Georgia Coaching Staff
David Perno Head Coach 11th Season 16th Year at UGA (Georgia ’91)
CWS: 1990, ’01, ’04, ’06, ’08 SEC Champions: 2001, ’04, ’08 Under David Perno’s leadership, the University of Georgia has become one of the nation’s elite programs with three College World Series appearances (CWS) and six trips to the postseason in the past 10 years. Perno, 44, begins his 16th year with the Bulldogs and his 11th as head coach. Under Perno, Georgia has shown a standard of excellence on and off the field. Perno has the distinction of going to the CWS with the Bulldogs as a player (1990 national champions), assistant coach (2001) and as a head coach (2004, 2006 and 2008 CWS Finals). In school history, the Bulldogs have made only 11 NCAA postseason appearances and six of those have been during Perno’s tenure. Most recently, Georgia earned a spot in the 2011 NCAA Tournament where the Bulldogs advanced to the Corvallis (Ore.) Regional Final after playing the nation’s toughest rated schedule. Georgia qualified for the 2011 SEC Tournament and needed to reach the semifinals to secure an NCAA bid, and they did just that in an emotion-filled run for their injured teammate Johnathan Taylor. For the second straight year, Georgia rallied around a Bulldog starter that endured a devastating injury. After the 2010 season saw Georgia post a record high Earned Run Average (ERA), Perno decided to add the duties of pitching coach in 2011. The results were rather impressive considering the staff ERA dropped 3.61 runs a game and this after playing a scheduled that featured 37 games against ranked teams. Also, the Bulldogs set a school record for fielding percentage at .974. Georgia finished fourth in the rugged SEC at 16-14 behind three teams ranked in the top five all season in South Carolina, Florida and Vanderbilt, as they shared the league crown. The 2008 season was a banner year for the Bulldogs under Perno. He became one of only 12 men in NCAA history to take three teams to to the CWS in his first seven years as a head coach. That year, Georgia went 4525-1, won another SEC title with a school record 20-9-1 league mark and had its second best season in school history.The Bulldogs reached the CWS Finals and finished a consensus No. 2 in the final national rankings. Also in 2008, Georgia became the first school in SEC history to sweep the annual league honors as voted on by the coaches. A Bulldog earned SEC Player, Pitcher, Scholar-Athlete and Coach of the Year accolades. Player development is another highlight in the Perno era. A total of 37 Bulldogs have had the opportunity to play professional baseball after coming to Georgia as a non-drafted player. Also, 16 Bulldogs have improved their draft status the next time they were selected. In 2009, Georgia led the nation with 11 players drafted including seven that were not selected coming out of high school. Rich Poythress, a second round pick of Seattle, headlined the 2009 contingent as the first baseman earned All-America honors and was a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. In 2010, Georgia had five pitchers drafted. In 2011, seven Bulldogs were selected including first round pick Zach Cone (Texas) plus 11 signees. A total of 29 former Bulldogs coached by Perno were playing professional baseball in 2011 including four Major Leaguers in Gordon Beckham (Chicago), Mitchell Boggs (St. Louis) Jeff Keppinger (Houston) and Robby Hammock (Arizona). Under Perno, student-athletes have made the annual SEC Academic Honor Roll 115 times including a record 17 in 2011. A total of 50 Bulldogs have signed professional contracts. Since 2006, Georgia has had six players drafted in the first three rounds including three first-rounders, shortstop Gordon Beckham and pitcher Joshua Fields in 2008 and Zach Cone in 2011. The All-American Beckham was a second team Academic All-American, a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the Dick Howser Trophy and the Brooks Wallace Award. Fields earned the National Stopper of the Year Award as the nation’s best closer, was a finalist for the Clemens Award and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes. In 2009, Perno guided Georgia to a 14-0 start, breaking the 98-year old 2012 University of Georgia Baseball
The Perno Family: Melaney, Saidee, David, Hayes and Ginger
The Perno File
Born: July 5, 1967 High School: Clarke Central, Athens, Ga., 1986 College Education: Univ. of Georgia, B.A.-1991 Marshall University, M.A.-1993 Family: Wife: Melaney Chastain; Children: Saidee (12), Hayes (8) Collegiate Baseball Experience: Middle Georgia Junior College, 1987 Univ. of Georgia, 1988, ’90-’91, NCAA Champions, 1990 Coaching Career: Head Coach, Cortland (N.Y.) Apples, Northeastern Collegiate Summer League, 1992-1996 Assistant Coach, Marshall University, 1993-1995 Assistant Coach, Middle Georgia Junior College, 1996 Assistant Coach, Univ. of Georgia, June 1996-July 2001 Head Coach, Univ. of Georgia, July 20, 2001-present record for the best start in school history and the program’s first No. 1 ranking in the regular season. The Bulldogs led the SEC with a school record 109 home runs and for the second straight year, Georgia set a school record for total attendance at Foley Field. In only his third season at the helm, Perno, an Athens native and Georgia alumnus was honored as the 2004 College Coach of the Year by Baseball America. Perno guided the Bulldogs to a third place finish at the 2004 CWS, a share of the SEC title and a final national ranking of fourth. The Bulldogs went 45-23 in 2004, setting school records with a 12-game SEC winning streak, 28 games televised and the highest total attendance and per game average in Foley Field history. Perno was recognized by his colleagues as the 2004 American Baseball Coaches Assocation/Diamond South Regional Coach of the Year, the 2004 SEC Coach of the Year (along with Arkansas’ Dave Van Horn) and the 2004 National Coach of the Year by College Baseball Insider.com. Georgia’s recruiting class for 2004 was ranked 10th best nationally by Baseball America. In 2006, the Bulldogs showcased another sizzling second half performance that featured a 13-game winning streak, going 23-7 over their final 30 games. In the SEC, they went 15-5 in their last 20 games to finish second in the Eastern Division and third overall. Georgia earned one of the 16 host sites for NCAA Regional play and eventually one of the eight Super Regional sites. Georgia eliminated Florida State to win a regional and South Carolina to capture a super regional to punch another ticket to Omaha. The Bulldogs concluded the year 47-23 and ranked sixth nationally. The 47 wins tied for the second most in school history and led the SEC. Over the years, Perno has spearheaded numerous improvements to Foley Field. These projects have included a new professional playing surface, installation of a drainage system and renovation of the Bulldog locker room, athletic training room and players lounge, new lights, a state-of-the-art scoreboard/videoboard sound system and new chairback seating. On July 21, 2001, Perno became the 24th baseball coach in school history. He had just completed his fifth year on the Georgia staff including his second under Ron Polk. Perno’s recruiting efforts have helped build the program back to a force in the SEC. Perno’s initial charge as head coach was to sustain the momentum created by the 2001 Bulldogs that captured the SEC title and advanced to the CWS. After the professional draft and graduation claimed Georgia’s entire starting infield, pitching rotation and two catchers, Perno guided a youthful squad to the 2002 NCAA Atlanta Regional final and a record of 32-29. It marked the only time in school history that Georgia had
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