College Baseball
On The Rocky Top
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The Tennessee Volunteers grabbed their first-ever national baseball championship in a nail-biting finish against Texas A&M, winning 6-5 in Game 3 of the College World Series (CWS) finals.
Hunter Ensley scored the winning run, dodging a tag at home plate, despite a hurt hamstring, sealing the historic victory at Charles Schwab Field.
Ensley’s dramatic slide and the team’s celebrations marked the culmination of an extraordinary season under Coach Tony Vitello.
Dylan Dreiling was the star of the series, making CWS history by homering in all three final games. His timely two-run shots were crucial, including a clutch homer in the seventh inning of the final game, earning him the MVP award.
Dreiling finished the CWS with 13 hits, 3 homers, and 11 RBIs, solidifying his place as a key player in Tennessee’s lineup.
Starting pitcher Zander Sechrist played a pivotal role, striking out seven over 5⅓ innings and holding Texas A&M’s powerful offense to just one run.
Reliever Aaron Combs then shut the door in the ninth inning, striking out the last two batters to end the game and kick off a massive celebration for the Volunteers.
Coach Vitello’s enthusiasm was on full display as he jumped into the stands to celebrate with fans, while his players ran laps around the field, high-fiving the crowd.
Tennessee’s win broke a long championship drought for the school, which hadn’t won a national title in any team sport since the women’s indoor track and field team in 2009. This victory also made Tennessee the first No. 1 seed to win the national baseball title since 1999 and the first SEC team to achieve 60 wins in a season.
Texas A&M didn’t go down without a fight. They cut into Tennessee’s lead in the eighth and ninth innings but fell just short of completing a comeback. The Aggies, led by Coach Jim Schlossnagle, showed incredible resilience, especially given their late-season injuries and the absence of star outfielder Braden Montgomery.
Christian Moore set the tone for Tennessee early in Game 3 with a leadoff homer and despite some tense moments, Tennessee’s defense and bullpen held strong.
Moore, projected as a first-round MLB draft pick, had an impressive season, including hitting for the cycle in their CWS opener against Florida State.
Tennessee’s journey to the championship was marked by dominant performances in the regional rounds and a decisive victory in a must-win Game 3 against Evansville in the Super Regional. In Omaha, they beat Florida State twice and North Carolina, showing they could handle the pressure.
The win also underscores the strength of SEC baseball, with Tennessee becoming the eighth SEC school to win a national title. The Volunteers’ success extends the SEC’s streak of five consecutive championships won by different schools and their overall 16th title.
The game was attended by notable figures like Peyton Manning and Tennessee football coach Josh Heupel, adding to the excitement.
Coach Vitello, who shared an emotional moment with his father after the win, will also receive a $140,000 bonus for the championship victory.
Tennessee’s run in the CWS sets a new bar for the program, reflecting the team’s grit, talent, and Vitello’s leadership, turning a dream season into reality for the Volunteers and their fans.
Omaha!
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Well, well, well….Ya know all those heated arguments with your buddies about the SEC vs. ACC?
And we all know, depending on which sport you’re talking about, usually there’s a dominant conference. But just like the parent that will rationalize their kid cheating on a test and somehow blame the teacher, conference fans will swear up and down their conference is the best.
‘My team beat this team and they lost to them and they beat that other team… blah, blah, blah.”
Go ahead. Laugh. You know that’s you!
Even plausible arguments like bowl games, rivalry games and RPI, can be a bit tedious and all have reasons why they might not be the best way to gauge conference supremacy. But make no mistake, for the next week or so, Omaha will be the setting for probably the closest thing we’ll ever get to a proper gauge.
For the first time in the history of the NCAA College World Series, all eight teams are from two conferences and you guessed it. That would be the ACC and SEC.
Here’s my CWS outlook.
Best Offense – UVA Cavaliers-While the #1 Vols have hit the most HRs per game (2.6), it’s Virginia with the upper hand. The Cavs make their 3rd trip in 4 years to Omaha, but they bring a much more potent line-up.
They lead the country in scoring with 9.4 runs per game, but are #17 in HRs. What does that tell you? They string a lot of hits together. They lead the country with 121 occurrences of over 2 consecutive hits.
