Georgia

How Jalin Flores’ mindset helped Texas baseball take SEC series from Georgia

Published

11 months ago

April 6, 2025

How Jalin Flores’ mindset helped Texas baseball take SEC series from Georgia

Texas baseball shortstop Jalin Flores walked to the plate in the seventh inning of Saturday’s game against Georgia with a stat line full of mishaps.

He’d committed an error in the first inning that enabled the Bulldogs to plate the game’s first run. And he’s struck out in all three of his at-bats, giving him five whiffs in the series.

So what was the Longhorns’ star feeling as he dug in with two runners on and Texas down by two runs?

“Those at-bats happened a second ago, a million years ago, so they don’t really affect you going into the next one,” Flores said. “Knowing that those two guys got on before me, the crowd was into it at that moment, I’m just trying to have fun and play baseball and do my job as well.”

Flores roped a 3-1 pitch from Georgia’s Kolten Smith off the wall in center field, scoring both Easton Winfield and Ethan Mendoza and erasing what had been a four-run deficit for the Longhorns.

Fun achieved.

Will Gasparino followed up with another two-run double two batters later, giving the Longhorns the lead for good in a game they eventually won 7-4.

Texas coach Jim Schlossnagle praised Flores for his professionalism on Friday night, when he made a handful of key defensive plays despite taking an ugly 0-for-4 at the plate. The same traits helped him deliver in a crucial moment for the Longhorns (25-4, 10-1 SEC) on Saturday after six difficult innings.

“He’s a professional,” Schlossnagle said Saturday. “He doesn’t feel good, he has emotions too. But he’s got (assistant coach Troy Tulowitzki) there, and Troy helps him through all that stuff. But part of being a real player is being able to separate defense from offense, and knowing that the most important at-bat you have is the next at-bat.”

Together with Gasparino, Flores completed the comeback that Jaquae Stewart began when he launched a two-run homer to right for his first career long ball. That big swing came in the fifth inning, and served as Texas’ first hit of the game against Georgia starter Brian Curley, who had been dominating.

By contrast, Texas starter Luke Harrison struggled early. He gave up four runs ‒ three of which were earned ‒ in the first four innings.

With the way the two starting pitchers were trending, Schlossnagle already had Sunday’s game in mind as he managed his pitching staff.

“The decision was to leave Harrison in there and not burn (Max) Grubbs and have him ready for tomorrow, but then Stewart hit the homer and kind of gave us a little life,” Schlossnagle said.

And Harrison did enough to keep the Longhorns close. He struck out a career-high nine Bulldogs (29-4, 8-3) in 5⅔ innings of work before Schlossnagle finally went to Grubbs. He kept Georgia, which leads the country in home runs, within UFCU Disch-Falk Field’s outfield walls, too.

“I think mixing it up, just keeping them off-balance was going well for me,” Harrison said. “Using the cutter, slider and introduced a curveball today, so that was fun.”

Grubbs stranded a Georgia baserunner in the sixth, then needed just 10 batters to record nine outs as he secured the win and lowered his ERA to 1.27 on the season.

His work, and the length provided by Harrison, allowed the Longhorns to keep swingman Ruger Riojas rested. He’ll get the start for Texas as it looks for the sweep on Sunday (2 p.m., SEC Network+).

Reach Texas Insider David Eckert via email at deckert@gannett.com. Follow the American-Statesman on Facebook and X for more. Your subscription makes work like this possible. Get access to all of our best content with this tremendous offer.

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Georgia

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

Published

6 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Why Southern Living is spotlighting serene coastal escape in Georgia

A quiet stretch of the Georgia coast is back in the national spotlight.

In a recent feature, Southern Living highlighted the Golden Isles as one of the South’s most serene escapes, praising the region’s undeveloped marshes, barrier islands and slower pace compared to other East Coast beach destinations.

Located roughly halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville, the Golden Isles include Brunswick, Sea Island, St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island and Little St. Simons Island.

Here’s what to know.

What makes Georgia’s Golden Isles different?

Unlike more densely developed beach towns in neighboring states, Georgia’s coastline is defined by tidal creeks, salt marshes and wide stretches of protected land.

“The coast of Georgia is quite different than the shores of North Carolina or South Carolina,” Southern Living wrote. “It’s wilder and quieter, and it’s much less populated with beach towns.”

While the islands offer modern resorts and vacation homes, much of the natural character remains intact.

One of the most photographed spots is Driftwood Beach on Jekyll Island, known for its haunting remains of a maritime forest scattered along the shoreline.

Where are visitors staying?

