University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Madison Keel/UGAAA
Bulldogs Ranked No. 9 In USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll
February 04, 2025 | Baseball
ATHENS, GA-----The Georgia Bulldogs will begin the 2025 season ranked number nine in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Preseason Top 25 poll, the newspaper announced Tuesday.
Georgia's Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson enters his second year with a consensus preseason top 25 team. In other preseason rankings, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 4 according to Perfect Game, No. 8 by D1Baseball.com and No. 11 by Baseball America.
Also, on Tuesday, Georgia pitcher Kolten Smith and outfielder/infielder Tre Phelps were named preseason All-Americans by Baseball America, and their team is selected by major league scouting directors.
Georgia welcomes back most of their rotation from a year ago in Charlie Goldstein (4-1, 3.72 ERA), Smith (9-3, 5.56 ERA), Leighton Finley (6-1, 4.14 ERA) and Zach Harris (5-2, 6.87 ERA). The returning starters around the diamond includes Phelps (.353-12-40) and infielders Slate Alford (.300-17-69) and Kolby Branch (.267-17-58) plus a newcomer class that has been ranked as high as No. 7. One of the Bulldog newcomers is pitcher Brian Curley, and recently he was named a preseason All-American by D1Baseball.com. Curley went 6-0 with three saves and a 2.87 ERA for Virginia Commonwealth last season and then was a 16th round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2024 MLB Draft.
The Bulldogs were one of 11 Southeastern Conference teams in the USA TODAY poll. A panel of 31 head coaches at Division I schools will vote weekly throughout the regular season. The complete USA TODAY poll can be found at this link: https://gado.gs/ck5
Georgia is coming off its best season since 2008, finishing in the top 10 with a 43-17 record and an appearance in an NCAA Super Regional.
The 2025 baseball season opens on Valentine's Day. The Bulldogs will be on the road at UNC Wilmington where they will play Quinnipiac twice and the host Seahawks twice. Georgia's home opener is slated for Feb. 20 as part of a four-game series with University of Illinois Chicago. Information on single-game non-conference tickets to support Georgia Baseball will be announced later this week.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
Georgia's Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson enters his second year with a consensus preseason top 25 team. In other preseason rankings, the Bulldogs checked in at No. 4 according to Perfect Game, No. 8 by D1Baseball.com and No. 11 by Baseball America.
Also, on Tuesday, Georgia pitcher Kolten Smith and outfielder/infielder Tre Phelps were named preseason All-Americans by Baseball America, and their team is selected by major league scouting directors.
Georgia welcomes back most of their rotation from a year ago in Charlie Goldstein (4-1, 3.72 ERA), Smith (9-3, 5.56 ERA), Leighton Finley (6-1, 4.14 ERA) and Zach Harris (5-2, 6.87 ERA). The returning starters around the diamond includes Phelps (.353-12-40) and infielders Slate Alford (.300-17-69) and Kolby Branch (.267-17-58) plus a newcomer class that has been ranked as high as No. 7. One of the Bulldog newcomers is pitcher Brian Curley, and recently he was named a preseason All-American by D1Baseball.com. Curley went 6-0 with three saves and a 2.87 ERA for Virginia Commonwealth last season and then was a 16th round pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2024 MLB Draft.
The Bulldogs were one of 11 Southeastern Conference teams in the USA TODAY poll. A panel of 31 head coaches at Division I schools will vote weekly throughout the regular season. The complete USA TODAY poll can be found at this link: https://gado.gs/ck5
Georgia is coming off its best season since 2008, finishing in the top 10 with a 43-17 record and an appearance in an NCAA Super Regional.
The 2025 baseball season opens on Valentine's Day. The Bulldogs will be on the road at UNC Wilmington where they will play Quinnipiac twice and the host Seahawks twice. Georgia's home opener is slated for Feb. 20 as part of a four-game series with University of Illinois Chicago. Information on single-game non-conference tickets to support Georgia Baseball will be announced later this week.
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
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