Georgia baseball’s players have dispersed across the country this summer to prepare for the 2023 season, whether that be at the collegiate or the professional level.

For many of the younger Bulldogs, that means showcasing their skills in various collegiate summer leagues. For some of the veterans on roster, that means preparing for the MLB draft, which begins on July 17.

There are 19 underclassmen representing UGA in six different leagues this summer. Strong performances in summer leagues can help young players build draft stock for their futures and gain confidence to take back to school in the fall.

Jaden Woods headlined summer league news for Georgia, as the flame-throwing reliever and former All-SEC Freshman was invited to try out for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

Woods went 1-0, gave up just one hit, no earned runs, and fanned four of the best collegiate hitters in the country in four innings pitched. However, the righthander did not make the team, and is back in Athens preparing for 2023.

Woods, Liam Sullivan, Parks Harber, Fernando Gonzalez, and Corey Collins each earned spots in the Cape Cod Baseball League, the most prestigious collegiate summer league in the country.

Sullivan is making the most of his opportunity at ‘The Cape,’ where his 1.17 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 15.1 innings pitched are turning heads. Liam’s older brother, Patrick, is one of his assistant coaches and a former Bulldog ballplayer himself.

“[Liam] has really established himself as a guy that can be a high draft pick next year and that’s what The Cape is for,” UGA coach Scott Stricklin said. “Summer ball – especially The Cape – is at such a high level that guys are getting prepared, getting in front of those pro scouts before their junior season, which Liam is getting ready for.”

Harber, Gonzalez, and Collins have struggled at the plate this summer, as all three players are hitting below .150. To be fair, they are doing so in a wooden bat league, facing the best pitching college baseball can offer.

There are several Bulldogs in other leagues making names for themselves this summer, both on the mound and at the plate. Cole Wagner, who hit .276 with six home runs as a true freshman for Georgia, is swinging a bat hotter than a Georgia July through his first month of play in the Valley League. Wagner’s .379 batting average - the second-best in the league - is complimented by five doubles, two home runs, and 19 RBI.

Redshirt freshman Charlie Condon has raised plenty of eyebrows in the Northwoods League. The 6-foot-6 Marietta product is hitting .281 with 10 doubles, a triple, four homers, and 32 RBI.

“I feel like [Condon] can be a middle of the order type hitter for us,” UGA coach Scott Stricklin said. “Cole Wagner had a very good freshman year. … So, I think those two guys can come back to campus with a whole lot of confidence and give us a chance to bolster our offense.”

Sophomore pitchers Max DeJong and Charlie Goldstein are also off to strong starts in the Sunbelt League. DeJong has maintained a 1.35 ERA with 15 strikeouts through 6.2 innings pitched and Goldstein’s 31 strikeouts are the third-most in the league.

As the underclassmen try to impress pro scouts, some of Georgia’s veteran players are charged with the decision between returning for a final season in the Classic City and inking their first professional deals if they are drafted.

Like last year, the 2022 MLB Draft will have only 20 rounds, as opposed to the 40 rounds it had before the COVID-19 pandemic. Star pitcher Jonathan Cannon is the only Bulldog sure to be drafted this season, considering the shortened draft.

Other veteran stars like Connor Tate, Ben Anderson, Jack Gowen, and Dylan Ross could be drafted and still decide to return to Georgia in 2023. Tate and Anderson would both be sixth-year players if they decided to return.

“That’s why you’re seeing rosters in college baseball get bigger and older because the draft has changed and minor league baseball has changed,” Stricklin said. “They’ve cut teams.

“There’s not as many teams that are available to put these players on, so there’s fewer spots and they’re drafting fewer players and because of that and because of the extra COVID year these guys have all received, rosters are bigger and older.”

Anderson, who earned an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry, is preparing to start medical school in the fall of 2023. According to Stricklin, Anderson plans to use his final year of NCAA eligibility as a Bulldog before pursuing his graduate degree.

The 2022 SEC Baseball Scholar-Athlete-of-the-Year maintained a perfect fielding percentage in center field and hit .274 with nine home runs, 34 RBI, and a team-leading 57 runs.

Tate led the SEC with a .372 batting average in conference play and led his team in hits (77), doubles (19), and RBI (58) this season.

“No doubt about it, those guys coming back will be a huge boost for our team,” Stricklin said.