The fourth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs enter this weekend’s series sporting a 16-game win streak. It is the second-longest win streak in school history, four games fewer than the record set in 1908. Now comes a new challenge, starting conference play.
“We have so many guys on the staff this year that have that depth that we can throw a guy in any situation and know they’re going to succeed. We have everyone’s back, too,” said relief pitcher Zach Harris. “We’re brothers on and off the field, so I think that’s going to help us, especially going into SEC play.”
The Bulldogs welcome the Kentucky Wildcats to town as SEC play begins. It is a very strong conference, sporting four of the top five ranked teams, and 12 top 25 teams, according to D1baseball.com. Regardless of how strong the Bulldogs are, conquering the conference gauntlet will be an uphill battle.
This opening series is special for a few reasons. Last year, despite having a fantastic season, the Bulldogs were swept in their series against the Wildcats, including being run-ruled in their final game. Kentucky also outdid Georgia after the regular season, making a trip to Omaha that Georgia fell one game short of.
To add even more drama, one of the Wildcats’ best offensive weapons, Nolan McCarthy, transferred to UGA after last season. He has found himself at home in Athens with a .333 average, including five doubles and three home runs.
“You better be ready for ups and downs and riding waves, there’s so many things that happen in our league,” said head coach Wes Johnson. “Teams come in hot, teams come in not hot. It goes all over the map.”
Kentucky has had an up-and-down start to the 2025 season. They have scored over 20 runs on three separate occasions and sport the second-best ERA in the country at 1.89. But they have also fallen short of opponents they should have beaten in Lipscomb and Wofford. They come into this weekend unranked, according to D1baseball.com
The weekend series will last three games, and Georgia’s best pitching prospects, Charlie Goldstein and Leighton Finley, will take the mound. The Bulldogs will also have the co-SEC Player of the Week, Rylan Zaborowski, in their lineup. It will be the first step of many for both of these squads trying to survive the cannibalistic SEC in 2025. It’s sure to be quite the show.
