Georgia Bulldogs baseball preview

Internal improvement: The SEC has proved that young teams can blossom quickly, with recent rises from Auburn, Arkansas and Mississippi State as evidence. The Bulldogs could see jumps from shortstop Cam Shepherd, who was on the All-Freshman team a season ago, and outfielders Tucker Bradley and Tucker Maxwell, and designated hitter Michael Curry will make for an intriguing core. Will Proctor and Aaron Schunk, both sophomores, will man second and third base, respectively.

Shepard will be key. He hit .307 across 57 games, with a .953 fielding percentage. Curry was preseason All-SEC first team as a DH following his first team selection last season. Curry and senior Keegan McGovern are the team captains for 2018.

Starting strong: Georgia's 2017 left a lot to be desired, but a solid finish provides some optimism.

The Bulldogs won their last three conference series to qualify for the SEC tournament, each against ranked opponents. It was the first time since 2001 they had done so, and two of the series wins came on the road.

All nine starting position players are returning, with five sophomores expected to play key roles. The team also kept 14 pitchers, including two starters, from last year’s group.

Junior starter Kevin Smith (5-5, 4.87 ERA) gets the opening-day nod. The lefty’s development, alongside righties Emerson Hancock and Chase Adkins, will go a long way in changing UGA’s fortunes.

Smith, in particular, is vital. He annihilated the SEC through his final three starts last season, going 3-0 with a 1.89 ERA. He’s 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA in two starts against Georgia Southern.

Expectations: Georgia hasn't made the NCAA tournament in six seasons. Scott Stricklin's group was projected for fifth in the SEC East in a vote of SEC coaches, behind Florida, Kentucky, Vanderbilt and South Carolina.

The Bulldogs did get a bit of a coaching makeover. Sean Kenny joins as pitching coach, with Pete Hughes coming on as volunteer coach. Hitting coach Scott Daeley is back for his fifth season.

The projections may appear low, but perhaps the pressure is amplified if the team starts slowly. A six-year hiatus from the NCAA postseason is hard to swallow. Even with strong recruiting classes and young talent primed to break out, losing can be accepted only for so long.