ATHENS, Georgia – If then-Georgia coach Scott Stricklin hadn't received a call from a friend in October 2020, Bulldogs star Charlie Condon might have been playing quarterback at a Division 1 school. III instead of producing one of the most memorable seasons. in the history of college baseball.
Before his senior year at The Walker School in Marietta, Georgia, the only schools recruiting Condon were Division III Rhodes College in Memphis and Southern University in Sewanee, Tennessee, which expressed interest in him playing baseball and football. .
A preferred spot to play baseball in Tennessee didn't work out, so Condon was prepared to play two sports at a smaller school.
But then Stricklin's friend convinced the Georgia coach to take a chance on a skinny 6-foot-5 hitter who hadn't stopped growing and had somehow been passed over by nearly every college baseball program in the country.
Four years later, the perspective that almost everyone missed cannot seem to be wasted on the plate. Condon leads NCAA hitters in batting average (.483), home runs (26), slugging percentage (1.119), total bases (169), hits (73) and home runs per game (.67).
Heading into Tuesday's game against No. 5 Clemson at Foley Field (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU) in Athens, Condon is just two home runs away from breaking Georgia's career home run record – in just two seasons – and is threatening a 39-year sentence. -Old NCAA record in slugging percentage.
Do that 𝟓𝟏!#GoDawgs | @CharlieCondon14 pic.twitter.com/sD7z6g3A6v
– Georgia Baseball (@BaseballUGA) April 20, 2024
Now a 6-6, 216-pound sophomore who has played first base, third base and all three outfield for the Bulldogs, Condon is in line to potentially be the No. 1 pick in the Major League Baseball draft on July 14.
“Nobody saw this coming,” Stricklin said.
How did the previously overlooked high school prospect become the hottest commodity in the MLB draft? Described by one scout as a “unicorn” because of his height, long arms and uncanny ability to handle inside pitches, Condon is considered a can't-miss prospect who won't need much time in the minors.
“It's a question I ask myself to this day,” Condon said. “It's hard to say that it took me by surprise because I know how hard I've worked to get to this place. But at the same time, if I lift my head and look back at the last three years and where I was in high school and “In my first year when I was just competing to stay and keep my spot on the roster, I couldn't have imagined being here.”
Stricklin, who coached at Georgia from 2014-2023, said Condon was a victim of unfortunate timing more than anything else. His recruiting window fell at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. College coaches couldn't scout prospects in person that spring, and then the NCAA changed its rules to give college athletes an extra year of eligibility. There were even fewer scholarships available after MLB shortened its 2021 draft from 40 rounds to 20, causing more players to remain in college.
Condon, who didn't even play on the best team in his traveling baseball organization, was forgotten.
“I think more than anything with Charlie, his story was that he was really a late bloomer,” said his father, Jim Condon. “He was a boy of late puberty and one of the youngest in his class. He really wasn't ready to be seen. He will tell you that he doesn't regret that people ignored him.
“He decided that if he was going to spend that much time playing baseball, he would bet on himself and give it a try.”
After his friend's call, Stricklin and his assistants spoke with Condon and his family. They watched videos of his games. They believed that if Condon gained weight and muscle, he could contribute. Since Condon was an excellent student, he could be accepted to Georgia at his own expense and he would not need a scholarship.
“He's a pure walk-in guy,” Stricklin said. “When he showed up his freshman year, he was really good. We thought he had a chance. We just sat down and made a plan.”
Stricklin's plan was for Condon to redshirt as a freshman in 2022 and spend much of his time in the weight room trying to gain strength.
“I think it was a hard pill to swallow when I first took it because I felt like I had proven myself and that I could contribute,” Condon said. “It was hard to understand that that opportunity passed me by. Once I accepted it, I realized that there would probably be a silver lining somewhere along the way. I knew there would be a place for me if I trusted the process and continued to improve.”
That summer, Condon played for the St. Cloud Rox in the Northwoods League, playing 61 games in Minnesota, North Dakota and Wisconsin over three months. Using wood bats and facing college pitchers from around the country, Condon hit .286 with seven home runs and 68 RBIs.
“Seeing college pitching was great,” Condon said. “It takes a lot of mental strength to go through a season like that being away from everything. You're kind of isolated and it's just you and the game. It really forces you to feel comfortable in your skin quickly.”
Condon flopped the following season at Georgia. He led the Bulldogs with a .386 average with 25 home runs and 67 RBIs. He reached base in 52 of 56 games and had a 24-game hitting streak. Condon was named SEC Freshman of the Year and D1Baseball Freshman of the Year.
