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By Olivia Sayer
Georgia dugout reacts to Corey Collins’ (6) home run during an NCAA college baseball game between Vanderbilt and Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Georgia won 14-4. (Photo/Mady Mertens; MadyMertensPhotography)
Georgia baseball secured the No. 7 seed in the NCAA Tournament, a selection show announced Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs will host Army, UNC-Wilmington and Georgia Tech in the Athens Regional beginning on Friday. Should it advance, Georgia will host the winner of the Raleigh bracket in a Super Regional.
Georgia’s schedule backs up its top eight seed
Heading into selection, it was a foregone conclusion that Georgia would host the Athens Regional. However, a series loss to Florida combined with an early exit in the SEC Tournament left the Bulldogs projected outside of the top eight.
The selection committee clearly disagreed.
“21 wins against teams that are in the Tournament,” selection committee chairman Matt Hogue said. “An overall strength of schedule that was 11, 22 wins, I think, in quad one and quad two [and] a strong finish in an extremely difficult league.”
When the number seven appeared next to Georgia’s name, head coach Wes Johnson was not surprised due to the Bulldogs’ body of work throughout the regular season.
“We did some good stuff this year,” Johnson said. “I’m not on the committee, and I’m not here to say that somebody should or shouldn’t have gotten it, but I felt pretty good about our resume.”
The SEC has 11 teams in the Tournament and five of the top eight seeds. Against their conference, the Bulldogs went 17-13. On the road, Georgia secured a win over No. 1 Tennessee and No. 3 Texas A&M, who each only suffered three losses at home. Additionally, the Bulldogs beat No. 6 Clemson at Foley Field.
The latest on Charlie Goldstein, Georgia’s pitching staff
As the saying goes, good pitching often beats good hitting in the postseason. If Georgia wants to advance, its pitching staff will have to back up its offense.
The Bulldogs’ have two starters that solidified themselves within the rotation in Leighton Finley and Kolten Smith. Zach Harris also proved he can be a viable option, while Jarvis Evans started eight games this season.
However, a pitcher that can make the biggest impact is Charlie Goldstein. Goldstein was Georgia’s ace last season but spent the majority of this year hindered by injuries. Johnson said Goldstein has not done mound work but is playing catch.
“We’ll see,” Johnson said of Goldstein’s status for this weekend. “He’s been back to the doctor, and everything came back clean. They do things with him, and they put him into a protocol and different things. So, [we’ll] just have to see.”
Despite the unknown status of Goldstein, Johnson feels good about the progress of Georgia’s pitching staff. He mentioned Brian Zeldin, Josh Roberge and Daniel Padysak as guys Georgia will lean on as it continues to play the “match up game” with its bullpen.
Georgia benefiting from layoff
Although it was not ideal, an early exit from the SEC Tournament allowed Georgia to have some time off. This gave the Bulldogs time to reset after completing their regular season gauntlet.
“I wasn’t happy with the way we left the SEC Tournament,” Johnson said on SEC Network. “I didn’t think we played very well at all that day, and so I was a little disappointed. But I can just tell you this— the reset button has been really good for us. The grind and the mental gauntlet that you go through, it does take a wear and tear. Our team definitely needed to reset and get our feet back underneath us and be able to put some things back in perspective.”
The Bulldogs practiced a few times throughout the break, but the time off allowed Georgia to get healthy, especially in the bullpen.
History with the field
Georgia will face Army Friday at 1 p.m. to begin the Athens Regional. UNC-Wilmington and Georgia Tech will follow at 7 p.m. The losers will play Saturday at noon, while the winners will take the field at 6 p.m.
Georgia faced Georgia Tech earlier in the season, where the Bulldogs swept the Yellow Jackets in two games. The third game remained unfinished, but Georgia led by six before play stopped. The series finale included a six-run comeback by the Bulldogs to complete the sweep.
Friday’s matchup will be Georgia’s first against Army. The Black Knights led their conference in ERA and won their sixth-straight Patriot League Championship.
“They can really pitch,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be a different look. Not a ton of [velocity], but don’t get me wrong, they throw the ball hard. They just don’t have a guy who is going to throw 100 is what I’m trying to say. They can really pitch. They mix their pitches well.”
Georgia will attempt to advance to the Super Regional for the seventh time in school history. It is the Bulldogs’ first time hosting since 2019, when they lost in the finals. Georgia is also looking for its first trip to Omaha since 2008 and its first College World Series title since 1990.