Can Georgia baseball reach the College World Series? Our prediction

Georgia baseball has made six trips to the College World Series.

That’s one more than Vanderbilt and Alabama and the same number as Auburn.

It’s been a while since the Bulldogs have played in Omaha.

SEC Player of the Year Daniel Jackson was a 3-year old the last time the Bulldogs were there in 2008.

Will this be the year the Bulldogs get there again?

Two reasons Georgia will be playing in Omaha

Bulldogs can flex muscles at home

LSU coach Jay Johnson referred to most SEC ballparks as a “popcorn machine,” because of balls that fly over fences. Georgia coach Wes Johnson builds his teams to take advantage of homer-friendly Foley Field. The Bulldogs lead the nation with 149.

To the victors come the spoils

Georgia as the No. 3 national seed shouldn’t have quite an imposing threat in the regional that it did last year when Duke and Oklahoma State were in Athens. There aren't as many big bats in the lineup for region No. 2 seed Boston College or No. 3 seed Liberty who rely more on getting on base and running them to get runs.

Two reasons Georgia won't reach Omaha

Starting pitching

Georgia has had solid starting pitching for most of the year from Joey Volchko and Dylan Vigue with Caden Aoki stabilizing the third starter’s role. Matt Scott and Justin Byrd are important arms out of the bullpen. If there’s a weak spot, it’s still the pitching. The team ERA has improved, though, to 4.99, 10^th in the SEC.

“Anytime you’ve got depth it helps,” Johnson said. “It gives you more options to matchup, to do different things, to play different players, to keep guys fresh.”

Bulldogs will feel the pressure

It would be a disappointment if this team doesn't reach Omaha after winning the SEC regular season and its first SEC tournament. Will a Bulldogs team that is usually loose and responds well to adversity feel the pressure of trying to get there as a No. 3 national seed after falling short as a top-8 seed the last two years?

Prediction: Bulldogs make it to Omaha

Georgia coaches this week are diving into three possible opponents for the Athens Regional that they aren't very familiar with, but that won't be the case if the seeds hold up and it's an All-SEC Super Regional in Athens. That would pit No. 3 Georgia against No. 14 Mississippi State. Georgia won three games against the other Bulldogs in Starkville and just beat them 5-3 last Thursday. That Super Regional series could go three games considering the games this season between the teams were tight, but this Georgia team seems on a mission that will include games well into June.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Georgia baseball NCAA predictions: Can Bulldogs reach College World Series?