“It's almost like old-school football coaches who put a jersey on a kid and see what happens,” Stricklin said. “He gained 15 or 20 pounds and everything fell into place at the same time.”
At the end of the 2023 season, Stricklin asked Condon if he had ever imagined the success he was having.
“He's just a very, very humble kid,” Stricklin said. “He just laughed to himself. He's obviously very talented, but he has an extremely high work ethic and an extremely high character. If you put all those things together with a 6-foot-6, 220-pound frame, you have a chance to be special.” .
“I think what made him so good is that he had adversity. He had obstacles and he never complained. He accepted everything.”
Another hurdle came after the Bulldogs finished 29-27 and missed the NCAA tournament in 2023. Stricklin was fired after compiling a 299-236-1 record in 10 seasons. Georgia made the NCAA Tournament three times during his tenure, but never made it past the regionals.
Georgia hired LSU pitching coach Wes Johnson, and Johnson's first recruiting call was to Condon to ensure he wouldn't leave through the transfer portal.
“It was never a real possibility that I would want to enter the portal and go anywhere else,” Condon said. “Whether it was this coaching staff or not, college was the only place that gave me a chance after high school. It was college that gave me all the time and resources and put so much into my development. I couldn't “. “I won't turn my back on that.”
Condon has been even better in his second season with the No. 20 Bulldogs. He has almost as many home runs (26) as strikeouts (29) and there has been little doubt about his long balls. He hit a 457-foot home run against Missouri, a 454-foot home run against Stetson and a 445-foot home run against Northern Colorado. His home run exit velocity has routinely been around 100 mph and as high as 118.
Condon has hit 51 home runs in 95 games, tied for second in school history. Former major leaguer Gordon Beckham hit 53 home runs at Georgia in 197 games between 2006 and 2008. Beckham also holds the single-season record with 28 in 2008. Condon is also on pace to set the UGA career record with an average of .427; Joe Stewart hit .394 from 1977-79.
Condon's slugging percentage (1.119) is just shy of NCAA home run king Pete Incaviglia's single-season record of 1.140, set at Oklahoma State in 1985. Augusta's Keith Hammonds set the NCAA home run record. NCAA per game at .74 (26 in 35 games). in 1987. Condon, at .67, is also within striking distance of that record.
“In an industry full of special people, he's like a true unicorn,” said an MLB scout who saw Condon play at Georgia. “When you start making comparisons for him, you start to get close to Hall of Famers and legendary figures. There are very few right-handed hitters with those long arms that can reach the infield and handle the speed that he can. .
“It's amazing when you look at his numbers. Now, they're smaller sample sizes, but when you look at his numbers against 95+ mph pitchers or against special breaking balls, his numbers are actually better. It's such a rare combination of size. , power and hitting ability. You hate to use colloquial terms, but he's kind of a generational college player.”
The Cleveland Guardians have the No. 1 pick in the draft, and Condon, Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz and Florida first baseman Jac Caglianone are considered the top prospects available.
Even if Condon isn't the No. 1 pick in the draft, the MLB scout who spoke to ESPN said he could still surpass the record $9.2 million signing bonus that former LSU pitcher Paul Skenes received from the Pittsburgh Pirates last year. past. The Cincinnati Reds have the second pick, followed by the Colorado Rockies, Oakland Athletics and Chicago White Sox.
Coming into the season, the scout believed a good MLB comparison for Condon was outfielder Jayson Werth. Now, he's not so sure it's not New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge or Giancarlo Stanton.
“It's super long arms and super fast bat,” the scout said. “You look at him and his swing, you think you're going to beat him the other half, and then he just destroys the ball. Because of the length of his levers, his power is so fluid and easy. He just throws balls 450 feet. The guys that do that, it's just very thin air.
Johnson coached Skenes for one season at LSU. Like Condon, Skenes was recruited lightly out of high school. He spent two seasons at the Air Force Academy before joining the Tigers in 2023. Last season, Skenes was the SEC Pitcher of the Year and the winner of the Dick Howser Trophy as the nation's top player. He went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA while helping LSU win a national championship.
“Nobody wanted Charlie to get out of high school,” Johnson said. “I think that's what history does. We can all look at the greats who had similar adversities early in their careers, right? Michael Jordan didn't make the varsity team. Sometimes that fuels them. Paul Skenes was pretty much “You feel good about them dealing with adversity.”
At least for now, Condon is focused on finishing his senior season at Georgia. He wants to take the Bulldogs back to the Men's College World Series, where they haven't been since 2008.
“Right now, we're focused on getting this team back to Omaha and into the postseason,” Condon said, “where Georgia State belongs every year because of the talent that's here.”
