After hitting a tough five-game losing streak just two weeks ago, the Georgia Bulldogs (39-11, 15-9) have turned their season around for the better with a six-game win streak.
In that span, Georgia won the series against SEC opponents Oklahoma and Missouri. Now, the Bulldogs sit tied for third in the conference as they set their scopes on two crucial final series. With the SEC Tournament looming large, Georgia needs to stay among the best four teams in the conference to receive two opening byes.
The road ahead, however, is tough. Fresh off an impressive victory against 19th-ranked Troy, the Alabama Crimson Tide hosts the Bulldogs for a dramatic three-game series. After losing a hard-fought series to Vanderbilt, Alabama now sits at sixth in the SEC. But Alabama isn’t out of the national conversation. Alabama, ranked 23rd nationally, is two games back of Georgia in conference play, and a series win or sweep would put them right back into the thick of the SEC race.
The Bulldogs will be on the road, where they have struggled mightily this year. Georgia boasts just a 9-8 record when away from Foley Field, having just swept the Missouri Tigers in a three-game series as the away team. Alabama is 23-6 at home this season, giving them an edge in the upcoming series.
Georgia received a rare break from play, not playing any midweek game. Its bullpen will be fully available in the upcoming games against Alabama. Georgia’s pitching staff is coming off one of its strongest weeks, posting a 1.75 ERA in their four games last week. Bulldog starting pitchers Brian Curley and Leighton Finely looked sharp in their last outings. Curley pitched seven innings of shutout baseball, allowing just four hits while striking out six. He will have the ball in the series opener. Finley, who toes the slab in the last game of the series, pitched 7 ⅓ in his last outing, allowing just three hits and one run.
On the offensive end, Georgia continues to live by the long ball, with a league-leading 119 home runs. The status of their best hitter, Ryland Zaborowski, is in question. Struggling with an elbow injury, Zaborowski has sat for the last four games.
His status for the remainder of the season is unclear. Slate Alford will try to carry the team despite Zaborowski’s absence. Aldord has reached safely in 49 of 50 games this season, including an active streak of 33 games. He frequently is at the heart of the biggest moments for the Dawgs. Kolby Branch has found some of the magic he showed last season, hitting for a .301 average with 11 home runs after a slow start offensively.
After the series with the Tide, the Bulldogs will return home for a final three games against the Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies, who started the year as the No. 1 team in the nation and fresh off a College World Series run in 2024, have fallen on hard times. They sit at 14th in the conference with a 27-20 record, having gone 10-14 in the SEC.
Two series wins would work wonders for a Georgia team that saw itself sputter in April. But the road ahead is never easy, and head coach Wes Johnson has a tough job in trying to rally his guys in baseball’s best conference.
