the lineup."

Q: Who are the candidates to play in the outfield?

DP: "There is a definite three in the outfield with Jonathan Taylor,
Matt Cerione and Chase Davidson, but there are other guys who will
create depth for us in Adam Fuller, Lyle Allen and Peter Verdin. So
we have six outfielders who we feel good about."

Q: What will be your priorities when you begin preseason practice?

DP: "We have to get that lineup playing together as much as we can.
We need to get an idea of how to handle situations offensively and
get comfortable with guys hitting in front of them and behind them.
We also need to find roles for our pitchers. It's kind of clear, but
there are some cloudy situations we need to iron out on the pitching
staff."