Overall, the first year of the Wes Johnson era will be viewed as a success. But that didn't make Monday night's loss hurt any less for Georgia.
The Bulldogs dropped an 8-5 decision to North Carolina State at Foley Field. The result sent the Wolfpack on to the College World Series, while the Bulldogs are left to reflect on a season that ended just short of college baseball's ultimate destination.
"You’ve just got a bunch of guys who got together and started believing in themselves and believing in each other. You do that, and as I’ve said for years, there’s talent in this league," Johnson said. "If you can get the right group together and get them to believe in themselves, play with confidence, and go out there and take the training we put them through daily, you have a chance. But yeah, what this group of men did was obviously something I’ll never forget.”
Johnson defends Condon
Charlie Condon didn't have the greatest stat line in the Super Regional.
Georgia's All-American went 2-for-11 in the Super Regional defeat. He had one home run, a solo shot that cut North Carolina State's lead to 8-5 in the final inning of Game Three.
But Johnson disagreed with the notion that the Wolfpack neutralized Condon.
"He hit some balls 112 miles an hour and got out. I don't think they -- that's just called luck," Johnson said. "I didn't think they neutralized him. When you're hitting balls over 100 miles an hour, you're getting off great swings. This game is hard, and it's really, really hard to do that. I think what happens is, people get spoiled by this young man right here. It's like, every time he comes up you think he's going to hit a home run. If he hits a ball 112 and lines out he's had a bad day. There's a handful of people on this planet that can do that. That's my take."
Condon says program in good hands
Condon choked back tears as he sat through Monday night's press conference.
He noted how thankful he is for all the people at journey who helped him go from walk-on to one of college baseball's best players. That ride will continue next month when Condon will be one of the top picks in the Major League Baseball draft.
As for the folks in Athens, Condon is confident in Johnson's plan for the program.
"This program has made a huge leap in the right direction, and I know for a fact that if this is my last year here, it's in great hands. There's no doubt in my mind that this program is going in the right direction and making big steps," Condon said. "I'm always going to be around supporting this program, regardless of whether I'm a Bulldog next year or not. I know this program is going to be dangerous the next couple of years."
Tre Phelps wraps up freshman campaign in style
Freshman Tre Phelps served as one of Georgia's bright spots offensively in the Game Three loss.
The freshman went 3-for-5, including a two-run homer in the second inning. That concluded a 4-for-12 Super Regional that included two home runs and six RBI.
"Tre's going to be a huge, huge part of that," Condon said of the program's future. "I'm so proud of that guy and can't wait to see where his career goes. He's going to be a big, big piece of this program going forward."
Phelps will be one of the key offensive pieces for Georgia's 2025 squad. He hopes to build on what he learned during his first season in Athens.
"The knowledge of guys like Charlie, Coach Wes, Corey Collins, I tried to take little things from each and every one of them to bring that back to next year's team and go farther," Phelps said. "That's obviously the goal, to take bits and pieces and put it into the locker room for next year to be successful."
