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BSB: Dawgs Fall to Oklahoma in SEC Tournament

HOOVER, Ala. – Oklahoma edged third-ranked Georgia 3-2 to eliminate the Bulldogs in the second round of the SEC Tournament Wednesday in front of a crowd of 11,117 at the Hoover Met.

Fast Facts

•  Junior RHP JT Quinn pitched four innings in a start and surrendered one run on three hits with six strikeouts. Matthew Hoskins fell to 1-2, allowing two runs on two hits in two innings of relief. OU starter Kyson Witherspoon improved to 10-3, going 7.2 innings, scattering two runs on five hits with no walks and eight strikeouts, throwing 107 pitches.

• Senior Slate Alford’s sacrifice fly in the third gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead, scoring Ryland Zaborowski.

• Junior Tre Phelps (2-for-4) notched his first career triple, smacking one down the right field line in the first inning.

• Trailing 3-1 in the eighth, senior Henry Hunter blasted his 10th home run of the season. He is the eighth Bulldog with double-digit home runs this season as Georgia leads the NCAA with 133.

• Relievers DJ Radtke, Brian Zeldin and Zach Harris each pitched a scoreless inning of relief.

Georgia Postgame Presser

Key Quotes

Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson

On the game

“I thought we battled hard. I thought (Kyson) Witherspoon was the best right-hander we’ve seen all year. The difference in the game was that they didn’t walk anybody, and we walked three and one of those walks scored. There was a play we didn’t make a second and a run scores. A walk later in the game scored. When you go against a guy like Witherspoon, you can’t make mistakes and give them a chance. He dialed it in and we tip our cap to him. We had some guys throw the ball okay. I thought (JT) Quinn was good for four innings and had six punchouts. I thought Slate’s (Alford) ball, he hit it 103, and their young man caught it at the track so an eyelash away from it being a tie game in the eighth. That’s part of our game.”

Box Score

Up Next

Georgia (42-15) returns home and will prepare for the NCAA Tournament. The 16 host sites will be announced Sunday evening, May 25 by the NCAA while the field of 64 and the top 16 seeds will be announced Monday, May 26 at noon on ESPN2/ESPNU.

BSB: Wes Johnson’s Tenure Extended Through 2031

 The University of Georgia and Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson have agreed to a contract extension through 2031 with an increased compensation package, J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks announced Wednesday. 

“We are excited to announce a contract extension for Wes, Angie and their family,” said Brooks. “It has been incredible watching our baseball program thrive over the past two seasons. Wes is without a doubt one of the elite head baseball coaches in the country, and his commitment to winning at the highest levels is surpassed only by his dedication to making everyone around him better each and every day. We are excited about the future under his leadership.”

Now in his second season, Johnson has led the Bulldogs to a 42-14 mark (18-12 SEC) and a consensus top 10 ranking, including as high as No. 3 this week. The Bulldogs, who are seeded fifth for the SEC Tournament, have the nation’s No. 1 RPI and are on track to be a national top-eight seed and host for the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. The Bulldogs feature a pair of Dick Howser Trophy semifinalists in Robbie Burnett and Ryland Zaborowski and four total All-SEC selections. Also, Burnett is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

“I’d like to thank Josh Brooks, President Jere Morehead, and all our fans for their commitment to Georgia Baseball,” said Johnson. “We have received tremendous support from day one, and that is evident from the $45 million renovation that was completed this year, that is vital for our player development, recruiting and the overall fan experience at Foley Field.” 

In 2024, Johnson made an immediate impact, directing the Bulldogs to their most successful season since reaching the finals of the College World Series (CWS) in 2008. The 2024 Bulldogs earned a No. 7 National Seed for the NCAA Tournament and came within one game of reaching the CWS. Also, Georgia finished with a top 10 national ranking after a full season for the first time since 2008. Georgia posted a 43-17 record (17-13 SEC) as Johnson established school records for most overall wins and most SEC wins by a first-year baseball coach. He became the first Georgia baseball coach to host and win an NCAA Regional in his first season, along with serving as a Super Regional host. In a preseason poll, SEC coaches projected Georgia would finish sixth in the Eastern Division, and instead the Bulldogs placed third overall and had the fifth-best mark in the 14-team league. Five of the eight national seeds in the NCAA Tournament were SEC teams, and it was an all-SEC CWS Final.

Also in 2024, Georgia featured one of the nation’s elite players in All-America Charlie Condon as he earned the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, which are widely considered the Heisman Trophy of college baseball and the top amateur player honor in the country. Condon, who led the nation in batting average (.433), home runs (37) and slugging percentage (1.009) was the number three overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Also, freshman All-American Tre Phelps and sophomore Kolten Smith received invitations to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp. Along with Condon, senior Corey Collins earned All-America honors and became the first SEC player to lead the nation in on-base percentage with a .574 mark. 

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