Believe it or not, college baseball season is less than a month away, and the Georgia baseball team will be fielding an exciting group in 2022. The Diamond Dawgs will be looking to bring a second championship to the University of Georgia this year, as the football team defeated Alabama last Monday to win the CFP National Championship.
Last season, Georgia finished with a record of 31-25 overall and 13-17 in SEC play. They were not invited to play in the NCAA Tournament.
Coming into 2022, the Dawgs will look to improve from their disappointing finish, and they have the talent to do so. Georgia has not won a National Championship in baseball since 1990, and their last appearance in the College World Series was back in 2008.
In the first preseason rankings of the year, Georgia came in at No. 16 in the country:
ICYMI: Texas comes in at No. 1 in @d1baseball's 2022 preseason top 25 rankings, followed by a collection of top SEC teams.
— NCAA Baseball (@NCAABaseball) January 18, 2022
1⃣ @TexasBaseball
2⃣ @RazorbackBSB
3⃣ @VandyBoys
4⃣ @HailStateBB
5⃣ @OleMissBSB
6⃣-2⃣5⃣ https://t.co/n9KIbbca8O#NCAABaseball pic.twitter.com/zsDe9mHXOV
As it stands currently, Georgia will have to face five teams that are in the Top 25 including Mississippi State, the defending CWS champions, and perennial power Vanderbilt.
Two players from last year’s team were drafted in the 2021 MLB Draft. Ben Harris was taken in the eighth round by the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Ryan Webb was taken in the fourth round by the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians). Despite these departures, Georgia is still loaded with great players
Some notable starters returning for the Dawgs in 2022 include:
- Connor Tate: .344 batting average, .405 on-base percentage, 65 hits, 10 home runs, 33 RBIs
- Cole Tate: .319 avg., 67 hits, 35 runs scored
- Corey Collins: 22 extra base hits, 37 RBIs, 29 walks
- Jaden Woods: 53 innings pitched, 53 strikeouts
- Jack Gowen: 2.16 ERA, 36 strikeouts in 25 innings
- Johnathan Cannon: 12 starts, 3.98 ERA
The Bulldogs also brought in some solid freshmen players that can contribute throughout the season. If all plays out the way it should, Georgia could be in the mix to make a deep run in both the SEC and NCAA Tournaments.
Georgia’s season starts on February 18th when the Dawgs host Albany University from New York at Foley Field in Athens.