Could Georgia baseball win the SEC for the first time in almost 20 years?
This Georgia baseball team excels when it’s threatened, shortstop Kolby Branch says.
It dominated during a brutal conference road stretch in April, then didn’t let up when returning home to Foley Field.
“I think with this team, they feel the pressure, they rise to the occasion,” Branch said April 30, the day before the Bulldogs hosted Missouri for a three-game series. “So, part of that message needs to be brought into the locker room, you know, with a team like Missouri, and you say, there’s pressure, you know, you go take care of business, you stay in first place.”
No. 5 Georgia (38-11 overall, 18-6 SEC) did just that, winning 4-0 Friday and earning run-rule victories Saturday and Sunday. After sweeping the Tigers, the Bulldogs have a 2½-game lead on Texas A&M and Texas in the conference standings, putting them in the driver’s seat to claim the regular season championship for the first time since 2007-08.
The roster that won the SEC regular season in 2008 featured first-round draft picks Gordon Beckham and Joshua Fields. The Bulldogs reached the College World Series finals that year.
Georgia also advanced to the College World Series in 2006 and won it in 1990. The Bulldogs were the regular-season SEC co-champs in 2004 and earned regular-season SEC titles in 2001, 1954, 1953 and 1933. The Bulldogs have never won the SEC tournament, which will be played May 19-24.
This year’s Omaha-hopeful Bulldogs have two SEC series to go, hosting LSU (28-21 overall, 9-15 SEC) this weekend before a road trip to face No. 6 Auburn (32-14, 14-10).
UGA will be without sophomore outfielder Henry Allen, who will miss the rest of the season with a right knee injury sustained Friday against Missouri. Allen is third on the team with 15 home runs, fourth in batting average (.321) and fifth in slugging percentage (.635) and RBIs (41).
After the conference tournaments, the 64-team field for the postseason will be announced May 25 and regionals will take place May 29-June 1. Super regionals will be contested June 5-8, and the final eight teams will head to the College World Series, which begins June 12.
About the Author
Sarah Spencer, a Georgia native and UGA alum, serves as a general assignment and features writer for sports. She previously covered the Hawks from 2019-22.
