Dawn of the Dawg
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Georgia baseball competes in battle of Bulldogs against the national champs

ByPayton Wilkerson|
Feb 19, 2021; Athens, Georgia, USA; Members of the Georgia Bulldogs huddle on opening day at Foley Field before a game against the Evansville Aces Aces. Evansville Aces won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via USA TODAY NETWORK
Feb 19, 2021; Athens, Georgia, USA; Members of the Georgia Bulldogs huddle on opening day at Foley Field before a game against the Evansville Aces Aces. Evansville Aces won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via USA TODAY NETWORK

This weekend, Georgia baseball will welcome the 2021 College World Series champions to Foley Field baseball.

The Dawgs have mostly handled their non-conference opponents to start the 2022 season. They currently hold a record of 14-3 and are ranked No. 18 according to Baseball America.

The competition is about to heat up for the Diamond Dawgs, however.

Georgia baseball opens up SEC play against the defending national champs.

This weekend, they welcome the SEC’s other Bulldogs, Mississippi State, for a three-game series in Athens. Mississippi State took home the College World Series in 2021 and went 50-18 overall.

Like Georgia did in football, the Mississippi Bulldogs defeated an SEC team (Vanderbilt) in the final round to win the CWS title. This title was Mississippi State’s first-ever national championship in any sport in school history.

Mississippi State has been slow out of the gate this season, however. They have an 11-7 record and have fallen out of some rankings despite being ranked No. 4 in the preseason. Despite their unexpected start, the Bulldogs are still littered with talent.

Pitcher Landon Sims, a native of Cumming, Ga., is one of the top pitchers in the SEC. He had an outstanding showing in the CWS last year. In four games, he struck out 15 batters and allowed just one run 10 relief innings.

Sims ranks as the 18th best 2022 MLB Draft prospect by CBS Sports.

Freshman Hunter Hines has been their best hitter so far, leading the team with a .328 batting average, five home runs, and a .672 slugging percentage. Other players like Kamren James, Logan Tanner, and Kellum Clark have done a nice job on offense for Mississippi State.

Pitchers Preston Johnson, Parker Stinnett, and Cade Smith are listed as the probable starters for the series. Stinnett leads the team with 36 strikeouts, while Johnson has pitched the most innings out of every pitcher on the roster.

Georgia will counter with staff ace Johnathan Cannon on Friday and Luke Wagner, who has an 0.73 ERA, on Saturday. Cannon struck out a career-high 11 batters in his last start against Lipscomb, and Wagner leads the nation with five wins so far.

Redshirt sophomore Garrett Brown will start on Sunday.

The Dawgs’ offense features six players with batting averages over .300, including sophomore Corey Collins. Collins has smashed six home runs and collected 15 RBIs for Georgia this year. His opposite-field power is impressive to watch, and we will likely see this guy playing in the big leagues soon.

Starting SEC play with a series win will be crucial for Georgia. Momentum plays a massive role for a baseball team. Just ask the 2021 Atlanta Braves about that.

Getting a series victory over the reigning CWS champs will help Georgia make their mark in a tough SEC and show other teams that the Dawgs are coming for more championships.

The first pitch for tonight’s game is set for 7:00 p.m.

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