COACHING STAFF
Scott STRICKLIN Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach 8th Season at UGA 17th overall as a head coach (Kent State ’95)
#10 Now in his eighth year at the helm, Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Scott Stricklin has returned the Bulldogs to one of the top programs in the country. Georgia was one of just two schools to have earned a top eight National Seed for the NCAA Championships in both 2018 and 2019. Georgia was a No. 8 seed in 2018 and a No. 4 seed in 2019, which marked the best in school history. Then in 2020, the Bulldogs were poised to have a special year, selling out its season tickets, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Georgia finished 2020 ranked as high as No. 2 nationally (USA Today Sports Top 25). The Bulldogs had jumped out to a 7-0 start, swept rival Georgia Tech for the third time in the past four years and tallied a 14-4 mark when the season was canceled. Four Bulldogs signed professional contracts including first round pick Emerson Hancock (sixth overall) and a school record 26 Bulldogs earned a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Georgia was the only SEC program to rceive NCAA APR recognition, 10 Bulldogs earned a degree, and the program posted a record 3.14 GPA for the spring. Hancock was just the fourth student-athlete in school history to be both a first round draft pick and first team Academic All-American. Since arriving at UGA, Stricklin, 48, has created an atmosphere of excitement around the program, starting with the current student-athletes, extending to former lettermen and to Georgia baseball fans around the state. He has organized numerous lettermen functions to help reunite former players and steered the $12 million Foley Field Revival project that was completed prior to the 2015 season. He has engaged the fan base with the annual First Pitch banquets featuring Hall of Famers John Smoltz, Phil Niekro and Chipper Jones, former Atlanta Braves standout Jeff Francoeur along with Bulldog legends and Major Leaguers Gordon Beckham and Kyle Farmer. A total of more than 83,000 fans packed Foley Field during the 2019 campaign, the most since 2009 when a modern era record of more than 93,000 cheered on the Bulldogs. The Bulldogs posted one of their best regular seasons in school history in 2019, going 42-14 including a school record 21-9 in the Southeastern Conference. Then, Georgia advanced to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament and played host to another NCAA Regional as a top eight National Seed. This was the first time in school history that Georgia served as an NCAA host site as a National Seed in back-to-back seasons. Also, it was only the third time for the program to make back-to-back NCAA Regionals. Georgia finished the 2019 season with a 46-17 record, and the win total was the fourth most in school history while the 42 victories during the regular season was the second most. For the second straight year, the Bulldogs established a school record for Fielding Percentage (.980). Junior third baseman/closer Aaron Schunk was named the 2019 John Olerud Award recipient as the nation’s top two-way player by the College Baseball Foundation while junior Cam Shepherd received a Gold Glove for his play at shortstop from ABCA/Rawlings. Schunk and Hancock were consensus All-America selections. Eight Bulldogs were selected in the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft with six opting to turn professional and another signing a free agent contract. Georgia continued to excel in the classroom with 19 earning a spot on the SEC Academic Honor Roll and pitcher Tim Elliott making the Academic All-District team. Georgia’s recruiting classes have improved under Stricklin, according to Perfect Game USA national rankings. In fact, the class that made its debut in 2017 was ranked No. 3 nationally. Also, the Bulldogs have excelled in the classroom including posting a 3.08 GPA for the fall semester of 2016 and a record 23 Bulldogs landing on the 2018 SEC Academic Honor Roll. The 2018 campaign saw Georgia return to prominence, earning a top eight national seed and playing host to an NCAA Regional for the first time in a decade. After being picked to finish fifth in the Eastern Division, Georgia posted an overall record of 39-21 and its 18-12 SEC mark tied for the second best in the league. The Bulldogs would reach the finals of the NCAA Athens Regional and set four school records (.979 fielding percentage, holding opponents to a .236 batting average, 532 strikeouts by the pitching staff and seven grand slams by the offense). Three Bulldogs earned AllAmerica honors, four made the All-SEC squad, 23 made the SEC Academic
