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Transfers paying early dividends for Georgia baseball

Jeremy Johnsonby:Jeremy Johnson•03/04/25•

JeremyO_Johnson

Georgia
Photo by Jeremy Johnson.

Georgia baseball entered 2025 with high expectations. Georgia lost Golden Spikes winner Charlie Condon to the first round of the MLB Amateur Draft.

They did return some key pieces of the team that was one win away from reaching the College World Series. Tre Phelps, Slate Alford and others returned to Athens with their sights on Omaha.

With those returners came expectations.

The Bulldogs have lived up to the expectations through their non-conference schedule so far.

After the first month of the season, the Bulldogs sport a 13-1 record. After Sunday’s win, they have continued to add to their 10-game winning streak.

The Bulldogs will look to add to that stream today against High Point.

A big piece of the Bulldogs’ puzzle to get to this point has been their new additions from the transfer portal. One of those new names, Ryan Black, a UT-Arlington transfer, delivered the game-winning blow on Sunday with a two-run home run that walked things off in the bottom of the ninth.

He drew praise from Georgia head coach Wes Johnson for his approach to the sport after the game.

“Ryan (Black) works really hard at his game, and we have done a lot with him since he has been here,” Johnson told reporters following the game. “He is able to turn on that ball, and I told Kevin (Knight) if they make a mistake in the black, he is going to send it to the east. He saw his pitch and just hammered it.”

Georgia’s transfer additions are producing all over the field

There are other transfers that have had an immediate impact on Georgia in the first 14 games. Pitcher Jordan Stephens has had a big role in the back of Georgia’s bullpen, touching 99 miles per hour in the radar gun a few times early this season. He transferred from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College after one season.

Stephens picked up two wins over the weekend. Stephens has thrown 5.2 innings, allowed two hits and has tallied nine strikeouts already.

The Bulldogs’ lineup has a few regulars that have done some good work so far. The group of Ryland Zaborowski, Robbie Burnett, Hunter Henry, Nolan McCarthy, Devin Obee and Kolby Branch make up a good deal of Georgia’s offensive production.

Zaborowski is tied for the home-run lead on the team. The Miami (Ohio) transfer is second on the team in RBI. He leads the team in average at .452. Burnett leads the Bulldogs in runs scored with 18.

Burnett is also leading Georgia in stolen bases with eight in nine attempts. McCarthy, who transferred in from SEC rival Kentucky, was named one of the team’s captains before he ever played a game for Georgia.

There is a lot of respect for the senior outfielder in Georgia’s clubhouse.

“He’s the guy,” senior Alford said of McCarthy recently, “He’s that vocal leader. We joke all the time that we need some of that Kentucky-style ball over here. We’re super excited to have Nolan. He’s been a tremendous leader for us.”

Georgia goes for their 11th straight win later today against High Point at Foley Field. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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