Preseason practice underway

2020 record/RPI: 14-4/21

2019 record/RPI: 46-17, 21-9 SEC (2)

Coach: Scott Stricklin (Eighth season at Georgia, 203-161-1)

Rank in preseason polls: 12 (CB), 24 (PG)

Rank in conference forecasts: TBD

Last NCAA tournament appearance: 2019 (Second place in Athens Regional)

Home Field: Foley Field (3,291); Left: 350, left center: 370, center: 404, right center: 365, right: 310

Georgia’s baseball team begins preseason practice today in preparation for the 2021 season-opener. But before we examine Scott Stricklin’s current squad, let’s look back at last year’s Covid-shortened campaign.

It was all about pitching entering 2020, as Georgia was armed with a pair of starters in Emerson Hancock and Cole Wilcox, who many projected would go in the first round of the June major league draft.

They almost did.

Hancock was taken with the seventh overall pick by Seattle, with Wilcox going in the third to San Diego before being shipped to Tampa as part of the Padres’ trade for Ian Snell.

The two performed as expected. Hancock went 2-0 with a 3.75 ERA, striking out 34 in 24 innings. Wilcox was even more impressive, going 3-0 with a 1.57 ERA, fanning 32 with just two walks in 23 innings before the season was called.

Offensively, outfielder Tucker Bradley was the early story. Bradley was hitting .397 with six home runs and 23 RBIs, while teammate Ben Anderson was hitting .414 when play was called.

Bradley moved on after the year, signing a free agent contract with Kansas City, along with four-year starter Cam Shepherd, who signed a free-agent contract with Atlanta.

Otherwise, Georgia will return five position starters, despite the loss of Hancock and Wilcox. The Dawgs wills still count pitching as one of the team’s strengths, even with the news that projected Friday starter Jonathan Cannon could miss at least the first month of the season recovering from mononucleosis.

Offensively, the Bulldogs have a freshman class that Stricklin believes will rival the class of 2017, which featured the likes of Bradley, Aaron Schunk, Cam Shepherd, Tony Locey, and others.

“You can go on and on about the older guys we have, but we have some younger guys who are really pushing them,” Stricklin said. “So, I think our depth, both offensively and defensively, is really good, and that starting rotation is awfully good as well.”

There are some questions, however.

Due to season-ending injuries to Will Childers and Garrett Brown, the back end of the bullpen is a bit of a concern. Stricklin and pitching coach Sean Kenny will be counting on Florida transfer Nolan Crisp and a substantial number of incoming freshmen to help fill the voids.

“We’re still trying to figure out what’s going to happen,” Stricklin said. “Will Childers and Garrett Brown are out. Those were two big arms that are really going to be high draft picks and possibly pitch in the big leagues. But what that does is give opportunities to young guys. We know they’re talented, and we like them, but they haven’t had that experience.”

Mason Meadows, Sr. (.150-0-3)

Shane Marshall Soph. (.179-0-3)

Fernando Gonzalez Fr.

Corey Collins Fr.

This is an ongoing situation for Stricklin. Both Meadow and Marshall, at least to this point, are known more for their excellent defense, while the two freshmen, Collins and Gonzalez, both proved in the fall that they can swing the bats.

The fact Collins is expected to start the season as the primary designated hitter should help Stricklin’s decision-making, but all four have been told this is a position that’s up for grabs.

“This is a question we’re going to try and answer these next three-and-a-half weeks,” Stricklin said. “You’ve got experience in Mason Meadows and Shane Marshall, both are really talented, experienced catchers, but we’ve got these two freshmen who have a chance to be as good as anybody we’ve ever had here. They compete every single day and they’re going to compete for playing time, and when it comes down to it, it’s going to be the guys who are producing.”

Park Harber, Fr.

Chaney Rogers, Jr. (.297-0-2)

Lane Watkins, Fr.

Ryland Goede, Fr.

Stricklin isn’t committing to a strict platoon, but don’t be surprised if the early part of the season sees the left-handed hitting Chaney and right-handed hitting Harber alternate, depending if it’s lefty or right on the mound.

Harber enjoyed an outstanding fall and projects as a big-time power source for the Bulldogs, perhaps as early as this year.

Chaney, meanwhile, showed he can hit right-handed pitching and makes good contact.

“Depending on who’s pitching, we may just split Rogers and Chaney to let both get some experience,” Stricklin said. “If we’ve got a lefty pitcher that comes in to pitch Chaney, we’ve got Harber and vice-versca. That gives us some stability with those two guys, but both are going to play early and hopefully, someone wins the job.”

