Georgia Baseball Preview: Bulldogs carry high expectations in 2022

Georgia baseball took some time to get the ball rolling last season, as the Bulldogs did not pick up an SEC series win until early April — but that first series win, an impressive road victory against Vanderbilt, ultimately propelled the Bulldogs to finish the season strong.

Though Georgia finished with a 13-17 conference record last season, the baseball program showed strides of improvement against some tough SEC competition. The Bulldogs returned some big names in 2022, and those players carry with them high expectations heading into a clean slate — so much so, that the Bulldogs are ranked No. 16 in D1Baseball’s preseason top 25.

Georgia’s 2022 season will finally get underway on Friday, as the Bulldogs play host to Albany. But before the season begins, On3 spoke with Palmer Thombs to preview the upcoming slate. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Palmer Thombs is a Georgia beat writer for On3’s DawgHQ. He can be reached on Twitter at @PalmerThombs.

What do you think Georgia’s weekend rotation will look like this season, and who will slot in as a midweek starter?

Georgia has announced its starting rotation for this weekend, and it’s a group that I would not be surprised at all to see still on the mound down the stretch of the season, assuming they can stay healthy. Jonathan Cannon, who’s a preseason All-SEC guy, was a preseason All-American last season last year, before he came down with mono and COVID before last season. Cannon is going to be the Friday night starter for Georgia. He passed up on the MLB last year as a draft-eligible sophomore, and he has an opportunity to shine this year. He is probably Georgia’s best pro prospect, so from a national perspective, that’s where a lot of eyes on the Georgia program will be.

Georgia is running with sophomore Liam Sullivan on Saturday, and JUCO transfer Dylan Ross on Sunday. Sullivan started four games down the stretch for Georgia last season, including a great outing at No. 1 Arkansas. He didn’t get the win there, and Georgia lost 3-0, but he pitched six innings and allowed just one run. He did his job, Georgia’s offense just didn’t carry its own weight. He’s a big guy, and he brings a lot to the table for Georgia. It’s an opportunity for him to take a step in his second season. Ross, on the other hand, transferred in from Northwest Florida State College, and he brings a great fastball to the table. Mid to upper 90’s guy. When you look at Georgia’s lineup of pitchers — Cannon is 6’5″, Sullivan is 6’6″ and Ross is 6’5″. All really big, physical guys that should command attention.

Jaden Woods is definitely a name to watch out of the bullpen. He was a preseason All-SEC selection and he’s only in his second year. He has starter potential and started some games for Georgia at the beginning of last season. But I think they are going to work with him out of the bullpen for now and have him as a very reliable option, whether that’s for long relief or coming in multiple times over a weekend. If Georgia really needed a win in the midweek, they could start Woods and feel comfortable with him on the mound. But I think with the SEC gauntlet that Georgia is going to face this year, they really want to have some really reliable options out of the bullpen, so Woods is going to be one of those.

The last couple of seasons, Georgia has gone with a bullpen approach to the midweek games. There hasn’t necessarily been a designated starter. I think with the experience that they have this year, that could change, but I think that’s really going to be determined by how some of these guys throw during the first couple of weekends. There are a lot of experienced, talented arms, and now it’s just a matter of who shows out to start the season.

Woods is one option, but who are the other names that you expect Georgia to rely on coming out of the bullpen?

Nolan Crisp is a guy who transferred to Georgia from Florida. He’s got some big game experience and will certainly be an important guy for them there. Jack Gowen is another guy who has some experience and is in his fourth year with the program. He was one of the names that coach Scott Stricklin mentioned when he talked about bullpen guys. Will Pearson, Collin Caldwell, Michael Polk and Luke Wagner are certainly going to get some time out of the bullpen as well. Wagner started some games last year, and he’s an interesting case because he’s a utility player. He can start in the outfield too, so it will be interesting to see how Georgia uses him. If he’s used as a starter, it might be harder to use him in the field. Putting him in the bullpen would allow him to start in the outfield in the same weekend series. There are a lot of experienced guys there.

What do you expect from Georgia’s lineup and what will the offense look like to start the season?

Overall, I think it’s a more experienced group. You see it a little in the pitching staff, but you certainly see it in the lineup too. Corey Collins is probably going to fill a DH role for Georgia, and he will hit in that three or four slot. He was just a freshman last year, but he earned All-SEC Freshman honors and was a major contributor for Georgia. He’s going to be a big piece this year as a big power guy, and he has a strong presence at the plate.

Connor Tate led the team in batting average and home runs, and he was likely on his way to leading the team in RBIs. He missed a couple of games down the stretch with an injury, but he finished second on the team in RBIs, trailing only Collins. Tate and Collins will likely fill the three and four slots, and I expect them to carry a lot of weight.

