ATHENS — Georgia baseball powered its way to another 5-0 week and finished four weeks of nonconference play with an 18-1 record.

That was enough for the Bulldogs to move up in two national polls, including D1Baseball’s, used in ESPN television broadcasts. UGA moved up from No. 5 to No. 4, following LSU, Tennessee and Arkansas for an all-SEC top four.

Georgia also moved from ninth to seventh in Baseball America’s poll and maintained its No. 3 ranking in Perfect Game’s Top 25.

All 12 SEC teams that were in D1Baseball’s poll last week stayed in for another week. LSU, Tennessee, Arkansas, Georgia and Florida held half the top 10 while SEC newcomers Texas and Oklahoma are waiting right outside at 11th and 12th, respectively.

Here’s a look at where every SEC team stands after Week Four of pre-SEC schedule action.

Nationally-ranked SEC Teams (D1Baseball)

1. LSU (16-1 overall, 5-0 last week)

2. Tennessee (16-0 overall, 5-0 last week)

3. Arkansas (15-1 overall, 5-0 last week)

4. Georgia (18-1 overall, 5-0 last week)

7. Florida (15-2 overall, 4-1 last week)

11. Texas (13-1 overall, 4-0 last week)

12. Oklahoma (14-1 overall, 3-1 last week)

13. Ole Miss (14-1 overall, 4-1 last week)

16. Vanderbilt (13-3 overall, 4-0 last week)

17. Alabama (16-1 overall, 4-1 last week)

19. Texas A&M (9-6 overall, 3-2 last week)

25. Auburn (13-3 overall, 2-2 last week)

That strong number of 12 could shrink a little bit with SEC play starting this week. Every SEC baseball coach will rave about the difficulty of playing in college baseball’s premier conference, and 2025 figures to be no different.

The Bulldogs can actually thank conference play for why they moved up to No. 4 this week. The ACC started its intraleague play on Friday, and former fourth-ranked North Carolina suffered two home losses to Stanford over the weekend.

Georgia faces the same opponent to start conference play as it did last season but is looking for a very different result. Kentucky swept UGA in Lexington to open last season’s SEC schedule.

The Wildcats (12-2), ranked No. 23 by Baseball America, are coming off the program’s first College World Series berth in 2024. Georgia and Kentucky will open SEC play at 6 p.m. on March 14.

Second-year coach Wes Johnson hopes he built the Bulldogs to withstand the SEC gauntlet, and he’ll find out soon enough. Kentucky is a strong team, but Georgia has much tougher weekends in its near future.

UGA’s next six opponents after the Wildcats are all ranked in the top 25, including two teams in the top 10. Check out Georgia’s SEC slate, coupled by each opponent’s D1Baseball ranking.

vs. Kentucky (NR)

at Florida (7)

vs. Auburn (25)

at. Texas (11)

vs. Arkansas (3)

at Vanderbilt (16)

vs. Oklahoma (12)

at Missouri (NR)

at Alabama (17)

vs. Texas A&M (19)

The Bulldogs have one more nonconference game before facing the Wildcats. Georgia will host East Tennessee State at 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

ATHENS — Mike Bobo isn’t going anywhere. Despite pleas from fans, media pundits like Paul Finebaum and a bogus report from former Georgia quarterback Buck Belue, Bobo will …

Connor Riley

The National Youth Advocacy and Resilience Research Center (NYAR Research Center) at Georgia Southern University received a state grant for almost $150,000 through the Georgia Department of Education (GaDOE) for program evaluation of Georgia’s federally funded P-20 programs.

P-20 programs, which align educational opportunities for students from pre-K through post-secondary education, support the creation of community learning centers that provide academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children, particularly students who attend high-poverty and low-performing schools. The programs help students meet state and local academic standards in core academic subjects, such as reading and mathematics; offer students a broad array of enrichment activities that complement their regular academic programs; and offer literacy and other educational services to the families of participating children.

“Our project, ‘2024-2025, Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers (CCLC) Comprehensive Program Evaluation/CCLC Program Evaluation Initiatives,’ reflects our commitment to addressing critical programs to support academic enrichment opportunities during non-school hours for children,” said NYAR Research Center Co-Director Juliann Sergi McBrayer, Ed.D., from the College of Education (COE). “We look forward to collaborating with the GaDOE, our community partners and our research team as we continue to advance opportunities that support Georgia’s students.”

McBrayer and NYAR Research Center Co-Director Chad Posick, Ph.D., from the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, partnered with COE colleagues Kymberly Harris, Ph.D., Cynthia Massey, Ph.D., and Pamela Wells, Ph.D., as well undergraduate research assistant Cohen Kessler, for the project, which is currently underway.