Georgia baseball set for big, in-state matchup versus Georgia State

As the 2025 college baseball season heats up, an intriguing in-state showdown looms this evening between the Georgia Bulldogs and the Georgia State Panthers at 4:00pm ET at the GSU Baseball Complex in Decatur, Georgia.

Both teams have kicked off the year with promising performances and have just two combined losses in 16 total games. The Dawgs and Panthers have one loss each on the season. Georgia State is coming off a dominant 14-4 rout of Kennesaw State in just seven innings last night. This is impressive, as Georgia faced the same Kennesaw State team last week and ground out a narrow 6-4 comeback win in nine innings.

The Georgia Bulldogs entered the 2025 season with high expectations under coach Wes Johnson after coming up just short of Omaha a season ago. Georgia has lived up to those expectations through its first nine games, posting an 8-1 record while showcasing a balanced attack. Their opening series against Quinnipiac and UNC Wilmington yielded a 3-1 mark, with standout performances from transfers like Robbie Burnett and Devin Obee. The pitching staff was also excellent in those four games and has been all year, with a team ERA of 3.12, a WHIP of 1.27, and a batting average against of just .213.

In the aforementioned Kennesaw State game on February 18, Georgia trailed 4-0 early but rallied with a pivotal ninth inning, sparked by Kolby Branch’s clutch hitting and Brian Curley’s viral, triple-digit fastball to seal the 6-4 victory. Ryan Black debuted for Georgia in that game with a critical homerun and stayed hot in a four-game series with the University of Illinois Chicago. Georgia swept all four games with UIC thanks to big hits from Black and transfer first baseman Ryland Zaborowski. Zaborowski leads the Bulldogs in batting average, RBI, and slugging percentage (.455, 15, & .864).

Meanwhile, Sun Belt contender Georgia State has roared out of the gate with a 6-1 record. While Belmont and UT Martin aren’t world beaters, you must credit the Georgia State squad for taking care of business in its first six games, winning five, and then trouncing a good Kennesaw State team. The Panthers’ offense has been electric, averaging over eight runs per game. The KSU game ended via the mercy rule and saw Georgia State explode for 14 runs on 12 hits, with multiple players contributing to a relentless assault.

Kaleb Williams, the Panther leadoff man and right fielder, has done most of the damage at the plate. Williams has 11 RBIs this year and is batting .500, with seven doubles and two homers, for a slugging percentage of 1.091. The Georgia pitchers will look to keep Williams in check early to prevent State from jumping out to a lead.

One thing to keep an eye on in this contest is aggressiveness on the base paths and who can dictate the running game. Georgia likes to force the issue and steal bases at a much higher clip than a season ago. Georgia has 17 stolen bases in 19 attempts this year. That is a staggering pace through nine games, as Georgia stole just 22 bases on 25 attempts in 2024. Georgia State does not run as much, having stolen on eight bases on 12 attempts this season. Georgia State struggles to prevent opponents from stealing, though. The Panthers’ opposition in 2025 is 16 of 17 in stolen base attempts. The Dawgs will look to take advantage.

UGA Baseball Schedule