Alabama State transfer 1B Juan Cruz commits to Georgia

Former Alabama State first baseman Juan Cruz has committed to Georgia via the NCAA Transfer Portal. Cruz spent three years at Alabama State, including a redshirt season.

Cruz started in all 60 of his appearances at Alabama State this past season. He posted a stunning .420/.481/.690 slash line. Cruz finished the regular season with 99 hits, the most in the country. Additionally, the redshirt sophomore racked up 14 home runs and 73 total RBI.

For his efforts, Cruz was tabbed a SWAC Co-Hitter of the Year and an All-SWAC First-Team selection. This season wasn’t the first time that Cruz hauled in honors for his excellent play.

In his redshirt freshman season, Cruz became just the fourth player in program history to reel in the SWAC Freshman of the Year Award. In 44 games, Cruz batted .389 with 10 doubles, eight home runs, and 51 RBI.

Juan Cruz played high school baseball at Apopka High School (Fla.). He flew under the radar as a prospect despite recording a .434 batting average with 23 RBI, 10 doubles, one triple and 16 runs scored in his senior campaign.

Now, Cruz will look to reach his potential at Georgia. The Bulldogs finished this season with a 43-17 overall record and an 18-12 mark in conference play.

Despite Georgia’s fantastic regular season, the Bulldogs underperformed during the NCAA Tournament. The team suffered back-to-back losses against Duke and Oklahoma State to ultimately be eliminated from the Athens Regional.

Next season will be Georgia head coach Wes Johnson’s third at the helm of the program. Before the NCAA Tournament began, Johnson signed a contract extension through 2031.

“I’d like to thank Josh Brooks, President Jere Morehead, and all our fans for their commitment to Georgia Baseball,” Johnson said in a press release. “We have received tremendous support from day one, and that is evident from the $45 million renovation that was completed this year that is vital for our player development, recruiting and the overall fan experience at Foley Field.”

Johnson isn’t the only excited for the future of Georgia baseball. UGA athletic director Josh Brooks was outspoken about his excitement to secure Johnson’s future in Athens.

“It has been incredible watching our baseball program thrive over the past two seasons,” Brooks said. “Wes is without a doubt one of the elite head baseball coaches in the country, and his commitment to winning at the highest levels is surpassed only by his dedication to making everyone around him better each and every day. We are excited about the future under his leadership.”