Scott Stricklin out as Georgia head baseball coach

Georgia head baseball coach Scott Stricklin is out after 10 seasons with the program. The Bulldogs finished the 2023 season with a 29-27 record overall and 11-19 mark in the SEC, falling in the first round of the SEC Tournament in Hoover on Tuesday.

It’s Georgia’s fewest wins in a season since 2017 when the Bulldogs finished below .500 but with the same record in SEC play. The last time UGA finished with fewer wins in the league was in 2015.

“I want to thank Scott for his service to our athletic department over the last 10 years,” Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks said in a statement. “After much thought and deliberation, we feel it is in the best interest of our baseball program to move in a different direction. We will begin immediately the process of a national search to identify the next leader of our baseball team.  We extend best wishes to Scott and his family, and a sincere thank you for their time at the University of Georgia.”

Stricklin took over in 2014 after he led his alma mater Kent State to five NCAA Regionals and the 2012 College World Series. He led Georgia back to the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2012 that year. They did so again in 2016 and 2017. However, finishing below .500 in each of his first four years, Stricklin’s time at Georgia didn’t get off to too hot of a start.

Things changed in 2018. Georgia returned to prominence as a regular in the top 25. The Bulldogs earned a top eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosted an NCAA Regional in Athens for the first time in a decade. Picked to finish fifth in the league, Georgia went 39-21 with an 18-12 mark in the SEC, tied for second-best. Individual honors included three players earning All-American honors and four on the All-SEC squads.

Georgia continued its excellence into 2019 and 2020. Going 42-14 in 2019 with a school-record 21-9 record in the SEC, the Bulldogs once again earned a national seed and hosted a second straight NCAA Regional in Athens, the first time in school history Georgia served as a host site in consecutive seasons. It was also just the third time in program history Georgia made back to back NCAA Tournament appearances.

Georgia finished the 2019 campaign with a 46-17 record, fourth-most wins in school history while the 42 regular season victories was second-most. Junior third baseman/closer Aaron Schunk was named the recipient of the John Olerud Award for the nation’s top two-way player while junior shortstop Cam Shepherd was named a Gold Glover. Schunk and pitcher Emerson Hancock were consensus All-American selections.

Then, in 2020, Georgia got off to a hot start before COVID shut the season down. The Bulldogs were 14-4 and ranked No. 2 in the country having started 7-0 and swept rival Georgia Tech for the third time in four seasons. Shortened to five five rounds, Georgia had two players picked in the 2020 MLB Draft.

Georgia missed the NCAA Tournament in 2021 despite spending 11 weeks in the top 25 and reaching as high as No. 5 before several injuries set the team back. The Bulldogs did manage to win a road series over top-ranked Vanderbilt and take one from LSU in the SEC Tournament. Connor Tate, Corey Collins and Jaden Woods all earned individual honors such as ABCA/Rawlings All-Region, Freshman All-SEC and Freshman All-American.

Georgia returned to the NCAA Tournament in 2022, going 36-23 overall and 15-15 in the SEC before having to go on the road this time to Chapel Hill, N.C. Again, Bulldogs took home national individual honors.

Under Stricklin’s watch, 38 players have been picked including 16 in the top 10 rounds. Pitchers Emerson Hancock (2020) and Robert Tyler (2016) were first round picks while other notable selections have included Aaron Schunk (second round, 2019), Cole Wilcox (third round, 2020) and MLB All-Star Jared Walsh (second round, 2015).

Stricklin had previously agreed to a contract extension through the 2026 season in April of 2021. According to a report released on Tuesday by the USA TODAY Sports Network, Stricklin made $655,000 in 2023, the 10th highest salary out of 14 in the SEC with nine above the $1 million mark.