Georgia baseball’s super regional against Mississippi State opens Saturday at 11 a.m., with Game 2 set for Sunday at noon in a schedule that leaves this series as the only super regional without an evening first pitch. The bracket puts Georgia and Mississippi State on a Saturday-Monday path that has already become a talking point because of the early starts.
That matters because Georgia is two wins away from its first trip back to Omaha since 2008, and Mississippi State arrives as a nationally seeded opponent looking to answer four losses to Georgia this season. The NCAA’s decision, released Tuesday, landed on a weekend when the matchup is one of only three ranked super regional series, which makes the early window stand out even more.
Georgia has already shown it can handle the morning slot. The Bulldogs played four games this season that started at noon or earlier, and their earliest came in an 11 a.m. series finale against Mississippi State on April 4. Georgia went 3-1 in those games, a record that gives the team at least some evidence that the timing itself is not a problem.
Kolby Branch said the team does not see much reason to make more of it. He said Georgia players are used to showing up in the morning and being ready to play, adding that it is fun to play at night but that this is another ballgame and the group is prepared no matter the start time. For the players, the assignment is simple: get to the field, get loose and play.
Not everyone around the program kept that calm tone. Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks took a swipe at the schedule on X on Tuesday, writing, “Nothing says ‘top remaining seed’ like an 11 a.m. Saturday start for Game 1.” His complaint reflected the reaction from fans and officials who saw the early first pitch as a poor fit for one of the postseason’s biggest series.
Wes Johnson, though, pushed back on the idea that the start time should shape Georgia’s outlook. He said he does not control the schedule and is neutral about it, then pointed out that the team played early in Hoover and that it does not matter. Johnson also said he expects Georgia fans to be out in full force, a reminder that the bigger issue may be whether the crowd shows up early enough to match the stakes.
That is the unresolved piece heading into the weekend. The schedule has already been set, the complaints have already been voiced and the players have already played morning baseball before, but Saturday at 11 a.m. will still test whether a high-profile Georgia baseball crowd can fill the park when the first pitch arrives before lunch.
