Getting Jonathan Cannon back on the mound Tuesday at Georgia Southern was a welcome sight for Bulldog head coach Scott Stricklin.
Cannon himself was stoked.
“Absolutely,” Cannon said. “It was honestly a relief to get back on the mound after watching for the first three weeks, and then after the time off after last season.”
For Georgia (10-3), getting their big right-hander back constitutes a big deal.
No. 1, it means Cannon is finally healthy after missing the first three weekends while recovering from mononucleosis, which he contracted midway through preseason camp.
No. 2, it means Georgia’s weekend rotation is finally complete. The draft-eligible sophomore, who is projected by many to go in the first round of the upcoming major league draft, gives the young Bulldogs what could be one of the better weekend rotations in the SEC, with C.J. Smith and Ryan Webb.
“I think it kind of gives the guys a morale boost, because we know we’ve got our top three weekend guys for the rest of the season,” center fielder Ben Anderson said. “It sets up our bullpen to be better; certain guys will have the roles they kind of expected before the season started. But overall, it’s just great to have our three weekend guys ready to go. As a team, we feel we can win any game if we play to the level we’re supposed to.”
Stricklin agrees.
Although the still-recovering Cannon will remain on a pitch count until at least after this weekend’s series against Lipscomb, the former Centennial High standout showed excellent signs for the Bulldogs in Tuesday’s 5-2 win at Georgia Southern, going a predetermined two innings, allowing two hits with a strikeout.
“He had a good three-pitch mix, up to 95 mph, and that was what we would have hoped,” Stricklin said. “We’re probably going to let him go three or four, lengthen him out a little bit. But overall, I thought he was great.”
Cannon said his recovery went as well as could have been expected.
Unlike many with mono, the 6-foot-5, 220-pounder did not suffer the weight loss typically associated with the illness, dropping just approximately five pounds.
“I just had to make it a point to eat when I didn’t feel like eating, or when I felt bad,” Cannon said. “I really didn’t end up losing much weight, maybe just four or five pounds, so it was easy to build back.”
Cannon’s next opportunity will come Sunday in this weekend’s third game against Lipscomb. Stricklin hopes he’ll be able to go four innings, in what will be Georgia’s final non-conference weekend before opening SEC play in a week against visiting Tennessee.
“I think right now I’m just building stamina. This weekend, I’m not sure what the pitch count will be, but I’ll probably stay on one this weekend and next weekend as well, just building up to 100 percent,” Cannon said. “I’m hoping by the next two or three weeks, I’ll be at full go and get on a routine when we finalize when people are pitching, what the roles are going to be. That’s still kind of up in the air a little bit, right before league play starts.”
Cannon’s return will also enable Stricklin and pitching coach Sean Kenny to establish the various bullpen roles, which in turn will receive a boost from the likes of Jaden Woods and Luke Wagner, along with other first-year Bulldogs who have been so impressive filling in for Cannon and Webb in a starting capacity.
“It’s a shot in the arm to have that kind of arm back in; It’s a good feeling,” Stricklin said of Cannon. “I think it raises the confidence level of the team. The freshmen have done a great job; they’ve done everything we’ve asked them to do. Collin Caldwell came in and threw one pitch for an out, got their best hitter out. Will Pearson has been great; Liam Sullivan; Jaden Woods has been good; (Luke) Wagner has been good—all those guys; Charlie Goldstein, who is a redshirt freshman, has been outstanding. So all these young kids have come in and done their jobs. I’ve been really happy with them.”