This bodes well for Charles Schwab Park, a bigger park than the college band boxes. It happens every year. The power teams struggle because of relying on the long ball. A final nugget – only one starter batting under .300 – Harrison Didiwick at .297.
Best Pitching – UNC Tarheels-Although Tennessee enters with the best team ERA (3.83), I’m rolling with the Heels. They’re team ERA (4.22) is #15, but is misleading because their home field, Boshamer Stadium, is one of the smallest stadiums in the country.
They also boast arguably the best bullpen in the country. The bullpens can simply maketeam becauseollege baseball team because starters only go 4-6 innings.
Best Player – Jack Caglianone-You’d have to be either brain dead or living under a rock, not to agree with this one. Why? The man plays both ways – Ohtani, Jr. .411, 33 HRs, 68 RBIs at the plate. 5-2, 4.11 ERA on the bump.
Just as important, Caglianone is clutch in their biggest games on the mound and was a big part of their runner-up finish last year.
Darkhorse – NC State-Yeah, I know. Why not Florida? Barely .500 on the season and just upset the Oklahoma St Regional and the #6 Clemson, all on the road. The Wolfpack boasts the #1 bullpen (Baseball America) in America.
And they’ve been the hottest offensive team in the land over the last 6 games. It’s that bullpen that’s been their mainstay and will keep them in any game.
My Winner – Kentucky Wildcats-I see the Heels out of Bracket 1 and the Kentucky Wildcats out of Bracket 2 facing off for the national title.
None of the above included talk of Kentucky, so why the Cats? Remember what I said about Charles Schwab Park? The power of teams like Tennessee, Texas A&M, and others gets neutralized in this park.
Similar to Wrigley Field, though, the wind can really be a factor. Remember the Oregon State Beavers, that just “small-balled” their way to titles in 2006, 2007 and 2018? This is that Kentucky team.
Just A little Short
By: Michael Spiers
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
It has been a magical season in Wes Johnson’s first year as the Georgia Bulldog’s skipper.
His Georgia squad has shown all of the attributes required to succeed in the modern era of big-time college baseball; grit, toughness and heart.
After managing to clear every previous obstacle and overcoming the adversity that inevitably arises, the Dawgs’ season came to an end.
The Athens Super Regional of the NCAA baseball tournament culminated in a decisive Game 3 between No. 7 UGA and the No. 10 North Carolina State Wolfpack, held at Foley Field with a College World Series berth on the line.
This series had seen both teams dominate at different times, leading to the final, winner-take-all clash.
In Game 1, NC State’s offense exploded with an 11-run second inning, which set the stage for an 18-1 blowout over the Bulldogs. Georgia responded strongly in Game 2, taking an early lead and cruising to an 11-2 victory, evening the series and building anticipation for the finale.
In the winner-take-all Game 3, the drama was palpable. Georgia struck first with a two-run homer by Tre Phelps in the second inning, but NC State quickly responded.
The Wolfpack took the lead for good in the fourth inning after scoring three runs, including on a critical wild pitch that allowed Matt Heavner to score. Alec Makarewicz added to the lead with an RBI single, and NC State maintained control until the end.
Georgia attempted a comeback, scoring another run in the sixth to narrow the gap to 5-3, but NC State’s Eli Serrano III extended the lead with a home run in the seventh.
Serrano also made a crucial defensive play, robbing Georgia of a potential rally by making a leaping catch at the center-field wall in the same inning. The Bulldogs struggled to keep pace; despite scoring in the ninth inning with Charlie Condon’s nation-leading 37th home run, they couldn’t close the gap.
NC State’s offensive firepower was showcased throughout, with standout performances from Serrano, who went 3-for-4, and Makarewicz, who contributed three RBIs.
NC State’s Derrick Smith was instrumental in closing out the game, earning his eighth save of the season by retiring Phelps twice during critical moments.
The 8-5 victory sent NC State to the College World Series for the fourth time in the program’s history and capped a strong finish to their season, marked by 18 wins in their last 23 games.
They joined ACC counterparts Florida State, Virginia, and North Carolina in Omaha, tying the record for most ACC teams in a single year in the College World Series.
