Georgia’s baseball season ended Monday night in Game 3 of the Athens Super Regionals, as the Bulldogs fell to North Carolina State, 8-5.
Although the disappointment of not earning a trip to the College World Series was evident on every face in the dugout, the fact Georgia made it this far in Wes Johnson’s first year as head coach is a testament to everyone involved in the Bulldog baseball program.
The future is bright.
“As I tell our players, there’s always another level. I used to tell Big Leaguers, there’s this guy named Nolan Ryan, right? He’s got seven no-hitters. I guess if you throw your eighth no-hitter in the big leagues, there’s not another level,” Johnson said. “With that being said, if you’re not trying to improve every aspect of your program every year, then to me, you go backward really fast. You’re constantly trying to… I’ve said this, you won’t ever find another Charlie Condon, at least in my time, in my coaching career. There will be another one come along probably after I’m dead and gone. But you’re lucky if you coach a Charlie Condon once every 10 years. You’re extremely lucky.”
Georgia began the season as an afterthought by many. Picked to finish 6th in the SEC East, the Bulldogs surprised most in the college baseball world by not only qualifying for the NCAA Tournament but earning a national seed.
Condon not only established himself as the greatest hitter in school history after this year’s phenomenal season that saw him hit .433 with a school-record 37 home runs and 78 RBI but one of the greatest student-athletes in Georgia athletic history.
Other players enjoyed career years.
From veterans like Corey Collins and catcher Fernando Gonzalez to transfers like Slate Alford and Kolby Branch, the 2024 season will go down as one of the greatest offensive years in the history of Georgia baseball as evidenced by the team’s school-record 151 home runs.
Injuries to pitchers like Charlie Goldstein did not help. However, individual improvements were made throughout the year, specifically by Leighton Finley, Kolten Smith, and Zach Harris. Johnson pieced the staff together the best he could to make the Super Regionals.
So, what’s in store for next year?
“I can't tell these guys to believe in themself if I can believe in myself. I'm going to work sun up to sun down to do that. As far as looking at the program's next step, this game is really hard. We've moved in the right direction, but we have to continue to go out and recruit, as we have been already, to continue to get good quality players in here that fit our ballpark and what we're trying to do. If you do that, especially now with the way things go in the transfer portal and the different things, you should put yourself every year to somewhat have some success, but success is defined in a lot of ways."
There will be players Johnson and his staff will look to replace.
Condon will be a top pick in the upcoming MLB Draft, with Alford also expected to be drafted after batting .300 with 17 home runs and 69 RBI.
Branch (.267-17-58) is also a draft-eligible sophomore.
Others moving as projected draft picks include Collins and Gonzalez. Graduate players Dylan Goldstein, Clayton Chadwick, Paul Toetz, Logan Jordan, Brian Zeldin, Charlie Goldstein, Christian Mracna, Josh Roberge, and Daniel Padysak the Bulldogs who have used their final year of eligibility.
The Bulldogs have also lost three pitchers to the transfer portal – freshmen pitchers James Hays, Blake Gillespie, and Ethan Sutton.
Fortunately, Georgia’s cupboard isn’t exactly bare.
Tre Phelps was one of the more dominant freshmen and a future star in the SEC after batting .353 with 12 home runs and 40 RBI.
Meanwhile, Johnson and his staff have already been busy working the transfer portal with four potential position starters in the fold.
That list includes Texas-Arlington infielder Ryan Black (.278-5-41; hit .336 as a freshman with seven homers and 57 RBI), Air Force first baseman Charlie Jones (.344-13-54 in just 155 at-bats), Miami-Ohio corner infielder Ryland Zaborowski (.305-10-40, but hit 20 home runs in 2023), and Florida Atlantic infielder Christian Adams (.343-8-31).
Of that list, 64Analytics.com rates Black as the nation’s ninth-best portal acquisition, with Zaborowski at No. 19, and Adams at No. 62.
The site has Georgia currently ranked No. 2 nationally with its seven portal acquisitions, a list that also includes former Georgia State pitcher Blake Chastain, former USC-Aiken pitcher Justin Byrd, and preferred walk-on infielder Knox Bennett (Chipola).
More are on the way, including some pitchers.
“I look for certain things in guys. We’re not going to, I’ll just answer that and say yeah. I’m not going to give anything away. I’ll just say yeah, it can be, it sure can be,” Johnson said. “You’ve got to have the right guys in there, right? You can’t, if they’re not in there, we’re not just going to take guys just to take guys."
The Bulldogs are also bringing in a strong freshman class, ranked 19th nationally by PerfectGame.com.
Of the group, Parkview third baseman Cade Brown, North Cobb Christian outfielder Michael Mullinax, and Kell infielder Bryce Clavon are all considered by various online sites to be top-10 in the state of Georgia, with North Gwinnett shortstop Eric Parker, East Cobb Baseball Academy third baseman Jax Phillips, and Buford pitcher Nate Taylor not far behind.
