‘Embracing The Game’ Key To Long, Busy Seasons
May 01, 2025 | Baseball, Softball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
There are two ways to look at the high number of games that Georgia's baseball and softball teams play each season. Either the Bulldogs get to go to the ballpark every day, or they have to go to the ballpark every day. Some days the players might feel the latter, but the former is clearly the primary sentiment even as the 50th game of the season approaches.
Georgia's ninth-ranked baseball team will play its 48th regular-season game Friday at Missouri, while the No. 24-ranked softball team plays its 47th game Thursday night, also at Mizzou. By comparison, football played 14 games last season, men's basketball played 33, and Georgia's top-ranked women's tennis team will play its 27th match of the season Friday when it hosts Florida A&M in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The nature of each of those sports is different, as are the physical demands. When you're a football player with a 12-game regular season, getting up for each game shouldn't be a problem. When you're a Bulldog baseball player embarking on a 56-game regular season, keeping it fresh and arriving at the ballpark each day fired up for what's to come seems like it could be a challenge, but is it?
"It's fun to show up to the ballpark, so it's really easy to stay motivated," baseball pitcher Kolten Smith said. "You can only do it for so long, so don't take it for granted."
Fellow pitcher Brian Curley shares that attitude, saying that at this point in the season, even as exams are happening, "you're just obsessed with the game." But Curley also conceded that it's not always easy to be fully up and amped for every single game.
"There's definitely some times that the game's a little less interesting, but I think the biggest thing is being grateful," he said. "I have an attitude of gratitude, as cliche as it sounds. We got to walk on the field every day, we get to hang out with our friends; it's like, we're never going to have another opportunity like this to hang out with 40 guys that you live and die with, and it's just really cool to have the opportunity to spend this much time with the guys that you love.
"Embracing that you only get to do this once has been really helpful for me to actually have the right attitude every day."
The everyday nature of softball is one of the things that junior Sarah Gordon likes about the game. If today didn't go well, come back tomorrow and take another crack at it. If today did go well, let's keep the good times rolling the next day.
"Some people see it as a game of failure, but Coach Tony (Baldwin) constantly reminds us it's a game of opportunity," said Gordon, who went into this weekend's series at Missouri hitting .352 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs. "So once you have that look on it, you're like, Okay, well, they have to beat me today, so I'm gonna go out there and give it my all."
Gordon spent her freshman year at Louisville, where she was a third-team All-American and made a Freshman All-America team. She is in her second season with the Bulldogs and still loving the experience of playing in front of the great crowds at Jack Turner Stadium and around the SEC.
"The environment here is insane, like nothing I've ever known before," she said. "Coming here, it was almost like, Oh, my gosh, this many people come to games and support you just because you play softball here? I get to go out here and these people support me just for that? I think it's insane, and I think it's one of the best feelings."
When things are going well for the Georgia baseball team, as they have for most of this season, the Bulldogs are clearly having a lot of fun. Georgia leads the nation with 113 home runs, and each one of them seems to be celebrated like it's a special occasion. There were dog masks that the hitter put on in the dugout at one point, but lately the players are celebrating by having the home run hitter pushed through the dugout in a rolling basket.
The smiles on everyone's faces tell the story. It may be a long season, with its ups and downs and lots of travel, but there's clearly no place else they'd rather be.
Staff Writer
There are two ways to look at the high number of games that Georgia's baseball and softball teams play each season. Either the Bulldogs get to go to the ballpark every day, or they have to go to the ballpark every day. Some days the players might feel the latter, but the former is clearly the primary sentiment even as the 50th game of the season approaches.
Georgia's ninth-ranked baseball team will play its 48th regular-season game Friday at Missouri, while the No. 24-ranked softball team plays its 47th game Thursday night, also at Mizzou. By comparison, football played 14 games last season, men's basketball played 33, and Georgia's top-ranked women's tennis team will play its 27th match of the season Friday when it hosts Florida A&M in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
The nature of each of those sports is different, as are the physical demands. When you're a football player with a 12-game regular season, getting up for each game shouldn't be a problem. When you're a Bulldog baseball player embarking on a 56-game regular season, keeping it fresh and arriving at the ballpark each day fired up for what's to come seems like it could be a challenge, but is it?
"It's fun to show up to the ballpark, so it's really easy to stay motivated," baseball pitcher Kolten Smith said. "You can only do it for so long, so don't take it for granted."
Fellow pitcher Brian Curley shares that attitude, saying that at this point in the season, even as exams are happening, "you're just obsessed with the game." But Curley also conceded that it's not always easy to be fully up and amped for every single game.
"There's definitely some times that the game's a little less interesting, but I think the biggest thing is being grateful," he said. "I have an attitude of gratitude, as cliche as it sounds. We got to walk on the field every day, we get to hang out with our friends; it's like, we're never going to have another opportunity like this to hang out with 40 guys that you live and die with, and it's just really cool to have the opportunity to spend this much time with the guys that you love.
"Embracing that you only get to do this once has been really helpful for me to actually have the right attitude every day."
The everyday nature of softball is one of the things that junior Sarah Gordon likes about the game. If today didn't go well, come back tomorrow and take another crack at it. If today did go well, let's keep the good times rolling the next day.
"Some people see it as a game of failure, but Coach Tony (Baldwin) constantly reminds us it's a game of opportunity," said Gordon, who went into this weekend's series at Missouri hitting .352 with nine home runs and 45 RBIs. "So once you have that look on it, you're like, Okay, well, they have to beat me today, so I'm gonna go out there and give it my all."
Gordon spent her freshman year at Louisville, where she was a third-team All-American and made a Freshman All-America team. She is in her second season with the Bulldogs and still loving the experience of playing in front of the great crowds at Jack Turner Stadium and around the SEC.
"The environment here is insane, like nothing I've ever known before," she said. "Coming here, it was almost like, Oh, my gosh, this many people come to games and support you just because you play softball here? I get to go out here and these people support me just for that? I think it's insane, and I think it's one of the best feelings."
When things are going well for the Georgia baseball team, as they have for most of this season, the Bulldogs are clearly having a lot of fun. Georgia leads the nation with 113 home runs, and each one of them seems to be celebrated like it's a special occasion. There were dog masks that the hitter put on in the dugout at one point, but lately the players are celebrating by having the home run hitter pushed through the dugout in a rolling basket.
The smiles on everyone's faces tell the story. It may be a long season, with its ups and downs and lots of travel, but there's clearly no place else they'd rather be.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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