Ike Cousins Head Coach Scott Stricklin

Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach 8th Season at UGA 17th overall as a head coach (Kent State ’95)

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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

6 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 Record Conference NCAA

2005 Kent State 33-20 9-10 -2006 Kent State 38-19 17-5 -2007 Kent State 33-26 19-8 0-2 NCAA Columbia (Mo.) Regional 2008 Kent State 36-21 16-8 -2009 Kent State 43-17 17-9 1-2 NCAA Tempe (Ariz.) Regional 2010 Kent State 39-25 18-9 0-2 NCAA Los Angeles (Calif.) Regional 2011 Kent State 45-17 21-5 2-2 NCAA Austin (Texas) Regional Finalist 2012 Kent State 47-20 24-3 6-3 NCAA Gary (Ind.) Regional Champions NCAA Eugene (Ore.) Super Reg. Champions College World Series (T5th) 2013 Kent State 36-23 20-7 -2014 Georgia 26-29-1 11-18-1 -2015 Georgia 26-28 10-19 -2016 Georgia 27-30 11-19 -2017 Georgia 25-32 11-19 -2018 Georgia 39-21 18-12 2-2 NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional Finalist 2019 Georgia 46-17 21-9 2-2 NCAA Athens (Ga.) Regional Finalist 2020 Georgia *14-4 n/a n/a

Total (16 Seasons) 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

Coach Stricklin By The Numbers

u Career Record: 553-349-1 u One College World Series Appearance (2012) 1st coach to lead a MAC school to the CWS since 1976 (Ron Oestrike, Eastern Michigan) u One NCAA Super Regional Appearance (2012) u Seven NCAA Regionals Appearances (2007, ’09-’12, ’18-’19) u 54 MLB First-Year Player Draft Picks u 14 All-Americans and 1 Academic All-American u 11 Freshman All-Americans u 95 Academic All-SEC selections and 18 Academic All-MAC u 8 All-SEC selections and 47 All-MAC selections, u Three-Time MAC Coach Of The Year u Two-Time ABCA Mideast Regional Coach Of The Year u Five Regular Season MAC Championships u Five MAC Tournament Titles u 3 MAC Player of the Year, 3 MAC Pitcher of the Year u 1 MAC Freshman of the Year u 2011 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Assistant Coach

Coach Stricklin In The NCAA Postseason (7 NCAA Regionals, 1 Super Regional, 1 CWS) Seven NCAA Regionals (10-12, 1 title) 2007 (Columbia, Mo.) 0-2

June 1 #11 Missouri d. Kent State 10-2 June 2 #28 Miami (Fla.) d. Kent State 8-7

2009 (Tempe, Ariz.) 1-2

May 29 #3 Arizona State d. Kent State 17-6 May 30 Kent State d. #25 Cal Poly 10-9 May 31 Oral Roberts d. Kent State 15-10

2010 (Los Angeles, Calif.) 0-2

June 4 #8 UCLA d. Kent State 15-1 June 5 #21 UC Irvine d. Kent State 19-9

2011 (Austin, Texas) 2-2

June 3 #24 Kent State d. Texas State 4-2 June 4 #24 Kent State d. #5 Texas 7-5 June 5 #5 Texas d. #24 Kent State 9-3 June 6 #5 Texas d. #24 Kent State 5-0

2012 (Gary, Indiana) 3-0, Advance to Super Regional

June 1 #25 Kent State d. #13 Kentucky 7-6 in *21 innings June 2 #25 Kent State d. #16 Purdue 7-3 June 3 #25 Kent State d. #13 Kentucky 3-2 (*2nd longest baseball game in NCAA Tournament history that lasted 6:37. The record is 25 innings in a 3-2 Texas win over Boston College in 2009 that lasted 7:03.)

2018 (Athens, Ga.) 2-2

June 2 #9 Georgia d. Campbell 18-5 June 3 #9 Georgia d. Troy 11-7 June 4 #18 Duke d. #9 Georgia 8-5 June 4 #18 Duke d. #9 Georgia 8-4

2019 (Athens, Ga.) 2-2

May 31 #7 Georgia d. Mercer 13-3 June 1 Florida State d. #7 Georgia 12-3 June 2 #7 Georgia d. Florida Atlantic 13-0 June 2 Florida State d. #7 Georgia 10-1

One NCAA Super Regional (2-1, 1 title) 2012 (Eugene, Ore.) 2-1, Advance to CWS

June 9 #13 Kent State d. #8 Oregon 7-6 June 10 #8 Oregon d. #13 Kent State 3-2 June 11 #13 Kent State d. #8 Oregon 3-2

One College World Series (1-2) 2012 (Omaha, Neb.) 1-2 (Tied for 5th)

June 16 #6 Arkansas d. #8 Kent State 8-1 June 18 #8 Kent State d. #1 Florida 5-4 June 21 #2 South Carolina d. #8 Kent State 4-1

All-Time Record Versus Opponents

Akron ............................ 19-10 Alabama ....................... 8-7 Alabama State.............. 1-0 Appalachian State ........ 2-0 Arizona State................ 0-1 Arkansas.......................4-7 Ashland.........................1-0 Auburn.......................... 3-6 Ball State ...................... 10-11 Belmont ........................ 1-0 Binghamton .................. 3-0 Bowling Green.............. 20-4 Buffalo .......................... 24-6 Cal Poly ........................ 1-0 California ...................... 0-1 Campbell ...................... 1-0 Central Michigan...........14-9 Charleston Southern.....4-1 Charlotte....................... 6-2 Cincinnati...................... 2-0 Citadel .......................... 2-1 Clemson ....................... 7-5 Cleveland State ............ 9-2 Coastal Carolina........... 1-1 Coll. Charleston............ 1-5 Columbia ...................... 1-0 Dayton .......................... 3-0 Duke ............................. 0-2 Duquesne ..................... 9-3 East Tennessee St........ 0-1 Eastern Illinois .............. 3-0 Eastern Michigan.......... 17-4

