Florida at No. 8 Georgia

WHEN: Thursday 6 p.m., Friday 6 p.m., Saturday 2 p.m.

WHERE: Foley Field

RECORDS: Georgia 38-12, 16-11; Florida 26-25, 11-16)

STARTING PITCHERS: Thursday – RH Kolten Smith (8-2, 4.72) vs LH Pierce Coppola (0-2, 7.94); Friday – RH Leighton Finely (5-1, 4.45) vs RH Liam Peterson (2-4, 5.92); Saturday – TBA vs LH Jac Caglianone.

TV/RADIO: SEC Network+ (Matt Stewart and Jason Jacobs); Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston).

If this is what a healthy version of Tre Phelps looks like, opposing teams have are really going to have their hands full trying to shut down Georgia’s bat.

Just ask South Carolina after Phelps tallied an SEC-best 19 total bases, four home runs, nine RBI, and eight runs scored in helping the Bulldogs sweep No. 14 South Carolina in Columbia last week.

Phelps posted a 1.357 slugging percentage and batted .429 (6-for-14) against the Gamecocks.

He smashed a three-run home run in his first at-bat of the series to help set the tone as the Bulldogs tallied 39 runs in the sweep and extended their winning streak to eight games.

For his effort, Phelps was named the SEC Player of the Week.

“I definitely felt great physically. That was a result of feeling great mentally,” said Phelps, who raised his average to .384 with nine home runs and 32 RBI – all in just 96 at-bats.

Count Bulldog superstar Charlie Condon as someone who is not surprised to see Phelps have success.

“I’ve known Tre for a little bit because we hit at the same facility (Pinnacle Prospects) growing up. We had the same swing coach (Zach Blonder), so getting to see him up here and putting all that hard work in, showing what he’s about, and having that crazy, crazy weekend was awesome,” Condon said. “He’s a sneaky, violent hitter. You look up on the board and he’s batting like .386, nine homers in not that many at-bats it’s a crazy, bright future for him.”

It helps that Phelps is feeling better than he has all year.

Phelps has endured a series of minor injuries throughout the season, including issues in his wrist, knee, and ribs.

“It was just a few nicks and knacks,” Phelps said. “My knee kind of popped out of place, and it took about a week and half for that. Now, I feel 110 percent ready for the rest of the year when we really need it.”

Skipper Wes Johnson has not been surprised.

“Tre’s been clicking for us; we’ve seen it. He’s just not been healthy,” Johnson said. “He had all these little bitty things that it kept him from doing what he was able to do last weekend which is a real healthy Tre Phelps coming to the plate and doing some things we thought he could do.”

Confidence has been a key for Phelps’ game. He credits Johnson and his teammates for helping it grow.

“The thing that Wes always tells us is to believe how talented we are, that I am,” Phelps said. “During the intrasquads early on, you see how you stack up. But when you have teammates like Charlie, Slate (Alford), and other older guys who tell you how good you are, it just built my confidence even farther than what it was.”

Watching Condon has also helped that confidence grow, along with the right way to go about his business on the field.

“Honestly, it kind of pushes me to not let the highs get too high or the lows too low,” said Phelps, who added his focus has also taken a step forward.

“It’s a different level of focus,” he added. “Actually, when I got hurt, I had the luxury to just watch and watch every single pitch and understand how being locked in on the whole game is.”

Although his versatility allows him to play across the infield and two of the three outfield positions, Phelps is currently the team’s primary designated hitter.

“I like to call it a day off from fielding because I get to literally watch every single pitch of the game,” Phelps said. “I don’t have to worry about positioning, I get to watch what our pitchers are doing, and what their pitchers are doing to our hitters. Having all that in our arsenal is very scary.”