Meanwhile, Georgia, which had hoped to secure their seventh trip to the College World Series, saw their season end with a 43-17 record.
Despite the loss, Georgia’s season under first-year head coach Wes Johnson showed promise. The Bulldogs’ ability to force a decisive third game in the Super Regional highlighted their resilience and potential, setting a positive outlook for the future of their baseball program.
Ultimately, NC State’s balanced attack and timely defensive plays proved too much for Georgia, securing the final spot in the College World Series and capping a thrilling Super Regional showdown.
The Wolfpack advanced to face Kentucky in their opening game of the series in Omaha, carrying forward their late-season momentum and solidifying their status as one of the top teams in collegiate baseball this year.
The End of The Road
By: Charlie Moon
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Drinking my coffee, visiting family in Birmingham, AL, one song seems fit: “….I’ve been through the desert on a horse with no name… uh uh huh, ahh ahhhh…”
I’m confident that in 1972, when Dewey Bunnell, of the band America, penned the group’s 1-hit wonder, he had no idea some overweight bald dude was going to tie his lyrics to Birmingham Southern College baseball in 2024.
I first heard of this story a couple weeks ago while heading home from work and thought of that song immediately.
Birmingham Southern College played Salve Regina University (Newport, RI) (Friday, May 31), on the very last day Birmingham Southern College was known as an active institution of higher learning. That’s right. The Panthers of Birmingham Southern competed for a national title, when the name on their jersey is a thing of the past.
Hence…. “Goin through the desert on a horse”.
Bunnell once said he wrote the song as a metaphor of being free, independent of societal constraints.
One thing is for sure. The Panthers are free. On March 27, head coach Jan Weisberg met with the team in their clubhouse after an 8-5 road win at LaGrange, GA.
Team leader Drake Laroche (son of former Atlanta Brave Adam Laroche) said, “We had no idea what coach wanted to say. It was a big win for us. After a rough stretch, we lost our way. But something clicked that night. The chemistry finally brewed. We thought coach wanted to ignite that flame a little.”
Sadly, no. Coach Weisberg informed the team that Birmingham Southern College, a state-chartered Methodist school since its founding in 1856, was closing its doors.
Laroche says there were a few tears at first, but then they just sat around for about 2 hours, with questions…and answers.
“We didn’t know at first, if we were gonna be able to finish the season. If not, could we enter the transfer portal? Did we have to go home? Were we still gonna get meals on the road?”
Weisberg calmed everyone’s fears.
Laroche said: “Oh, it popped off. We got jacked up….like something out of a movie. We knew there was just one thing left to do – win a natty.”
There have been hundreds of times an NCAA school has finished their season, knowing their program had been shut down as of that season’s completion. Birmingham’s own UAB, after all, shut down its program just before the Blazers played in a 2014 bowl game. Of course, the Blazers wouldn’t go away.
And so have the Panthers. After beating the nation’s #2 Denison University, in the Regionals, they began the Division 3 College World Series.
And they’ll did it in style!
The team began a GoFundMe. Until their wins against Denison, it only had about $10,000. Suddenly, it ballooned to over $200,000.
The team was able to fly a private charter to Eastlake, OH. They’re stayed in a 5-star hotel and had all their meals catered.
Birmingham Southern alumni from all over the world flocked to Eastlake. It turned into a Panther Party at the Division III World Series.
That song we began our coffee cup talk with? It closes with: “After nine days, I Iet the horse run free, cause the desert had turned to sea.” The idea being…everybody can run free now.
Well, one thing is for sure, the Panthers all run free. I imagine one major difference. They won’t be constrained by a single thing.
Birmingham Southern’s run ended in the round of 8 double elimination. The Panthers lost to Wisconsin-Whitewater 11-10 to end their magical run.
“When the game got tight, I wasn’t worried about winning or losing,” he said. “I wanted one more night to be able to hang out with everyone. I think the ride we had the last three weeks is better than winning a national championship.”
Super Post-Season
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For college baseball fans, this is the best time of year…College Baseball Postseason!
College baseball postseason is structured a little differently than most other sports in college athletics but has become one of the most entertaining postseasons recently.
This week (May 20 thru May 26) is the week for most league’s conference tournament.
