Georgia’s season-opening series against Albany is just nine days away, and the Bulldogs are getting closer to finalizing some decisions pertaining to this year’s roster.

That includes the starting rotation that Scott Stricklin and pitching coach Sean Kenny will send to the mound every weekend this spring.

Although Stricklin said a final decision has not yet been made, it appears Georgia’s weekend rotation will consist of right-handed ace Jonathan Cannon (Friday), sophomore left-hander Liam Sullivan, and junior college transfer Dylan Ross, a righty.

Combined, the trio would form a rather formidable frontline basketball team. Cannon and Sullivan both stand 6-foot-6, with Ross at 6-5 and 251 pounds with a fastball that touches the upper-90s.

“It’s not set in stone yet, but we’ve put these guys in position, so it’s a chance it’s going to be Cannon, Sullivan, and Ross, right now,” Stricklin said Wednesday in an on-field interview with UGASports. “We have one more audition this weekend—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in that order.”

Stricklin said other options included righty Garrett Brown, back after undergoing Tommy John surgery, righty Luke Wagner, righty Jake Poindexter and Mississippi State lefty transfer Davis Rokose. Sophomore left-hander Jaden Woods is another potential starter, but it’s expected he will at least start the season at a high-end spot in the back of the bullpen.

“Jaden Woods is kind of the wild card. Do you start him, do you bring him out of the pen? He’s a future starter,” Stricklin said. “That breaking ball is getting better and better. I still think at the back end where he was last year where Ben Harris was, I think that could be Jaden’s role early on.”

As for the position players, there are not a lot of vacancies to fill.

With outfielder Connor Tate moving from right field to left, the biggest question for Stricklin is who will take over in right.

There’s no shortage of candidates. Sophomore Garrett Spikes, graduate student Chaney Rogers, freshman Cole Wagner, and graduate student Garrett Blaylock were all names rattled off by Stricklin. Senior Randon Jernigan and redshirt freshman Dwight Allen are two other outfielders who could figure in, along with serving roles as pinch-runners and defensive replacements late in games.

At first base, Rogers and sophomore Parks Harber are expected to form a right-left platoon.

“I think our offense stands out to be really deep. One through nine is going to be really good, but 10 through 15 is going to be really good,” Stricklin said. “The biggest challenge right now is who is going to be that 10th guy; who is going to be the pinch-runner? Who is going to be the defensive replacement; are we going to platoon against righties and lefties? That’s the kind of things we’re trying to figure out right now.”

The batting order is also somewhat in flux.

Graduate student Ben Anderson will lead off and play center, but two other spots have yet to be determined.

“I kind of keep going back and forth. Who's going to hit in the two-hole, who's going to hit in the five-hole. That might depend on a right- or left-handed pitcher,” Stricklin said. “It might depend on how guys are looking, leading up to that opening series. But for the most part, we’re ready to go. We’ve just got to figure a couple of things out.”

With the season-opener still over a week away, that will be plenty of time to figure out whatever questions remain.

Georgia will hold scrimmages the next five days, but if the Bulldogs had to play tomorrow, Stricklin said his team would be ready.

“Opening Day, no matter what sport you’re talking about, and especially in baseball, Opening Day is special. The adrenalin will be going for sure,” Stricklin said. “Those (the scrimmages) will get us ready for next weekend. The biggest thing is getting at-bats, getting our pitch counts up. But yeah, we’re excited just to play somebody else. When you’re a freshman, you’re so excited for Opening Day, but when you’re a fifth-year senior—and we’ve got so many of them—it’s just like another game.

"We’ll be excited, but I don’t think you will see our guys wide-eyed at all.”