Link to Article on The Red & Black
By Olivia Sayer
Georgia junior Henry Hunter (11) celebrates double during a NCAA college baseball game between Alabama and Georgia at Foley Field in Athens, Georgia, on Saturday, March 23, 2024. Georgia won 9-5. (Photo/Mady Mertens: @MadyMertensPhotography)
Henry Hunter stands near the steps of Georgia baseball’s dugout. Oftentimes, he is the first one jumping the rail to congratulate a teammate after making a game-changing play. According to head coach Wes Johnson, Hunter is also one of the hardest working athletes on the team.
“He’s got a Navy SEAL work ethic,” Johnson said during the season. “It’s very impressive.”
The former UAB transfer found success in his first season with the Bulldogs. Hunter hit .264 with a .879 OPS and finished the 2024 season two long balls shy of his career-high for home runs in 16 less games.
More importantly, Hunter’s pitchers thrived when he was behind the plate.
Henry Hunter stands near the steps of Georgia baseball’s dugout. Oftentimes, he is the first one jumping the rail to congratulate a teammate after making a game-changing play. According to head coach Wes Johnson, Hunter is also one of the hardest working athletes on the team.
“He’s got a Navy SEAL work ethic,” Johnson said during the season. “It’s very impressive.”
The former UAB transfer found success in his first season with the Bulldogs. Hunter hit .264 with a .879 OPS and finished the 2024 season two long balls shy of his career-high for home runs in 16 less games.
More importantly, Hunter’s pitchers thrived when he was behind the plate.
Hunter saw limited time behind the plate in 2024, but it was through no fault of his own. Gonzalez returned for his final year in Athens, and Hunter cherished the opportunity to learn from someone he called a “Georgia legend.”
Hunter saw limited time behind the plate in 2024, but it was through no fault of his own. Gonzalez returned for his final year in Athens, and Hunter cherished the opportunity to learn from someone he called a “Georgia legend.”
“He’s really the vocal guy,” Collins said. “That guy comes in, and he brings energy every day. He attacks everything. He works himself, I think, harder than he should sometimes. We have to tell him to slow down, but he loves it, and he wants to get better every single day.”
Hunter’s presence within the locker room paid dividends for the Bulldogs, who welcomed 28 newcomers last offseason. Hunter led a group that prioritized team success over that of the individual. The result of the mentality was illustrated within Georgia’s best record since 2019.
“When you put winning first, most of the time you win,” Hunter said.
Hunter’s personality is something that Johnson discovered when completing his “non-baseball investigating” of the Georgia-native. Given everything he observed with Hunter, the Georgia coach is not surprised by his success.
“When you get guys who you hear have that kind of work ethic, and they have at least a little bit of a track record to go off of, you feel really good that you might be able to get them to another level,” Johnson said. “And I think that’s where Henry is right now.”