Georgia fires baseball coach Scott Stricklin after 10 seasons

(AP) - Georgia fired baseball coach Scott Stricklin on Friday, ending a decade-long tenure that failed to produce postseason success.

Stricklin was dismissed three days after the Bulldogs were blown out 9-0 by South Carolina in the opening round of the Southeastern Conference tournament.

Stricklin had three years left in his contract, but athletic director Josh Brooks decided a change was needed.

“After much thought and deliberation, we feel it is in the best interest of our baseball program to move in a different direction,” Brooks said in a statement. “We will begin immediately the process of a national search to identify the next leader of our baseball team.”

Georgia went 29-27 this season, including an 11-19 mark in the SEC.

Stricklin completed his Georgia tenure with a record of 299-236-1 overall and 121-146-1 in the conference.

The Bulldogs earned three NCAA invitations but never advanced past the regional stage under Stricklin, including 2018 and 2019 when they were a host. They also were eliminated in the regionals last season.

Stricklin came to Georgia after a highly successful tenure at Kent State, where he won four Mid-American Conference titles and made five NCAA Tournament appearances in nine seasons — including a trip to the College World Series in 2012.

He never approached that level of success in the highly competitive SEC.