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Year by Year
Records
First Season: 1886 was the first real season according to living legend Dan Magill who spoke with early lettermen from that period. Baseball is the oldest varsity sport on campus. C.E. Morris was the team captain, leading Georgia to a 2-0 mark in its inaugural season. The wins came against a town team from Athens and a team from Emory College in Oxford, Ga. The game against Emory was played at Union Point.
The ace pitcher of the team was Charles Ed Morris who introduced the curve ball to the South. His catcher was his brother John, who for years headed Georgia’s German department and was faculty chairman of athletics. Club teams were in existence at Georgia as early as 1867 according to Georgia historian E. Merton Coulter.
First Coach: “Hustlin” Hughie Jennings served as coach beginning in 1895 until 1899. Jennings, a former standout for the Baltimore Orioles who also managed the Detroit Tigers from 1907-20, was one of the first 35 men elected into baseball’s Hall of Fame. During Jennings’ tenure, scores began to be recorded.
First Field: Herty Field, named for Charles Herty a Georgia graduate and later a chemistry professor, spearheaded the efforts to re-do the school’s athletic field as a home to all of its sports. He earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and during this time he learned more about a different version of the sport of rugby, referred to as a football. Herty is credited with introducing the sport of football to his alma mater and serving as the first coach. Along with attracting Pop Warner, a former Cornell captain to eventually coach Georgia in football in 1895, he also helped Hughie Jennings become the first baseball coach. Steadman V. Sanford followed Herty as “physical director” and by 1912, a new facility for both baseball and football was built and eventually named Sanford Field.
First Championship: In 1908, team captain Frank Martin led UGA to a 20-2 campaign and its first-ever Southern Championship. The team’s record of 20 straight wins stands today. The two losses came to professional teams in exhibitions.
Famed sportswriter Grantland Rice, then sports editor of the Atlanta Journal, called the 1908 team “the greatest baseball team - or any other kind of team - ever assembled in the South.” Georgia won its first SEC title in 1933.
First Bulldog in the Major Leagues: Claude Derrick began his career with the Philadelphia Athletics in 1909 and played on two World Championship teams in 1910 and 1911. In 1912 with Baltimore, Derrick was the first roommate of rookie George Herman Ruth, better known as “The Babe.”
There have been eight first round draft picks in Georgia baseball history: Larry Littleton-1976, Jeff Pyburn -1980, Derek Lilliquist and Cris Carpenter - 1987, Kendall Rhine - 1992, Brooks Brown - 2006, Gordon Beckham and Joshua Fields - 2008.
Most Successful Major Leaguer: Spurgeon “Spud” Chandler, who pitched for the Bulldogs from 1929-32, went on to play for the New York Yankees from 1937-47. He was a part of seven World Series teams, including six that won championships.Did You Know? When New York Yankee great Yogi Berra was called up to the big leagues, the first pitcher he caught was Spud Chandler.
National Honors: Georgia has had 17 Bulldogs earn All-America honors 34 times in the program’s history including most recently Rich Poythress (1B) in 2009. Gordon Beckham (SS) and Joshua Fields (RHP) both earned All-America honors in 2008. It marked the first time in school history that Georgia had a pair of All-Americans in the same season. In Bulldog history, Georgia has had a player win National Player/Pitcher of the Year honors. Outfielder Ron Wenrich was named National Freshman of the Year in 1985. Derek Lilliquist was named National Pitcher of the Year in 1987. Fields was named the National Closer of the Year in 2008.
Winningest Coach: Steve Webber, who compiled a 500-403-1 record in 16 seasons (1981-1996). He led the Diamond Dogs to two College World Series appearances (1987, ’90), including a national championship in 1990. One of Webber’s former players, David Perno, has directed the Bulldog program since July 20, 2001.
Current Coach: David Perno, who was named head coach on July 20, 2001, was a member of Georgia's 1990 National Championship team. He served five years as an assistant on the Georgia staff prior to being named head coach. In just his third season at the helm, he led the Bulldogs to a thrid place finish at the College World Series, a share of the SEC Title, and was named the 2004 National Coach of the Year by Baseball America. Since then, he has led Georgia back to the College World Series in 2006 and 2008. Perno is one of only a dozen coaches in NCAA history to lead three teams to the CWS in his first seven seasons at the helm. The Bulldogs finished second at the 2008 CWS.
Longest Tenure at the Helm: “Big Jim” Whatley served as the Georgia mentor for 25 seasons (1950, ’52-’75), recording 336 wins, second most in Bulldog history. Whatley passed away in May of 2001 at the age of 88.
1990 National Champions: Georgia earned the 1990 NCAA crown after defeating Oklahoma State 2-1 in the title game. Also, they made a trip to the White House and met President George Bush. Mike Rebhan was named Most Outstanding Player in the CWS after beating the Stanford Cardinal and Mike Mussina twice.
In 1996 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the CWS, Rebhan was named to the CWS All-Decade team for the 1990s.
Foley Field: Georgia has played here since 1966. In 1990, the field was renovated at a cost of $3.5 million. The current stadium has a seating capacity of 3,291, and includes indoor and outdoor bullpens, indoor batting cages, a spacious locker room and players lounge, equipment room, and one of the top press facilities in the country. In a 1998 survey, Foley Field was regarded as one of the Top 15 collegiate baseball facilities in the nation. In 2001, Foley Field served as host to an NCAA Regional and Super Regional as the Bulldogs advanced to the College World Series. In 2004, Georgia played host to an NCAA Regional again and ultimately reached the College World Series after winning a Super Regional at Ga. Tech. In 2006 and 2008, Foley Field was home to an NCAA Regional and Super Regional, and the Bulldogs took care of business both times and advanced to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series.
Largest Crowd:
- Home - 4,461: March 21, 2009 - #3 Georgia beat #25 Miss. State 4-0
- Road - 28,836: May 11, 2004 - #15 Ga. Tech beat #12 Georgia 12-5 at Turner Field in Atlanta, GA
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