University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Tre Phelps
May 30, 2024 | Baseball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Tre Phelps remembers very well his first home run as a member of the Georgia baseball team. It was earlier this season, on Feb. 25, in the fifth inning against Northern Kentucky — the second of three homers in a row that inning by the Bulldogs' potent bats. It was also his first hit as a Bulldog.
It wasn't the only run he drove in that day, either; the second came later, on a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the ninth. That was the freshman's fourth career game, and he's been making things happen ever since.
On Friday, Phelps and the No. 7-seeded Bulldogs (39-15) will begin NCAA Athens Regional play against Army (31-21), starting at 1 p.m. at Foley Field, where Georgia is 29-5 this season. Phelps heads into his first NCAA game with a .357 batting average (well above the .257 he hit as a senior at Georgia Premier Academy), 33 RBIs, nine homers and 27 runs scored.
During a recent Quick Chat, Phelps, from Kennesaw, Ga., talked about his first homer, how his high school days prepared him for college ball, his walk-up song, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Do you remember your first home run for Georgia?
Phelps: I definitely remember my first one here. It was against Northern Kentucky, and it was actually my first career hit. It kind of got me going, and I remember being excited as I ran around the bases. It was huge. And I ended up walking that game off with a hit-by-pitch, which was really memorable for me.
Frierson: Which felt better, hitting your first college home run or getting hit by a pitch to win a game?
Phelps: Oh, walking off with a hit-by-pitch, every time.
Frierson: How much does it hurt to get hit by a pitch? Does it hurt more than you guys let on?
Phelps: Not really. I'd say it's a mentality thing. It will hurt, obviously, but you're going to have to play with it.
Frierson: Is there one game from your childhood that stands out above the rest?
Phelps: We had a tournament in Hoover (Ala.) my junior year of high school, actually at the Metropolitan Complex, and I had a partially torn PCL (posterior cruciate ligament). I couldn't run from here to that wall five feet away, I was hobbling around the bases, and I ended up playing seven games in three days.
I hit seven doubles, four bombs, some of those doubles would have been triples except I couldn't really run. I ended up hitting like .630-something and was the tournament MVP. We ended up losing in the championship, sadly, but it was a very memorable tournament for me.
Frierson: Do you think back to things like that if you're going through a rough stretch?
Phelps: They're definitely in the back of my mind, those replays of when you're doing really good in a game. Baseball is hard, truthfully, and having those memories, knowing that you are good at the game, and really believing it, that really helps push you every single day to be even better than you think you can be.
(Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson) talks about that all the time. Just believing in yourself.
Frierson: How is it that you're hitting almost 100 points higher this season than you did last year in high school?
Phelps: [Laughs] One, that conference I was in in high school, I think it's the hardest high school conference in the nation. This year, the big thing is being able to go to the plate with a plan. I would say the pitching at this level is a little bit better, these guys are more consistent in hitting their spots, but I saw a lot of the same stuff, 95 or 96 (mph), in high school.
Now, being able to go up there with a plan of how I want to attack rather than just going up and "see ball, hit ball" kind of just took me to a whole new level. It's also the mental part. I didn't have older guys like Corey (Collins) or Charlie (Condon) to talk to me about how to be a good, consistent hitter.
Frierson: What is it like having a front-row seat to the incredible, history-making season that Charlie is having?
Phelps: I'll say I feel like I'm in the passenger seat [laughs]. I like seeing what he does each day in practice actually pay off. You see it in the fall and in the spring leading up to the year, and obviously, we know how good he is, but it's the ability to go out and show it every single day and every single weekend at the highest level.
Frierson: What is the perfect walk-up music? Is there one song for you that's perfect, or do you even notice it anymore?
Phelps: I'm that guy that as I'm walking up to the plate I'm singing my walk-up song. I'm bobbing my head until it goes off. I wouldn't say there's a perfect walk-up song or genre; there are a lot of songs that can get me going. My song is "Magic Don Juan" by Future.
Frierson: Did you know you wanted to use it the first time you heard it?
Phelps: Yes [laughs]. It was actually Chandler Marsh, he came into the locker room one day and was like, "Tre, this needs to be your walk-up song." The song came out right before the season started ... and it's been going ever since. I love it.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
Tre Phelps remembers very well his first home run as a member of the Georgia baseball team. It was earlier this season, on Feb. 25, in the fifth inning against Northern Kentucky — the second of three homers in a row that inning by the Bulldogs' potent bats. It was also his first hit as a Bulldog.
