The Diamond Dawgs are back home with a chance to host a super regional in Athens on the line. After an early exit in the second round of the SEC Tournament, Georgia earned the No. 7 national seed and will host Duke, Oklahoma State and Binghamton at Foley Field this weekend. First pitch is set for noon on Friday as No. 1 Georgia takes on No. 4 Binghamton.
Despite a top eight national seed, which guarantees a home super regional with a regional win, Georgia faces the second toughest regional field according to @aroundthehornszn. Duke ranks No. 31 in RPI while Oklahoma State comes in at No. 44.
Georgia is No. 2 in the RPI standings, yet five teams ranked beneath the Dawgs in the RPI standings earned higher seeds in the NCAA Tournament. Vanderbilt is the only higher ranked RPI team in the country than Georgia, but Auburn earned the No. 4 national seed despite Georgia sweeping the Tigers earlier this season.
It will surely be a tough road to a Super regional with three talented teams coming to town, but Georgia is primed to make a deep run and a hopeful Omaha appearance for the College World Series.
The Bulldogs have struggled on the road, so a home regional and potential home super regional bodes well for Georgia. In addition to road struggles, the Diamond Dawgs fail to meet the Bulldog standard offensively when facing left-handed pitchers. Luckily, Binghamton brings no leftys with them on their roster as Georgia battles the Bearcats in the first game of the regional.
Amidst the road and left-handed pitcher struggles, Georgia leads the nation in home runs with 133. Foley Field plays nicely for the Dawgs as the Georgia lineup, filled with left-handed hitters, finds comfort on the rather small 314-foot right field wall, another home-field advantage for the Bulldogs. Dangerously, the field plays just as easily for opposing left-handed hitters, so pitching must step up as every bullpen is always important on the road to Omaha.
Georgia fell to Oklahoma in the second round of the SEC Tournament with JT Quinn on the mound for the Diamond Dawgs. The Sooners’ pitcher Kyson Witherspoon improved to 10-3 on the year, pitching 7.2 innings on 107 pitches. The future MLB Draft first round pick has been nothing short of incredible this season, and it showed against the Bulldogs. Georgia must get back to their hitting dominance and rally around their offensive firepower in Robbie Burnett, Ryland Zoborowski and Slate Alford as they look to win a second straight regional under head coach Wes Johnson.
Alford leads the team in batting average with a .325 showing at the plate while Burnett leads the team in home runs with 20. Zaborowski has been a huge transfer addition at the plate with 16 homers, but injury has quieted his bat in the latter half of the season. A healthy “Zabo” can be a gamechanger for Georgia this postseason.
Sophomore Tre Phelps is a fan favorite with his shirt unbuttoned to his belly button, but a midseason injury removed him from action for a chunk of the season as well. A 2-for-4 showing with a standup triple against Oklahoma in Hoover could provide a spark to the sophomore sensation. In Georgia’s regional win last year, Phelps, as a freshman, caught fire and generated momentum throughout the Bulldogs’ postseason run. Once again, a healthy Phelps can be a postseason weapon in 2025.
The veteran, quick-handed shortstop Kolby Branch is one of the best fielding shortstops in college baseball. His leadership in the field has been a backbone of Georgia’s defense for two seasons now. A potential last ride with the Bulldogs is upon the junior if he elects to enter the Draft, and one last push in his Bulldog career could cement his name as one of the greats in Georgia baseball lore.
On the mound, Georgia will turn to Leighton Finley, the usual Sunday starter, and Brian Curley, the usual Saturday starter, as pillars in the pitching staff. Charlie Goldstein has been a common face to see on the bump on Fridays, but recent struggles might remove him from the rotation come Friday of the Athens regional. Quinn had a great showing in the SEC Tournament despite the loss, going four innings with six strikeouts and one run on three hits. Don’t be surprised with a start from him against Binghamton.
Matthew Hoskins is 1-2 on the year, giving up two runs against the Sooners, but his presence on the mound has been a plus in the Georgia bullpen. Reliever Alton Davis, a transfer from Alabama, is a hard-throwing lefty with good stuff. His control must be honed in, in order to get significant pitches from him. Zach Harris has been a great go-to closer for the Diamond Dawgs and will also play a massive role in sealing postseason wins for Georgia.
Finally, no one has quite the story, entering this regional, like Devin Obee. Obee transferred from Duke this past offseason. With the Blue Devils coming to Athens as the No. 2 seed in the respective regional, Obee will have the chance to send home his former team. The stud centerfielder earned MVP honors at last year’s ACC Tournament with Duke. Now, a senior for the Bulldogs, Obee has been a consistent glove in the outfield and a big bat at the plate.
Making it to the College World Series is one of the most grueling postseasons in sports, but head coach Johnson’s roster is geared to do just that: get to Omaha. A pitching staff that has turned it around, as opposed to the beginning of the season, and an offense that is one of the hardest-hitting bunches in baseball is ready to get over the hump and make it back to Omaha for the first time since 2008.