Inside look at Georgia baseball journey and pregame walk at CWS stadium

Georgia’s baseball journey continued when the team arrived in Omaha as coach Wes Johnson took the team for a stroll around Charles Schwab Field, site of the College World Series.

“As soon as we got here, we came to the stadium, and Wes had the team walk around the stadium, from the warning track all the way around,” UGA play-by-play announcer David Johnston said.

“I was walking with Wes, and it didn’t seem like the moment was too big for him and the team after everything they’ve been through,” Johnston said. “Wes said, ‘These guys are made for this.’”

That would seem to be the case as the Bulldogs’ opening CWS game against Texas closes in with the first pitch set for 8 p.m. on Saturday.

It has been a historic road to Omaha for UGA, as it won the SEC regular season crown, recorded the first SEC Tournament championship in school history and swept through regional action.

The NCAA Super Regional that launched Georgia baseball into the CWS wasn’t just one for the history books — it was two.

There were Foley Field fireworks last weekend within UGA’s 13-12 win over Mississippi State on Saturday and 11-9, 10-inning victory on Sunday that clinched the program’s first trip to the College World Series since 2008.

“Those games, back to back, I’ve never seen anything like that in Georgia history,” said Johnston, who in his 27th year of broadcasting and has made his first trip to Omaha.

“I don’t think we’ll see anything like that again.”

Indeed, seeing was believing as the No. 3-seeded Bulldogs from Georgia and the No. 14-seeded Bulldogs of Mississippi State combined for 21 home runs and 56 hits over four hours and 19 innings of spellbinding baseball.

“This has just been an unbelievable season,” said Johnston, who will be on the call when UGA (51-12) opens CWS play against No. 6-seed Texas (45-13).

“It started with Georgia being picked ninth in the SEC, and we’re in the midst of a season we’ve never had, and we may never have it again.”

Johnston said he first saw the makings of something special in this season’s edition of Georgia baseball when the Bulldogs recorded a three-game sweep at Mississippi State’s 15,000-seat Dudy Noble Field April 2-4.

Three weeks later and back in the Magnolia State, Johnson took note when UGA bounced back to win a three-game series at fellow CWS-field team Ole Miss after blowing an eight-run lead and losing the opening game.

“You’re like, ‘OK, this team has got something,’” Johnston said during his appearance on DawgNation’s On the Beat show. “‘There’s something going on with this team.’”

To Johnston’s point, Georgia has won 19 of 20 games since dropping the opening game at Ole Miss, including an improbable comeback from 6-0 down to beat rival Florida 8-7 in the SEC tournament semifinal.

“I think when the (Bulldogs) won that game Saturday against Florida, I did feel they were going to beat Arkansas (in the SEC Tournament final),” Johnston said. “Georgia had never won the SEC tournament, so checking off that box was great … I didn’t know winning the SEC tournament was going to be as fulfilling as it was.”