Following “Championship Sunday” where most leagues will have the championship game, there’s a dead period of about 18 hours or so that leave teams convincing themselves (or sometimes sweating it out) that they will hear their name on Selection Monday.
At high noon on Memorial Day, the college baseball world will be locked into the selection show to wait on which 64 teams will head to an NCAA Regional.
Since 1999 when the tournament expanded to 64 teams, NCAA Baseball has structured the postseason with ranking the top 16 national seeds and those 16 teams will “host” a Regional at their home ballpark and welcome in three other teams determined by the NCAA selection committee.
With the 31 Division I conferences each receiving one “automatic bid”, that leaves 33 at-large bids up for grabs that are also selected by the committee. Most of the 31 auto-bids are given to the conference tournament champions.
Once the field of 64 is set, and the Regionals are determined, the top 16 national seeds will host the NCAA Regionals Friday May 31st through Sunday June 3rd. The Regionals are a miniature double elimination tournament between the four teams assigned to that Regional site. The winner of each Regional advances to the Super Regional round.
With just one team advancing out of each Regional, the field quickly gets trimmed from 64 to 16 over one weekend. When the Regionals are set, two Regionals are paired together (#1-seed & #16-seed paired, #2-seed & #15-seed paired and so-on) and the winner from each of those regionals will face off in the Super Regional which will be hosted at the higher ranked team’s park. With the field cut down and only 8 Super Regionals going on, this round consists of a best-of-3 game series.
If you’re one of the eight teams lucky enough to win a Super Regional, it’s time to head to the college baseball mecca…Omaha, Nebraska.
Now to the casual fan, Omaha, Nebraska may not sound majestic, but to a college baseball player, coach, fan….broadcaster….it is the “Magical Land of Oz of College Baseball.”
Since 1950, Omaha has been the destination on the mind of every college baseball team as the host of the College World Series.
From 1950 until 2010, Rosenblatt Stadium was the site for the CWS before moving in 2011 to Charles Schwab Field (formerly TD Ameritrade Park).
Make no mistake, no matter the stadium, no matter the year, Omaha is the perfect site for the grand finale to college baseball.
Each of the 8 Super Regional winning teams will flock to Omaha and be embarrassed with open arms from the community that treats this event like Christmas.
The Omaha area essentially is laser focused with everything that isn’t around the College World Series and serving the visitors shutting down.
The college baseball postseason may seem odd and somewhat drawn out to casual fans, but to baseball fans, it’s an almost month-long celebration of another season of the game so many love…College Baseball.
A Near Strike Out
By: Colin Lacy
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In a series opening game in May at Founders Park in Columbia, Georgia Baseball opened a three-game series against the then Number 13 South Carolina Gamecocks.
The Dawgs chased the Gamecock’s starter Roman Kimball after scoring four in the top of the 1st inning, then the second inning saw Charlie Condon launch a Ty Good first pitch past the left field wall to go back-to-back with teammate Corey Collins. That blast was his 34th of the season to maintain the national homerun lead.
Condon not only led the nation in homers, but also led the country with an average over .450 and had driven in 72 runs at that point for the Diamond Dawgs. He’s having a historic year for Georgia, but it’s almost a career that never came to fruition.
Near the end of his career at The Walker School in Marietta (North Metro Atlanta area), Condon had no Division I offers to play baseball.
The two offers on the table were from D III Rhodes College in Memphis and University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn to play both baseball and also play quarterback for the football programs.
Condon did have a potential preferred walk-on opportunity for the Tennessee Volunteers, but a late pull from Vols Head Coach Tony Vitello took that opportunity off the table.
Scott Stricklin, former Georgia Head Coach from 2014 thru 2023, got a phone call from a friend telling him about Charlie, and was told that Condon may be a potential target.
Stricklin and staff got some video of Condon’s skills and thought he would be able to be a factor for the Dawgs down the road.
So how did everyone miss on someone that potentially could be the number one overall pick in the upcoming MLB Draft?
Well, it may be a full storm of factors. First off, Condon was a late bloomer. While the last few years in high school were impressive, he wasn’t on the top travel ball team, he wasn’t the measurable masterpiece.
