Georgia softball: New era begins, can it be as successful?

Georgia softball has began a new era, and while it’s bittersweet not to see the long-time head coach Lu Harris-Champer at the helm, the program seems to be in good hands.

This season marks the first time since 2000, Harris-Champer isn’t in charge, but Tony Baldwin, who has been around for 10-plus seasons, took over as the third coach in program history.

This season, Baldwin and the Dawgs have started 10-2, with the annual Georgia Classic coming up this weekend. There will be many talented softball teams in attendance, and the expectations remain high.

Georgia softball may have begun a new era, but that tenacious mindset is still there.

Bryant, North Carolina, and the Dawgs will face off in doubleheaders this weekend.

Georgia heads into this even on a four-game win streak and will take on Carolina first at 3:30 p.m. Friday afternoon. Then at 6 p.m., the Dawgs will play Bryant.

The games will air on the alternative SEC Network channel, or fans can follow along online with their stats. 

This season’s team has a mixture of veterans and newcomers that have been crucial to the Dawgs’ success so far.

Britton Rogers has been huge on the mound so far and is coming off a massive performance against Gardner-Webb. She struck out 11 batters and recorded zero walks. Rogers almost had the perfect game, but a single in the seventh cost her. She moved to 4-0 on the season and has a 2.51 ERA.

This weekend we will likely see Rogers along with Madison Kerpics and Kylie Macy. There is also Lauren Mathis, who can come in and pitch as well. She is a fifth-year who has the experience to come in when needed.

Much like the Harris-Champer teams, this group has a solid batting lineup that can do some damage when they get hot and their on-base grit is impressive.

Of the eight consistent starters, six of them are batting .344 or better. Lacy Fincher is close at .292 and Jayda Kearney is at .250.

Georgia is have a great start to the season at the plate, including 15 home runs, 81 RBIs, 114 hits and 91 runs through 12 games.

However one of the most impressive stats has to be their stolen base numbers. Georgia has 19 stolen bases in 12 games, averaging 1.58 per game. That stat ranks No. 5 in the SEC and they are already on pace to surpass last year’s 30 stolen base number.

This team seems to be right on track to keep Georgia softball at the expectation we’ve all grown accustomed to having with them.

The Dawgs need a big weekend, but should be able to handle both teams with ease. They just need to play their game and keep playing hard.