Despite no Omaha, Georgia baseball should be proud of its 2024 campaign
It was a somber scene Monday evening at Foley Field. Georgia baseball dropped game three of the Athens Super Regional to end its season one win shy of advancing to Georgia baseball's 2024 season ended with a one-hour loss to the Athens Super Regional, one win short of advancing to the College World Series. Despite the loss, the team should be proud of its remarkable season. Head coach Wes Johnson led the team to a sixth-place finish in the SEC East and host their first Super Regional in 16 years. The team also had numerous individual accomplishments, including breaking the team’s single season and career home run records, and breaking the Bulldogs’ record for most grand slams in a single season. Despite a lack of Omaha, Georgia's performance set a precedent for the program's upcoming years.
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It was a somber scene Monday evening at Foley Field. Georgia baseball dropped game three of the Athens Super Regional to end its season one win shy of advancing to the College World Series. Despite the loss, the Bulldogs should be nothing but proud of their 2024 season.
Entering the year, league coaches picked Georgia to finish sixth out of seven SEC East teams, just ahead of Missouri. Overall, the national media had Georgia as the 11th best team in its conference.
Four months later, the Bulldogs hosted their first Super Regional in 16 years.
“If you can get the right group together and get them to believe in themselves, play with confidence, and go out there and take the training we put them through daily, you have a chance,” head coach Wes Johnson said of what Georgia accomplished in his first year as its head coach. “What this group of men did was obviously something I’ll never forget.”
The 2024 Bulldogs could be described as an unlikely group of heroes. Johnson grabbed players from the ever-popular transfer portal and pieced lineups together using analytical models. While serving as LSU’s pitching coach in the College World Series, Johnson put together his final roster in less than four months.
Despite the rushed offseason, the Bulldogs quickly bonded on and off the field. Their chemistry was on display through the highs and the lows. After Georgia’s season ended, many players spent an hour on the field soaking in their last moments together.
“I wanted them to be able to take everything in,” freshman Tre Phelps said of the lingering conversations.
Although its season ended without a trip to Omaha, Georgia put together a remarkable campaign that set a precedent for the program’s upcoming years. As a result, the Bulldogs have nothing to be ashamed of.
“This program has made a huge leap in the right direction, and I know for a fact that if this is my last year here, it's in great hands,” Charlie Condon said. “I know this program is going to be dangerous the next couple of years."
This season, Georgia changed the national narrative of its program. After Georgia’s sweep of No. 14 South Carolina in May, Johnson delivered a simple message to his team in the opposing dugout.
“I’m going to let you know something,” Johnson said. “The Dogs are feared.”
Georgia baseball has not been feared in quite some time, as evidenced by its preseason rankings. However, as the Bulldogs showed their potential, opposing coaches called Johnson to share Georgia’s new status.
“He would tell us, ‘I’m getting calls from coaches saying y’all are an Omaha team,’” Josh Stinson said on his podcast Catch 42. “That kind of drives us to go harder because if other coaches are saying that about us, then we’ve got to believe it too.”
On top of the team’s success, the Bulldogs also had no shortage of individual accomplishments to be proud of. Condon broke the team’s single season and career home run records, while Corey Collins’ career-high 20 long balls gave Georgia its first pair of teammates to hit double digit home runs.
Transfer addition Kolby Branch also broke the Bulldogs’ record for most grand slams in a single season, while his roommate and other portal-commit Slate Alford batted .300 with a career-best 17 home runs.
Other transfer additions such as Clayton Chadwick, Paul Toetz, Dylan Goldstein and Dillon Carter helped man an outfield that contributed to Georgia’s school-record 151 home runs, while Logan Jordan and Henry Hunter provided a spark both on and off the field. The Bulldogs’ pitching staff also continued to grow under Johnson’s tutelage.
“Our pitchers grew phenomenally from where we started day one,” Johnson said. “Their heart was in the right spot, but their stuff continued to get better throughout. They gave us all they had. Couldn’t be more proud of those guys than I am right now.”
Despite a first year head coach and 28 new additions to the roster, Georgia finished with its best record since 2019. The effort is something those on the team should be proud of and will forever be cherished within their fanbase.
Tematy: Baseball