Three Georgia baseball players poised for breakouts in 2022
![Georgia baseball held opening day at Foley Field hosting Evansville in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. Evansville won 3-2. [Photo/Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald]News Joshua L Jones](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F43911ccdc02ec1dbfef10c1078a470540d56858ea9c61d4deda414461a5ee94b.jpg "Georgia baseball held opening day at Foley Field hosting Evansville in Athens, Ga., on Friday, Feb. 19, 2021. Evansville won 3-2. [Photo/Joshua L. Jones, Athens Banner-Herald]News Joshua L Jones")
Jaden Woods, LHP
Jaden Woods impressed Georgia fans during his freshman year, which came as no surprise to those who recruited him out of high school.
Woods played at Houston County High School in Warner Robins, Ga. Coming out of high school, he was ranked the third best left-handed pitcher in the state of Georgia. As a junior, he carried a 1.18 ERA in 58 innings while also batting .314. He did not play his senior year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
He started a couple of games early in the 2021 season but shifted to a bullpen role down the stretch after Georgia starters returned from injuries.
He was named to the All-SEC Freshman team by coaches at the end of the 2021 season. Although his 4.58 ERA was a bit high, he managed to strikeout 53 batters in 53 innings.
That success has carried over so far in 2022, and he is quickly becoming the best bullpen option for Georgia. Against Wofford on Tuesday, Woods pitched 3.2 innings of relief and allowed one run, one hit, and had a career-high seven strikeouts.
Even though Woods had a high strikeout rate as a freshman, he often struggled to control his pitches. He ran into this problem on opening day against Albany this year. Despite getting four strikeouts over two innings, he allowed two runs on two hits, a walk, a hit by pitch, and had a wild pitch. Woods has improved in his last few appearances this season.
His fastball, which he has thrown in the upper 90s, and changeup combo have proven deadly to opposing lineups. Expect Woods to become a significant part of the Georgia pitching staff moving forward.