On paper, it might appear Georgia baseball coach Wes Johnson has his work cut out.
With so much lineup flexibility thanks to a deep roster of position players, keeping everyone happy might seem tricky.
However, Johnson doesn’t feel that will be the case.
“I always say this. It’s kind of like you'll hear people say, ‘Hey, is that guy a glue guy or this, that, and the other?’” Johnson said. “I tell people the best glue guy’s name is called winning. When you're winning, everybody's a glue guy. When you're losing, it's hard to find a glue guy, right? You hope that through the success they have and through winning some ball games all that takes care of itself. But, yeah, that's always a challenge.”
If you believe the preseason prognostications, winning is something the Bulldog should do plenty of.
Georgia boasts preseason rankings of anywhere from 4th to 11th among the main media organizations that cover college baseball.
The fact that Johnson and his staff were able to go out and fortify the roster and the losses of Charlie Condon and Corey Collins is one of the reasons why.
Although it’s unlikely you’ll have a player singlehandedly put up the numbers that Condon did, the sum of their parts should give the lineup plenty of length and have Georgia one of the better offensive teams in the SEC.
It’s also going to be one of the most mature.
Projected starting outfielders Robbie Burnett, and Devin Obee are both seniors, with Kentucky transfer Nolan McCarthy a graduate.
Other key players like Tre Phelps (sophomore), Slate Alford (senior), Kolby Branch (junior), Ryland Zaborowski (senior), Christian Adams (graduate), Ryan Black (junior), Daniel Jackson, Trey King, Henry Hunter (senior), Brennan Hudson (junior) and Charlie Jones (junior) have seen extensive collegiate action.
It’s also a versatile group.
Phelps may be the most versatile of all, with the ability to play five different positions and play them well.
Alford can play third and second, with newcomers Zaborowski able to play first and third, with Jones able to give first base and the outfield, with Hudson a rare performer who can play catcher, first base, and the outfield.
With various righty-lefty combinations, Johnson could essentially base his lineup entirely on the side that day’s starting pitcher throws.
Either way, Johnson is not complaining, as this was the goal all along.
“It's a challenge whenever you create so much lineup flexibility. It'll be a challenge,” Johnson said. “But I think our guys are older, they're mature. They've got a clear and concise goal on what they want, and we'll go get it.”
