Freshmen show their stuff
Georgia's freshman class of 2017 featured the likes of Cam Shepherd, Tony Locey, Aaron Schunk, and Tucker Bradley. It was ranked fourth nationally by Perfect Game, and is considered the deepest in Scott Stricklin’s eight years as head coach.
However, if Sunday’s showing in the finale of Sunday’s Red-Black World Series is any indication, the Bulldogs’ freshman class of 2021 has the potential to be very good as well.
Let's start with the trio of Corey Collins, Parks Harber, and Luke Wagner, each of whom hit home runs. Wagner’s blast—a three-run homer—came in the bottom of the seventh and lifted the Black to a 7-5 win, taking the three-game weekend series, 2-1.
They were not alone.
Catcher Fernando Gonzalez is already handling pitchers like a veteran and showed off his strong throwing arm, while fellow freshmen Trippe Moore and Caleb Ketchup added RBI hits in the game. Former Milton standout Dwight Allen and Garrett Spikes also enjoyed strong falls as part of this year's freshman class, ranked 10th nationally by Perfect Game.
“I think it’s every bit as good,” Stricklin said, when asked to compare this year’s freshman class to the one from 2017. “It’s got a lot of depth. It is a little bit different. There are more power hitters. When you looked at Cam, Schunk and Tucker Bradley, you know, athletic position player defensive guys that grew into hitters. Those guys, Collins, Spikes, Harber, Gonzalez, they are very mature hitters.
“Then you put in guys like Dwight Allen, Trippe Moore, and Caleb Ketchup, those guys have come out and played well. So, we’re excited about the group.”
Power potential is certainly there.
Harbor—ranked 115th nationally by Perfect Game—is 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, while Collins—ranked 97th nationally—is 6-3 and 220. Spikes, meanwhile, comes in as the state’s second-ranked shortstop, while Wagner, who started Sunday’s game for the Black squad, was the state of Pennsylvania’s No. 2-ranked left-handed pitcher.
“This group, we’ve always said ‘Gosh, the kids just keep getting bigger and bigger,’ but this is probably our most physical freshman class we’ve had. When you see Corey Collins and Parks Harber and Jaden Woods walking around, they turn your head, because they look like they’re 25-years-old,” Stricklin said. “They’re just very physical, very mature and very athletic too. It's an athletic group. We're excited about that bunch, and we have a really good core of older players, too. We've been saying it for the past couple years that we have been building this thing. Our freshmen are going to play because they are talented enough to play, not because they have to play. That’s what we’re excited about.”
Wagner’s home run capped the four-run seventh for the Black and was also one of four totals between the two teams, along with Collins, Harber, and veteran Connor Tate.
"My roommates (Collins and Harber) hit home runs, and one was off me,” Wagner said. “We know we have to prove ourselves, and today was a good day to do that.”
Freshmen pitchers Will Pearson, Hank Bearden, Woods, and Max DeJong also turned in impressive performances over the course of the weekend.
They help comprise a team that entered the fall with 44 players on its current roster, including returning outfielders Ben Anderson, Riley King, Randon Jernigan, and Connor Tate, infielders Cole Tate, Garrett Blaylock, Buddy Floyd, and Chaney Rogers, along with catchers Mason Meadows and Shane Marshall.
Despite the loss of first-round pick Emerson Hancock and third-round pick Cole Wilcox, the Bulldogs bring back plenty of potential replacements, led by Jonathan Cannon (3-0, 0.00), Michael Polk (0-0, 0.00), C.J. Smith (0-1, 3.32), and Ryan Webb (2-0, 1.20).
The Bulldogs hope that Florida transfer Nolan Crisp will solidify the back end of the bullpen.
On Friday, Webb struck out eight in four innings, with Smith fanning eight in in four and Cannon striking out five in three.
“I think our starting pitching is going to be really good. CJ Smith, Ryan Webb and Jonathon Cannon, those three guys for sure, 1-2-3, I think are going to be as good as anybody in the country,” Stricklin said. “Obviously, we lost some big arms in Emerson and Cole, but our starting rotation is going to be good. Our biggest question is going to be the bullpen, who is going to step up and who is going to take those innings. We still do not know who we are going to give the ball to in the eighth or ninth inning. We have a lot of candidates, but those are the biggest questions going into the off-season.”
NOTE: Freshman pitcher Will Childers is set to undergo Tommy John surgery Tuesday. As a freshman, Childers was 1-0 with a 0.79 ERA.