Buddy Floyd, Soph. (.207-0-3)

Josh McAllister, Jr.

Caleb Ketchup, Fr.

Kameron Guidry, RS Fr.

Floyd and McCallister are currently the favorites to open at second base, but keep an eye on the freshman Ketchup and redshirt freshman Guidry, both of whom have also proven they can play.

“To start the season it’s Buddy Floyd and Josh McAllister,” Stricklin said. “We redshirted him last year, and he was really, really pushing for time but we had enough depth and didn’t need him. But he had a really, really good fall and a good spring so far.”

Cole Tate, Jr. (.339-2-14)

Knowing how good Cam Shepherd was defensively at shortstop the last four years, one might think there would be no way Tate would be able to fill his cleats.

That’s apparently not the case.

“Cole Tate has won that job and there’s no question about it, he’s as good as I’ve seen defensively, and we’ve seen the best in Cam Shepherd,” Stricklin said. “We see him every day make highlight reel plays time and time again. When the ball hits his glove, it sticks. He’s physical, he’s strong. He’s a prototypical professional shortstop and I think he’s going to have a breakout season.”

Garrett Blaylock, Sr. (.180-4-8)

Riley King, Jr. (.203-0-11)

Parks Harber, Fr.

Josh McAllister, Jr.

Georgia’s leading returning home run hitter with four, Blaylock got himself in trouble with strikeouts and will need to cut down on those totals (19 in 61 at-bats) to keep his job.

“We need to see him more aggressive early in counts. He’s just got to be ready to hit,” Stricklin said. “He just needs to be a little more aggressive. He’s done a great job on focusing on hitting the ball the other way and shorten up that swing. He’s got a ton of power, and he’s a great athlete.

“He’s been doing a lot of extra work and putting in the time.”

Riley King, Jr.(.203-0-11)

Randon Jernigan, Jr. (.273-0-0)

Tripp Moore III, Fr.

Josh Stinson, Fr.

From an individual standpoint, King struggled last spring after batting .295 with eight homers and 43 RBI in 2019.

Also look for King to play some third base for the Bulldogs, especially where there is a lefty on the mound to take the place of Blaylock and get one more right-handed bat in the lineup.

Ben Anderson, RsSo (.414, 23 runs scored)

Anderson will remind longtime fans of former Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Brett Butler, not only physically, but defensively and the way he swings the bat.

The transfer from Furman will once again lead off for the Bulldogs play center field, where Stricklin believe he may be the best to play the position during his tenure at UGA.

“He doesn’t swing and miss, he hits the ball to all fields,” Stricklin said. “He’s going to be one of the better players in the league, I really think.”

Connor Tate, RsSo. (.243-1-5)

Randon Jernigan, Jr.

Dwight Allen, Fr.

Garrett Spikes, Fr.

The twin brother of second baseman Cole Tate, Connor Tate batted .333 (10-for-30 with a home run and 12 RBI in SEC play in 2019).

“He’s an older guy, he’s earned it,” Stricklin said. “I said the same thing to him that I said to Garrett Blaylock, it’s his time. It’s his fourth year and time to prove to everyone that he belongs out there.”

He will have plenty of competition, however, including sophomore Randon Jernigan, who Stricklin considers his fourth outfielder.

Down the road, keep an eye on freshman Garrett Spikes, a former state champion wrestler at Mountain View, who projects as a big-time potential power source

Corey Collins, Fr.

As mentioned above, designated hitter will be his most-likely home.

Although Collins’ North Gwinnett team did not play in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic, as a junior he battled. 483 with 16 home runs and 50 RBI.

“If we started today, Corey is our DH,” Stricklin said. “He’s got really, really good power, and he’s a mature hitter. He can hit the ball the other way and he’s got a good approach.”

Other players who may see time at DH, including Rogers and Connor Tate.

This week’s news that projected Friday night starter Jonathan Cannon is expected to miss the first month of the season with mononucleosis certainly put a damper on the start of preseason drills.

With good reason.

The 6-foot-6, 210-pounder, who held opponents to a .111 batting average in 11.1 innings with just two walks and 12 strikeouts, and had been projected as mid- to late first-round draft pick, and was expected to headline a rotation that still includes lefties Ryan Webb and C.J. Smith. Webb served as Georgia’s closer last year striking out 26 batters in just 15 innings, but has starting experience, taking the bump seven times his freshman year.

