Ole Miss at Georgia

WHERE: Foley Field

WHEN: Thursday 7 p.m., Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m.

RECORDS: Georgia 29-21, 12-15; Ole Miss 36-16, 16-11

STARTING PITCHERS: Thursday - Luke Wagner (3-3, 4.98) vs Doug Nikazy (7-2, 2.34); Friday - Liam Sullivan (1-1, 4.20) vs Derek Diamond (3-4, 5.50); Saturday - TBA vs Drew McDaniel (4-0, 5.23)

TV/RADIO: SEC Network+ (Dave Neal and Jason Jacobs); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston)

If you’ve followed Georgia baseball at all this spring, then you know walks have been a problem.

The Bulldogs rank next-to-last in the SEC with 230, despite the fact their numbers in other key categories rank among the best in the league.

For example:

• Georgia is fifth in team ERA (3.88).

• Fourth in opponent’s batting average (.226)

• Allowed the fifth-fewest hits (377)

• Given up the fifth-fewest home runs (46)

• Tied with Arkansas for sixth in strikeouts (499).

Five times this season, however, the Bulldogs have walked 10 or more opponents in a game, including Tuesday night’s 7-6 loss in 14 innings to Georgia Tech, when Georgia issued a season-high 15 free passes.

Head coach Scott Stricklin—whose Bulldogs entertain No. 11 Ole Miss in a critical three-game set, starting Thursday at Foley Field—was asked about those numbers during Wednesday’s Zoom session with reporters.

Is it an anomaly? Is it something that can be fixed? Exactly what is the deal?

“Coach (pitching coach Sean) Kenny does not allow these guys ever to take the easy route and just throw fastballs down the middle, no matter what,” Stricklin said. “He’s going to make them pitch, and they learn really quick when they come in the fall: you better be able to throw a 2-0 changeup, you better be able to throw a 3-1 breaking ball to get the really good hitters in the league out.”

Stricklin acknowledges the walks are frustrating.

Watching Darryn Pasqua and Nolan Crisp walk the bases loaded in the eighth, setting the Yellow Jackets up for their three-run rally to tie the game was no fun for Georgia fans.

Unfortunately, Stricklin said that’s just part of the process. Injuries have forced the Bulldogs to use eight freshmen hurlers throughout the course of the campaign. For some, pitching to Kenny’s expectations is still a bit of a learning curve.

“As much as we’ve walked people, you look at the ERA, you look at the runs we’ve given up— our pitchers have done a good job getting out some of the jams they’ve created,” Stricklin said. “But the bottom line is, it’s Coach Kenny’s philosophy to make sure these guys learn how to pitch. If you just feed guys fastballs over and over, you’re going to get balls hit really hard.

“You can’t be afraid of contact, but in the same sense, you’ve got to learn how to pitch. So, it’s a little bit of a learning process, but his philosophy is, you’re going to have to learn how to pitch if you’re going to pitch here. We’re just not going to sit back and throw fastballs all the time.”

Although Stricklin did not come right out and say it, if Georgia wants to earn a trip to the NCAA Tournament, winning this week’s series against the Rebels is a must.

Action gets underway Thursday (7 p.m.), followed with games Friday evening (7 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (4 p.m.).

“Obviously, we need to play very well. We’re playing a very good team in Ole Miss, and we need to win this series,” said Stricklin, whose Bulldogs face Ole Miss ace Doug Nikhazy in Thursday night’s affair.

The 6-foot, 205-pound right-hander has an ERA of 2.34 with 94 strikeouts in just 65.1 innings. Opponents are batting just .180 against him.

“We need to try and find a way to score some runs against Nikhazy. He’s one of the best guys, not only in the league, but in the country,” Stricklin said. “We just need to play all-around good baseball. We need to play clean; we need to run the bases better, and we need to have better at-bats. All those things come into play. We’ve played well these last two weekends, at Arkansas and at Florida, and still haven’t won a series. Now we’re at home, and we need to continue to play well. But we need to find a way to win the series.”

Stricklin said he’s hopeful to have both Connor Tate (.346-10-33) and Riley King (.265-6-30) back in the lineup for Thursday’s game.

Tate has missed two straight and is recovering from having a ball hit just above his Achilles, while King has been battling a minor knee injury that’s kept him out of the past three games.

“They’re still day-to-day. They’re going to move around a little bit more today. Yesterday, they didn’t take batting practice, they didn’t do much at all at Georgia Tech, so they were not available. They both feel better today,” Stricklin said. “I’m going to anticipate they both play this weekend. We’re going to move them around in practice today, and I’m hoping that they’re both in the lineup tomorrow.”

King, who was named to the SEC Good Works Team on Wednesday, is more confident.

“The plan is for me to go for it tomorrow,” he said.

For the first time since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic 15 months ago, this week’s series at Foley Field will be allowed to have full capacity.

“It brings a lot of energy, and what we’re hoping is we have some fans who are starving to get outside and be loud,” Stricklin said. “We really need the atmosphere to be in our favor. We saw that at Arkansas two weeks ago: they had 10,000-plus all three games, and there was just tremendous energy. Our kids really performed well in front of that, and we really want that energy coming our way.”

In related news, Wednesday the NCAA announced that all NCAA championships will be allowed to have full capacity moving forward, with no masks or social distancing required.

“We’re excited to have the stands full. It’s tough when you look up there and see a bunch of empty seats,” he said. “It really shouldn’t change the game, but it does. That homefield advantage can be something that’s really special, and we’re going to need that this weekend.”

Stricklin said freshman Luke Wagner (3-3, 4.98) will start Thursday’s opener against Ole Miss, followed by Liam Sullivan (1-1, 4.20) on Friday Saturday’s starting is TBA.

Jonathan Cannon could start Saturday’s finale, providing he’s needed out of the bullpen in one of the first two games.

“Everybody’s healthy, but we’re just waiting to see if we need Jonathan Cannon in relief, Jaden Woods in relief; if we do, we’ll do it. We’re just trying to find some way to win this series,” Stricklin said. “If Jonathan Cannon doesn’t pitch on Friday, he’ll most likely pitch on Saturday.