Georgia at No. 2 Florida
WHEN: Friday 7 p.m., Saturday 7 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.
WHERE: Condron Ballpark, Gainesville, Fla.
RECORDS: Georgia 18-15 3-9; Florida 28-6, 9-3
STARTING PITCHERS: Friday - LH Jaden Woods (3-2, 5.10) vs. RH Brandon Sproat (5-1, 4.93); Saturday - TBA vs RH Hurston Waldrep (6-1, 4.60); Sunday - LH Liam Sullivan (4-1, 3.08) vs. LH Jac Caglianone (3-1, 4.91)
TV/RADIO: Friday-Sunday: SEC Network+; Saturday SEC Network (Richard Cross and Lance Cormier); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston.
Georgia baseball coach Scott Stricklin always believed redshirt freshman Charlie Condon would be in for a solid year. But this?
Entering this weekend’s series at Florida, Condon continues to post some of the best numbers in the SEC.
His .445 average ranks second behind LSU’s Dylan Crews and South Carolina’s Ethan Petry, while his RBIs (45), home runs (13), slugging percentage (.849), and on-base percentage (.531) rank him in the top five of the SEC in each of the four categories.
“I don’t know that I thought he’d be hitting .440 at this point,” Stricklin said. “But I don’t think anybody in our clubhouse is surprised he’s having a great year. We watch him every day and how he goes about his business. He’s strong, he’s athletic, and he’s had a heck of a season.”
Pitcher Jaden Woods told a story recently of what it’s like when Condon is on the batting cage.
“You’ll be sitting here, a ball will get pitched, and you will see it hit almost to Rankin (Center),” Woods said. “And it’s consistent, that’s the crazy thing about it.”
What’s also crazy is the fact Condon is doing his damage as a first-year player in the SEC.
Condon could have played as a true freshman. But after discussions with Stricklin, the coach, and the player agreed that spending a year learning the college game and getting stronger would pay dividends.
“I didn’t take that as anything personal, because I knew it wasn’t. It was an unfortunate situation. We had so many talented and experienced guys in the program like Chaney Rogers and Garrett Blaylock who were going to have similar roles, be a big bat in the middle of the lineup,” Condon said. “I knew I needed to take a year to develop, mature, and get stronger. It was going to be good for me in the long run, and I think it has been. But yeah, I used it as an opportunity to grow.”
Stricklin said the year paid off in ways better than he ever had hoped.
“I knew that he was certainly very talented, and he handled the last calendar year exactly in the way you need to. He worked extremely hard, he put on weight, got stronger, and he kind of watched it from a different angle,” Stricklin said. “I talked with him about it, and he said being able to watch it without having to be out there really helped him. At the end of the day, redshirting is tough for anybody, but if you handle it the right way, it can be very positive. He handled it perfectly.”
Condon followed that up with an excellent season playing summer ball in the Northwoods League. Teams in the wood-bat Northwoods League play basically every day.
There, Condon was able to develop his stamina while putting together one of the best seasons in the league, driving in 68 runs in just 63 games.
“It’s huge for stamina and stuff like that,” Condon said. “In all the games we played, and getting used to that condensed two-month summer, was really good to get used to the pace, turn the page, and get ready to go back out regardless of what happened the day before and knowing you had more opportunities.”
Stricklin agreed.
With all the extra work, Condon was able to ease right into fall practice, and once the season began, has been as consistent as any player in the SEC.
“I think that’s why the Northwoods was really good for him. It’s summer ball, it’s not SEC, but it’s good competition, you’re swinging a wood bat, and you’re playing every day,” Stricklin said. “He got over 300 plate appearances, so I think just getting on the field in a less-pressurized situation, I think that was really big for him. He gained confidence and walked into this fall 10-15 pounds heavier than he was the season before. He was just beaming with confidence. He looked different, and the results speak for themselves.”
Indeed.
After taking an 0-for in the season-opener against Jacksonville State, Condon has reached base in 32 straight games, including a 24-game hitting streak that ended two weeks ago at Vanderbilt.
“When you hit the ball consistently, you’ve got a better chance to getting base hits,” Stricklin said. “You see all the exit velocities that get posted in the fall, the guys who hit them hard–it doesn’t guarantee you getting a hit, but it improves your chances.”
Just check out his exit velocities.
Balls of Condon’s bats routine checks in at 112- 113 mph, with a few, a tick higher.
“The first time I saw him there was a lot of pop in his swing in the cages and then here in BP. He was putting them far out there in the trees. He had a good fall scrimmage. I knew he was a special player,” center fielder Ben Anderson said. “Lot of times, he’ll hit a ball and you’re like, wow, I wonder how hard that one was. He just gets everything he has behind it, level through the same and the ball just jumps off the bat, it’s crazy.”
Described by Stricklin as a right-handed Paul O’Neil, the former big leaguer of New York Yankee and Cincinnati Red fame, Condon hasn’t slowed down since the start of SEC play.
“Physically, he may be as gifted as a guy that I’ve had,” Stricklin said. “I think a little bit about Aaron Schunk, but Aaron is 6-2 and Charlie is 6-5, so physically he’s really gifted, and he has bat speed. You can’t teach bat speed. It’s like you can’t teach ‘running faster.’ Maybe a little bit, but you can either run or you can’t and Charlie’s got bat speed. He’s very coachable, he listens, he makes adjustments and he’s very smart. He’s got all the intangibles to allow him to sustain success.”
Others have taken notice.
With another year to go before he’s eligible for the 2024 Major League Draft, Condon’s hot start has him on the Watch List for the Golden Spikes Award, which goes annually to the top player in college baseball.
“It’s fun and everything to see your name on the list with a bunch of guys like that,” Condon said. “But at the end of the day, it’s just a watch list. It’s not something we’re worried about right now.”
Condon’s more concerned about staying consistent as a hitter and doing what he can to help the Bulldogs get back on track in the SEC, starting with this weekend’s trip to No. 2 Florida.
“I have not done a ton of change mechanically. I think I developed a little better as my approach goes, just being able to lay off pitches and have better pitch selection. Getting in better hitter counts is something I think that’s helped me out a lot,” Condon said. “I think that’s where a little bit of maturity was needed to develop since I came in here, because I wasn’t super disciplined and swinging at everything.”
Now, pitchers cannot get him out. By the time the year is over, Condon has a chance to move into the Top 10 in batting average, home runs, and RBIs in a single season.
“I’m definitely seeing better stuff on a day-to-day basis than I was seeing in the preseason. It’s still being patient and knowing regardless of who is out there, they’ve still got to come to you in that box, they’ve still got to throw to you. Their stuff might be better, but it’s still about being patient and putting on a good swing,” Condon said. “I’m not worried about how people are trying to pitch me; I take each at-bat as a blank slate. I’m not really someone who is worried about what he’s going to throw me, I’m more worried about what I’m looking for, just something I can pick out and put a good swing on.”
