Athens - No sooner had Georgia baseball coach David Perno put his signature on a new contract Tuesday than he was on the phone with 30 recruits.

There is no time to waste in the college game.

Perno, who led the Bulldogs to the College World Series for the third time in five years this past season, received a $150,000-a-year raise that was announced by Georgia athletics director Damon Evans on this morning.

The new five-year, $2.25 million deal, which will keep Perno at Georgia through the 2013 season, moves him into the top-half of SEC coaches in terms of compensation. Before leading the Bulldogs to an SEC championship and runner-up finish in the CWS this season, Perno had been among the lowest-paid coaches in the league.

Perno was particularly pleased about the swiftness with which Georgia came forward with the offer. The Bulldogs' season ended just a week ago. They were 45-25-1 after losing to Fresno State in the national championship game.

"It was a real plus, the things Damon said and just the way they handled the whole thing," said Perno, who will turn 41 on Saturday. "It's a good deal for me and it allows us to remain in Athens and continue to do the things we're trying to do with this program."

Perno's name came up for several open head coaching positions in the last month, including two in the SEC.

"I entertained some offers, which was flattering," Perno said. "But Georgia is where I want to be."

Perno, an Athens native, was not among the top four candidates to succeed Ron Polk when Vince Dooley reluctantly hired him in 2002. Since then, Perno has become one of only 12 coaches in history to lead his team to three CWS berths (2004, '06, '08) in his first seven seasons.

In fact, Perno has been a part of five of the six Georgia teams that made it to the CWS. He was an infielder on the Bulldogs' 1990 NCAA championship squad and he was an assistant coach for Georgia's 2001 team that also won the SEC championship.

Perno was named 2004 National Coach of the Year by Baseball America and College Baseball Insider, the same season he led Georgia to a share of the SEC Championship and a third-place showing at the CWS. He secured SEC Coach of the Year accolades this year and in 2004.

Player development has been a cornerstone of Perno's program. Shortstop Gordon Beckham and pitcher Joshua Fields, who were the eighth and 20th overall selections in last month's major league baseball draft, were undrafted out of high school. In all, 25 of Perno's players who came to Georgia undrafted have signed professional contracts.

Evans is vacationing in Jamaica this week but issued a statement through the school today.

"I'm excited we have reached an agreement with David to ensure he will continue to build upon the tremendous success our baseball program has enjoyed under his guidance," Evans said. "David has done an outstanding job, not only with producing winning teams but also creating great enthusiasm surrounding Georgia Baseball. I'm looking forward to the future and the continued excellence of his teams."

In addition to Beckham and Fields, the Bulldogs lost a lot of talent off this past season's team. But Perno believes they're close to being in position to reload each season.

"Overall we'd like to become a little more consistent," said Perno, who carries a 251-184-1 overall record and a 105-103-1 SEC record into his eighth season. "I think we're getting there but there is still a lot of work to do."