As Wes Johnson retooled his pitching staff after falling one game short of a trip to Omaha, he had one goal.

He needed to make it deeper.

By his admission, Georgia’s pitching staff was “on fumes” as the Bulldogs attempted to finesse their way through the Super Regionals against North Carolina State.

“You’re just hoping the adrenaline kicks in enough to get them over the hump,” Johnson said. “But you know, I couldn't be prouder of that staff. When I came in, we had three guys who had thrown five innings in a college baseball game on that staff, and one of them was Daniel Padysak. But other than Charlie Goldstein, nobody had done it more than once. So, to get what we got out of them last year, I couldn't be prouder of those guys.”

However, Johnson and his staff worked hard on the transfer portal to ensure Georgia’s pitching staff did not encounter the same issues as last year.

Of the 16 players Johnson added from other schools, eight were pitchers. Combined with some jumps in velocity from pitchers already on staff, there appears to be no shortage of power arms for the Bulldogs this spring.

“Home runs and strikeouts win. And I really, really felt like we did that (with the portal class),” Johnson said. “You look, I mean, what do we have? I think it’s 17 or 18 guys who threw 95 or harder in the scrimmage this fall. Now, they weren't all sitting there, but, you know, at least touched it. But to your point, it's like we've addressed some needs.”

The new additions are just part of the reason Georgia is a consensus preseason Top 10 team and a program many predict will be good enough to compete in the College World Series.

“We had a very precise plan on what we were looking for. And I felt like we executed the best we could. You don't get every player you wish you could, but you don't get every guy you go after,” Johnson said. “We felt like, you know, at least on the pitching side, we addressed all our needs.”

Johnson and the Bulldogs already had a good starting point.

Right-handers Leighton Finley and Kolten Smith both return as Georgia’s top two starters.

In his first season as a starter, Finley went 6-1 with an ERA of 4.14, striking out 76 batters in 76 innings.

Smith’s strikeout numbers were even more impressive.

In 69.2 innings, Smith struck out 105 batters and barring any setbacks could be one of the top pitchers in the SEC after spending part of the summer with Team USA.

Although Smith was shut down in the fall following hernia surgery, he’s back completely healthy and features a deep mix of pitches, including an impressive cutter, to go along with a sweeper, curveball and change.

“It helps, too, when you bring in guys like Kolten Smith back, who struck out over 100 guys,” Johnson said. “Then you add Leighton Finley, someone who’s been in the first and understands the struggles of this league.”

But this year’s staff promises to be a lot deeper than that.

Returnee Zach Harris can also reach the mid-90s.

“He’s been on fire,” said Johnson, whose additions he brought in from the portal certainly qualify as impressive.

Reliever Brian Curley is a right-handed reliever who comes over from Virginia Commonwealth, where he went 6-0 with three saves and an era of 2.87.

Curley can get his fastball up to as high as 98 mph.

Alabama transfer Alton Davis isn’t far behind.

A lanky lefty with an explosive arm, Davis served as the closer for the Crimson Tide as a freshman. However, he is being stretched out and could play a myriad of roles for Johnson, from starting to potentially helping close games.

Another big arm with SEC experience is JT Quinn from Ole Miss. A former member of the starting rotation for the Rebels, Quinn’s fastball can reach the upper 90s, although Johnson plans on monitoring his early workload after throwing more pitches this fall than he did all of last spring.

Ohio State transfer Zach Brown is another pitcher to keep an eye on.

“Zach keeps the ball on the ground a lot, which in our ballpark is big. Zach right now is kind of that Swiss army knife for us, just because we have some depth,” Johnson said. “Zach can start for you. Zach can pitch in the middle. Zach can close the game out. You could see him in any of those roles right now. I just need to make sure everybody clears out healthy and through this fall.”

Georgia State transfer Davis Chastain will be another big arm out of the bullpen while ABAC transfer Jordan Stephens is another pitcher with upper-90s stuff, but needs to learn how to pitch in the SEC.

Other names Georgia fans will readily recall.

Johnson likes the way lefty Charlie Goldstein after undergoing the less evasive Internal Brace surgery to correct an issue with his elbow.

Per Johnson, Goldstein is scheduled to start throwing to hitters in approximately 10 days, and the hope is he will be ready to help the team later this year.

Matthew Hoskins has recovered from the Tommy John surgery he underwent two years ago.

“He’s gotten off to a good start,” Johnson said of Hoskins.

Another pitcher coming off injury is left-hander Colin Caldwell, who Johnson said is “Pitching like he was before” his (Tommy John) surgery two years ago.

Returnee Brian Zeldin is also back after playing a huge role out of the pen for the Bulldogs.

The long season appeared to catch up with the right-hander during the latter part of the season. But he had some big moments in some key SEC games last spring, so the additional support should keep him on top of his game.

Other pitchers mentioned by Johnson, include DJ Radke (1-0, 3.45), Southern Cal transfer Eric Hammond, plus a trio of freshmen in Paul Farley (redshirt freshman), Asher Sabom, and former Buford High standout Nate Taylor.

“We needed some different looks for matchup situations to where we weren't so everybody's coming in with just a slider, right? We needed some sink. We needed some curve balls, we just needed some different things,” Johnson said. “But on the other side, I wanted more power. Power wins, right? I mean, it's a power league. I think we’ve got some flexibility.”