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Olivia Sayer
Georgia Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson walks to the dugout before the first game of the NCAA Athens Regional between Army and Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, on Friday, May 31, 2024. Georgia won 8-7. (Photo/Mady Mertens; MadyMertensPhotography)
Georgia baseball’s fall practice looks slightly different this season. With Foley Field under construction as part of its $45 million dollar renovation, the Bulldogs set up camp at Athens Academy.
Despite the uprooting, head coach Wes Johnson said the team is still practicing with “a lot of energy,” and the coaches are finding ways to “make it fun.” The project at Foley Field is still slated to be done prior to the 2025 season, giving Georgia plenty of time to familiarize itself with its new home.
Until then, the Bulldogs are not playing exhibition games. Instead, they are practicing against one another in intrasquad scrimmages that last no more than nine innings. With 52 active players on the roster and at least one more set to join in the spring, Georgia’s 2025 team is beginning to take form.
Multiple newcomers stretched out as starters
Georgia’s starting rotation is in solid shape, as Leighton Finley (6-1, 4.14 ERA in 2024), Kolten Smith (9-3, 5.56 ERA) and Zach Harris (5-2, 6.87 ERA) all returned after solidifying their spots as starters last season. Johnson said Charlie Goldstein’s (4-1, 3.72 ERA) recovery appears to be “trending in the right direction,” and he expects the graduate left-hander to begin throwing to hitters “right after the first of the year.”
Johnson also said the Bulldogs are stretching out former Alabama pitcher Alton Davis II (4-2, 5.61 ERA) as a starter this fall after he primarily closed for the Crimson Tide in 2023. Johnson said Davis is working on the mental aspect of becoming a starter.
“Everybody just thinks you can build a guy up, build his pitch count up and go start,” Johnson said. “It’s not. There’s a big mental component to it, and that’s some of the stuff that you’re seeing it all just working together.”
Davis started Georgia’s intersquad scrimmage on Thursday and looked comfortable. His velocity has reached the high 90’s multiple times throughout the fall, and he is working on perfecting his arm slot.
Former Ole Miss pitcher JT Quinn, who made eight appearances in 2024 after making 17 his freshman year, started opposite of him and pitched relatively well. He did surrender a home run to Kolby Branch, who has begun his fall season with a hot bat.
Johnson pointed to Brian Zeldin (3-3, 5.66 ERA), Ohio State transfer Zach Brown (4-0, 4.22 ERA) and VCU transfer Brian Curley (6-0, 2.87 ERA) as other guys that can fill Georgia’s rotation.
Branch and Alford anchor the infield
Georgia received welcomed news when Branch and Slate Alford announced they would return for the upcoming season. The two, along with Tre Phelps, are the only three batters left from Georgia’s Super Regional starting lineup.
Johnson said Alford is primarily getting work at third, which is where the former Mississippi State transfer began last season. As the year progressed, he moved around the infield until settling in at second for the postseason.
Branch returns to shortstop with highly touted prospect Erik Parker behind him. Parker was drafted by the Dodgers in the 15th round of the 2024 MLB Draft but chose to play collegiate ball instead. Johnson compared Parker’s role to that of a backup quarterback.
“You’re always one foul ball, one wild pitch, crazy play [away],” Johnson said. “You know who your starter is, but boy, I tell you what, if he goes down, that could be a big loss if you don’t have somebody ready. So we’re trying to get Erik ready.”
Parker played opposite of Branch in Thursday’s intersquad scrimmage. He held up well defensively, besides one throw that fellow freshman Cade Brown could not pick at first base. With 30 new faces, building defensive chemistry is going to take time.
“We play baseball as much as possible, as much as our pitching will let us,” Johnson said. “The beauty of it is they get to know their teammates on the field. And so as we move guys around, we’re strategically setting up those lineups every day to put them through those possible scenarios.”
Johnson dominates on the golf course
Baseball is a long season with players and coaches spending an inordinate amount of time on ways to improve.
So when Johnson got word some of his players were trash talking his golf game, he saw an opportunity for an off day activity that was too good to pass up.
“They had heard that I was ok at golf,” Johnson said. “So we finally were able to get a common off day, and I had to take them out there and let them know that I can still beat them.”
Johnson said it was tied after 18, and it took him six additional playoff holes to get the victory. Ryland Zaborowski, Justin Byrd, DJ Radtke and Curley reportedly gave him a run for his money.
Former Bulldog in attendance
Georgia saw three players drafted in the 2024 MLB Draft (Charlie Condon, Corey Collins and Fernando Gonzalez) with two more signing free agent deals (Chandler Marsh and Christian Mracna).
Last season, Condon said he would still be around the program, and on Thursday, he was in attendance to watch batting practice and part of the scrimmage. The No. 3 overall pick wrapped up his minor league season hitting .180 with a home run in exactly 100 at-bats, as the Spokane Indians won the Northwest League title for the first time since 2008. Condon finished 2-for-3 in the final game.
Johnson said he still communicates with all of his former players, although he understands their schedules are hectic.
“It’s funny, you’ll go two months without talking to him, and then you may talk three times in a week,” Johnson said.