Scott Stricklin Previews the 2023 Georgia Baseball Team
Georgia Baseball will start their season on February 17th at Foley Field with a three-game series against Jacksonville State.
Dawgs Daily had a chance to catch up with head coach Scott Stricklin, who is entering his tenth season with the Bulldogs. Georgia fell to VCU and North Carolina in the Regionals to end a 2022 season that saw them place second in the SEC East.
Stricklin was still proud of the effort and fortitude shown by his team.
“The biggest thing - and any coach will tell ya this - staying healthy is really important, and I was really proud of the way our guys kinda rallied when we lost Dylan Ross, we lost Will Childers early in the year; guys that were projected to be our weekend to Tuesday starters; maybe your No. 2, 3, 4 starters. And those guys go down, and then, during the middle of our SEC season, Liam Sullivan goes down for a couple of weeks, and then Jonathan Cannon goes down for a few weeks.” recounted Stricklin.
“Ya know, our guys just somehow held it together. I really praise the toughness of that group last year, to really just kind of rally behind everything, and just getting this thing done, and getting us to the postseason. So, disappointed that we didn’t advance past the Regionals, but to get into the postseason with the bumps, and the bruises, and the injuries that we had, I was just proud of the way our guys toughed through it.”
Even with the early exit, Georgia fans are excited to see what 2023 has in store for the Bulldogs. After posting a 23-9 home record in 2022, Baseball tickets have become a hot commodity in Athens.
“Season tickets, and the demand that we have for our home games this year is at an all-time high. We’re going to play in front of some big crowds. We’ve got a great home slate; we’ve got a lot of really good teams coming in here. We’re anticipating Foley Field being packed, and being loud, and being a real home-field advantage for us.” said Stricklin.
With all the injuries last year, a lot of young players got valuable experience. Stricklin mentioned a few that could be due for bigger roles.
“I think Nolan Crisp is the guy that comes to mind, that just jumped in and went into our rotation. He was sort of our Swiss-army knife, ya know; he’d pitch at the end of games, at the middle of games, he’d get a spot start, but when some guys went down, he stepped up and jumped into the rotation and pitched for us, and did a great job. So, Nolan certainly could have a starting job for us this year, or could just do the same thing, could do a little bit of everything for us.”
Nolan Crisp (RHP) will be in for a bigger role in 2023.
Crisp wasn't the only pitcher that has caught Stricklin's eye. Both Luke Wagner and Chandler Marsh have impressed.
“Luke Wagner is a guy we’re looking to have a really good junior year. He threw [Tuesday] and looked really good. He’s gone in and out of the rotation here his first two years, but he’s really competitive. He’s left-handed, into the low 90s.”
“Chandler Marsh pitched for us last year as a freshman, and his role expanded for us as we went along. He’s looking really good. He’s one of our hardest throwers.” said Stricklin.
The biggest "name" for Georgia is Jaden Woods. The 6-foot-2 lefty has all the talent in the world, but some inconsistencies led to him becoming a bullpen arm in 2022.
“The thing that we were really encouraged with was the development of [Jaden Woods'] breaking ball. That’s been the thing the last two years that’s held him out of the rotation. He started some games for us, but he became a late inning guy just because of the explosive fastball, and the breaking ball was just a little in and out, was good one day and not so good the next, and late in the fall, I mean, it’s the best I’ve ever seen him throw." said Stricklin of Woods.
Jaden Woods, entering his junior season, is one of the highest-rated prospects in the SEC.
"The velocity is in the mid-90s - 95, 96 miles an hour, and the slider was consistent. He struck out five out of six batters when we played Florida in the fall, and four of those were on sliders. Usually his strikeout pitch was his elevated fastball, but he was able to go to that slider and that really changes things. Right now, he’s slated to be our Friday night starter, and it’s his junior year, and I expect him to be a leader for us on the mound.”
As for the lineup, Scott Stricklin is excited about the guys he's got coming back.
“Well, you’ve got Ben Anderson back. That’s a guy that’s played for us for the last three years. He was off to a great start in 2020 when everything got shutdown, and then 2021, the numbers weren’t great, but he was just kind of a bad-luck guy; hit balls hard all over the field, and then last year showed some power, hit 9 home runs and stole some bases for us. I’d say he’s probably the leading candidate to be our lead-off guy again.”
Ben Anderson (CF) will be Georgia's lead-off man.
Behind Anderson, it appears that Connor Tate will be a name to watch.
“We’re kind of leaning toward Connor Tate moving up into the two-hole. He’s a middle-of-the-order type hitter, but anymore when you look at things you’re seeing times that the best hitter in your lineup is hitting second. It gets him a few extra at-bats - gets him a few extra at-bats over the course of a season - but in the course of a game, he might get up another time late in the game.” said Stricklin.
“Then, 3-4-5-6, it’s going to be a mixture of: Cole Wagner, Parks Harber, Charlie Condon, and Corey Collins. Lots of big bats, lots of power there. Ya know, 1 - 6, I feel like we’ve got a chance to hit a lot of home runs.”
Georgia will have some pop at the bottom of the order too.
“Fernando Gonzalez could be our most… to me, the guy that handles the bat the best, and he’s, right now, going to be at the bottom of the lineup, but that doesn’t mean he can’t hit… I think our lineup has a chance to be really deep.”
Georgia begins their season on February 17th at home against Jacksonville State.
Other Georgia News:
- Kirby Smart Gets Eyes on Several Top Targets in Latest Recruiting Rounds
- Ranking Every Team of the Kirby Smart Era
- WATCH: Georgia Releases Highlight Reel From 2022 Season
You can follow Christian Goeckel on Twitter for more Georgia Baseball News: @GoeckelSports
