Georgia athletic director Josh Brooks is not happy with the NCAA’s scheduling for the Bulldogs’ super regional matchup against Mississippi State.
Brooks took to social media Wednesday to voice his dissatisfaction with the early start times for the series, posting on X: “Nothing says top remaining seed like an 11am Saturday start for Game 1.”
The criticism comes as Georgia is the highest remaining seed in the NCAA baseball tournament following the weekend regional results. No. 1 seed UCLA and No. 2 seed Georgia Tech both fell this past weekend, leaving the third-seeded Bulldogs as the top remaining team in the tournament.
Game 1 of the super regional is scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday at Foley Field in Athens, with both games of the series airing on ESPN. Sunday’s Game 2 is set to begin at noon.
By comparison, the other all-SEC super regional matchup features No. 4 Auburn hosting Ole Miss, with Game 1 starting at 8 p.m. Friday night. The Georgia-Mississippi State series is one of only two super regionals featuring top 16 seeds, alongside No. 6 Texas taking on No. 11 Oregon.
Brooks does not typically use social media to voice his opinions on administrative matters, making his public complaint somewhat notable. Last year, he did ask the NCAA to reconsider moving the NCAA tennis championships to Orlando, Florida, in May.
The early start times represent a disadvantage for Georgia’s traveling fans and could potentially impact television viewership for the Bulldogs’ games. The Saturday morning slot is traditionally considered less desirable for sports broadcasts.
Despite the scheduling frustration, Georgia has dominated Mississippi State all season. The Bulldogs are 4-0 against the Maroons in 2026, including a sweep of the regular season series in Starkville and a victory in the SEC Tournament quarterfinals.
Georgia enters the super regional at 49-12 after winning both the SEC regular season and tournament titles. The Bulldogs dominated the Athens regional, winning all three games by a combined score of 30-5.
There is additional intrigue surrounding the super regional series. Georgia will be without star third baseman Tre Phelps for the opening game after he was ejected for taunting during the Bulldogs’ regional-clinching victory over Liberty. Phelps hit a go-ahead two-run home run before being ejected for his celebratory gestures, an incident that also resulted in head coach Wes Johnson’s ejection.
Georgia last advanced to the College World Series in 2008. The Bulldogs last hosted a super regional in 2024, when they fell to NC State that season.
The super regional begins Saturday at Foley Field with first pitch at 11 a.m. ET on ESPN.
