Charlie Condon wins Dick Howser Trophy as nation's top player
Georgia’s Charlie Condon earned the first of what could be two prestigious awards for the top player in all of College Baseball. On Thursday, Condon was named the 2024 recipient of the Dick Howser Trophy presented by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
Condon is the first player in program history to win the award. Previously, Gordon Beckham (2008) was a finalist.
The Marietta, Ga. native finished his season hitting an NCAA-best .433 with 37 home runs, 78 RBI and 100 hits. His 1.009 slugging percentage also ranked tops in the nation. He won SEC Player of the Year, becoming just the second Georgia player to do so, and made starts at third base, first base and all three outfield positions for the nationally seeded Bulldogs.
With his 34th round-tripper of the season, Condon set a new NCAA mark for single-season home runs in the BBCOR era (since 2011). He passed Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone’s record set in 2023 in 71 games and finished just three home runs shy of tying the all-time SEC record set by Brandon Larson in LSU’s 69-game run to the 1998 national championship. The only players with more home runs in a single season than Condon are Incaviglia, Jeff Ledbetter (Florida State – 1982), Lance Berkman (Rice – 1997) and Larson.
“I’ve said this, you won’t ever find another Charlie Condon, at least in my time, in my coaching career,” Georgia head coach Wes Johnson said after UGA’s season-ending loss earlier this week. “There will be another one come along probably after I’m dead and gone. But you’re lucky if you coach Charlie Condons once every 10 years. You’re extremely lucky.”
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“I went on record last year, even before I had this job, coming into the Georgia series when I was at LSU, that he was the best right-handed hitter I had seen all year behind Dylan Crews. Of course I saw Dylan every day last year, and I still believe that now. I believe that he (Condon) is the best right-handed hitter in College Baseball, and I think all we’ve been able to do is show his flexibility and what kind of athlete he really is,” Johnson said earlier in the year. “He’s special. As a coach, to get a guy like Charlie, you hope to be able to get one every seven to 10 years. He’s special. He’s a top of the top first round guy, and you’ve got to be really good to do that.”
Condon is projected as one of the top picks in this summer’s MLB Draft. It comes just a year after posting one of the greatest freshman seasons in school history as he captured the team’s Triple Crown. Condon was named National Freshman of the Year and earned numerous All-American honors. He was a semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.
Speaking of the Golden Spikes Award, Condon is also up for the national player of the year designation from USA Baseball. The winner of that will be announced on June 22nd at the College World Series in Omaha. He is one of three finalists alongside Arkansas pitcher Hagen Smith and Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana – both of whom were also finalists for the Howser Trophy. Chase Burns (Wake Forest) and Jac Caglianone (Florida) were also up for the Howser Trophy.
Georgia wrapped up its season on Monday with a 43-17 record, falling one game short of advancing to the College World Series. The Bulldogs won more games this year – both overall and in SEC play – than any previous team in program history under the direction of a first-year head coach. Wes Johnson became just the second head coach in program history to host an NCAA Tournament regional in his first season on the job, and the Bulldogs advanced out of said regional for the first time since 2008.
