The 2021 Georgia baseball season came to a screeching halt when the selection committee kept the Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament for the first time since the 2017 season. Despite all of this, in Scott Stricklin’s 8th year as the head coach for the Bulldogs, this may be the deepest team of his tenure.
The Bulldog’s opening day lineup will involve a few 6th year seniors in Cole Tate, Connor Tate, Chaney Rodgers, Ben Anderson, and Josh McCallister. The lineup will consist of the perfect amount of veteran presence while also returning key sophomores in Corey Collins (Freshman All American), Parks Harber, and Fernando Gonzalez behind the plate. Georgia has plenty of depth to come off the bench as well, with 6th year senior Garrett Blaylock, sophomore Garrett Spikes, and Florida transfer Cory Acton, all of whom will play a significant role this spring.
The Bulldogs return everyone except Ryan Webb from last years pitching staff, including top 2022 MLB draft prospect Jonathan Cannon. A year ago, Cannon missed almost the entirety of non- conference play because he was sick with Mono. Due to his late start, Cannon did not put up the “Friday night” numbers that he was projected to do. Despite all of this, Cannon has electric stuff with a fastball that will be up to 96-97 and a very good changeup and slider. The projected Saturday starter is sophomore Liam Sullivan who came on late last year. After struggling in relief appearances early in the year, Sullivan got his first SEC start against Arkansas in which he went 6.0 with 11 strikeouts and only 1 run. Sullivan would go on to throw well the remainder of the SEC schedule and showed much promise for the 2022 season. The projected Sunday starter is Dylan Ross from JUCO powerhouse Northwest Florida. Ross was one of the top junior college prospects who turned down MLB teams in this past summer’s draft to come to Georgia. Ross is known for a lively fastball that got up to 98 this past season. The Georgia bullpen will be led by guys like Jaden Woods, Michael Polk, and Jack Gowen, all of whom have showed that they can get outs in this league. Three names to keep an eye out who could have potential roles in relief, as well as mid week starts are Mississippi State transfer Davis Rokose and two players coming off Tommy John surgery, Garrett Brown and Will Childers.
For Georgia to be successful this year there are a few guys who need to step up in order for the Dawgs to make a run at Omaha. While we know what to expect from guys like the Tate brothers, Chaney Rodgers, and Josh McCallister, the players who need to take their game to the next level are Corey Collins and Parks Harber. Looking at the top teams in the country and how baseball has transitioned over the years, successful teams typically hit for a ton of power (i.e. Arkansas led the nation in homers last year). Georgia’s biggest problem last year was getting the big extra base hit or home run with guys in scoring position that you need to have success in the SEC. Corey Collins in particular showed potential as a power guy in his freshmen year, however, the power potential waned off against SEC pitching. Look for Collins to have a much different approach at the plate after a full season of experience under his belt.The pitcher who needs to have the biggest impact is Friday night starter Jonathan Cannon. Although his numbers from last year aren’t entirely great, Cannon has elite Friday night stuff similar to that of former Bulldog Emerson Hancock during the Bulldogs back to back regional seasons. With Georgia being one of the most experienced teams in college baseball this year, the Bulldogs have real potential at making it back to Omaha for the first time since 2008.
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