There’s some experience at first base in Chaney Rogers as well. He’s in his fifth year with the program. Joshua McAllister is another fifth-year guy that can bring some power. I think that those guys, their talent and their experience, along with a more mature and experienced lineup than last year, should make for a much more dangerous offense than last year. There’s not anybody in this lineup that hasn’t played SEC baseball before, including Florida transfer Cory Action, who will man second base. That experience is just something they did not have in 2021.

Did Georgia have any glaring weaknesses in 2021? How did they address it coming into this season?

It’s hard to point out specific issues. I think it was more just a consistency problem for Georgia. They were so young, and they didn’t have a ton of arms to put out on the mound. I felt like they were limited in who they could throw comfortably against some of these top 10 teams that Georgia was facing. They went on a stretch of four straight weekends playing a top 10 team because they closed out last season with series against Arkansas, Florida, Ole Miss and then the SEC Tournament. So, it was just a gauntlet down the stretch, and not to mention that they played Arkansas and Florida on the road. It was a really tough stretch at the end of the season, where Georgia was beat up with injuries as well.

With those injuries, some young guys were forced to step up. It wasn’t always perfect, but those young guys picked up experience filling the gaps, and I think that’s going to be incredibly beneficial for Georgia. The Bulldogs can replace some of the people that left with those younger guys who have already gotten up to speed. So, if there was a weakness, it was probably on the mound. They had trouble with consistency, and there wasn’t much depth due to the youth of the team. But that seems to have shifted heading into this year.

What’s the ceiling for Georgia heading into the 2022 season, and where do you see them finishing in SEC play?

I gave a prediction on DawgsHQ recently. Someone was asking me whether I thought Georgia was a team that could make it to Omaha, and I said they can. They absolutely can make it to Omaha. It’s just a matter of whether every one of those pieces fall into place. I think they really look like a Regional or Super Regional team. From there, it’s anyone’s game though.

Considering the gauntlet that Georgia will face in the SEC, I see them as more of a Regional or Super Regional team. They host Mississippi State to start the SEC season. They get Texas A&M out of the West as well. LSU, too, to go along with some of the really tough teams that they have to play in the East in South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida and Vanderbilt. I think it’s going to be hard for Georgia to be one of the top end teams in the SEC. That’s not a knock on Georgia, that’s a testament to how talented this league is. I think Georgia is going to be somewhere on the outside looking in when it comes to hosting a Regional. I think they are probably going to end up as a two seed somewhere. But given the experience they have, and the experience they will gain from playing such a tough SEC schedule, I really do see them advancing out of a Regional as the two seed. Making it out of a Regional would be a step in the right direction for UGA, after hosting a Regional in 2018 and 2019 but failing to make it out.

Who would be your early pick for Georgia’s team MVP?

I’ll give you two guys, one on the mound and one in the field. I’m going to go with Jonathan Cannon on the mound. He flirted with the MLB but decided to come back, and he told me that he set a really high price for himself because he knew how talented he was, and he knew the development that he could get coming back to college for another year. I think that he is really primed for a big season. You look at his career so far — he was a big contributor for Georgia out of the bullpen in the abbreviated 2020 season, but he didn’t really have a chance to get into a groove with the season getting shut down. Last year, he battled through COVID and mono to start the season, and it really took him some time to get into a groove. He had a pitch count for his first four appearances. By the time he really found himself, Georgia had its back against the wall in terms of fighting for a spot in the NCAA Tournament. He’s primed for a breakout season, which is probably what everyone has expected from him for the past couple seasons. But circumstances like the abbreviated 2020 season, then getting sick have stopped him from reaching that potential in the past.

At the plate, I’m going to go with Corey Collins. He’s a young guy, in his second season, but made a big contribution last year. Having that experience is only going to help him make a bigger one this year. He’s an exciting guy to watch hit because he’s such a big, physical power hitter. He has a chance to be the heart and soul of this Georgia lineup, in terms of guys that their SEC opponents won’t want to see.

Who would be your early pick Georgia’s newcomer of the year?

Two names come to mind for me there. Cory Acton, the second base transfer from Florida. He started 58 games for Florida as a freshman, and that’s a Florida team that made it to the NCAA Tournament in 2019. He continued to make an impact up until last season, when he only started 19 games, which probably encouraged him to transfer. As somebody who has SEC experience, I really think he’ll be valuable for Georgia.

On the mound, I’d say Dylan Ross. I’m really excited to see what he can bring to the table this Sunday in his first start since transferring from JUCO. Having a Sunday starter that can pump it in there at mid to upper 90’s is always going to bring something to the table that’s exciting for fans, and exciting for the team. Plus, that Sunday game is always so important. You’re either fighting to sweep a team, fighting to avoid being swept, or fighting for the series. I think Ross has an opportunity to come in as a JUCO transfer and really make a big impact in that Sunday starter spot for Georgia.