Elon .............................. 0-3 Florida...........................9-13 Florida Atlantic.............. 1-0 Florida State ................. 2-5 Fresno State................. 0-2 Furman ......................... 3-0 Georgia Southern ......... 9-12 Georgia State ............... 4-1 Georgia Tech ................ 16-9 Houston ........................ 1-2 Illinois............................2-0 Illinois State .................. 1-0 Indiana.......................... 0-2 Indiana State ................ 1-0 Jacksonville State......... 1-1 James Madison ............ 3-1

2021 GEORGIA BULLDOG BASEBALL The Stricklin Family Keaton, Sydney, Scott, Cheri and Cale

wining streak during the season, and it captured a series over No. 7 South Carolina, the first over a top 10 team since 2011. Three Bulldogs signed professional contracts. Stricklin, who led his alma mater Kent State to five NCAA Regionals and the 2012 College World Series, was named head baseball coach at the University of Georgia on June 3, 2013. During a nine-year stint with the Golden Flashes, he posted a 350-188 record, winning five Mid-American Conference regular season crowns and five MAC Tournament titles. Known for developing student-athletes on and off the field, 30 KSU players were selected in the Major League Baseball draft during his tenure, and from 2010-12, the team registered a perfect 1,000 score in the NCAA’s Academic Performance Rate (APR) report. KSU was one of only 16 schools in the country to reach this academic accomplishment and the only public institution on the list. Also, the Golden Flashes were honored in Omaha in 2012 for having the highest team Grade Point Average (GPA) of all the eight participants at the College World Series (CWS), owning a 3.09 GPA. Stricklin earned his first head coaching job in July of 2004 when he returned to Kent State following three seasons as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Georgia Tech under former KSU head coach Danny Hall. Stricklin directed Kent State to its finest season in school history in 2012 as the Golden Flashes posted a record 47 victories including a 21-game winning streak and their first trip to the CWS. The Golden Flashes went on the road and won the NCAA Gary (Ind.) Regional and then upset No. 5 national seed Oregon in a Super Regional in Eugene. At the CWS, they eliminated top-ranked Florida and finished tied for fifth. KSU wound up with a final national ranking of No. 5, the highest ranking in team history.

Stricklin, a two-time All-Mid-American Conference catcher, handled pitching staffs that were ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the nation in earned run average during his final two playing seasons at KSU. A 23rd round draft pick of the Minnesota Twins in 1993, he played five seasons of professional baseball and reached the Triple-A level with the Twins. Stricklin graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Kent State in 1995. He and his wife Cheri have three children: daughters Sydney (18) and Keaton (13), and a son, Cale (16).

Kansas State ................ 0-4 Kennesaw State ........... 9-7 Kentucky....................... 11-9 Lipscomb ...................... 6-1 LIU Brooklyn................. 0-1 Long Island................... 2-0 Longwood..................... 3-0 Louisville....................... 4-10 LSU...............................2-8-1 Malone College.............5-0 Marshall........................ 6-2 Memphis....................... 2-1 Mercer .......................... 2-5 Miami (Fla.)................... 0-1 Miami (Ohio)................. 25-9 Mississippi State........... 4-10 Missouri ........................ 11-8 New Mexico State.........2-2 Niagara......................... 8-0 North Carolina .............. 0-1 North Florida................. 1-0 Northern Illinois.............15-6 Northern Kentucky........ 2-0 Northwestern ................ 1-0 Notre Dame .................. 0-2 Oakland ........................ 0-1 Ohio.............................. 19-6 Ohio State.....................1-0 Ole Miss........................ 3-9 Oral Roberts ................. 0-1 Oregon..........................2-1 Penn State.................... 5-7 Pepperdine ................... 1-2 Pittsburgh ..................... 12-2 Presbyterian ................. 6-0 Purdue.......................... 1-0 Richmond ..................... 3-0 Rider............................. 1-2 San Diego..................... 1-3 Santa Clara...................3-1 Savannah State............ 2-0 South Alabama ............. 0-1 South Carolina.............. 14-5 South Florida ................ 1-0 Southern Miss...............0-3 St. John’s...................... 0-1 Temple.......................... 1-0 Tennessee .................... 11-7 Texas ............................ 1-2 Texas A&M....................5-6 Texas State................... 1-0 Toledo........................... 17-6 Troy .............................. 1-0 UAB .............................. 3-1 UC Irvine.......................0-1 UCLA............................ 0-1 UMASS......................... 3-0 UMASS Lowell..............3-0 UNC Greensboro.......... 6-3 UNC Wilmington........... 1-3 Vanderbilt...................... 5-15 Virginia Tech................. 0-2 Wagner......................... 3-1 Wake Forest ................. 3-4 Washington State ......... 1-3 Western Carolina.......... 2-2 Western Kentucky ........ 4-5 Western Michigan......... 20-3 Winthrop ....................... 9-3 Wofford......................... 1-0 Wooster ........................ 2-1 Wright State.................. 4-3 Xavier ........................... 4-1 Youngstown State......... 17-4