When Georgia baseball fans walked out of Foley Field after North Carolina State defeated the Dawgs in the NCAA Super Regional to head to Omaha last season, questions about next year’s team swirled through their minds. Wes Johnson had a notable first year as the head coach, with a historic season from Charlie Condon to back it up.
But this year, Johnson doesn’t have Condon’s power at the plate. Condon, Corey Collins, Fernando Gonzalez, and several other Bulldogs heard their names called in the MLB draft and are no longer in Athens. It’s hard to imagine Georgia duplicating last year’s success without some of those big names.
However, Johnson and the team are more than ready for this season. The new additions have the veteran’s excited to build off of last year’s historic run.
“We’re a better team than we were last year,” said sophomore infielder Tre Phelps. “The camaraderie this year is unreal.”
Part of the reason the team has high expectations for this season is due to the transfer portal. The Dawgs lead the SEC with 16 additions via the portal.
“You gotta understand it’s a domino effect,” Johnson said. “You’re looking for experience, as opposed to constantly bringing in a big freshman class and hoping that really goes.”
But this year’s freshman class has already exceeded expectations, and players and coaches alike are excited to see what they bring to the table once the season begins.
“This is the first freshman class since I’ve been here where you can go, ‘Okay, yeah, we know exactly what we’re getting,'” Johnson said.
Fall play gave the team a chance to build a sense of community in the locker room and see how the new faces fared at Foley Field.
“It’s good playing with them in the fall and so far in the spring,” junior infielder Kolby Branch said. “We like our guys, and they’re really confident.”
Fans can see the new players in action when Foley Field hosts its first game Feb. 20. The Bulldogs kick off their season this weekend with two games each against Quinnipiac and UNC Wilmington in Wilmington, North Carolina. They then travel to Kennesaw State for a matchup on Tuesday, Feb. 18, before returning home to host UIC in a four-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 20.