All of that along with COVID-19 was affecting the sports world still while his recruiting process. High school schedules were affected, College coaches weren’t out on the road and able as many players as they normally would, so late bloomers, and players that were under the radar didn’t get a look.
If there needed to be another factor, the MLB Draft was shortened from 40 rounds to 20, so there weren’t many scholarships to go around.
Condon turned into the perfect fit for the Bulldogs before even taking an at-bat. Condon was exceptional student and was able to be accepted to the University of Georgia and didn’t need a scholarship to come to school.
As a pure walk-on, Condon didn’t see action as a freshman. Scott Stricklin told Condon that the plan was for him to redshirt and really hit the weight room in 2022 to grow into the player that Stricklin thought Condon could be.
While that is the plan, Stricklin saw that Condon was special and had told other college coaches that possibly the best hitter on his roster was a redshirt.
Condon took the redshirt in stride and gained 15-20 pounds of muscle, and seeing college pitching made it click at the plate.
If Condon wasn’t special enough, or as one scout called him “a unicorn,” he had to deal with another bit of adversity after 2023 when Stricklin (the coach that took a chance on him) was let go from UGA.
In the new age of college sports of NIL and transfer portal, Condon proved he’s a “unicorn” off the field too with an incredibly infrequent take on the portal opportunity.
“It was never a real possibility that I wanted to get in the portal and go anywhere else,” Condon told ESPN’s Mark Schlabach.
“Whether it was this coaching staff or not, the university was the only place that gave me a chance out of high school. It was the university that had given me all the time and resources and put so much into my development. I couldn’t turn my back on that.”
No matter if you’re a fan of the Dawgs, or just of college baseball, you can’t help but root for Charlie Condon, and marvel at the historic season.
As great as his on-the-field presence is, the off-the field factor helps Condon’s draft stock just as much.
Who Is On First?
By: Jeb Watkins
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Who is Charlie Condon?
Maybe you’ve heard the name. He’s at the top of almost every MLB mock draft, and is currently leading the NCAA in batting average(.482) HR’s(26) and Slugging(1.109).
He is only two homers shy of breaking the University of Georgia’s single season and career home run record, which for the moment is held by former MLB player Gordon Beckham set back in 2006 and 2008.
Condon, a native of Atlanta, didn’t generate a lot of attention coming out of Walker high school in Marietta Georgia, due to his size at the time but he managed to land a preferred walk on spot with the Dawgs 2021 class.
A year and several pounds of muscle later, Charlie Condon began his redshirt freshman season. In that 2023 season he won his team’s triple crown with his .386 average 26 homers with 67 runs batted in.
He also racked up a ton of hardware last season being named National freshman hitter of the year, freshman all American, and SEC freshman of the year and even set a new SEC freshman home run record.
This guy is a natural hitter, a team leader, and versatile in the field.
Condon is listed as a 1st baseman but he can also play 3rd and in the outfield. I’m not sure if there is anything this guy can’t do.
I expect every bottom dwelling team in the MLB is just itching to draft this kid and why not?
He has powered himself and his team to success. The Diamond Dawgs are currently ranked 24th in the nation with a record of 27-9 and have about 15 games left in the regular season. They still have the SEC tournament starting on May 21st, which should be a great chance to catch Condon’s skill set in action.
Omaha!
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
One of the underrated sporting events in the country starts today and ends on June 27th.
It is the College World Series. The field looks balanced this year with no clear favorite after Tennessee, the self-proclaimed greatest team of all-time, choked at home in the Super Regionals losing to Notre Dame in grand fashion.
The field includes four SEC teams and two others, Oklahoma and Texas, who will be joining the SEC by 2025.
The SEC is dominant in most sports these days. The College World Series is played annually in Omaha, Nebraska. There should be plenty of SEC chants going on over the next 10 days. The CWS is a double-elimination tournament.
2022 COLLEGE WORLD SERIES Round 1
All Times Eastern
Friday, June 17
Oklahoma vs #5 Texas A&M 2 pm ESPN: A match-up of two SEC teams. One current and one in future in Oklahoma.
This was a huge rivalry when A&M was in the Big 12 so these programs are familiar with each other.
In his first year at Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle has reached the College World Series. He took TCU to Omaha five times in his 18 years at TCU. The Aggies are hot currently, so give me Texas A&M in this contest.
