Georgia baseball hiring an assistant coach, plus more transfer portal intel

Just when you believe Georgia baseball has slowed down this offseason, think again.

The Bulldogs are set to hire former Tennessee and Pittsburgh assistant coach Luke Bonfield. UGASports.com’s Anthony Dasher first reported Wednesday that Georgia coach Wes Johnson was closing in on hiring Bonfield, who confirmed the move with an update to his Twitter/X profile.

The hire followed former Bulldogs assistant and hitting coach Nick Ammirati’s decision to become Auburn’s hitting coordinator.

“It was a promotion. You know, I mean, we don’t stop our people here from getting promoted,” Johnson told UGASports.com about Ammirati leaving. “This wasn’t a lateral move by any means.”

During Ammirati’s two seasons in Athens, Georgia fielded one of the nation’s most productive offenses. The Bulldogs led the country in home runs both years, setting program records with 144 long balls in 2025 before surpassing that with 179 in 2026.

Over that span, Georgia hit .304 as a team, averaged 8.82 runs per game and finished top 5 nationally in slugging percentage each season. UGA also set single-season marks with 611 runs scored, 583 RBIs and 1,405 total bases during its 2026 run to the College World Series.

Bonfield comes over from Pittsburgh, where he spent one season as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. He also worked with the Panthers’ outfielders while assisting in offensive game plans and strategies.

Before Pitt, Bonfield served six years in various roles at Tennessee under former coach and now San Francisco Giants manager Tony Vitello. He began as a student manager at Tennessee in 2020, was promoted to director of player development in 2021, and moved into a new role as the director of recruiting operations following the 2024 season.

During his time at Tennessee, he helped the Volunteers make five NCAA Tournament appearances, including five super regionals, three trips to the College World Series (2021, 2023, 2024) and the program’s first national championship in 2024.

Transfer portal intel

The Bulldogs also picked up their 20th transfer portal addition Thursday night with the commitment of Arizona State right-handed pitcher Finn Edwards, per his Instagram.

At 6-foot-7 and 210 pounds, Edwards will be playing his third year in college. He spent one season at Arizona State after a year at Iowa Western Community College.

Edwards was 1-3 with a 6.59 ERA in 18 relief appearances last season. He had 25 strikeouts and 11 walks in 13 2/3 innings. Edwards, from Bend, Oregon, made 17 appearances for Iowa Western, compiling a 3-2 record over 34 1/3 innings with a 3.67 ERA, 45 strikeouts and 17 walks.

He was an 18th-round selection in the 2025 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers before choosing to attend Arizona State.

This portal addition came after South Florida transfer left-handed pitcher Edwin Alicea, who had intended to go to Georgia, signed with the Detroit Tigers on July 19 after being selected in the 14th round of this year’s draft.