Though Georgia has won eight consecutive SEC games, the Dawgs were a couple of innings away from going 3-3 over their last six games. The Bulldogs had to rally from an 8-1 deficit in order to beat East Tennessee State last night in Athens.

Georgia had risen to #7 in the nation thanks to their impressive SEC play to date, but losses last week to Winthrop and Georgia Tech had the team facing the possibility of its third straight nonconference loss before Tuesday night’s late-inning comeback win.

Though conference games are what it’s all about this time of year, midweek games can’t be overlooked. Not only do they give a team like Georgia the occasional chance to test themselves against regional powers like Clemson and Georgia Tech, they’re also an opportunity to develop pitching depth for the postseason. Most importantly, midweek games factor into the overall record which the NCAA can use when it comes time to determine postseason seeding and host sites.

With baseball talent as widespread as it is, even games against Kennesaw, Winthrop, and ETSU can’t be considered gimmes. Getting the win last night was big for this team, and keeping it going tonight against Georgia State is just as important before the team gets ready for a big SEC road trip to LSU and Florida.

UPDATE: Congratulations are in order for Gordan Beckham who was named Baseball America’s Midseason Player of the Year. He’s batting .438 with 16 HR and 40 RBI.