Notre Dame vs #9 Texas 7 pm ESPN: This should be a great contest. Texas lost game one in the Supers at East Carolina. Then come back and walked off with a win in game two and blew ECU out in game three to earn a trip to Omaha.
The Longhorns hit the long-ball frequently and will be a tough out in the CWS. Notre Dame, like I mentioned earlier, is riding high after beating Tennessee in Knoxville to earn a berth.
This is a tough gritty team that is dangerous in an environment like Omaha.
Give me Texas in this contest because the Longhorns have made the CWS field 38 times since the inception of the CWS.
The 2022 tournament marks the 75th playing of the CWS. Texas has been there more than half of the time. No other program has more than 25 appearances. Give me Texas in this match-up.
Saturday, June 18
Arkansas vs #2 Stanford 2 pm ESPN: Stanford always has good pitching, and this year is no exception. Arkansas was the Top overall seed in 2021 and did not make the CWS but went to Chapel Hill and beat a tough North Carolina team in three games to earn a spot in 2022.
Arkansas is peaking at the right time. Watch out for the Hogs. Give me Arkansas in this game.
Ole Miss vs #14 Auburn 7 pm ESPN2: Ole Miss may be the hottest team in college baseball right now. They were Preseason #1 that slumped badly in the middle of the season, only to get hot at tourney time.
The Rebels were the one of the last teams (probably last) selected to the field of 64 and have gone on a run and won a Super in Hattiesburg by sweeping Southern Miss and not giving up a run.
Auburn got sent to Corvallis, Oregon for a Super Regional and beat Oregon State.
Auburn has been a major surprise in 2022. The Tigers have a good power packed line-up. The SEC goes head-to-head in this one. Give me Ole Miss in this contest.
Teams with deep pitching staffs will rise to the top during the tourney. When it is all said and done, here is how I see it playing out:
Bracket One:
Notre Dame
Oklahoma
Texas
Texas A&M
Winner: Texas
Bracket Two:
Arkansas
Auburn
Ole Miss
Stanford
Winner: Arkansas
College WS Final:
Arkansas vs Texas
Winner: Arkansas
Arkansas is your 2022 National Baseball Champions.
The Jimmies and The Joes
By: Robert Craft
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I have always believed that stars matter when it comes to college football recruiting. Old time coaches used to say that “it’s not about the X’s and O’s, but the Jimmies and Joes.” Some sayings never go out of style.
With the annual “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party” just around the corner, let’s breakdown the roster team talent composite rankings.
Since Kirby Smart arrived at Georgia, he has pulled in recruiting classes no lower than number 6. Georgia has signed the nation’s number 6, 3, 1 and 2 recruiting classes.
Georgia’s current roster is loaded. The Bulldogs are number 3 in team composite ranking (Alabama 1 & Ohio State 2). Georgia has 14 Five-Star players, the most in college football.
The Bulldogs have a composite score of 960.16.
Georgia also leads the nation in dollars spent legally on recruiting, The Bulldogs spent $2,626,622.00 in 2019, the most in college sports.
Take a look at where Georgia’s opponents rank:
Vanderbilt 53,
Arkansas 102,
Notre Dame 14,
Tennessee 15,
South Carolina 21,
Kentucky 34,,
Missouri 39,
Auburn 13,
Texas A&M 12,
Georgia Tech 45,
and Florida 15 .
Moving onto my Florida Gators, Dan Mullen in his second year at Florida has signed the number 14th and 9th classes the past two years.
The Gators have zero Five Stars players and a team composite score of 835.68.
Florida is ranked 14th in dollars spend in recruiting. The Gators spent $1,155,802.00 last year in recruiting.
Take a look at where Florida opponents rank:
Miami 18,
Kentucky 34,
Tennessee 15,
Auburn 13,
LSU 5 ,
South Carolina 21,
Georgia 3,
Vanderbilt 53,
Missouri 39,
and Florida State 6.
If you just go by the team composite ranking, this should not be much of contest. There is a 134.48- difference between the teams. Georgia should be a two touchdown favorite on November 2nd.
Now to the X’s and O’s, Kirby Smart versus Dan Mullen.
