Georgia’s baseball kicks off preseason practice Friday, but Scott Stricklin’s squad already has some bad news, as projected Friday night starter Jonathan Cannon will miss at least the first three weeks of the season due to mononucleosis.
The sophomore from Alpharetta was 3-0 last season with a 0.00 ERA in 11.1 innings. As a draft-eligible sophomore, Cannon is projected to go in the first round of the upcoming Major League Draft.
Stricklin confirmed the news Wednesday morning to UGASports.
“We just found that out (Tuesday), and it stinks,” Stricklin said. “There are different strains to mono, there’s some you can get through and participate. You’ll be a little tired, but there are other strains of mono where you have to sit out.”
Unfortunately for Cannon, his is the latter. According to Stricklin, the former Centennial High standout is expected to miss the next six weeks.
“Right now, he’s got to sit out a little bit,” Stricklin said. “We’re hoping to have him back maybe for Week 3, Week 4 to pitch and then be ready for the SEC.”
The Bulldogs open their season against Evansville, the first of four straight non-conference weekends before opening SEC play March 19 against Tennessee.
“We had a talk with the team yesterday. It’s now about opportunity. We can’t feel sorry for ourselves, and we can look back at last year and say, 'Oh, look what we could have done,'” Stricklin said. “We can’t look back at the guys who went down in the fall and say it’s over. We’ve got guys who need to step up and seize these opportunities.”
With Cannon out, the Bulldogs will begin preseason drills looking to find a third weekend starter to go along with returnees Ryan Webb (2-0, 1.20) and C.J. Smith (0-1, 3.32).
Among the candidates are sophomore Michael Polk (0-0, 0.00), plus a trio of freshman in Jaden Woods, Liam Sullivan, and Luke Wagner.
“Got guys who will get opportunities, and that will help us down the stretch,” Stricklin said. “But we’re going to have to tighten the belt and get after it.”
While Cannon is expected to make a complete recovery, Stricklin said how quickly that happens will depend on him.
With mono, weight loss is always the biggest concern, and the 6-foot-6, 210-pounder will need to work to ensure he's able to keep on as much as he can.
“I talked to him about that. He’s going to feel cruddy the next couple of days, so he’ll need to try and keep the fluids in,” Stricklin said. “The key is going to be not losing weight these next few days, and hopefully in two weeks, he’s back moving around a little bit.”
Stricklin said the right-hander should be cleared to resume baseball activities by the Feb. 19 opener. However, there will still be work to do.
“When the season starts, he'll be cleared to begin activity. But he'll need to build his arm back up,” Stricklin said. “Obviously with a kid like that, with high upside and with the draft, we’re going to take care of him and make sure he’s ready to go.”
