GREENSBORO – After seeing its season ended by South Carolina in the SEC Tournament by a 9-0 score, head coach Scott Stricklin acknowledged his Georgia baseball team “had a bad year.”
The Bulldogs finished 28-26, missing out on the NCAA Regionals for the sixth time in nine years, not including the 2020 season, which was canceled due to Covid-19.
Following Thursday’s session of the Georgia Athletic Association end-of-year meeting, athletic director Josh Brooks weighed in.
"Look, this is not the standard that Coach wants, and I guarantee you that there's no one more disappointed than Coach Stricklin in the season, that this is the standard. We want to be in regionals and move on. And it's been a tough year,” Brooks said. “There's been a lot of injuries. I am proud of the way they fought through and won some series late. We had a rough start, 1-9 early, then made a run. We had a great series against Arkansas. We had a great series against Tennessee, then got one against LSU.
"But there is a standard that we want to achieve to be to, that ties into our goal of being successful in every single season we have."
As he does with every Bulldog coach at the end of his/her respective season, Brooks will meet with Stricklin soon to discuss the current status of the baseball program.
“I'm going to get with him here real soon, as soon as we get done with the board meeting,” said Brooks. The year-end board meeting concludes on Friday.
Stricklin, who, at $650,000, is one of the lower-paid coaches in the SEC, has three years left on a contract that runs through the 2026 season.
In his 10 years as Georgia’s head coach, Stricklin has posted a record of 299-236-1 after coming over from alma mater Kent State in 2014. In those 10 seasons, Georgia advanced to three NCAA regionals, losing in the finals in 2018 and 2019 before falling in the semifinal of the Chapel Hill Regional last year.
Brooks’ comments came on the same day the UGA Athletic Association updated the improvements coming to Foley Field, set to begin soon.
The project, which will be conducted in two phases, will start with Phase 1, which will focus on underground utility work in and around Foley Field, specifically the third base line where most of the construction will take place. Brooks said the construction of a new locker room and team meeting room will be part of Phase 1.
Phase 2 will include the construction of a 41,000-foot facility that will house a new hitting area, a pitching lab, and a nutrition area. Georgia’s bullpen will move from the first base line to the third to be in construction with the rest of the facility. New coaches' offices will also be moved from Stegeman Coliseum to the new facility.
A baseball-only weight room will also be included, after not being part of the original plan. The entire project is expected to be completed in January 2025.
The estimated budget for the project is $45,000,000.
"When we started this, it was going to focus on student-athlete amenities first and foremost. So, we're talking about the locker room, the lounge, the hitting facility, the lab, and the areas that they spend 365 in," Brooks said. "We know when this project is done, it still won't be as big as Mississippi State or some other facilities that have larger capacities. And we may grow one day to larger points. But our first focus has to be on student-athlete amenities."
However, Brooks said recruits should like what they see.
"When they're recruiting, they can see where they're going to spend their time. And I think when this project is complete it will be in line with all of our peers, in terms of the student-athlete's basis," Brooks said. "And, look, if the project goes well and we manage the budget correctly, there may even be some other opportunities in right left, and left field to keep providing dynamic opportunities for our fans. Because you know I'm always trying to improve the fan experience as well."
