Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett have provided Georgia fans with confidence that the Bulldogs’ offensive prowess will remain strong despite Charlie Condon and Corey Collins moving on. Zaborowski and Burnett are leading an impressive offensive effort for Georgia, which has achieved a historic 28-2 start to the season. Their recent home sweep against Auburn extended the team’s longest win streak in the nation to eight games.
Georgia’s recent victories include a noteworthy sweep at Florida from March 21-23, marking the first time since 2008 they’ve consecutively swept Southeastern Conference opponents who were ranked in the top 10. With an 8-1 record, Georgia shares the top spot in the SEC standings with Tennessee. Zaborowski, an incoming transfer from Miami (Ohio), currently leads the nation with 14 home runs and a 1.120 slugging percentage, sits second in RBIs with 48, and is fifth in batting average at .442. He is closely following last year’s standout performance by Condon, who hit 37 homers and was selected third overall by Colorado in the MLB amateur draft.
Burnett, hailing from UNC Ashville, ranks second in the nation with 13 homers and also boasts a .363 batting average. He has accumulated 27 walks and a .570 on-base percentage, numbers that mirror the output of Collins, a sixth-round pick by the Mets last year. Georgia leads the country with 79 home runs and ranks third in scoring, averaging 10.4 runs per game. Last year, they trailed only Tennessee in home runs with 151 and averaged 9.1 runs per game, concluding the season just one win shy of the College World Series.
The Kansas Jayhawks have also been flying high, as they swept Oklahoma State for the first time since 2009. Their 6-3 start in Big 12 play is their best since the conference’s inception in 1997. Kansas has already hit 61 home runs, nearing their program record of 75. Reliever Gavin Brasosky has been a standout, having not allowed a single run in eight appearances this season across 10 1/3 innings.
The Ohio State Buckeyes attracted attention with a surprising performance over the weekend, taking two out of three from a highly ranked Oregon team that was on its inaugural road trip as a Big Ten member. Ohio State (8-16), previously winless in their first seven conference games, managed to sweep the Ducks with a thrilling 11-10 and 8-6 victories on Saturday. Ohio State’s opener featured an impressive comeback from two four-run deficits, with Tyler Pettorini’s three-run homer shining in the second game.
Virginia’s Cavaliers, favorites in the Atlantic Coast Conference, carried momentum from a home sweep over Stanford despite entering the series at 12-11 overall and 3-6 in conference play. They had just faced a home sweep by Duke the previous week. The Cavaliers rallied impressively in the bottom of the 10th inning on Saturday, with James Nunnallee racing home from first base on Aidan Teel’s double, clinching a 9-8 win – their third comeback win in the series and 10th for the season.
Elsewhere, Arkansas secured a series win at Vanderbilt for the first time since 2010, with Cam Kozeal, an ex-Vanderbilt player, hitting three home runs against his former team. Oregon State set a school record with eight homers during a 16-5 victory at Nebraska on Saturday, their lone win in a three-game series. Notre Dame blasted seven homers in a 16-9 home victory over Florida State, inflicting the Seminoles’ most severe loss since last year’s ACC Tournament. Arizona State’s sweep at Utah marked their third consecutive Big 12 series win and their fourth in a road series since the previous year.