North Florida at Georgia

WHERE: Foley Field

WHEN: Friday 5 p.m., Saturday 1 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.

TV/RADIO: ESPN3 (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnson); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston)

As Georgia (7-2) swings back into action with this weekend’s three-game series against North Florida, there are a couple of areas where head coach Scott Stricklin wants to see improvement from his Bulldogs.

It starts with the pitching.

Although the team ERA of 2.72 and holding opponents to a combined batting average of .196 is certainly impressive, there have been too many free passes to opposing hitters, be it walks and wild pitches.

“The free passes, the walks, can put you in trouble, especially if you're playing close games,” Stricklin said. “If you’re not going to score 8, 9, 10 runs per game—I don’t think we’re built to be a juggernaut on offense, so we’re going to have to play a little cleaner. And that means no free passes; that means cutting down on your walks, your hit by pitches and wild pitches.”

In 76 innings, Bulldog pitchers have combined to walk 41 batters to go with eight wild pitches, two areas that played big roles in each of Georgia’s two losses, including Wednesday’s 6-4 defeat at the hands of Kennesaw State.

Some over-aggressiveness on the base paths has also come back to bite the Bulldogs, who had two runners thrown out at second on Wednesday.

“In close games, base running mistakes are going to hurt you. We also had a couple on opening day. We had a guy picked off, and we had a guy thrown out at third for the third out on a ball in the dirt,” Stricklin said. “There’s a point to being aggressive, and there’s a point of being overly aggressive. In all of those cases, it was just a matter of being overly aggressive.”

Stricklin also hopes to see his hitters start having more consistent at-bats. That's especially true with a couple of the true freshmen: designated hitter Corey Collins and catcher Fernando Gonzalez.

Both have gotten off to favorable starts. Even so, Stricklin said he is counting on the college game slowing down for each of the talented newcomers soon.

“No doubt. As advanced as Corey Collins is, his first at-bat yesterday he looked just a little bit out of sorts. It was a freshman at-bat. It just is what it is. The freshmen are learning on the go,” Stricklin said. “Fernando, it still hasn’t sunk in. We have seen some flashes of really good stuff, but he still hasn't relaxed and let it settle in. But we are letting him play through that, and them go through those bumps in the road to let their heart rates slow down.

“We normally see when players get older when they get to be sophomores and juniors, the games slow down. But freshmen, when they play early—that process happens a little quicker. I think you’ll see that with Fernando and Corey.”

• Stricklin said shortstop Cole Tate (hamstring) is improving, but remains questionable for this weekend’s series.

“Cole is doing well. He's had two really good days. He was able to jog yesterday; he’ll stride out a little bit today, and hopefully hit a little bit today just to make sure there’s no irritation,” Stricklin said. “I’d say he’s questionable for the weekend, because we want to make sure he's 100 percent [or] as close as he can, because the last thing we want him to do is re-aggravate that thing and we have to push him back a week.”

Junior Josh McAllister will continue to play short until Tate is able to return.

• Freshman Parks Harber (sprained wrist) remains day to day.

• Pitcher Jonathan Cannon (mono) continues to improve, and is expected to see his first action Tuesday at Georgia Southern.

Senior lefty Ryan Webb will see his pitch count extended when he starts Saturday’s game against North Florida (1 p.m.).

“We’re looking at four, probably five innings,” Stricklin said. “Last week it was 40-45, this week it’s 55-60. Maybe 70 pitches, somewhere in there.”

Webb made his first appearance last week against Gardner-Webb following a recent bout with Covid-19, striking out four and allowing just one hit in three innings.

C.J. Smith (0-1, 1.64) will make his third straight Friday start (5 p.m.), with freshman Jaden Woods (0-0, 5.19) getting the call in Sunday’s finale (1 p.m.).

Fellow freshman Luke Wagner, it appears, will be the first pitcher out of the pen.

“Luke will be the jack of all trades. If we need him on Friday, we will pitch him Friday,” Stricklin said. “We’re not going to split that start on Saturday, necessarily, but if he doesn’t pitch on Friday, then he might be the first guy out of the pen after (Webb).”

If Woods can enjoy a career similar to Tony Locey, the last player from Houston County to play baseball for Georgia, he probably will not have any complaints.

Locey was a standout righty for the Bulldogs, before being drafted by St. Louis, prior to his recent trade to Colorado as part of the deal that sent Nolan Arenado to the Cardinals.

“I talk to him a good bit,” Wood said. “Coming into UGA, I talked to him a lot, and still talk to him today.”

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound lefty brings a ton of potential to Athens after going 9-2 with a 1.18 ERA his junior season at Houston County, before last year’s senior campaign was wiped out due to Covid.

Sunday’s start will be his third in as many weeks.

“He’s got a swing-and-miss fastball. He got up to 94 last week, and that’s why I think he’s eventually going to be a 92, 93, 95 guy,” Stricklin said. “Right now, it’s 90-92, but the velocity and the strength is going to pick up as he goes, and as the weather warms up, we’re going to see some of that.”

Woods’ future is bright.

Although there are still some areas he needs to fine-tune, Woods figures to be a major cog in Georgia’s rotation for at least the next three years.

“He’s still a work in progress, and still has a ways to go. But he’s really talented, he’s really hard working, and he’s got a high ambition,” Stricklin said. “He wants to be great, and he’s pushing himself as well as being pushed by Coach (Pitching coach Sean) Kenny.”

Woods said he is determined to do whatever he can to make that possible.

“My dad is a big factor in that, mostly because of what he’s taught me over the years to whatever you do, never be satisfied, and you can always be better,” Woods said. “I’ve always liked to be the best, but sometimes I’m not. I just try to work each and every day to reach my full potential, not just on the field but off the field as well.”

The fact that he is 5-foot-7 and 160 pounds kept a number of big-name college baseball programs from taking a chance on sophomore Buddy Floyd.

Where some college coaches may have doubted Floyd’s ability to contribute at an SEC school, that was not the case with Stricklin.

“Every time I went to watch him play, he was 3 for 4, makes diving plays. And he turns the double play as well as anybody. He can pivot at second base, and he’s just a consistent guy,” Stricklin said. “He’s a tough kid, and he’s got a chip on his shoulder. Every time I went to watch him play, he just always performed. He was on a team with a lot of players that are playing college baseball right now.”

Floyd said he has forever been grateful to Stricklin for the opportunity.

“Coach gave me a chance,” Floyd said. “He knew I was a hard worker and played with that chip on my shoulder. He knew that I loved to get after it.”

Stricklin said the final time he went to watch Floyd before offering a scholarship, he told himself that he would not pay attention to his size, only the results.

Following another 3-for-4 performance with a pair of doubles, the decision was made.

“I probably got more comments from other coaches when he committed to us. They were like, 'Man, I loved that guy, I couldn’t quite pull the trigger, but he could be really good,'” Stricklin said. “Sometimes this game can be a little bit biased when it comes to size, but you cannot judge that heart, you can’t see that, and that’s what he’s got. He plays with a lot of it.”

Floyd, who has been rotating with Josh McAllister at second base, said that is the only way he knows.

“I just know the work I put in is going to pay off,” he said. “I just go back to trusting myself and my actions, and I just know at the end of the day I’ll be prepared.”