Baseball coach Scott Stricklin is out at the University of Georgia, according to a Friday announcement from UGA athletics officials.
The dismissal comes after Stricklin’s 10th season as the Georgia baseball head coach. The Bulldogs fell to South Carolina in a 9-0 rout in the first round of the SEC baseball tournament.
“I want to thank Scott for his service to our athletic department over the last 10 years,” said UGA’s Director of Athletics Josh Brooks. “After much thought and deliberation, we feel it is in the best interest of our baseball program to move in a different direction. We will begin immediately the process of a national search to identify the next leader of our baseball team. We extend best wishes to Scott and his family, and a sincere thank you for their time at the University of Georgia. ”
The 2023 team finished the season with a 29-27 record and went 11-19 in SEC play. Over the course of Stricklin’s tenure at UGA, the Bulldogs finished with an overall record of 299-236-1 and 121-146-1 in SEC competition. Under Stricklin, UGA earned three NCAA tournament invitations, in the 2018, 2019, and 2022 seasons.
But, Stricklin’s tenure at Georgia failed to bring postseason success to the program.
“[It] was a disappointing year, we just didn’t finish games… and in this conference, you have to slam the door,” said Stricklin after their season-ending loss to South Carolina. “I thought our kids fought really hard, they never quit, they competed every single day, they did everything we asked them to do… [but] when you look at it on paper, we had a bad year.”
Stricklin released a statement where he thanked fans, his current and former players, and the University. Stricklin acknowledged he did not win enough games but says he will be a Bulldog forever.
Some names to watch for the now-vacant head coach position include Vanderbilt assistant coach Scott Brown, East Carolina head coach Cliff Godwin, and Mississippi State assistant coach Jake Gautreau.
