Georgia Bulldogs head coach Wes Johnson went to bat for his slugger Charlie Condon after the Bulldogs were eliminated in the Super Regional by NC State.
Johnson was asked in the postgame press conference about how NC State was able to limit Condon. However, Johnson took issue with that description of what happened during the series and pushed back on it.
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“Well, I disagree with you,” Wes Johnson said. “I’m sorry. He hit some balls 112 mph and got out. I don’t think they — that’s just called luck.”
From a purely statistical point of view, Charlie Condon was neutralized. He only had two hits in 11 at-bats during the Super Regional. That included two runs scored and a home run. However, given that he hit .433 this season with a .556 OBP and a 1.009 slugging percentage to go along with 37 home runs and 78 RBIs, those numbers do seem low.
Despite that, and to Johnson’s point, baseball is a game where bad luck can take over. Good contact and good at-bats aren’t always rewarded. In the Super Regional, Condon ran into some bad luck.
“You look at Slate [Alford], he hits the ball and a young man made a great play in centerfield, but if that ball isn’t caught then things are different,” Johnson said.
“But I didn’t think they neutralized him. You’re hitting balls over 100 miles an hour, getting off great swings, this game is really hard. It’s really, really hard to do that. I think what happens is people get spoiled, right, by this young man right here. It’s like every time he comes up, you think he’s going to hit a home run and if hits a ball 112 and he lines out, then he’s had a bad day. There’s a handful of people on this planet that can do that. So, that’s my take.”
Charlie Condon believes Georgia is in good hands with Wes Johnson
Charlie Condon is going to have options moving forward. He’s draft-eligible and one of the top available prospects, though he still has college eligibility if he wants to use it. Either way, he knows the program is in good hands with Wes Johnson.
“I’ve been seeing bits and pieces of it throughout the year. This program has made a huge leap in the right direction. I know for a fact if this is my last year here, it’s in great hands. There’s no doubt in my mind that this program is pointing in the right direction and [Tre Phelps] is making big steps to try to be a huge, huge part of that. I’m so proud of that guy and I really can’t wait to see where his career goes,” Condon said.
“He’s gonna be a big piece of this group moving forward. And I’ll always be around supporting the program regardless of whether I’m a Bulldog next year or not, just knowing that this program is going to be dangerous the next couple of years.”
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