Chelsea Wilkinson

Biography

Bulldog great Chelsea Wilkinson made her return to Athens, joining Tony Baldwin's staff prior to the 2022 season. The 2025 season will be the fourth with Wilkinson on staff. Wilkinson mentored the trio of Shelby Walters, Madison Kerpics, and Lilli Backes in the 2024 season. In her first season in Athens, Backes made an immediate impact, making 46 appearances, pitching 183 innings and going the distance 10 times. She concluded the season with a 3.68 ERA, 18 victories, and six saves with 134 strikeouts. The 2023 season saw Georgia field All-SEC pitchers Shelby Walters and Madison Kerpics in the circle. The pair became the first Bulldog pitchers to earn all-conference honors in the same season in program history. Under Wilkinson's guidance, Georgia cut its staff ERA by 1.62 points, finishing fifth in the SEC with a 2.43 ERA on the season. The Dogs' sliced their conference ERA to 2.82, a 2.87-point improvement from the previous season. Walters led the staff with a 1.72 ERA and seven saves with 18 wins. Paired with Kerpics' 19 wins and 135 strikeouts, the pair helped guide the Bulldogs to 42 wins and a Super Regional berth. Georgia combined for three no-hitters in 2023, the most in a single season since 2018. Walters pitched a six-inning no-no against Samford on March 4. Later that month, Walters no-hit Mississippi State, Georgia's first SEC no-hitter since 2009. Four Bulldogs combined to no-hit North Carolina Central in the opening game of the NCAA Athens Regional, Georgia's firs