Stats Crunch: Charlie Condon edition

In 2023, Charlie Condon dominated college baseball and the SEC. In 2024, he took it to a new level. He is amongst Bulldog legends like Herschel Walker and Eric Zeier in football, players like Priscilla Pacheco in volleyball and Brent Noon in track. These are players that not only set records at Georgia but destroyed them. In two seasons at UGA, the 6-foor-6, 216 pound product finds himself near or at the top of many Dawg leader lists.

The power is what most people think of when they think of Condon. His 37 home runs in 2024 were the second most ever in a season by a SEC player (Brandon Larson of LSU hit 40 in 1997).

What makes those numbers crazy is around a decade ago, Georgia as a team only hit 25 home runs in 2012, 31 in 2013 and 13 in 2014. Another crazy stat is while Gordon Beckham is second in career home runs now, he did it in 789 official at bats. Condon did his number in 441. If Condon had the same number of official at bats as Beckham, he would have 111 home runs in his career.

Batting Average is another area where Condon excelled. His numbers dropped in the Super Regionals, but he still ended up with an impressive .433 clip. While that single-season number is not a record, his .410 career average is (and once again - by a lot). The .410 career average is the fifth highest in SEC history.

You will recognize a few of these names as they also excelled on the gridiron for Georgia as well.

Condon could be the third player in records dating back to the 1950s the lead Division I in both home runs and batting average (Mike Smith of Indiana in 1992 and Bryce Brentz of Middle Tennessee in 2009). While Condon currently leads in both there is a slight chance that players that are still playing in the College World Series can pass him statistically (Florida's Jac Caglianone is batting .411 and has also 33 home runs and Tennessee's Christian Moore has 32).

In terms of slugging percentage (dividing total bases by official at bats) Condon became the first player in SEC history to finish a season over 1.000. Georgia does not keep a career slugging percentage in their record books, but he finished way ahead of anyone else in Bulldog history in a single season). If you take a deeper look you will notice that some of his 2024 teammates are also amongst the very best.

Condon would finish the season with 233 total bases ecliping Georgia's single season record held by Beckham's 221 in 2008.

On base percentage is another category where he excelled. However, the person who batted before Condon most of the season actually set the school record. Condon had to settle for the second best since 1986.

Did you know that his home run in his final at bat was his 100th hit of the season?

That is just one of a few categories where Condon was closing in near the top but did not quite make it...

Condon has already won the 2024 SEC Player of the Year Award. The prestigous Golden Spikes Award as well as the Dick Howser Trophy will be named later this week. A Georgia player has never won those awards.

(photo by Kathryn Skeean)