Georgia baseball preview
Here's a preview of the Georgia Bulldogs for the 2021 baseball season.
2020 record / RPI: 14-4 / 21
2019 record / RPI: 46-17, 21-9 SEC / 4
Coach: Scott Stricklin (8th season at Georgia, 203-161-1)
Rank in preseason polls: 12 (CB), 24 (PG, Coaches, NWBWA)
Rank in SEC East forecasts: 5th (D1 Baseball)
Last NCAA tournament appearance: 2019 (2nd in Athens Regional)
Home field: Foley Field (3,291)
Left: 350, left center: 370, center: 404, right center: 365, right: 310
2020 recap /2021 outlook
It was all about pitching for the Bulldogs entering 2020. Georgia was armed with a pair of starting pitchers in Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox who many projected would go in the first round of the June Major League draft.
They almost did.
Hancock was taken with the seventh overall pick by Seattle, with Wilcox going in the third to San Diego, before being shipped to Tampa as part of the Padres’ trade for Ian Snell.
The two performed as expected. Hancock went 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA, striking out 34 in 24 innings. Wilcox was even more impressive, going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA, fanning 32 with just two walks in 23 innings before the season was called.
Offensively, outfielder Tucker Bradley was the early story. Bradley was hitting .397 with six home runs and 23 RBI, while teammate Ben Anderson was hitting .414 when play was called.
Both Bradley (Kansas City) and four-year starter Cam Shepherd (Atlanta) moved on to the pros after the year. Otherwise, Georgia will return five position starters, and despite the loss of Hancock and Wilcox, still figures to count its pitching as one of the team’s strengths.
| Pos | Player, Cl. (B/T) |
|---|---|
|
C |
Mason Meadows, Sr., (R/R) .150/.292/.150, 0 HR, 2 RBI Strong defensive catcher who threw out almost 50% of runners, but struggles offensively |
|
1B |
Parks Harber, Fr. (R/R) True freshman enjoyed an outstanding fall; projects as a big-time power source, perhaps as early as this year |
|
2B |
Kameron Guidry, R-Fr.(R/R) Redshirted as a true freshman after hitting .476 with 7 HR his senior year at Redan High in 2019 |
|
3B |
Garrett Blaylock, Sr, Jr. (L/R) .180/.261/.426, 4 HR, 8 RBI Georgia’s leading returning home run hitter (4); needs to cut down on strikeouts (19 in 61 at-bats) to keep his job |
|
SS |
Cole Tate, Jr., (R/R) .339/.350/.536, 2 HR, 14 RBI, 1-1 SB Not flashy, but rarely makes mistakes is a dependable contact hitter |
|
LF |
Riley King, R-Jr. (R/R) .203/.306/.203, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 2-2 SB Struggled last spring after batting .295 with 8 HR and 43 RBI in 2019 |
|
CF |
Ben Anderson, R-So. (L/R) .414/.544/.552, 0 HR, 13 RBI, 5-8 SB My remind some of former MLB outfielder Brett Butler |
|
RF |
Connor Tate, R-So. (R/R) .243/.396/.351, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2-2 SB Cole's twin batted .333 (10-for-30) with 1 HR and 12 RBI in SEC play in '19 |
|
DH |
Corey Collins, Fr. (L/R) May also catch; Covid-19 canceled his HS senior season, but battled. 483, 16 HR , 50 RBI as a junior in 2019. |
|
Res |
Chaney Rogers, Jr. (L/L) .297/.395/.351, 0 HR, 2 RBI Started 38 games between OF/1B/DH; hit 256.379/.338 in '19 |
|
Res |
Shane Marshall, R-Jr. (R/R) .179/.361/.214, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1-1 SB |
|
Res |
Buddy Floyd, Fr. (B/R) .207/.395/.207, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1-1 SB |
Coach Scott Stricklin likes to compare this year’s freshman class to the one in 2017 that included Tucker Bradley, Tony Locey, Cam Shepherd and Aaron Schunk.
That’s going to be very important to the ultimate success of the Bulldogs’ 2021 squad, because Bradley and Shepherd--two key contributors last year--turned pro.
