With 45 days to get in 27 practices, fall baseball can definitely be a grind.

That’s why opportunities to step on the field against an actual opponent can be a welcomed respite.

Georgia baseball coach Scott Stricklin expects that will be the case when his Bulldogs host the Ontario Nationals Tuesday afternoon at 6 p.m., in what will be the first of three exhibition games to be played this fall. Admission is free.

“You’ve got 27 practices in that window, and it can get tough, it can get long and monotonous,” Stricklin said. “So, just to be able to break it up and this year, we’re able to do three games, with the exemption for the international team it’s good to break up that routine.”

A large number of new Bulldogs will be receiving opportunities.

Included will be Mississippi State transfer Davis Rokose and junior college transfer Dylan Ross will each throw two innings. Freshmen DJ Radtke, Chandler Marsh, Glenn Green, and sophomore Hank Bearden are also scheduled to throw.

The Bulldogs are also scheduled to play exhibition games against Western Carolina at Foley Field (Oct. 10) and against Florida Oct. 29 in Jacksonville at Financial Ballpark the night before the football game between the Bulldogs and Gators.

It’s a veteran team.

The Bulldogs return 29 lettermen, including many seniors who took advantage of the one-time NCAA Covid waiver to come back for one more year.

“We’ve got fifth-year seniors everywhere. You look at the Tates (Connor and Cole), Garrett Blaylock, Chaney Rogers, Ben Anderson, and you’ve got the transfer in Cory Acton (Florida), who is a fourth-year player,” Stricklin said. “Then you’ve got your young kids who played last year—Fernando (Gonzalez), Corey Collins, Parks Harber. Kids grew up a lot because they played a lot as freshmen.”

NOTE: Former Bulldog pitcher Robert Tyler has joined the program as a student assistant.