Georgia baseball has a big series on deck this weekend against Florida.
The three-game set begins Friday with a 6 p.m. first pitch at Foley Field.
The Bulldogs won their first four SEC series, accumulating a 10-2 record that leads the conference. The Gators have a 7-5 record in SEC play with series wins over South Carolina and Arkansas.
Florida also has one of the best starting rotations in the conference, a challenging task for Georgia’s talented lineup.
So enjoy the weekend, and check out the rest of our coverage below.
Trivia time
How many athletes with ties to the Georgia golf program are competing at the Masters?
Answer is at the bottom of the newsletter.
Demello Jones knows he needs to be focused on Georgia’s future
Georgia’s season-ending loss to Ole Miss has been a common talking point this spring.
Players have spoken about how motivating the disappointing defeat was for them this offseason. They remember how it felt to walk off the field after blowing a game they led 21-12 at halftime.
Yet for Demello Jones, who had perhaps the most painful experience at the end of the 39-34 defeat, he had nothing to say.
“No comment,” Jones said when asked about the game.
Jones was in coverage when Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss connected with wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling for a 40-yard gain on what was the final possession for Ole Miss. The reception set up the go-ahead field goal for the Rebels, as the game was knotted at 34 when Ole Miss got the ball to start the drive.
Defensive backs are supposed to have short memories. It makes sense for why Jones would want to forget a play where he just got beat off the line of scrimmage. It’s also worth pointing out there were dozens of plays in the 39-34 loss that went a long way in ending Georgia’s season.
Still, the short answer from Jones speaks volumes about how he feels about what effectively was a season-ending play.
UGA athletics daily schedule
Friday, April 10:
- Track and field
- Men’s tennis vs. South Carolina, 5:30 p.m.
- Softball vs. Missouri, 6 p.m.
- Baseball vs. Florida, 6 p.m.
CBS Sports gives Gunner Stockton proper respect
A year ago, Gunner Stockton was a question mark for this Georgia team.
Entering 2026, he’s viewed as one of the top quarterbacks in the sport.
Brad Crawford of CBS Sports ranked every Power Four quarterback entering the 2026 season. While Crawford did not have Stockton atop the rankings, or even first among SEC quarterbacks, his No. 7 overall ranking demonstrates that the Bulldogs could do a lot worse at the quarterback position.
“Ultra-competitive as a durable, throwback sort of signal-caller, Stockton’s play last fall led to a conference championship and top-four seed in the CFP with the Bulldogs,” Crawford said. “His 84.9 QBR was sixth-best nationally and he managed five wins as a first-year starter against ranked teams, including Texas, Georgia Tech and Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. Stockton’s 10 rushing touchdowns led the team.”
Among SEC quarterbacks, Crawford had Stockton ranked third behind Arch Manning of Texas and Chambliss of Ole Miss. Stockton beat Manning and Chambliss last season, with Stockton accounting for five touchdowns in the two wins.
But Chambliss outdueled Stockton in the College Football Playoff, which led to a season-ending loss for the Bulldogs.
That loss still lingers for Stockton this spring.
“It definitely left a bad taste,” Stockton said of the second Ole Miss game. “And just try not to let that happen and do our best to make it not happen.”
This is the fifth spring practice that Stockton has been with the Bulldogs. He doesn’t have much more to prove during this time of year, as the Georgia quarterback will ultimately be judged by how he plays at the end of the season.
Photo of the day
Quote of the day
Wide receiver Sacovie White-Helton on the position group:
“We can be a lot better. As an offense, we can be a lot better. As in the receiver room, we’re trying to be more explosive, really explosive. And just show that, hey, we’re accountable. Not only are we accountable with catching the ball, we’re also accountable with blocking.”
White-Helton knows he won’t be Zachariah Branch 2.0
White-Helton has a better understanding than most of what makes Zachariah Branch special.
He led the Bulldogs in receiving last season, catching a school-record 81 passes and a team-high six touchdown passes. Branch was also a special teams standout during his brief time in Athens.
White-Helton, entering his third year, knows he alone can’t replace Branch. That’s why he isn’t trying to replicate what Branch did last season.
He’s focused on being the best version of himself entering his third year in the program.
“I’m very explosive,” White-Helton said. “I can attack the ball as if I was 6′5”. I can make people miss. But me and Zach are two different players, and we play completely different. And kudos to him, because he did a lot for us this past year. But I just bring a whole different mindset and tempo to the game.”
Like Branch, White-Helton is at his best coming out of the slot. He’s also expected to be a difference-maker for Georgia on special teams, as he’s expected to take over Branch’s duties as the team’s punt returner.
To this point, Smart has been most impressed with White-Helton’s willingness to help on special teams.
“He’s come to me several times and requested to be more of a value, an asset on special teams,” Smart said. “He wants to do other things besides just return the ball. He’s always got a question. He’s inquisitive about what do I do if this happens? Or Coach, well, how did you see that? Should I have done this? I mean, he’s very intelligent and he loves the game and he’s just always smiling.”
White-Helton is going to help Georgia this year. As for how much, it will come down to what he is able to do as a wide receiver.
Trivia answer
Six