Kirby Smart is in his 5th season as the Bulldogs head coach with a record of 38-11 and 2-2 in bowl games.
Kirby’s biggest win to date is the come from behind win against Oklahoma in the 2017 Rose Bowl. Kirby has upgraded Georgia’s roster to an elite level.
However, there are questions about Kirby’s performance in big games, especially with national interest, such as National Championship game against Alabama, SEC Championship game against Alabama, 2018 blow out lost to LSU, and 2019 Sugar Bowl loss to Texas.
Dan Mullen is in his 2nd season as the Gator head coach with a record of 17-4 and 1-0 in bowl games. Mullen is known as a quarterback whisperer. He is the all time winningest coach at Mississippi State. Taking Mississippi State to a school record eight straight bowl appearances.
Mullen’s strength is X’s and O’s and development of players. Mullen has a track record of taking 3-Stars players and turning them into quality NFL prospects.
Jimmies and Joes will always determine the outcome. There is a definite talent difference in this game. Can coaching and game planning beat pure athleticism?
Gators vs Bulldogs, the winner of this is in the driver’s seat for the SEC EAST.
November 2nd, Jacksonville, Florida, Jimmies and Joes vs. X’s and O’s.
Diamond Dawgs
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As I sat at the campsite on beautiful Lake Oconee last Sunday evening, I got on my phone and watched UGA fall to a hot hitting FSU squad in the finals of the Athens regional and it was obvious that this UGA baseball program is on the right track. Even Captain Obvious would be in agreement with me on the subject of UGA baseball.
The 2019 Bulldogs finished the season with a 46-17 record after reaching the NCAA Athens Regional final.
The 46 wins is top 5 in school history and the 21 SEC wins is the most ever in a season for the baseball Dawgs. Georgia earned a National Seed two straight years and played host to an NCAA Regional in back-to-back seasons.
Yeah, The Dawgs lost to Duke and FSU at home over the last two seasons as a regional host, but baseball may be the greatest game on the planet. If a team gets hot at the right time and just goes on a tear, they are tough. That is what has happened to UGA over the last two baseball seasons.
I laugh at people who say this team choked without doing the research on how this baseball program has evolved.
As a fan of the program you hate to see your favorite team lose to anyone, but realize that prior to hiring of Scott Stricklin the Bulldogs had gone 42-72 the previous 4 years in SEC play and had conference records of 5-23 in 2011, and 7-20 in 2013. When Stricklin was hired the program was a dumpster fire.
It takes time to build a quality baseball program and when Strickin was hired in 2014 the rebuild was put into motion.
It took four tough years to start seeing results, and those results came in 2018 when UGA went 39-21 and 18-12 in the SEC. Anyone who follows UGA athletics can see that the program is rising to being one of the elite baseball programs in the conference.
The 21 SEC wins this season show that the program is on a solid foundation. I personally believe that a baseball rebuild is much harder than a football or basketball rebuild job.
Give credit to Greg McGarity, the UGA AD, for giving Stricklin the opportunity to put his stamp on the program. The results are starting to come in. Look at the Dawgs drafted in this week’s MLB draft.
Georgia’s draft picks were junior third baseman Aaron Schunk (2nd Round, Colorado), junior pitcher Tony Locey (3rd Round, St. Louis), junior pitcher Tim Elliott (4th Round, Seattle), senior second baseman LJ Talley (7th Round, Toronto), junior pitcher Zac Kristofak (14th Round, L.A. Angels), junior shortstop Cam Shepherd (20th Round, Tampa Bay), junior outfielder Tucker Maxwell (22nd Round, Philadelphia) and redshirt sophomore outfielder/infielder Riley King (26th Round, Atlanta).
When you have 8 players drafted from your current program things are clicking. Georgia has great pitching coming back in 2020, young talents like Randon Jernigan, and 12-13 new players coming in the 2020 recruiting class.
This team isn’t going anywhere folks except a Super Regional or a College World Series in the near future.
Scott Stricklin deserves a raise for the job he is doing in Athens. 85-38 overall and 39-21 in the SEC over the past two seasons. The rebuild has turned into reload mode now.
Georgia baseball is firmly on the right track.
