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BSB: Dawgs extend Wes Johnson’s contract

The University of Georgia and Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson have agreed to a contract extension through 2030 with an increased compensation package, J. Reid Parker Director of Athletics Josh Brooks announced Wednesday.

“This past season is one we will always remember,” Brooks said. “It is a testament to the tremendous work that Coach Johnson and his staff did — and continue to do — in developing our student-athletes both on and off the field. Today is another great day for our program as we look to the future and watch Georgia baseball continue to excel under his leadership.”

Johnson made an immediate impact in his first year. He directed the Bulldogs to their most successful season since reaching the finals of the College World Series (CWS) in 2008. The 2024 Bulldogs earned a No. 7 National Seed for the NCAA Championships and came within one game of reaching the CWS. Also, Georgia finished with a top 10 national ranking after a full season for the first time since 2008.

Georgia posted a 43-17 record (17-13 SEC) as Johnson established school records for most overall wins and most SEC wins by a first-year baseball coach. He became the first Georgia baseball coach to host and win an NCAA Regional in his first season along with serving as a Super Regional host. In a preseason poll, SEC coaches projected Georgia would finish sixth in the Eastern Division and instead the Bulldogs placed third overall and had the fifth best mark in the 14-team league. Five of the eight national seeds in the NCAA Tournament were SEC teams, and it was an all-SEC CWS Final.

“I’d like to thank Josh Brooks, President Jere Morehead, and all our fans for their commitment to Georgia Baseball,” said Johnson. “We’ve received tremendous support, and if you drive by Foley Field right now, you can see the $45 million renovation currently underway that will enhance our program and help lead us to more success in the future.”

In 2024, Georgia featured one of the nation’s elite players in All-America Charlie Condon who earned the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award, which are widely considered the Heisman Trophy of college baseball and the top amateur player honor in the country. Condon, who led the nation in batting average (.433), home runs (37) and slugging percentage (1.009) is projected to be among the top picks for the 2024 MLB Draft. Also, freshman All-American Tre Phelps and sophomore Kolten Smith received invitations to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp. Along with Condon, senior Corey Collins earned All-America honors and became the first SEC player to lead the nation in on base percentage with a .574 mark.

SOC: Croix Bethune was named one of four alternates to the 2024 United States Olympic Women’s Soccer Team

Former University of Georgia All-American Croix Bethune was named one of four alternates to the 2024 United States Olympic Women’s Soccer Team, as announced by head coach Emma Hayes Wednesday morning.

Bethune and her fellow alternates will travel to France and train with the 18-player team for the duration of the Olympics. Bethune previously attended a USWNT camp earlier this month but was also named to the preliminary roster for the 2022 Concacaf W Championship and captained the U-23 national team that year. She is the first member of the Georgia soccer program to be named to an Olympic roster.

The Alpharetta native has made an immediate impact on the NWSL in her rookie season after being drafted third overall by Washington Spirit in January. Through last week’s matches, Bethune leads the league with nine assists and is tied for fifth in goals with five. Her assist total, accumulated in only 14 matches, already ranks as the single-season leader in Spirit history, is tied for the second-most in league history, and is more than any NWSL player tallied in the 2023 regular season. She has been named NWSL Rookie of the Month and named to the NWSL Best XI in each of her first two months while leading the Spirit to a third-place mark in the league standings.

In her lone season in Athens, Bethune earned United Soccer Coaches All-America Second Team and All-Southeast Region First Team honors as she led the Bulldogs to a 13-4-6 record and the first SEC Tournament title in program history. Despite only playing in 15 matches, she ranked second on the team in assists and third in points, scoring or assisting on goals in five of the Bulldogs’ six postseason matches. After scoring an equalizer against Kentucky and a last-minute winner against Texas A&M in Pensacola, she was named SEC Tournament MVP.

Prior to joining Georgia, Bethune played four seasons at USC, twice earning First Team All-America and Pac-12 Midfielder of the Year accolades, along with being a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist in 2021. She finished her Trojans career ranked seventh all-time in points, goals, and assists.

The U.S. Olympic Team will play a pair of friendlies in July on American soil: first against Mexico on Monday, July 8, followed by Costa Rica on Tuesday, July 16. The team will then begin its Olympic competition against Zambia on Friday, July 25 in Nice, France.

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