ATHENS — Georgia baseball enters the final weekend of SEC play looking to improve its NCAA tournament resume against No. 11-ranked Ole Miss.
“We win the series, we feel like we’re in,” Georgia coach Scott Stricklin said. “We’re 14-16 in this league-- the No. 1 RPI league in the country-- and with our RPI and strength of schedule. I think we’re in if we win this series.”
The Bulldogs have dropped seven of their last nine games and their RPI has slipped to No. 42. All that remains after this final series at Foley Field is the rugged SEC tournament next week in Hoover, Ala.
Georgia (29-21, 12-15 SEC) and Ole Miss (36-16, 16-11) both secured spots in the SEC tourney, but UGA is firmly on the NCAA tourney bubble while the Rebels are competing for a one-seed to host an NCAA regional.
The Bulldogs will start freshman Luke Wagner (3-3, 4.98 ERA) in tonight’s 7 o’clock game against Ole Miss star Doug Nikhazy (7-2, 2.34 ERA).
“We need to find a way to score some runs against Nikhazy,” Stricklin said. “He’s one of the best guys not only in the league but in the country.”
Wagner pitched a career-high 6 innings in a win against Lipscomb on March 12, but he has not thrown more than three innings in conference play.
The Bulldogs’ pitching staff is especially depleted following the 14-inning loss to Georgia Tech on Tuesday.
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Charlie Goldstein, Jack Gowen, Nolan Crisp, and Hank Bearden all threw more than 44 pitches. Stricklin is considering adding a couple of extra pitchers to the active roster to get through tonight’s game.
Michael Polk, a sophomore from Cambridge High School in Milton, is expected to be the first reliever off the bench tonight. Ben Harris appears set as the closer should Georgia take a lead into the final stages of action.
“I can’t believe that we’ve had to piece it together like this,” Stricklin said on the number of injuries in his rotation, Ryan Webb the most recent of four pitchers to shut it down for the season.
“Coach (Sean) Kenny has done such a great job with this pitching staff, and the pitching staff has all bought into it.”
“We’ve pieced it together. It has been difficult, and we have the chance to play for something big this weekend.”
Liam Sullivan (1-1, 4.20 ERA) will start in the 7 p.m. game on Friday. Sullivan has started in the last three conference series, allowing four earned runs in 15 innings.
Stricklin hasn’t determined if Jonathon Cannon or Jaden Woods will start in the Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) tilt.
The three-game set with Ole Miss marks the first time Foley Field has been at full capacity since March 2020.
“It brings a lot of energy,” Stricklin said. “What we’re hoping is we have some fans that are starving to get outside and cheer and be loud. We need the atmosphere to really be in our favor.”
Saturday also marks Senior Day for Georgia. Eleven seniors and four managers will be recognized before the game Saturday for their contributions and in recognition of earning their degrees in 2020 or 2021.
For Stricklin, the combination of a postseason berth on the line and a rejuvenated home atmosphere tells the story of the weekend.
“We’ve played well the last two weekends at Arkansas and at Florida, and we still haven’t won the series,” Stricklin said. “Now, we’re at home, and we need to continue to play well, but we need to find a way to win the series.”
