Georgia Opens Season With UNC Asheville Series

ATHENS-----The 2024 college baseball season opens Friday as Georgia plays host to UNC Asheville with first pitch at Foley Field slated for 3:02 p.m. ET. Saturday's game will be at 3:02 p.m. and Sunday's starts at 1:02 p.m. The entire series will be available on SEC Network+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.

As the oldest varsity sport on campus, this will mark the 137^th season of Bulldog baseball and the beginning of the Wes Johnson era. As the new Ike Cousins head baseball coach,  Johnson's first squad features 17 returning lettermen and 28 newcomers.

Series History: Georgia leads 11-1 as it dates to 1995. Georgia has won the past three meetings, the last coming in 2005 (4-2). UNCA's lone win came in 2000 (5-3).

The Rotation: Georgia will go with graduate left-hander Charlie Goldstein Friday followed by graduate transfer right-hander Christian Mracna on Saturday and sophomore right-hander Leighton Finley on Sunday. UNCA will start junior left-hander Cole Schiff followed by senior left-hander Justin Honeycutt and junior right-hander Clay Edmondson.

Hitters To Watch: Georgia redshirt sophomore Charlie Condon is a consensus preseason All-American after hitting .386 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI. It was one of the greatest seasons in Bulldog history and led to him being named a consensus National Freshman of the Year. He is projected as a first-round pick for the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft. Condon is capable of playing around the diamond and should this season as he did in the fall. Last season, he played mostly first base and in the outfield. UNC Asheville is led by junior infielder/outfielder Robbie Burnett (.379-13-35) who was named the 2024 Big South Preseason Player of the Year.

Preseason Coaches Picks: Georgia is picked to finish sixth in the East, according to a preseason poll of SEC coaches who voted Arkansas and Florida as the projected division champions with the Razorbacks the favorite to win the league. The Bulldogs of UNC Asheville are coached by Scott Friedholm who is now in his 10^th season. They are picked to finish fourth in the Big South, according to a preseason poll of the league coaches.

Rutherford Street Closure: Please note this season that one hour before game time, Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic until 30 minutes post-game.

Radio/TV/Live Stats Information

Friday at 3:02 pm ET (SECN+)
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4557&type=Live
TV: SEC Network+ Simulcast: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/84815052-5fac-4259-97a7-a3704ae63e91
Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Saturday at 3:02 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4558&type=Live
TV: SEC Network+ Simulcast: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/333f8af3-fb87-41bb-8ce0-d562ba6cbef7
Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Sunday at 1:02 p.m. ET (SECN+)
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4559&type=Live
TV: SEC Network+ Simulcast: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/3e824cbe-8a4c-4c84-ab7d-b299d6e8549a
Live Stats: https://georgiadogs.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary

Tickets/Parking/Promotion Information
*Click here for tickets, General Admission Seating $5: https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/list/BBS
*Foley Field Gates open one hour before game time.
*Free parking is available in the commuter surface lot behind the outfield.
*Please note this season Rutherford Street, next to Foley Field, will be closed to vehicle traffic one hour prior to baseball games until 30 minutes post-game.
*Promotions: Fri. (1st 750 fans get an Opening Weekend Pennant); Sat. (1^st 500 fans get Georgia winter gloves); Sun.: Anthem Buddies (pre-game) and Kids Run The Bases (post-game)

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Charlie Condon

Leighton Finley

Charlie Goldstein

Christian Mracna

University of Georgia Athletics