ATHENS, Ga. — 16 years ago, Georgia baseball took down Georgia Tech to advance to the Super Regional to face N.C. State.
On Sunday, the No. 7 Bulldogs repeated history, taking down the Yellow Jackets 8-6 and will face the No. 10 Wolfpack in a three-game series for a chance to make it back to the College Baseball World Series.
Georgia hasn’t been to a World Series since that 2008 season, but if history repeats itself, the team could make a return to Omaha, Nebraska.
Head coach and pitching coach Wes Johnson won a World Series ring as LSU’s pitching coach last year. Now, he’s leading the Bulldogs to success while preaching patience amid the tight games Georgia’s been winning.
“I think it’s important that I tell the players all the time that you can’t ever hit the panic button,” Johnson said. “It’s a long game. It’s the teams who can stay focused; it’s the teams who can understand that they got to get us 27 outs.”
Georgia’s path to a 3-0 sweep in the Athens regional hasn’t been easy. While the Bulldogs took down UNC Wilmington 11-2, they barely snuck past Army 8-7 and needed an extra inning to defeat their in-state rivals.
Georgia was forced to overcome a 5-2 deficit after the Yellow Jackets put up four runs in the bottom of the second inning. Georgia clawed back, scored individual runs in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings and tied the game up.
In the 10th inning, senior Corey Collins hit a double to right center field to bring two runs in, adding to the one other run scored that inning. A few minutes later, he caught a throw from third baseman Charlie Condon and made the final out at first to send the Bulldogs to the super regional.
Collins earned Most Outstanding Player honors and was selected to the NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament Team for his performance. He, unlike his nearly 30 new teammates that joined the team prior to this season, has been with the Bulldogs for all four years of his college career, which made making the final out that much more special.
“Pure joy,” Collins said. “...We fought the whole time, and that just sealed the deal. We fought all year to get here, and we brought it back home, and we defended our turf. It was great to be with these guys and just take it to the next level.”
Collins was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Condon, second baseman Slate Alford, outfield Clayton Chadwick, shortstop Kolby Branch and designated hitter Tre Phelps. The latter two hit key home runs against Georgia Tech to help tie up the game for the Bulldogs.
Collins referred to Branch, who set the Georgia record for grand slams after defeating UNC Wilmington this past Saturday, as “broken” and has loved how everything has come together for the freshman Phelps.
But what’s next for the Bulldogs? How can Georgia actually repeat history and be one of the eight teams to make the World Series this season?
One thing that’ll help is the Bulldogs will once again return to Foley Field to host the Wolfpack. Johnson, prior to the regional, predicted that the field would “be rocking.” This prediction came true as Georgia fans packed out the stadium and will likely do the same on Saturday.
“When you’re at home, there’s just a comfort level that guys get,” Johnson said. “They love our ballpark, they love hitting here, our fans have been awesome, so this is truly a home-field advantage.”
Georgia will need to refine its pitching rotation ahead of a pivotal series. In the past four games, its rotation has allowed 24 runs. The Bulldogs allowed nine runs to LSU in the first round of the SEC tournament and had their run ended early, a blunder they can’t repeat in this upcoming series.
As the rotation battles through injuries and issues on the mound, what may help in their favor is the trust that Johnson has in them. After game one starter Leighton Finley had a disappointing start against Army — he allowed four runs with 3.2 innings on the mound and only had one strikeout — Johnson put Finley in the game in the 10th inning to successfully close the game out and earn his first save of the season.
Zach Harris, who started against Georgia Tech and allowed the first five runs, still pitched six innings, including four straight scoreless ones.
“Coach always goes back and harps on belief,” Harris said. “It’s always great having a coach that believes in you and always has your back no matter what happens.”
With the season on the line and plenty of momentum, Georgia will retake Foley Field with an opportunity to repeat 16-year-old history.
“It gives us confidence, we have this belief,” Collins said. “We didn’t end the regular season well, but he said “guys, you’re over that hurdle,” and that really stuck with me… We competed, we won, and now we’re back at work next week. We have another hurdle to get over.”