The only thing in the way of Georgia baseball going to Omaha? The Bulldogs.
After sweeping the Athens Regional over the weekend, Georgia knows its opponent for the upcoming super regional at Foley Field.
And it’s a familiar foe.
The No. 3 seeded Georgia Bulldogs will host the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, and the first game between these two teams in supers will be the fifth time they have played this season. The old adage says it’s hard to beat a team twice, but ultimately, Georgia will aim to make it six times, needing two more wins vs. No. 14 seeded Mississippi State in a best-of-3 series.
This will be the first time Georgia gets home-field advantage, however.
Dates and game times will be announced Tuesday.
Georgia beat Mississippi State 10-9, 3-1 and 8-5 in early April to sweep a top 5 SEC road series for the first time since 1990. The Bulldogs used a three-run home run by senior Michael O’Shaughnessy in extra innings to win the final game of that series, marking the first time the Bulldogs had swept a series in Starkville since 2004.
The two teams also matched up in the SEC Tournament, with Georgia winning 5-3 May 21 on its way to the program’s first conference tournament title.
Georgia (49-12) has won its four games vs. Mississippi State (43-17) by an average of two runs.
Mississippi State cruised to victory in its Starkville Regional, beating Lipscomb 10-1, Cincinnati 10-5 and Louisiana 19-5 in the final. Starter pitchers Duke Stone, Tomas Valincius and Ryan McPherson combined for 27 strikeouts and held opposing offense to five runs in three games.
Georgia has won 17 of its past 18 games. The Bulldogs demolished LIU 18-2 in their first regional game, hitting nine home runs to break the school record for homers in a single season, then registered back-to-back wins vs. Liberty.
Georgia, which is now up to a program-record 165 home runs this season, is hoping to return to the College World Series for the first time since 2008, with super regionals the final hurdle. Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, they will be without third baseman Tre Phelps for the first game of supers.
Phelps was ejected for taunting after his go-ahead two-run home run in Georgia’s 6-1 win vs. Liberty in the Athens Regional final Sunday. The Bulldogs had a quiet first six innings before Phelps’ play got the offense going.
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.
