Chalk Wes Johnson’s reputation and experience as a big-league pitching coach for helping Georgia snag a rare commitment from the West Coast.

Oakdale, California right-hander Landon Schutte made it official Thursday, announcing he was going to be a Bulldog.

“I’ve loved talking to him; I’d always heard great things about him. There’s not too many Big League coaches in college baseball right now, so those things definitely struck the eye,” Schutte said in a telephone interview with UGASports. “Then over the summer, I got a chance to check out Athens and see what it’s all about. Even though it was summertime, I could feel this place is special. Those were just some things that fired my decision.”

Schutte’s decision qualifies as a big deal.

Baseball America ranked the 6-foot-5, 220-pound right-hander as the nation’s 10th-best noncommitted high school player for 2026 before Thursday’s decision and 28th overall.

He chose the Bulldogs after also taking visits to traditional baseball powers LSU, Oklahoma, Arizona, and Texas A&M.

Schutte becomes the first Californian high school player to commit to Georgia since Will Proctor in 2016.

“I really love the SEC. I love Georgia the times I've been out there for baseball tournaments, and Athens itself is just incredible,” Schutte said. “I love the college town vibe, and everybody cares about UGA.”

Schutte becomes the fifth 2026 verbal commitment for the baseball team joining Perry High left-handed pitcher Connor Langdon, Etowah right-handed pitcher Matthew Sharman, Starrs Mill shortstop Brock Rein, and Morgan County right-handed pitcher Ty Tillery.

A four-pitch pitcher, Schutte said his fastball currently tops in the mid-90s, with a curve he considers his best secondary pitch, along with a sinker and cutter.

On the mound, a strong competitive streak hasn’t hurt, either.

“I've had to grind for everything I've ever earned. I've really had to keep my head down,” Schutte said. “I think that's part of the reason why I'm so competitive is just I want to earn everything I possibly can.”

Under Johnson, Schutte figures he’ll have plenty of opportunity to do that.

The pitcher raved about what he’s seen from Georgia’s ongoing renovation project at Foley Field, which will include a much-needed pitching lab.

Schutt expects he’ll be spending a lot of time with Johnson there.

“That was one of the reasons why I made my decision. He made it a huge factor that they're going to put as much money as they possibly can into player development. They don't want the biggest stadium that packs the seats,” Schutte said. “They want a stadium where kids are going to get better. And I really admire that, and I think that's something that really made my decision happen was that he's going to really care for me and he's going to give me the tools to succeed.”

Schutte said he came to his final decision following a final visit to Athens last weekend and attended Georgia’s 31-17 football victory over Tennessee.

“It was awesome. The blackout game was crazy. The fireworks were insane, all the lights. I got to be on the sideline for a little bit. It was all great,” Schutte said. “It was awesome just to see the whole culture, the hedges, all that stuff.”