Even before David Perno fired Brady Wiederhold, I had a list of assistant coaches he should call. It turns out that, instead of placing those calls as soon as the opportunity presented itself, Coach Perno has looked in-house and selected as his pitching coach . . . himself.
Coach Perno, whose coaching resume includes a stint as a pitching coach during his days as an assistant at Middle Georgia, will be taking charge of the Bulldog hurlers. He explains, "I’m going to move over and have more hands-on responsibility with the pitching. I’m excited about getting over there and bringing some more accountability with what’s going on over there."
While I can’t claim I’m completely sold on the move, I admire Coach Perno’s enthusiasm and I credit him with making meaningful changes after the worst season in Georgia baseball history. Not only did he release Coach Wiederhold (in a move that must have been as tough for him personally as Mark Richt’s decision to sack Willie Martinez), but he also added junior college standouts Bryan Benzor (RHP), Joey Delmonico (C/1B), and Curt Powell (IF) to a 2010 recruiting class that already appeared to have been assembled shrewdly, as most of the players the Diamond Dogs signed will be coming to campus instead of going to the minor leagues.
There are a lot of problems with the Georgia baseball team that need fixing, and I would have preferred it if Coach Perno had brought in a full-time pitching coach, but his track record of success has earned him the benefit of the doubt.
Go ‘Dawgs!