Georgia will host Mississippi State in an NCAA super regional this Saturday through Monday, with Game 1 scheduled for 11 a.m. Saturday and Game 2 at noon Sunday, the NCAA released Tuesday.
Mississippi State is the nationally seeded team in the pairing, and Georgia is two wins away from its first trip back to Omaha since 2008; the Bulldogs beat Mississippi State four times earlier this season. The series is one of only three ranked matchups and the only super regional not scheduled for an evening game.
The start times are notable in the numbers: Georgia had four games begin at noon or earlier this season, its earliest coming April 4 when an 11 a.m. series finale was played against Mississippi State, and the Bulldogs went 3-1 in those early starts.
The schedule produced friction even as Georgia downplayed it. UGA athletic director Josh Brooks posted on X on Tuesday, "Nothing says ‘top remaining seed’ like an 11 a.m. Saturday start for Game 1." Coach Wes Johnson echoed a hands-off tone: "Yeah, I don’t control that. I mean, I’m neutral," and added, "I mean, we played early in Hoover; it doesn’t matter."
Players offered similar dismissal of the fuss. Outfielder Kolby Branch said plainly, "We don’t really care." He acknowledged the appeal of later games — "It’s fun to play at night" — before returning to routine: "It’s another ball game" and "We get to show up to the field in the morning, and we’re ready to go, and that’s the way the guys like it."
Still, the early times have drawn complaints from fans and officials who prefer evening windows for major postseason games, and the schedule stands out because it leaves this matchup alone among the super regionals without an evening slot.
Practically, the series timeline is firm: Game 1 is Saturday at 11 a.m.; Game 2 is Sunday at noon; if the teams split, a deciding Game 3 is scheduled for Monday. Georgia is banking on home support to turn the timetable into an advantage — Johnson predicted, "I think our fans will be out and be out in full force," and said, "They did phenomenal for us in the regional and all season, all our SEC weekends, and everything," adding, "Our fans are going to come out; it’s going to be a big advantage for us."
The immediate question for both teams is straightforward and dateable: can Georgia convert the early-start series into the two wins it needs to return to Omaha for the first time since 2008? Answers begin Saturday at 11 a.m., with Game 2 at noon Sunday and a possible Monday finale deciding which team advances.