It wasn't the only run he drove in that day, either; the second came later, on a walk-off hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the ninth. That was the freshman's fourth career game, and he's been making things happen ever since.
On Friday, Phelps and the No. 7-seeded Bulldogs (39-15) will begin NCAA Athens Regional play against Army (31-21), starting at 1 p.m. at Foley Field, where Georgia is 29-5 this season. Phelps heads into his first NCAA game with a .357 batting average (well above the .257 he hit as a senior at Georgia Premier Academy), 33 RBIs, nine homers and 27 runs scored.
During a recent Quick Chat, Phelps, from Kennesaw, Ga., talked about his first homer, how his high school days prepared him for college ball, his walk-up song, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: Do you remember your first home run for Georgia?
Phelps: I definitely remember my first one here. It was against Northern Kentucky, and it was actually my first career hit. It kind of got me going, and I remember being excited as I ran around the bases. It was huge. And I ended up walking that game off with a hit-by-pitch, which was really memorable for me.
Frierson: Which felt better, hitting your first college home run or getting hit by a pitch to win a game?
Phelps: Oh, walking off with a hit-by-pitch, every time.
Frierson: How much does it hurt to get hit by a pitch? Does it hurt more than you guys let on?
Phelps: Not really. I'd say it's a mentality thing. It will hurt, obviously, but you're going to have to play with it.
Frierson: Is there one game from your childhood that stands out above the rest?
Phelps: We had a tournament in Hoover (Ala.) my junior year of high school, actually at the Metropolitan Complex, and I had a partially torn PCL (posterior cruciate ligament). I couldn't run from here to that wall five feet away, I was hobbling around the bases, and I ended up playing seven games in three days.
I hit seven doubles, four bombs, some of those doubles would have been triples except I couldn't really run. I ended up hitting like .630-something and was the tournament MVP. We ended up losing in the championship, sadly, but it was a very memorable tournament for me.
Frierson: Do you think back to things like that if you're going through a rough stretch?
Phelps: They're definitely in the back of my mind, those replays of when you're doing really good in a game. Baseball is hard, truthfully, and having those memories, knowing that you are good at the game, and really believing it, that really helps push you every single day to be even better than you think you can be.
(Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson) talks about that all the time. Just believing in yourself.
Frierson: How is it that you're hitting almost 100 points higher this season than you did last year in high school?
Phelps: [Laughs] One, that conference I was in in high school, I think it's the hardest high school conference in the nation. This year, the big thing is being able to go to the plate with a plan. I would say the pitching at this level is a little bit better, these guys are more consistent in hitting their spots, but I saw a lot of the same stuff, 95 or 96 (mph), in high school.
Now, being able to go up there with a plan of how I want to attack rather than just going up and "see ball, hit ball" kind of just took me to a whole new level. It's also the mental part. I didn't have older guys like Corey (Collins) or Charlie (Condon) to talk to me about how to be a good, consistent hitter.
Frierson: What is it like having a front-row seat to the incredible, history-making season that Charlie is having?
Phelps: I'll say I feel like I'm in the passenger seat [laughs]. I like seeing what he does each day in practice actually pay off. You see it in the fall and in the spring leading up to the year, and obviously, we know how good he is, but it's the ability to go out and show it every single day and every single weekend at the highest level.
Frierson: What is the perfect walk-up music? Is there one song for you that's perfect, or do you even notice it anymore?
Phelps: I'm that guy that as I'm walking up to the plate I'm singing my walk-up song. I'm bobbing my head until it goes off. I wouldn't say there's a perfect walk-up song or genre; there are a lot of songs that can get me going. My song is "Magic Don Juan" by Future.
Frierson: Did you know you wanted to use it the first time you heard it?
Phelps: Yes [laughs]. It was actually Chandler Marsh, he came into the locker room one day and was like, "Tre, this needs to be your walk-up song." The song came out right before the season started ... and it's been going ever since. I love it.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballGeorgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Oklahoma State - Postgame Press Conference
Sunday, June 01
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Duke - Postgame Press Conference
Saturday, May 31
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Binghamton - TV Highlights
Friday, May 30
Georgia Baseball - NCAA Regional vs Binghamton - Postgame Press Conference
Friday, May 30