Stricklin hopes that Cannon will be back for the start of SEC play in March, but as of yet, that remains unclear.

Right-handers Garrett Brown and Will Childers hoped to be in the starting mix, however both will miss the upcoming season due to injuries. As a result, freshmen Luke Wagner, Jaden Woods and Patrick Holloman are also candidates to start. The veteran bullpen pieces include Logan Moody, Darryn Pasqua, Jack Gowen, Michael Polk and Florida transfer Nolan Crisp.

Freshmen Hank Bearden, Collin Caldwell, Max DeJong, Charlie Goldstein, Bryce Melear, Will Pearson, Brandon Smith and Liam Sullivan will also be waiting their respective turns.

The Bulldogs have a few two-way players that look to contribute on the mound in Virginia transfer Ben Harris, Shane Marshall, Luke Wagner and Chaney Rogers. Harris and Rogers will see time in the outfield while Marshall is part of a loaded platoon behind the plate who got a glimpse on the mound this past fall.

Jonathan Cannon, So. (R/R) (3-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.1 IP, 12 K, 2 W)

Will miss at least the first month of the season while recovering from mononucleosis.

Cannon was Georgia’s primary mid-week starter before suffering a foot injury. A three-pitch hurler with a 95-plus fastball, most mock drafts list the draft-eligible Cannon as a first-round pick in 2021. He was a third-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball

Ryan Webb, Jr. (L/L) (2-0, 1.38 ERA, 15.1 IP, 26 K, 5 W)

Webb served as Georgia’s closer last year but started as a freshman.

With Cannon out, look for the competitive lefty to be Georgia’s main man on Friday nights, and with the potential to become one of the better left-handed starters in the SEC.

C.J. Smith, Jr. (L/L) 0-1, 3.32 ERA, 19 IP, 20 K, 10 W

Smith was plagued by back problems a year ago, but is healthy and brings plenty of veteran experience to the rotation.

Quiet and unassuming have been words used to describe Smith, but the he’s a competitor on the mound and has proven to make for tough at-bats by opposing hitters.

Jaden Woods, Fr. (L/L)

The talented lefty played his high school ball at Houston County and ultimately projects as we weekend starter.

“Jaden Woods might be our most talented guy, a guy who we think in the future could be a really high draft pick,” Stricklin said. “It’s starting to click, You can see flashes of greatness, but he’s still a freshman. Sometimes the clock gets going too fast, so we’re trying to slow him down a little bit. But the ball jumps out of his hands, and he’s got a chance to be really good for us.”

Nolan Crisp, Soph. (R/R)

A transfer from Florida, Crisp did not play for the Dawgs but in 2019 made 21 appearances for the Gators, setting a Florida freshman record with seven saves.

Logan Moody, Sr. (R/R) 1-0, 0.00, 8 IP 7 K, 4 W

The former infielder has developed into a dependable middle reliever.

Darryn Pasqua, RsSo. (R/R) 0-0, 7.71, 4.2 IP 3 K 2 W

One bad inning curtailed Pasqua’s short season but he was very effective the season before as a middle reliever

Michael Polk, Fr. (R/R) 0-0, 0.00 5 IP, 7 K, 3 W

Youngster displayed mid-90s stuff and good maturity. Good figure into contention for a mid-week starter role.

Jack Gowen, Soph. (R/R) 0-0, 3:18. 5.2 IP, 10 K, 5 W

Hard-throwing right-hander could figure into a late-inning role if he can get his control issues in order.

Liam Sullivan, Fr. (L/L)

Brother of former Bulldog first baseman Patrick Sullivan is Georgia’s biggest pitcher at 6-6 and nearly 250 pounds.

Luke Wagner, Fr. (R/L)

Two-way player, who could also see a spot start in the outfield, as well as DH, but the lefty will primarily be a pitcher to start, and could fill a key role in the bullpen.

Brandon Smith, Fr. (R/R)

Ben Harris, Soph. (L/L)

Charlie Goldstein, Fr., (L/L)

Patrick Holloman, Fr., (L/L)

Hank Bearden, Fr. (L/R)

Max DeJong, Fr. (R/R)

Will Pearson, Fr. (R/R)

Collin Caldwell, Fr. (R/L)

Bryce Melear, Fr., (R/R)

*Will Childers

*Garrett Brown

* - Injured and out for the year.