The math is simple. Win conference games, and you’re in.
Georgia baseball isn’t playing for entry, though. It’s playing for advantage.
That’s the mindset as the No. 9 Bulldogs head to Columbia this weekend for a three-game series against Missouri — the SEC’s lone winless team. With the NCAA Tournament looming and the national seed race tightening, Georgia knows what’s at stake.
“I’ve been in this league for a while. It’s the toughest year in this league. I mean, come on, guys, like I say, we see a hundred every weekend,” Johnson said. “It’s like you’re either hitting a hundred or you’re seeing a hundred every weekend. Just the power or the speed, the raw athleticism … this league’s never been better.”
At 12-9 in league play, Georgia (36-11) is in a six-way tie in the middle of the SEC standings. The Bulldogs can jump as high as second place with a sweep this weekend. The path is favorable: Missouri (13-31, 0-21) has been swept in every SEC series this year.
But Johnson isn’t in the habit of looking past anybody.
“You look over there and you’ve got Henry Hunter, Nolan McCarthy, Slate Alford, Kolby Branch,” Johnson said. “These guys are vets in this league, and they know the minute you take your eyes off of right here, right now, that’s gonna beat you and you don’t play well.”
Respect, in this case, comes with firepower.
Georgia enters the weekend leading the nation in home runs with 113 and ranking second in RPI — a key factor in NCAA seeding. Burnett (19 HR, 57 RBI) and Alford (.335, 13 HR) anchor a lineup that’s slugging .569 with a .421 on-base percentage. Alford carries a 30-game on-base streak into Friday.
First baseman Ryland Zaborowski, who’s hitting .372 with 16 homers, will miss the series due to an elbow injury suffered against Oklahoma. His absence trims Georgia’s depth, but Burnett and Branch (.311, 10 HR) have stayed hot.
“I think the beauty of this team, one of the strengths of this team, is the depth of it,” Johnson said.
Missouri’s pitching has struggled across the board. The Tigers’ staff ERA is 9.63, opponents are hitting .327, and they’ve given up 74 home runs. Georgia will open the series with junior Brian Curley (2-2, 3.43 ERA), who has pitched into the sixth inning in four straight starts. Leighton Finley (2-1, 5.40) is set to start Saturday.
Georgia has three series remaining — Missouri, No. 18 Alabama, and Texas A&M — and needs at least three more wins to reach Johnson’s oft-referenced “golden ticket” of 15 SEC victories. That threshold has historically guaranteed a postseason spot, but the Bulldogs want more than a ticket.
Last season, Georgia locked down a No. 7 national seed with 17 SEC wins. Repeating that will likely require at least five more victories down the stretch. Three wins in Columbia would speak loudly. And for Georgia, that conversation is just getting started.
