ATHENS — Georgia baseball will attack its third four-game series in as many weekends depending heavily on its bullpen.
The Bulldogs (9-1) have used a pitching staff by committee this season, as only one pitcher has thrown five innings or more in an appearance. That’s Leighton Finley, who will open the home series on Foley Field’s mound against Florida Gulf Coast, starting at 3 p.m. Friday (streamed on ESPN-Plus).
Finley’s start will be followed by ‘openers’ in the last three games. Charlie Goldstein, Alton Davis II and JT Quinn will start but pitch fewer innings than a traditional starting pitcher would.
The third game of the series — the second of a Saturday doubleheader — will last seven innings, helping both teams preserve their bullpens before a Sunday series finale.
Davis will start the seventh-inning game looking for an outing similar to his three-inning appearance Saturday. A transfer from Alabama, Davis has thrown for at least three full innings in both of his outings.
Davis was a reliever for two seasons with the Crimson Tide and was the team’s main closer last season.
“My first two years of college, that’s what I was used to was coming out the pen,” Davis said. “Having that adrenaline dump, come out and be fierce, just attack the strike zone and everything.
“Wes called me the other day and told me I was going to get an opportunity to start, and it boosted my confidence because he sees a lot in me.”
Goldstein and Quinn both are on pitch counts as they recover from injuries sustained in 2024.
Goldstein is one of the more experienced pitchers in Georgia’s roster, as he has started for three years in the SEC. The lefthander is trying to work back to a position in the starting rotation and has pitched well in limited action this season.
“Kind of the same thing with Charlie last week,” Johnson said. “He’s itching to go more. So like I told him, just throw more strikes and get outs faster, and you’ll throw as long as it lets you go.”
Finley will try to replicate his shutout start from Friday, while the other openers will try to buck a recent trend from the pitching staff.
The Bulldogs have struggled to start games well on the mound, surrendering several runs in the first couple of innings and dipping into the bullpen early. The UGA bullpen has been phenomenal in relief, often shutting out opposing lineups for the rest of the game.
Georgia has allowed 28 earned runs in 10 games this season. Starting pitching is responsible for 22 of them.
“We probably lead the country in the highest ERA in the first two innings, and we may also lead the country in the lowest ERA in innings three through nine,” Johnson said.
Georgia also will look for another big series from a lineup that mashed 11 home runs against Illinois-Chicago last weekend. The Bulldogs outscored the Flames 51-15 over four games.
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