The math is simple. Win conference games, and you\u2019re in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Georgia baseball isn\u2019t playing for entry, though. It\u2019s playing for advantage.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the mindset as the No. 9 Bulldogs head to Columbia this weekend for a three-game series against Missouri \u2014 the SEC\u2019s lone winless team. With the NCAA Tournament looming and the national seed race tightening, Georgia knows what\u2019s at stake.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been in this league for a while. It\u2019s the toughest year in this league. I mean, come on, guys, like I say, we see a hundred every weekend,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cIt\u2019s like you\u2019re either hitting a hundred or you\u2019re seeing a hundred every weekend. Just the power or the speed, the raw athleticism \u2026 this league\u2019s never been better.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
But Johnson isn\u2019t in the habit of looking past anybody.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou look over there and you\u2019ve got Henry Hunter, Nolan McCarthy, Slate Alford, Kolby Branch,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cThese guys are vets in this league, and they know the minute you take your eyes off of right here, right now, that\u2019s gonna beat you and you don\u2019t play well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Respect, in this case, comes with firepower.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Georgia enters the weekend leading the nation in home runs with 113 and ranking second in RPI \u2014 a key factor in NCAA seeding. Burnett (19 HR, 57 RBI) and Alford (.335, 13 HR) anchor a lineup that\u2019s slugging .569 with a .421 on-base percentage. Alford carries a 30-game on-base streak into Friday.<\/p>\n
First baseman Ryland Zaborowski, who\u2019s hitting .372 with 16 homers, will miss the series due to an elbow injury suffered against Oklahoma. His absence trims Georgia\u2019s depth, but Burnett and Branch (.311, 10 HR) have stayed hot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the beauty of this team, one of the strengths of this team, is the depth of it,\u201d Johnson said.<\/p>\n
Missouri\u2019s pitching has struggled across the board. The Tigers\u2019 staff ERA is 9.63, opponents are hitting .327, and they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n