NCAA Baseball Tournament – Athens Regional
NCAA BASEBALL TOURNAMENT – ATHENS REGIONAL — Georgia baseball is back in the NCAA tournament and looks to advance out of the regionals for the first time since 2008, when the Bulldogs lost the College World Series final to Fresno State. Since that battle of Bulldogs, Georgia’s traveled a fairly dark road.
The Dawgs have made six regional appearances since 2008, but they haven’t once gotten out of the regionals. And they come into this tournament limping, having lost three straight to end the regular season. Most galling for Georgia was the fact that it had the chance to end rival Florida’s season by winning two of three in Athens and couldn’t do it, instead handing the Gators a lifeline.
Related: NCAA Baseball Tournament – Tallahassee Regional
Georgia certainly has the hitters to win the regional, but the Bulldogs’ pitching is very questionable. The same is true of fellow Power 6 school and rival Georgia Tech, whose ERA ranked dead last in the ACC. The best pitching in the regional might belong to North Carolina-Wilmington, which makes its second straight appearance in the NCAA tournament.
The Seahawks’ pitching didn’t survive last year, as UNCW went two-and-out in blowout losses to Duke and Coastal Carolina. But UNCW’s ERA is a full run better than last year, and the Seahawks beat NC State and Wake Forest during the regular season.
Players to Watch
Charlie Condon will get the most attention in the regional, and it’s not close. The Dawgs’ slugger leads the nation with 35 home runs and bats .443, and teams can’t just pitch around him because of Corey Collins ahead of him and Slate Alford behind him. Georgia’s lineup is loaded with hitters, as six regulars bat .291 or better.
UNCW and Georgia Tech both have their own sluggers. Tanner Thach hit 27 homers for the Seahawks this year, and Drew Burress launched 23 for the Yellow Jackets. But the big difference is that Wilmington features an ace in RJ Sales, and Georgia Tech doesn’t have that kind of pitching. If the Seahawks can get by Tech without expending too many arms, they’ll have the edge.
The Favorite
It’s hard to pick against Georgia, even with the lack of momentum and the pitching issues. The Dawgs did come through a rugged SEC, and they got hot with sweeps of Vanderbilt and South Carolina.
But there’s reason to worry about the Dawgs. Georgia went just 1-5 against the SEC giants of Tennessee and Kentucky, and the Dawgs also lost series to Florida and Mississippi State. Georgia did win 17 SEC games, but 13 of its wins came against Missouri, Mississippi, South Carolina, Vanderbilt and Alabama. Missouri and Mississippi didn’t qualify for the tournament, and the other three all ended up in regionals with a top-eight seed from the ACC. That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
Potential Surprise
Army’s just there to make up the numbers and Georgia Tech can’t pitch. Over their final 11 ACC games, the Yellow Jackets only gave up fewer than eight runs once. Against Georgia and UNCW’s hitters, that’s a recipe for disaster.
So the potential for a surprise sits with the Seahawks. This team has the pitching to win a regional and has the hitters to keep up with Georgia and Georgia Tech. More important, the Seahawks won’t be intimidated this time. Last year, UNCW really didn’t look like it belonged on the same field as Duke. The Seahawks faced the likes of North Carolina, NC State, Wake Forest and Campbell and repeatedly got it drilled into them just how far the gap was between the schools.
This year, UNCW has had success against traditional powers. The Seahawks are a No. 2 seed for a reason, and it’s because of their pitching. If they keep the ball in the park, they’ve got a great shot at a super regional appearance.