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The Scott Stricklin File
Born: Feb. 17, 1972 in Athens, Ohio High School: Athens, Athens, Ohio, 1990 College: Kent State, B.A. in Marketing, 1995 Family: Wife: Cheri; Children: Sydney (17), Cale (15), Keaton (12) Playing Career Kent State: 1991-93, Two-time All-Conference catcher, 23rd Round Draft Pick of Minnesota Twins in 1993 Minor Leagues: Minnesota Twins (1993-95), Atlanta Braves (1996), Tampa Bay (1997, Major League Spring Training in 1998) Coaching Career Volunteer Coach, Georgia Tech, 1998-99 Asst. Coach/Pitching, Vanderbilt, 2000-01 Asst. Coach/Hitters/Recruiting Coord., Georgia Tech, 2002-04 Head Coach, Kent State, 2005-13 Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach, Georgia, June 2013-present
Stricklin’s Coaching Record
Year School 2005 Kent State 2006 Kent State 2007 Kent State 2008 Kent State 2009 Kent State 2010 Kent State 2011 Kent State 2012 Kent State 2013 Kent State 2014 Georgia 2015 Georgia 2016 Georgia 2017 Georgia 2018 Georgia 2019 Georgia 2020 Georgia Total (16 Seasons)
Record Conference NCAA 33-20 9-10 -38-19 17-5 -33-26 19-8 0-2 NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional 36-21 16-8 -43-17 17-9 1-2 NCAA Tempe (Ariz.) Regional 39-25 18-9 0-2 NCAA Los Angeles (Calif.) Regional 45-17 21-5 2-2 NCAA Austin (Texas) Regional Finalist 47-20 24-3 6-3 NCAA Gary (Ind.) Regional Champions NCAA Eugene (Ore.) Super Reg. Champions College World Series (T5th) 36-23 20-7 -26-29-1 11-18-1 -26-28 10-19 -27-30 11-19 -25-32 11-19 -39-21 18-12 2-2 NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional Finalist 46-17 21-9 2-2 NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional Finalist *14-4 n/a n/a 553-349-1 243-160-1 13-15 (.613) (.602) (.464)
*2020 season limited to 18 games and then canceled in March due to COVID-19 pandemic.
Honor Roll and three were selected in the 2018 MLB Draft. In 2017, the Bulldogs advanced to the SEC Tournament after claiming series over then No. 4 Kentucky and No. 6 Miss. State. Stricklin helped organize the first game open to the public at SunTrust Park to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta as the Bulldogs faced Missouri. The crowd of 33,025 at SunTrust was the second biggest in college baseball history. A month later, Georgia returned to SunTrust for the 15th annual Spring Baseball Classic For Kids and defeated Georgia Tech in front of nearly 24,000 to sweep the season series for the first time since 1984. In 2016, Georgia endured a school-record 22-game stretch against ranked opponents as it concluded the regular season with the nation’s toughest rated schedule. They posted key series wins over then No. 2 South Carolina, marking the highest series victory for Georgia since 2001, and over rival Georgia Tech. Georgia had six players selected in the MLB draft including first round lottery selection Robert Tyler by Colorado. In year two of the Stricklin era, the Bulldogs posted their first SEC road sweep since 2009 when it won three straight over Tennessee and then claimed its first league series at No. 7 South Carolina since 1994. In May, Georgia combined on a one-hit shutout of Georgia Tech at Turner Field in front of the largest crowd to see a college baseball regular season game as 18,792 attended the 13th annual Spring Baseball Classic For Kids. Georgia battled through the 2015 season while missing two members of its starting rotation and two bullpen arms for a significant stretch. Still, the Bulldog staff posted a sub 4.00 ERA for only the second time since 1977. When at full strength, the bullpen was a formidable group, allowing just one earned run over the final 29.2 innings of 2015. Georgia had seven players selected in the 2015 MLB draft, which marked the most since 2011. In Stricklin’s first year at Georgia, he led the Bulldogs back to the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2012. Georgia compiled an 11-game 2021 Georgia BULLDOG Baseball
