By Jake Mastroianni (@ShortStopBall)
The Georgia offense is putting up some big numbers early on, and that’s despite their top hitter coming into the year currently batting under .200.
They scored 51 runs in their 4-game sweep over UIC this past weekend and are averaging a little over 9 runs per game this season.
However, the lineup feels top-heavy at the moment. Even with all of those runs scored, they ranked just eighth in the SEC in batting average.
Slate Alford, Robbie Burnett, and Nolan McCarthy have been doing most of the heavy lifting so far at the top of the order. Ryland Zaborowski and Henry Hunter are the only other two regulars batting over .240 in the early going.
Ryan Black and Daniel Jackson did start to move their way into and up the lineup this past weekend giving the offense a boost.
Some key returners like Tre Phelps and Kolby Branch are hitting .167 and .233 respectively. Duke transfer Devin Obee is batting just .238, but he has an OPS over 1.000 thanks to 2 home runs and 12 walks.
What made this Georgia team so scary coming into the year was the depth of the lineup along with some veteran starters returning.
The offense has been good, but we’ve yet to see them at their full strength, which is kind of scary.
Slate Alford leading the charge
A lot of talk coming into the season for Georgia surrounded the return of Phelps to the lineup – and for good reason. But in the early going, Alford has been the go-to guy in the clutch.
He’s slashing .423/.643/.769 with 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 R, and 11 RBI.
Alford had a bases-clearing triple in the second inning during the first game of their series against UIC to give Georgia an early 5-1 lead.
He’s the batter in the lineup other teams are scared of right now, which is evident by the 12 times he’s been walked already.
The importance of Charlie Goldstein
Leighton Finley has looked like the solid weekend rotation arm we thought he could be allowing just 1 earned run on 6 hits and 4 walks over 9 innings with 12 strikeouts in his first two outings of 2025.
But Kolten Smith was delayed to start the year due to back spasms and didn’t look great against Kennesaw State in the mid-week.
No one else has stood out as a rotation candidate along with Finley as they continue to ramp Charlie Goldstein up.
Zach Brown looked good piggy-backing with Goldstein on Friday after Brown was roughed up in his first appearance of the season.
There is a lot of pressure on Goldstein to get back to full strength and be a true Friday guy for the Bulldogs.
Head coach Wes Johnson and staff have been very careful with him so far as they’ve only let him throw 1 inning in each of his appearances. He’s looked great in those outings not allowing a hit or a walk with 3 strikeouts, and the velocity was hitting the upper 90s.
The hope is that by the time SEC play starts, Georgia has Smith and Goldstein healthy and stretched out to form what could be a dominant weekend rotation to go along with the deep lineup everyone envisioned coming into the season.
A rare feat
On Sunday, the Georgia offense did something that you don’t see very often when they hit for a team cycle in consecutive batters to begin the bottom of the first.
And it’s not just that they hit for the team cycle in four batters, they did it in order.
Black started the game with a single followed by a double from Alford. Burnett then tripled them home and Jackson capped it off with a 2-run homer.
Weekend results vs. UIC:
Fri. 9-3, W. Brown - 4 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 Ks, 1 W; Alford - 4-4, 3 RBI, 2 2B, 1 3B.
Fri. 15-1 (7), W. Finley - 5 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 8 Ks, 1 W; Zaborowski - 4-4, 3 R, 6 RBI, 1 HR, 2 2B.
Sat. 10-4, W. Matthew Hoskins - 3.2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 5 Ks, 1 SV; Burnett - 1-2, 2 BB, 2 R, 3 RBI, 1 HR, 1 HBP.
Sun. 17-3 (6), W. Jordan Stephens - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 5 Ks, 1 SV; Burnett - 2-2, 1 HR, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 3 runs, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB.
Up next
Web, Feb. 26: at Georgia State
Fri, Feb. 28: vs. Florida Gulf Coast
Sat, March 1: vs. Florida Gulf Coast (DH)
Sun, March 2: vs. Florida Gulf Coast
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