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Olivia Sayer
Georgia redshirt sophomore Charlie Condon (24) bats during an NCAA college baseball game between Vanderbilt and Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, May 4, 2024. Georgia won 14-4. (Photo/Mady Mertens; MadyMertensPhotography)
The records keep falling for Charlie Condon.
In Georgia baseball’s 11-7 victory over Vanderbilt Sunday, Condon tied Florida’s Jac Caglianone for second on the SEC’s single season home runs list. The 418-foot blast to left field in the sixth inning also tied Caglianone and Nate Gold’s 21st century record of most in a single season.
“[Caglianone] is a good buddy of mine,” Condon said. “I’ve been talking to him a lot this year. Honestly, [the conversations] are not a lot of baseball.”
It was Condon’s seventh-straight game with a home run, and he called his shot prior to stepping into the batter’s box.
“When he went on deck, he told me ‘If this guy’s still in the game, I’m going to stick him,”’ head coach Wes Johnson said. “So when he got to 3-1, I looked over to [pitcher] Paul Farley, and I said, ‘This might get loud.”’
The slugger from Marietta helped the Bulldogs put college baseball on notice, as Georgia swept No. 13 Vanderbilt in three games at Foley Field. It was the Bulldogs’ first sweep of the Commodores since 2003.
Georgia’s bats appear to be heating up at the right time, as the Bulldogs scored at least 10 runs in each of the series’ three games. They showcased their versatility at the plate and relied on more than just the long ball to score.
After a walk and consecutive singles loaded the bases in the third, Tre Phelps lined one over a diving second baseman to put Georgia on the board. Kolby Branch followed with a bunt that Vanderbilt’s Miller Green threw past the first base bag. A ground out from Paul Toetz then scored another, while a wild pitch completed the Bulldogs’ five-run inning.
“Our MO on offense has always been the long ball,” Condon said. “But when you can have quality at-bats all around and make those home runs cash in for more runs, it’s big time.”
After the Commodores scored two in the top of the sixth, back-to-back home runs by Condon and Dylan Goldstein gave Georgia some additional breathing room.
This proved vital in the eighth, as Vanderbilt scored four to bring Georgia’s 10-3 lead down to three runs. Brian Zeldin surrendered a solo shot to begin the inning, while three consecutive hits off of Christian Mracna gave the Commodores hope. Chandler Marsh retired the first batter he faced to end the inning. He shut the door on Vanderbilt in the ninth to complete the sweep.
Prior to Zeldin’s entrance, Zach Harris no-hit Vanderbilt through four innings. The sophomore right-hander said the confidence Johnson instills in his pitchers leads to their success on the mound.
“He’s more confident in me than I am at some points,” Harris said. “He has so much belief in every single person in every situation.”
Georgia will travel to South Carolina for a three game series on Thursday. While the Gamecocks boast a 22-7 record at home, the Bulldogs’ sweep of Vanderbilt gives them confidence heading into a hostile environment.
“Just not being scared,” Harris said of the team’s mentality heading into Columbia. “Going there and having that belief in ourselves that we make every stadium we walk into our home field. And that we’re a team that’s feared.”