Georgia Baseball gears up for 2023 season with exciting squad

ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia Baseball begins its 2023 season this weekend which means excitement is always at a high level around these parts of the state. The Diamond Dawgs made the NCAA Tournament last season after missing it in 2021 but weren’t content with the way things went – exiting in three games in Chapel Hill. With Opening Day on Friday national media pundits have all shared their predictions for the season, and none are all too high on Georgia. Players said they’ve got a chip on their shoulder and described this week as one with a different intensity. Their coach can feel it in the air too.

“This is the 26th Opening Day for me. It started on Monday. I woke up, and said, why do I feel like this? It’s game week. You still get excited. I know our players are excited,” Georgia head coach Scott Stricklin said. “This week has kind of crawled along. The last month has gone by fast. This week has been really slow. We’ve had some good practices, we’re prepared and just excited to get Opening Day off tomorrow.”

“We’re all really pumped up,” Georgia junior infielder Parks Harber added. “For me, Opening Day gets more exciting every year because you’ve been there before and gone through it. I’m really pumped up for the season this year. I think we have a team that’s going to float under the radar a little bit. We’ve looked at the media outlets, and obviously none of that matters but it puts a little bit of a chip on our shoulder. We know we’re ready to go and have a really talented bunch.”

Harber is one of several names that Georgia fans might recognize in this year’s lineup. The Bulldogs bring back Ben Anderson, Corey Collins, Fernando Gonzalez and Connor Tate as well, all of whom averaged at least two plate appearances per game and played in 75% percent or more of the team’s contests in 2022. Tate has been the Gordon Beckham MVP award winner each of the last two seasons, leading the Bulldogs in batting average (.345), hits (77), home runs (13), doubles (19) and RBI (58) last season.

Those aren’t the only guys to get excited about this year though. Charlie Condon and Cole Wagner are both players that bring a big bat to the table and are expected to take on larger roles both at the plate and in the field. Then there’s the transfers – three of them on the position player side of things – that are new to Georgia but far from it when it comes to College Baseball. Sebastian Murrillo (Long Beach State) and Mason LaPlante (Yale) are expected to man the middle infield while Will David (Samford) can do a little bit of it all, like Condon and Wagner, with the ability to play multiple positions on the field.

“I think we’re going to see three different lineups this weekend for sure. There are guys who deserve to get some opportunities,” Stricklin said. “You’re going to see Will David in there, you’re going to see Garrett Spikes in there, you’re going to see Justin Thomas in there. That’s at least 12 different guys who will start. Josh Stinson has had a very good spring, D.A. Allen, and Josh Tate, too. That’s 15 guys that all can play at any time. But I’d say for sure we’re going to see 12 guys start this weekend.”

On the mound, only three can start and those are known for sure headed into the weekend. Jaden Woods will get the ball first for the Bulldogs on Friday followed by Liam Sullivan and freshman Blake Gillespie on Sunday. Woods appeared in 25 games last season for Georgia with one start but started a few as a freshman the year before. Having further developed his breaking ball, he’ll get a chance to be the go-to-guy for UGA this season.

“The development of the breaking ball, that’s been the thing over the last two years. ‘Hey, can this breaking ball develop to where he can be a starter?’ He’s shown that. It’s been a lot better. It’s been a lot more consistent, sharper. He’s getting lots of swings and misses on that breaking ball,” Stricklin said about Woods. “Just being able to go from a one-pitch guy primarily fastball, you came in there and knew a fastball was coming, he’s always had a pretty good changeup so it’s a three-pitch mix, but really being able to develop that second pitch was the main factor.”

As for the Sunday starter Gillespie, there were several names that Stricklin said competed for the role. And just because they aren’t going to start doesn’t mean they aren’t going to pitch. Nolan Crisp continues to make his way back from an injury that ended his 2022 season. He’ll start the season in the bullpen and could throw this weekend. Luke Wagner and Chandler Marsh both were key pieces of the bullpen last year and will be once again. The same could be said about Will Pearson and Collin Caldwell while Wofford transfer Dalton Rhadans is expected to start the season as the closer.

“He’s just been steady, steady consistent. He’s been really good,” Stricklin said in speaking about Gillespie. “Nolan Crisp was the guy we had talked about, but he came back from a pretty significant injury. He didn’t pitch in the fall, so it’s a matter of trying to build him up. We just didn’t feel like it was fair to put him out to start. He’s going to pitch, we don’t know if it’s going to be this weekend, but he’s going to be in a big role.”

“Dalton Rhadans right now will be the guy who gets the ball. Chandler Marsh is back there, Luke Wagner has made a jump, and he’s going to kind of be our left-handed go-to guy, and also Kyle Greenler,” he added about the bullpen, specifically the closer role. “All four of those guys can do it, but if it comes down 3-2 in the ninth, Dalton Rhadans will be the guy.”

First pitch of the opener on Friday against Jacksonville State is set for 3:00 p.m. ET on SEC Network+. The Bulldogs and Gamecocks will play three games with Saturday and Sunday times set for 2:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. ET respectively.