The publication pointed to several well-known properties across the islands:

The Cloister at Sea Island
Jekyll Island Club Resort
St. Simons Island: The Grey Owl Inn and the St. Simons Lighthouse.

Little St. Simons Island, accessible only by boat, was highlighted for its all-inclusive lodge and thousands of acres of protected marshland and upland habitat.

What can you do in the Golden Isles?

Southern Living emphasized simple, immersive experiences:

Biking under live oaks
Kayaking through marsh creeks
Horseback riding along the beach
Watching sunsets over the water.

Public beaches like East Beach on St. Simons Island remain open to visitors, while golf courses on Jekyll Island and St. Simons offer year-round play.

The region’s history also plays a major role. Visitors can climb the St. Simons Lighthouse, explore historic districts in Brunswick or learn about Gullah Geechee heritage through local organizations.

For more information, visit southernliving.com/georgias-golden-isles-11906085.

Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@gannett.com.

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Georgia

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering $2B in Georgia tax relief

Published

18 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Gov. Kemp signs amended FY 2026 budget, delivering B in Georgia tax relief

ATLANTA, Ga. — Georgia Governor Brian P. Kemp on Tuesday signed HB 973, the amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget.

The amended budget includes $2 billion in income and property tax relief, alongside investments in education, public safety, mental health, transportation and rural development.

Lt. Gov. Burt Jones praised Gov. Kemp, saying the budget…

“Makes critical investments in middle-class families, mental health services, healthcare workforce development, transportation and Georgia’s veterans community.”

Key allocations in the amended budget include:

Education and Workforce Development: $325 million to endow the DREAMS Scholarship, a new needs-based scholarship program; $6 million for a Career Navigator tool; and funding for new and expanded programs at University System of Georgia and Technical College System of Georgia institutions.
Public Safety: $150 million for Department of Corrections bed space, $9.7 million for additional corrections officers, $15 million for a new K-9 training facility, and $50 million to help communities address homelessness, including among veterans.
Mental Health: $409 million to design and construct a new Georgia Regional Hospital to expand mental health bed capacity.
Transportation: More than $1.6 billion to extend and expand I-75 express lanes in Henry County; $185 million for SR 316 interchange conversions; $100 million for rural bridge rehabilitation and replacement; and $250 million for local maintenance and improvement grants.
Rural Georgia: $15 million for rural site development grants; $35 million for a new natural gas infrastructure program; and $8.9 million for the Georgia Forestry Innovation Initiative.

Governor Kemp says the state’s conservative budgeting approach has allowed Georgia to provide tax relief while making “generational investments.”

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Georgia

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’

MACON, Ga. (WGXA) — Middle Georgia Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) has issued a statement regarding the U.S. and Israel’s joint strikes on Iran over the weekend.

According to other WGXA articles, based on reports as of early March 2026, the United States and Israel have launched major, coordinated military operations against Iran, labeled in reports as “Operation Epic Fury” and “Operation Midnight Hammer”. This follows months of failed nuclear negotiations and escalating regional tensions.

RELATED | Hegseth insists US-Israel strikes on Iran are ‘not Iraq, not endless’

WGXA asked Middle Georgia DSA, the largest activist organization in Middle Georgia, for their opinions on the strikes, and they responded with this:

The strikes on Iran, carried out by the United States and Israel, mark a catastrophic escalation in an illegal act of aggression. The Iranian people do not deserve to live in fear of American bombs and of the instability of regime change. Americans do not want our tax dollars and the lives of our people to be wasted on opening up a new war in the Middle East, or on bombing girls’ elementary schools. We want relief from the affordability crisis. We want peace. Middle Georgia DSA unequivocally condemns these attacks and any politicians who cannot do the same. We do not want this, we do not deserve this.

DSA added that they are not currently planning any protests at this time, and that they “remain focused on improving the conditions of people who live within our communities directly, and do not feel a protest is the best strategy to deliver on that.”

Middle Georgia DSA condemns U.S.-Israel strikes on Iran, calls escalation ‘illegal’, March 2, 2026 (Image is meant to say 2026 instead of 2025, Courtesy of GCSU Mutual Aid)

However, GCSU Mutual Aid, a grassroots, community-led initiative focused on collective care and resource sharing within the Milledgeville and broader Middle Georgia area. While not an official department of Georgia College & State University (GCSU), it frequently operates in coordination with student-led groups and local residents to address gaps in traditional social safety nets.

RELATED | GCSU encourages peaceful expression ahead of national ICE walkout

GCSU Mutual Aid is planning a protest for Wednesday, where they will be “Marching for Democracy” in retaliation to recent events in the U.S.

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