No. 11 Georgia Baseball 2025 College Top 25 Preview

Image credit: Leighton Finley (Photo Courtesy of Georgia Athletics)

Last season: 43-17 (17-13 SEC); eliminated in Athens Super Regional
Final 2024 ranking: No. 10
Coach (record at school): Wes Johnson (43-17, 2nd season)

You can find our complete 2025 preseason Top 25 ranking here.

The Good News

Picked to finish second-to-last in the now-extinct SEC Eastern Division in the 2024 preseason coaches poll, Georgia annihilated rather lowly expectations in its first season under head coach Wes Johnson, winning 43 games and snapping a super-regional drought that dated back to 2008. Obviously, it helped that the Bulldogs had 2024 College Player Of The Year Charlie Condon and second-team all-American Corey Collins on their side, but there were other key members of their offense, such as infielders Slate Alford and Kolby Branch, outfielder Tre Phelps and starting pitchers Leighton Finley and Kolten Smith, who returned to Athens in hopes of sustaining the program’s success. Johnson expressed that his second Georgia roster has enough pitching depth to plug some of the pitfalls that plagued them in 2024 and experienced talent at the plate to remain highly productive there.

The Bad News

From a talent replacement standpoint, arch-rivals Florida and Georgia really couldn’t be more similar heading into 2025. The Gators this year will need to quickly figure out ways to replenish the production they lost in Jac Caglianone on both sides of the ball while the Bulldogs need to do the same with Condon’s historic offense and, to a slightly lesser extent, Collins’ outputs. Johnson told Baseball America that his veteran core and transfer portal newcomers should be able to carry the load as a group. How Georgia develops on the mound will be equally important. The Bulldogs ranked 10th in the SEC in team ERA last season and brought in new looks to improve. They’ll need to deliver for Georgia to thrive.

Player To Know

The Bulldogs need Leighton Finley to take another step forward in his junior year after the righty established himself as the team’s most dependable arm in 2024 when he posted a 6-1 mark, 4.14 ERA and 76 strikeouts in a team-high 76 innings. With super-regional experience under his belt, Finley is viewed as the Bulldogs’ ace, a role that suits him well after he showed that he could mix in five pitches and give the team length to open weekends. Finley’s slider and changeup, which he throws roughly evenly, both drew strong whiff rates.

Path To Omaha

Georgia’s super-regional elimination in 2024 wasn’t due to a lack of offense, as it averaged 7.3 runs per game in the NCAA Tournament and eclipsed 10 in six contests. The team ran out of gas when its pitching did, an issue its coaching staff intentionally aimed to resolve this offseason when it retained a handful of now-uperclassmen and brought in some key fresh faces to deepen the group. If the Bulldogs can bring more consistency to the bump, it could enable an even deeper postseason run.

Projected 2025 Lineup

Pos	Player	Year	AVG	OBP	SLG	AB	HR	RBI	Note
C	Henry Hunter	Sr.	.264	.379	.500	72	4	12
1B	Daniel Jackson*	So.	.358	.460	.599	207	12	69	Wofford
2B	Robbie Burnett*	Sr.	.323	.454	.656	189	18	45	UNC-Asheville
3B	Slate Alford	Sr.	.300	.370	.539	267	17	69
SS	Kolby Branch	Jr.	.267	.366	.538	225	17	58
OF	Devin Obee*	Sr.	.309	.399	.599	217	16	50	Duke
OF	Nolan McCarthy*	Sr.	.288	.380	.480	198	8	41	Kentucky
OF	Tre Phelps	So.	.353	.441	.699	136	12	40
DH	Ryland Zaborowksi*	Sr.	.305	.421	.532	190	10	45	Miami-Ohio
Pos	Player	Year	GS	IP	ERA	WHIP	SO	BB	Note
SP	Leighton Finley	Jr.	16	76.0	4.14	1.34	76	28
SP	Kolten Smith	Jr.	4	69.2	5.56	1.34	105	20
SP	Charlie Goldstien	Sr.	7	36.1	3.72	1.35	43	14
RP	DJ Radtke	R-Jr.	0	15.2	3.45	1.40	20	11
RP	Alton Davis II*	Jr.	0	33.2	5.61	1.57	38	17	Alabama