If No. 7 Georgia softball wants to solidify its position in the upper echelon of the SEC, it will need to continue its dominance over Kentucky this weekend.

Georgia (21-4, 4-2 SEC), riding a six-game winning streak, hosts Kentucky this weekend in Athens. The Bulldogs are in the No. 2 spot in the SEC Eastern Division behind Florida, while Kentucky (22-8, 5-4 SEC) is right behind them in third place – making this series pivotal for positioning in the early portion of the SEC schedule.

“I have been very impressed with [Kentucky] – they are having a great season so far,” head coach Lu Harris-Champer said.

Georgia has catapulted into the national top 10 with an efficient, balanced effort from both offense and defense this season – outscoring opponents 190-49. The Bulldogs are hitting a blistering .349 as a team so far this season, led by sophomores Alisa Goler (.473) and Taylor Schlopy (.456).

Kentucky enters the series with all eight of its losses coming away from home, but having won a game against each SEC opponent it has played.

Star freshman pitcher Chanda Bell (14-4) is the Wildcats’ main pitching option and already has set Kentucky’s single-season record for strikeouts with 173 (striking out 15 in a game twice), providing a definite challenge for the dangerous Bulldog lineup.

Bell also tossed the first no-hitter in Kentucky softball history, giving up only one walk, in Thursday night’s 1-0 win over Western Kentucky, the first game of a doubleheader.

In Game 2 against Western Kentucky, a shootout ensued with the Wildcats defeating the Hilltoppers 12-9.

Although Kentucky is batting only .275 on the season – with only three players batting over the .300 mark – Harris-Champer said not to buy into the statistics alone.

“Well, I believe that the numbers can be misleading,” Harris-Champer said. “They are a much better hitting team than the numbers may indicate, so we’ll have to be ready.”

Georgia leads the all-time series against Kentucky at 35-8,, including a sweep of the Wildcats in Lexington last season.

Games are scheduled for Saturday, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., with the final game of the series on Sunday at 2 p.m.