ATHENS -- At the start of each week throughout the regular season, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will take a closer look at the Georgia baseball team. Here’s a breakdown of the Bulldogs going into the third week of the campaign:
Record: 7-0, 0-0 SEC
Streak: Won 7
Rankings: N/A
Last Week (4-0)
Tuesday: Won at Georgia State 15-0
Friday: Beat Northern Kentucky 15-5 (7 innings)
Saturday: Beat Northern Kentucky 7-6
Sunday: Beat Northern Kentucky 12-11
This Week
Tuesday: vs. Presbyterian, 3 p.m.
Wednesday: vs. Michigan State, 6 p.m.
Friday: at Georgia Tech, 6 p.m.
Saturday: vs. Georgia Tech, 2 p.m.
Sunday: vs. Georgia Tech, 3 p.m. (Coolray Field, Lawrenceville)
Week in review
It’s still very early, but the Bulldogs definitely look like an offensive team, so far. In getting off to its best start since Ron Polk’s team went 8-0 in 2000, Wes Johnson’s first Georgia team is leading the SEC with a .355 average with 22 home runs and an on-base percentage (OBP) of .500.
Leading the way is All-American Charlie Condon, who continues to swing a hot bat. The sophomore infielder/outfielder is hitting .643 on the season and slugging 1.179 after recording three home runs and six RBIs. He was named SEC player of the week later Monday after Georgia’s Slate Alford was named co-player of the week for the league last week.
Ironically, it’s pitching that is of concern for the Bulldogs. Johnson came to Georgia from LSU as one of the preeminent pitching coaches in baseball. However, UGA pitchers rank ninth in the SEC with a collective ERA of 4.34.
The Norsemen were responsible for driving up that number. After falling behind 10-0 in the first inning on the way to a 15-5 run-rule loss on Friday, Northern Kentucky slugged its way to late leads on Saturday and Sunday. The Bulldogs rallied from a 6-3 deficit on Saturday before winning 7-6 on back-to-back homers in the ninth by Kolby Branch and Dillon Carter.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs trailed 5-2 in the fifth. They hit back-to-back-to-back homers for the first time since 2021, then got another walk-off victory, 12-11, when freshman Tre Phelps was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth. It was the third HBP of the game for the freshman from Kennesaw, who earlier in the day got his first career hit – a home run.
Week ahead
The competition ramps up considerably for the Bulldogs as they play six games over the next seven days. First, Presbyterian (5-3) visits Foley Field on Tuesday (3 p.m.), followed by Michigan State on Wednesday (6 p.m.). The Spartans (2-5) are hitting Athens on the way back from Port Charlotte, Florida, as part of a Southeast swing.
Then comes the annual three-game set against archrival Georgia Tech. Georgia will meet the Yellow Jackets (6-1) Friday night in Atlanta at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium (6 p.m., Saturday in Athens at Foley Field (2 p.m.) and Sunday at 3 p.m. at Coolray Field in Lawrenceville.
The Sunday game is known as the “Spring Baseball Classic for Kids,” which Tech and Georgia have played annually for 21 years to benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. All proceeds are donated to CHOA’s Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. For ticket and parking information, follow this link: https://gado.gs/a66
They said it
“It’s kind of a Catch 22. You want your pitchers to challenge that strike hitters and continue to challenge the strike zone, but you’ve got to move the ball a little different through that strike zone. I like the intent of it. We’ve just got to get better with our misses.” – Coach Wes Johnson on Georgia pitching
“I wish I could tell you that it didn’t hurt, but it definitely hurt. It takes courage. We go over it every day in practice. To be able to come in today and actually do it, especially to win a game, is big.” – Georgia outfielder Tre Phelps on being hit by pitches three times on Sunday
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