ATHENS – “Here’s the ball, kid. Now go mow ‘em down.”
That’s not exactly the marching orders Luke Wagner got from coach Scott Stricklin this week. But that’s pretty much the situation he’s in as the left-hander from Pennsylvania becomes the Georgia Bulldogs’ first freshman starter to open an SEC series since Emerson Hancock at Alabama in 2018.
Wagner has a tall order. All he has to do is face a Tennessee Vols’ team that is 15-3, ranked as high as No. 10 (USA Today) in the plethora of college baseball polls out there and comes in having hit 19 home runs and scored 129 runs in 18 games.
But Stricklin didn’t come lightly to the decision to start Wagner. It was dictated by a myriad of circumstances, not the least of which is Wagner has looked good.
“Luke has thrown the ball well and he’s a competitor,” Stricklin said.
Wagner likely wouldn’t be in this position if it wasn’t for senior left-hander C.J. Smith battling arm soreness at the moment. Also, Jonathan Cannon, who otherwise probably would be the Bulldogs’ Friday-night starter, has not long been back from a bout with mononucleosis. He got his first start on a low pitch count last weekend and got the win in just two innings. Meanwhile, No. 2 started Ryan Webb missed the early part of the season due to a COVID-19 infection. He has started just twice.
“So you don’t want to move them up a day,” Stricklin said. “So we’re keeping them on Saturday and Sunday because of that. And we may just stick with it. We’ll just have to see how it goes.
Because of illness and injuries to upperclassmen, eight freshmen have already pitched for the Bulldogs.
“I feel a lot better about them because they’ve got experience,” Stricklin said. “Those guys have done really well. If Webb, Cannon and Michael Polk were all healthy the whole time, then a lot of these freshmen wouldn’t have as much experience under their belts. And those guys have done really well.”
So who is Wagner?
The 6-foot, 175-pound freshman was a two-way standout at red Land High in New Cumberland, Penn., last year. As a junior pitcher (his senior season was lost to COVID), Wagner posted an 11-2 record and 1.44 ERA while striking out 117 strikeouts in 68 innings. When he wasn’t pitching, Wagner played n center field and batted a team-leading .385 with two home runs, 18 RBI and 18 stolen bases to lead the Patriots to a the 5A state title and 25-3 record.
At Georgia, Wagner has proven cool and calm. He’s 3-0 with an 0.71 ERA and enters his first SEC start with seven hits, nine strikeouts and 8 walks in 12.2 innings. Opponents are hitting .167 against him so far, with one home run.
Wagner’s fellow hurlers have consulted him and have every confidence in him.
“What’s always stood out to me is how calm he always was,” Webb said. “He’s always the same kid every day, never too high, never too low. Just comes out and throws strikes. … He’s going to be perfectly fine on Friday nights in SEC because he doesn’t ever let the moment be too big for him. I think that’s going to be a big part of his success this year and down the road.”
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