For the first time in 18 years, the Georgia Bulldogs are sitting atop the SEC baseball mountain. With four games still remaining before the conference tournament, Georgia clinched the SEC regular season title on Saturday night, marking a triumphant return to glory for a program that last held the crown in 2008.
The Bulldogs sealed the deal with a commanding 13-8 victory over LSU, leaving Texas and Texas A&M too far behind to catch up. The math became official when Texas fell to Tennessee and Texas A&M dropped a doubleheader at Ole Miss. Just 47 minutes later, Georgia fans erupted as Matt Scott struck out Edward Yamin IV, cementing the Bulldogs' place at the top.
This season has been a masterclass in consistency—Georgia has won every SEC series except one, building an impressive 40-11 overall record and a 20-6 mark in conference play. The Bulldogs are riding an eight-game winning streak, with seven of those wins coming against SEC opponents.
The offensive fireworks started early. Third baseman Michael O'Shaughnessy launched a grand slam in the second inning as part of an eight-run outburst, then added a solo shot in the eighth for his 17th home run of the season. Jordy Oriach contributed with a two-run homer in the second, while Daniel Jackson delivered a run-scoring double and an RBI single. Tre Phelps also drove in a run with a ground out in the sixth.
On the mound, Paul Farley (6-1) earned the win with 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief, allowing just three hits while striking out three. The Bulldogs' pitching staff benefited from LSU's struggles with control—the Tigers issued 13 walks, three more than Georgia.
Head coach Wes Johnson, now in his third season at Georgia, has built something special. While he won a College World Series as LSU's pitching coach in 2023, this marks his first SEC regular season title since 2016, when he served as an assistant at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs have done it with a power-hitting lineup reminiscent of the program's best eras.
As the No. 1 seed, Georgia will enjoy a double bye in the SEC Tournament in Hoover, Alabama, opening play on Thursday, May 21 against the No. 8, 9, or 16 seed. For LSU (29-23, 9-17), the defending national champions, the loss puts their NCAA Tournament hopes in jeopardy.
The series concludes Sunday at 3 p.m., but the Bulldogs have already made history—winning their first series against LSU since 2019 and their first SEC regular season title in 18 years. For Georgia fans, the wait was worth it.