Part 1 – New player amenities already paying dividends - Today

Part 2 – Talking development, philosophies, whiff rates - Thursday

Part 3 – Taking a closer look at the team ahead of preseason practice – Friday

After giving his players a tour of their new digs inside the Georgia baseball locker room at Foley Field, head coach Wes Johnson was approached individually by a pair of his transfer players.

Each had something they wanted to say.

“Unsolicited, and I won’t say their names, but I had two players come up to me whom we obviously recruited out of the portal,” Johnson said. “They came by after they walked through the locker room and they each just said, ‘Coach, you know, obviously, I’ve been in some SEC locker rooms, and this is the nicest I’ve ever been in.’”

Hearing such praise was music to Johnson’s ears.

As part of Georgia’s 45 million dollar renovation to Foley Field, a new locker room and new team meeting area are just two of the improvements to the stadium that have taken place during the just completed Phase 1 of the 2-phase project to be completed in time for the 2025 season.

“That meant a lot, because I didn’t ask. I didn’t go, ‘Hey, what do you think?’ They sought me out,” Johnson said. “It’s something I’ve been telling everybody.”

There’s more to come.

Once the 2024 season is complete, more improvements will be made along the left field line and will include a new pitching lab, hitting tunnels, coaches' offices, and other amenities.

Currently, coaches’ offices are on the Stegeman Coliseum's third floor.

But that will soon change.

Regarding fan amenities, there will be multiple new premium spaces and enhanced fan experiences throughout the venue.

“We will not have the biggest stadium in the league, and that's fine. But we'll have the nicest and, you know, our player amenities when this thing is done will be the nicest in the league,” Johnson said. “It’s just good to hear that from other players when you're not even going, hey, what do you think about this? No, no, they came up to me, two different players.”

The changes are already paying off.

Georgia’s 2024 class, which includes the school’s portal additions, was ranked seventh nationally by Collegiate Baseball.

Future classes have seen the Bulldogs' already secure commitments from three of the state’s top recruits, Bryce Clavon, Eric Parker, and Cade Brown.

Johnson said the new digs are also paying off for the current team.

“It is and, and we couldn't be happier. I mean, it's already paid dividends, and we haven't even been in there a month,” Johnson said. “You know, just our team room getting back in there. It's funny now, you got guys hanging out in the team room while you know just that whole bond, the culture, whatever buzzwords you want to use today, it’s already paying dividends.”