Returnees like Riley King and Connor Tate have enjoyed success before, but Georgia’s best offensive players may indeed come from its freshman class.
First baseman Parks Harber would have been drafted earlier, but told teams he intended to sign with the Bulldogs no matter what. That was welcome news for Stricklin. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, Harbor launched some long home runs during the fall,. He and Corey Collins project as top power hitters for the Bulldogs over the next several years.
Fellow freshman Luke Wagner also impressed with his power.
In center fielder Ben Anderson, not only do the Bulldogs have a premier defender, but the former freshman All-American knows how to get on base, as his .414 batting average would indicate.
King will need to get back to his 2019 self, and if he does, will hit somewhere at the top of the lineup.
At short, nobody expects Cole Tate to provide the defense that Shepherd did during his four years as starter, but the native of nearby Watkinsville more than held his own in the fall. Fingers are crossed he will and be the kind of stabilizer on the infield that the Bulldogs will need him to be.
Nevertheless, Georgia has a lot of options. The lineup you see Week 1 could very look completely different by the start of SEC play.
| Role | Player, Cl. (B/T) |
|---|---|
|
SP1 |
Jonathan Cannon So. (R/R) 3-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.1 IP, 12 K, 2 W Georgia’s primary 2020 mid-week starter before suffering a foot injury Third-team All-American (CB) |
|
SP2 |
Ryan Webb, Jr. (L/L) 2-0, 1.38 ERA, 15.1 IP, 26 K, 5 BB Closed last year but started as a freshman |
|
SP3 |
C.J. Smith, Jr. (L/L) 0-1, 3.32 ERA, 19 IP, 20 K, 10 BB Plagued by back problems a year ago, but healthy now |
|
CL |
Nolan Crisp, So. (R/R) Didn't pitch in 2020 Florida transfer set Gator freshman record with 7 SV in '19 |
|
Rel |
Logan Moody, Sr. (R/R) 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8 IP, 7 K, 4 BB Former infielder; now a dependable middle reliever |
|
Rel |
Darryn Pasqua, R-So. (R/R) 0--0, 7.71 ERA, 4.2 IP, 3 K, 2 BB One bad inning wrecked his ERA, but otherwise effective |
|
Rel |
Michael Polk, Fr. (R/R) 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP, 7 K, 3 BB Mid-90s stuff and good maturity; could start in mid-week. |
|
Rel |
Jack Gowen, So. (R/R) 0-0, 3.18 ERA, 5.2 IP, 10 K, 5 BB Hard thrower; could have a late-inning role if he finds his control |
Many might think losing starters the caliber of Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox would automatically be bad news for Georgia’s rotation, but that’s not necessarily true.
Sophomore right-hander John Cannon is a 6-foot-6, 210-pounder, who held opponents to a .111 batting average in 11.1 innings with just two walks and 12 strikeouts. He's a potential 2021 first-rounder with a three-pitch mix, including a fastball that can exceed 95.
Cannon has been projected as mid- to late first-round draft pick, and will headline a rotation that will also include veteran lefties Ryan Webb and C.J. Smith. Webb served as Georgia’s closer last year striking out 26 batters in just 15 innings, but has starting experience, taking the bump seven times his freshman year.
Freshmen Luke Wagner, Jaden Woods and Patrick Holloman are also candidates to start.
The veteran bullpen pieces include Logan Moody, Darryn Pasqua, Jack Gowen, Michael Polk and Florida transfer Nolan Crisp.
Freshmen Hank Bearden, Collin Caldwell, Max DeJong, Charlie Goldstein, Bryce Melear, Will Pearson, Brandon Smith and Liam Sullivan will also be waiting their respective turns.
The Bulldogs have a few two-way players that look to contribute on the mound in Virginia transfer Ben Harris, Shane Marshall and Chaney Rogers. Harris and Rogers will see time in the outfield while Marshall is part of a loaded platoon behind the plate who got a glimpse on the mound this past fall.
Right-handers Garrett Brown and Will Childers hoped to be in the starting mix, however both will miss the upcoming season due to injuries.