ATHENS – Georgia baseball coach Wes Johnson was very clear about his team’s mindset entering its final regular season series.
Never mind what the schedule says. Never mind that the actual NCAA Tournament doesn’t start for another couple weeks.
The postseason starts now, as far as the No. 10-ranked Bulldogs (40-13, 16-11 SEC) are concerned.
“You need to have a mindset that regionals start Thursday, 6:02, right here,” Johnson said on Wednesday. “That’s our mindset. There’s no other way to get ready for it and have that mindset.”
That’s when Georgia opens its regular season finale against a potentially lethal Texas A&M team. The Aggies (27-23, 10-17) are desperately fighting for their postseason lives, needing at least two wins in Athens for a chance at the postseason.
Texas A&M started the season as the top-ranked team in the country before a rollercoaster season. The Aggies just suffered a sweep to SEC bottom-dweller Missouri at home, making the next three games their most important of the season.
Johnson knows Texas A&M’s talented lineup is liable to dominate at any moment, especially given their wounded-animal survival mode. Keeping in line with his regional mentality, Johnson emphasized the importance of setting the tone in game one.
“You better play a good, clean ball game on Thursday night,” Johnson said. “I mean, if you’re in a regional and you lose game one, it’s really hard to come back and win that thing.”
It’s a massive series for the Bulldogs, too, as they chase a top-eight national seed. A series win would give UGA at least 18 SEC wins and a 5-0 record in SEC home series.
It would also help keep Georgia’s RPI near the No. 1 spot, further boosting their case for a national seed. That is UGA’s clear big picture goal this weekend, voiced by Johnson last week and another senior leader on Wednesday.
Center fielder Nolan McCarthy has seen the importance of earning a national seed, clinching home-field advantage through the super regionals. The Kentucky transfer compared his experiences as the visiting team and the home team in two super regionals with the Wildcats.
Kentucky was eliminated on the road by LSU and Johnson’s pitching staff in the 2023 super regional round. That started with a 14-0 game one loss to set the tone.
“We went and we played Coach Johnson two years ago at LSU, faced [MLB All-Star Paul Skenes] on a Friday night,” McCarthy said. “You’re not going to win that super on the road against Skenes.”
McCarthy and the national-seeded Wildcats broke through on their home turf in 2024, beating Oregon State in the super regionals for the first College World Series trip in program history.
“Playing at home for a super is the biggest thing ever, because you never know, had we gone to Oregon State last year, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been as easy as playing them at home in front of 10,000 of our own fans,” McCarthy said. “So getting the dawgs out here, getting the fans out here, it’s going to be unbelievable and take care of business this weekend.”
McCarthy has been a self-described vocal leader for the Bulldogs since the fall, and he has no problem reminding his team why a national seed matters so much.
“We’ve been pushing hard, yeah,” McCarthy said. “Playing at home for a super is one of the most influential things you can do to get to Omaha.”
Ryland Zaborowski Injury Update
Georgia’s No. 2 home run hitter, Ryland Zaborowski, could return this weekend. The first baseman has not played since UGA’s last home game against Oklahoma on April 26.
But Johnson said Zaborowski’s swing has recovered despite his elbow injury. Zaborowski will be a game-time decision all weekend, according to Johnson, and would be UGA’s designated hitter as his elbow isn’t healthy enough to throw.
“Swing looked good yesterday, I’ll say that,” Johnson said. “But I mean, you’ve got to make sure that after two days of doing it, how’s swelling? How’s range of motion? I mean, all those things come into play.”
Zaborowski is the only player listed on Georgia’s SEC availability report. The Miami of Ohio transfer is “questionable.”
Probable Pitching Matchups: Georgia vs. Texas A&M
Game One
Georgia: LHP Charlie Goldstein (0-2, 6.66 ERA)
Texas A&M: LHP Ryan Prager (3-3, 3.82 ERA)
Game Two
Georgia: RHP Brian Curley (4-2, 3.02 ERA
Texas A&M: LHP Justin Lamkin (3-7, 3.97 ERA)
Game Three
Georgia: RHP Leighton Finely (2-2, 5.30 ERA)
Texas A&M: LHP Myles Patton (3-4, 5.16 ERA)
