ATHENS — Perhaps the biggest improvement Wes Johnson has made for Georgia baseball’s College World Series hopes is pitching depth.
Johnson, a longtime pitching coach in the SEC with three years in MLB, sees a strength in numbers in his 2025 staff. Johnson is known for his extensive pitching knowledge and is taking an unorthodox approach to get the most out of his staff this season.
Georgia’s second-year coach wants all of his pitchers — regardless of situation or role in the game — to attack hitters with a “closer mentality.” The depth lets Johnson request maximum effort from each of his pitchers while another competitive arm warms up in the bullpen.
Johnson will let his top two starters, Kolten Smith and Leighton Finley, go for as long as they can dominate. But the days of riding a top pitcher further than he can confidently take the team are over, if Johnson’s preseason vision remains true.
“I told all of our staff I don’t need Kolten Smith to go seven on Friday,” Johnson said Feb. 12. “If they get there, great, but I want you to go out there with that closer mentality, ‘I’m taking the ball and the first pitch of the game matters. I’m going to go as long as I can with my stuff as good as it can be, and then we’re going to go to somebody else.’”
That depth was first constructed by retaining top pitchers such as Smith, Finley, Brian Zeldin, Charlie Goldstein and Matthew Hoskins. Then Johnson pulled 11 pitchers out of the transfer portal, headlined by several proven forces on the mound.
Virginia Commonwealth transfer Brian Curley’s persona isn’t the only thing he could go viral for this season. The preseason All-American hit 100 mph in UGA’s season-opening weekend and earned a save against Kennesaw State on Feb. 18.
Zach Brown, a sophomore from Ohio State, also showed promise in his second appearance last weekend. He redeemed a six-run debut against North Carolina-Wilmington with a one-run outing across four innings against Illinois-Chiago.
Relievers Alton Davis II (Alabama) and Jordan Stephens (Abraham Baldwin) impressed with velocity and strong command of off-speed pitches against UIC.
Johnson has tested nearly all of his pitching staff through the first two weeks. Georgia has 26 pitchers on its roster, and 20 have seen action this season.
UGA’s bullpen has proved several times this season that it can cover for bad starts.
Zeldin surrendered four runs in 2⅓ innings to start Saturday, and Ole Miss transfer JT Quinn was relieved after a two-run first inning Sunday. Six Bulldog pitchers threw after them between the two games, and in 11⅔ combined innings, they allowed only one run.
UNC-Wilmington’s offense had plenty of momentum after scoring six first inning runs against Brown on Feb. 16. Then the bullpen got to work, and the Seahawks didn’t score again in the final eight innings.
Kennesaw State chased Smith, UGA’s No. 1 starter, after 1⅔ innings and four earned runs. The Bulldogs staff didn’t let the Owls score again in the last 7⅓ innings.
Johnson certainly has had more talented pitching staffs during his 14 years of college coaching. He did compare Georgia’s depth to two of the best in his career: his 2023 national championship staff at LSU and his 2015 staff at Dallas Baptist, which powered a 46-15 season.
Depth certainly will help the Bulldogs through the grind of an SEC season. Georgia’s offense has compensated for one of the worst pitching programs in the conference in recent seasons.
UGA finished with the SEC’s second worst team ERA in 2022 and 2023 before moving to No. 10 in Johnson’s first season.
The second season of the Johnson era means more hand-picked pitchers, a deeper installment of his culture and a better chance at improving that team ERA again.
Johnson will keep testing his staff Wednesday when the Bulldogs visit Georgia State’s GSU Baseball Complex at 4 p.m. UGA finishes the week hosting ASUN member Florida Gulf Coast for a four-game series, starting at 3 p.m. Friday.
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