For the first time since 2008, Georgia baseball has made it out of a regional.
The No. 7 Georgia Bulldogs won all three games in the Athens Regional, moving on to the Super Regionals. Georgia will face No. 10 seed NC State this weekend, with the winner advancing to the College World Series.
While Georgia went 3-0 on the weekend, it was far from an easy stroll through the regional. Georgia mounted comebacks in its wins over Army and Georgia Tech.
The latter game produced plenty of late-inning drama. The Bulldogs tied the game against the Yellow Jackets with a ninth inning home run from Kolby Branch, knotting the score at 5-5.
In the bottom half of the inning, Georgia Tech was able to load the bases, needing just a single run to win the game and force a decisive winner-take-all game on Monday.
But pitcher Chandler Marsh found a way to make a sliding catch at first base, ending the inning.
Georgia added three runs in the top of the 10th, one coming via a Georgia Tech error and the other coming off a 2-run double via senior Corey Collins.
Georgia Tech again loaded the bases in the bottom of the 10th, but Leighton Finley came on and limited Georgia Tech to just one run.
With the win, Georgia is now 3-0 against Georgia Tech this season in baseball and 9-1 in all sports.
The win gave Georgia fans plenty to talk about on social media. That the win and postseason run comes in Wes Johnson’s first year as the team’s head coach has only added to the excitement.
“I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about our fans,” Johnson said. “I’d rival what I saw tonight at Foley Field with any place in the SEC. It was loud, they were awesome and engaged.”
The last time Georgia advanced to a Super Regional was back in 2008. That was also the last time Georgia advanced to the College World Series. During that run, Georgia beat Georgia Tech in the Athens Regional and then beat NC State in the Super Regional.
Gordon Beckham set the single-season school record for home runs in 2008. Charlie Condon has already broken Beckham’s record, as he mashed his 36th home run in Friday’s win over Army.
Game times and dates have not yet been announced for the series against NC State. The series will be played in Athens.
