Georgia opens SEC Tournament play this morning with a single-elimination matchup against LSU at Hoover (Ala.) Metropolitan Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 10:32 a.m. (ET). The game will be televised by the SEC Network and is available on radio via the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
The eighth-ranked Bulldogs are 39-14 and earned the sixth seed after posting a 17-13 mark in league play under first-year coach Wes Johnson. Johnson was the LSU’s pitching coaching when it won the 2023 College World Series. The Tigers (36-20, 13-17 SEC) are the 11th seed.
The Georgia-LSU winner will advance to the double-elimination rounds and face No. 3 seed and regular-season co-champion Kentucky on Wednesday morning, also at 10:30 ET.
Here are three things to know heading into the conference tournament:
Hot Dawgs
Georgia enters as winners of nine of its past 11 games but dropped the last two of the regular season at home to Florida. In Hoover, the Bulldogs will seek to improve its NCAA resume and hope to contend for a Top 8 national seed. That’s a realistic proposition as Georgia currently is ranked No. 6 in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) and sports the ninth-ranked strength of schedule. The Bulldogs finished 22-1 (.957) out of conference during the regular season, which is the best winning percentage school history.
The Bulldogs have made 14 NCAA regional appearances. Georgia has been a national seed five times: No. 4 in 2019; No. 6 in 2001, No. 7 in 2006 and No. 8 in 2008 and 2018. They have made six trips to the College World (1987-90-2001-04-06-08), and the Bulldogs were the first SEC baseball team to win the national title.
LSU comes in hot as well. The Tigers swept Ole Miss last week in Baton Rouge and come to Hoover desperate to play themselves into an NCAA Tournament bid. They have a history of doing that with a 90-49 all-time record in the conference tournament and winning the title an SEC-best 12 times.
Long-ball specialists
The Bulldogs rank third nationally with a school record 140 home runs. Also, Georgia has hit a school record 11 grand slams, is third nationally with a .605 slugging percentage and fourth in on-base percentage at .438. The Bulldogs are batting .307 and have posted double-digit runs in seven of its past nine SEC games.
The catalyst for the Bulldogs’ offense is All-American slugger Charlie Condon. The redshirt sophomore from Marietta was named the SEC’s Player of the Year on Monday and is rated as the top draft prospect for 2024. He leads the NCAA with a .451 batting average, has hit a school record 35 home runs (which is second in SEC history and most in the BBCOR era), 219 total bases, and a 1.063 SLG%. He has a .567 OB% (third nationally) with 50 walks (23 intentional) and 75 RBI. Condon enters the SEC Tournament on a team-best 24-game hitting streak, which matches his longest last year. Condon has smashed a school record 60 career home runs in only 109 games.
Senior lead-off hitter Corey Collins bats in front of Condon and is enjoying a fine year himself. Collins (.361-18 HRs-52 RBI) ranks second in the nation with a .586 on-base percentage and ranks fifth nationally with an SEC-leading and school record 25 hit-by-pitch count this year. Freshman Tre Phelps checks in at .370-9-33.
LSU has some star sluggers itself. Third baseman Tommy White went 8-for-13 in the sweep of Ole Miss this past weekend with three homers, two doubles, a triple and 7 RBI. He’s hitting .341 on the season with 23 home runs and 63 RBI.
Defensively speaking
Georgia’s top starting pitchers are sophomore RHP Leighton Finley (5-1, 4.18 ERA, 69K, 24BB, 64.2 IP) and sophomore RHP Kolten Smith (9-2, 4.40 ERA, 94K, 13BB, 61.1 IP). How the Johnson handles his staff this week will have a lot to say about how successful the Bulldogs will be.
Graduate left-hander Charlie Goldstein was designated Georgia’s No. 1 starter at the beginning of the year. But due to lingering arm injuries, he has pitched just 7.2 innings since beating then No. 5 Tennessee in Knoxville on March 29. His last action came against No. 13 Vanderbilt on May 4 but left after 2.2 scoreless innings due to a triceps cramp. He enters the SEC tournament with a 4-1 record and 3.72 ERA, with 43 strikeouts and 13 walks in 36.1 innings.
Georgia’s starter for Tuesday’s opener has not been announced, but Goldstein could be the answer. LSU also hasn’t announced, but speculation out of Baton Rouge is that the Tigers will bring back last Thursday’s starter, Gage Jump (5-1, 3.65), on four days rest.
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