Athens — As a Georgia player, assistant and head coach, he has now been a part of all but one of the Bulldogs' appearances in the College World Series.

He has been a part of as many SEC championships — three — as the school had won in its history before he joined the coaching staff.

Curtis Compton/AJC (ENLARGE)

Bulldogs head coach David Perno argues with first base umpire Chris Coskey after Lyle Allen was hit by a pitch in the sixt inning.

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As the Bulldogs prepare for yet another trip to Omaha, is it time that we start referring to their coach as "the Great David Perno?"

"What he has done certainly is exceptional, absolutely exceptional," Georgia athletics director Damon Evans said of the Bulldogs' head coach. "He'll be a part of five World Series now and that's pretty special. He's someone I believe can really become an all-time great."

Maybe he already is. For the people who have spent the most time with him the past four years — his players —there's no doubt about it.

"He's getting good guys in here," said senior shortstop Gordon Beckham, who as an Academic All-American and Golden Spikes Award finalist is one of those. "We're as close in that dugout as any team in the nation and I think that's a tribute to Coach. He gets guys in here that are good people to begin with. Some of it's luck and some of it's a lot of hard work."

Despite his unprecedented postseason success, Perno has taken his share of slings and arrows. Entering this season, the Bulldogs actually had a losing SEC record (85-94) before winning this year's regular-season title with a 20-9 mark. And Georgia has had an unusual pattern of good seasons in even years and bad ones in odd since Perno took over.

But N.C. State coach Elliott Avent, who is still seeking his first College World Series, says that stuff is immaterial.

"I don't know why that guy wouldn't get respect," Avent said after his team's 17-8 loss at Foley Field on Sunday. "Three times in five years? That's incredible."

For his part, Perno shrugged and pointed to the players at his side.

"We're a special place," he said of Georgia. "And 19 out of 25 guys went 23-33 [last year's overall record]. I think those down years motivate us, too."

All those flattering words may soon come back to haunt Evans. Perno has three years remaining on a five-year contract he signed in 2006. He's currently among the bottom third of SEC coaches in compensation.

"The exciting thing about David is he's doing it at such a rapid pace," Evans said. "If you look at what he has accomplished in such a short period of time, the future looks very bright. What he's doing is phenomenal."