Georgia dropped its first series of the season over the weekend, falling two games to one against rival Florida. All three games exemplified the roller-coaster nature of the Bulldogs’ bullpen. Georgia used 13 pitchers in the series with mixed results. The bullpen remains an ongoing experiment for the Bulldogs, who sat atop the Southeastern Conference when the series began.
Before the season, the primary question was who would claim the starting roles in the Bulldogs’ rotation. Much of Georgia’s new pitching talent had served as starters in previous years, creating competition for three spots.
Coach Wes Johnson’s opening weekend rotation featured Joey Volchko, Kenny Ishikawa and Dylan Vigue, with the remaining starting arms shifting to the bullpen. The rotation has remained largely intact, but the bullpen has emerged as a wildcard, producing both dominant and puzzling performances.
In the opener against Florida, Volchko delivered six innings of one-run baseball. But the bullpen faltered in the seventh inning, when usually reliable arm Paul Farley was charged with six runs. An additional run was charged to Thomas Ellisen as Georgia lost 8-2.
In Game 2, Georgia relied on a single bullpen arm, Caden Aoki, who threw three scoreless innings. The Bulldogs evened the series with a 5-1 victory.
Game 3 was a bullpen game. Ishikawa is still working back from an injury, leaving Georgia’s third rotation spot unsettled. Despite featuring several former starters, the Bulldogs struggled in the finale, using eight pitchers and allowing 13 runs.
Georgia has talented arms throughout its staff, but Johnson has avoided conventional roles. No pitcher is assigned strictly to the seventh, eighth or ninth innings, as each arm is expected to handle any situation.
“You can go back and look at my time with Minnesota,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have a designated closer … in all my years of coaching college baseball I’ve had two designated closers.”
When Johnson was hired following his tenure as a pitching coach in professional baseball, expectations were that pitching would become the program’s strength. He has a track record of developing talent, but his approach includes a reluctance to define bullpen roles.
Georgia’s pitching staff has produced results. The Bulldogs have been a consensus top-10 team for much of the season and remain among the conference leaders. However, questions remain about how the bullpen will perform in the postseason.
Which former starter will secure the third spot in the rotation? Will a pattern emerge in high-leverage situations? Will Georgia limit its top bullpen arms to preserve them late in the season?
The Bulldogs’ first series loss brought those questions into focus as they move forward.
