WHAT: Exhibition - Georgia vs Florida

WHERE: 121 Financial Ballpark

WHEN: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

TICKETS: $15

A month of fall practice has allowed Wes Johnson the opportunity to learn most of what he needs to know about his Georgia baseball team.

There’s one area where he still has questions. He'd love to start getting answers during Friday night’s exhibition in Jacksonville against Florida.

First pitch at 121 Financial Ballpark adjacent to EverBank Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m.

“For me, it’s not about their ability. I know what their ability is, and what their talent level is; it’s what’s their heartbeat?” Johnson said. “That’s what is going to change. I’ve been fond of saying there’s about a 15 percent window, and it’s going to go either way for some of these guys.”

Fortunately for Johnson, there’s plenty of experience to go around.

That list includes transfers Dillon Carter (Texas Tech), Clayton Chadwick (Sam Houston State), and Logan Jordan (Campbell)—a trio of transfer outfielders with postseason experience. Others, like Baylor transfer infielder Kolby Branch, Florida Atlantic transfer outfielder Dylan Goldstein, and Purdue transfer infielder Paul Toetz enjoyed notable success at their former schools.

So did pitcher Brandt Pancer, a Stanford transfer (three straight trips to the College World Series), Penn pitcher Brian Zeldin, and Charleston Southern transfer Daniel Padysak (who pitched for the Czech Republic in the World Baseball Classic).

Add in returnees like All-American Charlie Condon, Corey Collins, and Fernando Gonzalez, and Johnson likes the experience his inaugural squad will bring.

“We’ve got an older club,” Johnson said. “You look, and we’ve got some guys who have been on a big stage, who have been in regionals, who have been to Omaha, so I don’t anticipate some of these guys, the speed of their heart rate changing too much.”

Gonzalez likes what he’s seen.

Even with a ton of new faces to learn, the Bulldogs’ senior catcher has been impressed and said it appears the team is starting to gel.

“It’s a different environment, but the focus is believing in yourself as a player—something we preach every day, something that Coach Wes preaches every day,” he said. “I think it makes you better as a player, makes you better as a person. Just be there for your teammates, too; going around, making everyone better on a daily basis is something we’ve seen this fall.”

Johnson agreed.

“You go around the field, Slate Alford has played in this league, he knows what this league’s all about. Kolby Branch was a freshman All-American, played in the Big 12, Paul Toetz in the Big Ten. Then your guys who have been here … Fernando, Charlie, those guys, they know what this is about,” he said. “Take it to our outfield where guys like Dillon Carter—he played at Texas Tech, a very good program, and he’s played in front of big crowds. And Clayton Chadwick, another young man who played at Sam Houston and was in our regional last year at Baton Rouge. I think their heart rates will be fine. There will be nerves, there should be nerves, but it will be good to see.

That’s the next phase in this ride: how do you coach a player after you see what his heart rate is?”

… Johnson said he’ll have 13 pitchers ready to go for Friday’s exhibition.

Although he will not name a starter until Friday, look for a number of hurlers to receive an opportunity.

“We’ve got some pitchers who have some experience, but seeing them in a different environment, a different role, giving them an opportunity to work with some different stuff,” Johnson said. “We’ve added some sliders and changeups to some guys, or changing their slider, its shape, and see if we can get some guys out and hold up out there under pressure.”

…Johnson smiled that he’s not ready to reveal what pitchers had upgraded their respective arsenals.

“That’s kind of a secret,” he said. “No, every day. And that’s to my point. We’ve had some guys we’ve put in a sweeper, and some we’ve put in a really good changeup with. We’ve added a curveball to a guy I’m really excited about; we’ve added a slider to another guy who didn’t have one.

"Sometimes you look at them and know you’ve got to be really good with just two pitches, and then there are other guys you look at them and say no, they’ve got the ability to add and do some different things.”

Johnson said he likes the progress that’s being made. He also said it’s been to see his pitchers get excited with the analytical adjustments being made.

“Oh, 100 percent. It’s just about tightening some things up. That’s what technology is for, right?” Johnson said. “I think the biggest thing too, is using the technology and giving them their reports, and then they come back to me and say ‘Hey, two outings ago, this thing was doing this, it was a little flatter today and I think I know why my hand was different.’ You see that and you’re like, now, we’re getting somewhere, and we’re getting some of that.

"It's going to be exciting to see when another team is out there.”

…Gonzales was asked to give his take on pitchers who have impressed him.

“Zach Harris (Georgia Southern transfer), he’s going to be really good. Daniel Padysak, he’s been pretty good,” Gonzalez said. “I’m excited to see what Leighton (Finley) is going to do; I’m excited to see Coleman (Willis, who has added a cutter) be that confident pitcher that I’ve seen him be before. Chandler Marsh, the other news guys, but top of my head, Harris and Padysack have really stood out.”

…Look for plenty of position players to receive their opportunities in Friday’s exhibition.

“We’ll take a look at a lot of guys,” Johnson said. “Our biggest challenge is we’ve got a lot of guys playing a lot of different positions.”

They include:

Mississippi State transfer Slate Alford, an exceptional defender at third, who Johnson says can play anywhere on the infield.

Condon is even adding more to his plate.

“Obviously, he’s really good at first, he’s really good at third, and he’s played all three outfields,” Johnson said. “We even put him at shortstop last week, and he made two really good plays.”

Others include Corey Collins and UAB transfer Henry Hunter—a pair of catchers who have surprised Johnson with how well they’ve also played first base.

Outfielder Josh Stinson is showing he can play a capable second base.

“We knew the versatility was coming,” Johnson said. “We were going to force it, but I didn’t know how good they would be playing those positions.”