Georgia vs UNC-Asheville
WHERE: Foley Field
WHEN: Friday 3 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.
STARTING ROTATION: Friday – LH Charlie Goldstein (3-2, 5.03) vs LH Cole Schiff (1-0, 8.31); Saturday – RH Christian Mracna (3-1, 3.09, 4 saves at Geoge Mason) vs. LH Justin Honeycutt (4-2, 4.67); Sunday – RH Leighton Finley (2-2, 6.26) vs RH Clay Edmondson (5-3, 5.38).
SERIES HISTORY: Georgia leads 11-1.
TV/RADIO: SEC Network+; Georgia Bulldog Radio Network (Jeff Dantzler and David Johnston)
Wes Johnson appreciates the opportunity he has to be the new leader of Georgia’s baseball program, but he hasn’t taken much time to reflect.
There hasn't been a lot to spare.
From scouring the transfer portal to watching tapes of his new players, fall practice, and preseason camp, when Johnson talks about his first seven-plus months on the job being a whirlwind, he’s not kidding.
“I've just always had my head down and I go to work really hard,” Johnson said. “There's a lot of days I sit down in this chair since I've had it, and just go wow, this is happening; let's go. But you know, you’ve got to keep going so you don't let people down. You put that hammer down.”
Friday at 3 p.m., the season gets underway with the first of three games against UNC-Asheville.
Senior left-hander Charlie Goldstein will snag his first career opening day start.
Johnson said he cannot wait for the season to begin.
“I’m always ready, but you’re always more excited for your players,” he said. “We’re tired of playing each other, so no, guys are excited, they’re ready to go and will be ready to go.”
Be sure to purchase a program before taking your seat.
This year’s team features 27 newcomers, including 17 transfers and 10 freshmen. So much turnover is one of the reasons the Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth in the SEC East.
Mississippi State transfer Slate Alford is one of the new Bulldogs not worried about what league coaches have to say.
“We just shook it off. You know how preseason rankings are, nobody really knows,” Alford said. “But we definitely were not thrilled about it. Like I said, we’re definitely using it for fuel and we’re ready to prove people wrong.”
Alford is one of what could be as many as six to seven newcomers in the starting lineup for the Bulldogs, who Johnson said could have as many as 15 position players see action this weekend.
At Mississippi State, the 6-foot-3, 236-pound third baseman (.248-9-36) brings tremendous power potential to the lineup, blasting a home run during a recent hitter-pitcher session that Johnson said tracked 440 feet.
Other transfers to play primary roles include outfielders Dillon Carter (Texas Tech; 267-6-23), Clayton Chadwick (Sam Houston State; .294-10-49), and Dylan Goldstein (Florida Atlantic; .297-13-62).
A seasoned performer having started three years with the Owls, Goldstein tore his hamstring in the Cape Cod League and missed all of fall practice.
Now back, he’s ready to make an impact with what’s expected to be one of the Bulldogs’ better bats.
“He’s really going to solidify the offense from the standpoint he’s really going to give you a professional at-bat, I guess is the way I can put it,” said Johnson, whose infield not only features some slick gloves, but a couple of players with notable offensive success at their previous schools.
Second baseman Paul Toetz (.335-10-53 at Purdue) is a career .300 hitter, while sophomore shortstop Kolby Branch was a freshman All-American at Baylor after winning his team’s triple crown, batting .325 with six homers and 41 RBI.
Campbell transfer Logan Jordan and UAB transfer Henry Hunter are also expected to play big roles, along with freshmen Trey Phelps and Tre King, with returnees Sebastian Murillo, Corey Collins (.267-6-20), and of course, Charlie Condon (.386-25-67) a big part of the mix.
Condon, of course, is one of the country’s best players and is projected to be one of the top picks in July’s Major League Draft.
“I went on record last year coming into the Georgia series when I was at LSU that he was the best right-handed hitter I’d seen all year behind Dylan Crews,” Johnson said. “Of course, I saw Dylan every day, and I still believe that now. He’s the best right-handed hitter in college baseball, and I think all we’ve done is show his flexibility and what kind of athlete he really is.”
Condon could play as many as five positions for the Bulldogs.
Along with all three outfield positions, Condon will also play first and even some third.
“Of course, we wanted him in the right-handed batter’s box as much as we can get him up there,” Johnson said. “But yeah, he’s special. As a coach, you get a guy like Charlie, you hope to get one every seven to 10 years. But he’s special. He’s a top, top first-round guy, and you’ve got to be really good to be that.”
Of course, whatever success Georgia ultimately has this spring will depend on its pitching, and that’s where Johnson comes in.
Regarded as a true guru of analytics, it was Johnson who coached last year’s No. 1 pick Paul Skenes in the coach’s lone season at LSU, after four seasons as a pitching coach in the Major Leagues with the Minnesota Twins.
While you won’t find a Skenes lurking in the Georgia dugout, Johnson likes the pitching depth he’s accrued.
Some names you’ll recognize. Besides Goldstein, sophomore Leighton Finley is coming off an outstanding summer in the Cape Cod League, where he gave up just one run in 18 innings. Other names you’ll recognize who are expected to make impacts include lefty Jarvis Evans, along with Blake Gillespie, Kolten Smith, and Max DeJong, who Johnson said has made impressive preseason strides.
There’s also a host of newcomers to keep an eye out for.
Six-foot-5 right-hander Christian Mracna was the closer last year at George Mason but is being groomed as a starter and will open Saturday’s second game.
Other newcomers who have impressed include Stanford transfer Brant Pancer, Penn transfer Brian Zeldin, Georgia Southern transfer Zach Harris, Southern New Hampshire transfer Josh Roberge, and Charleston Southern transfer Daniel Padysak, who pitched for the Czech Republic in the World Baseball Classic.
Freshmen right-handers Ethan Sutton (Allatoona High) and James Hayes (The Westfield School) have both made impressions.
“Leighton has been really good. He had a really good freshman year, he had a really good Cape, and he’s been really good. Excited to see what he’s going to do,” Gonzalez said. “Charlie Goldstein; Kolten Smith has made a big jump lately. I’m also excited to see Brian Zeldin and Christian Mracna. There’s a lot of names, but I’m excited for all the new guys.”
