The Georgia Bulldogs baseball team has added another Morgan County player from the class of 2026 – Hudson Reed.
Reed joins fellow baseball and football teammate Ty Tillery as another Bulldog commit coming from the Diamond Dogs in 2022.
When he spoke to the Lake Oconee News, Reed described his commitment as “relieving.”
“It feels good, and I feel relieved about it and have no more stress about being able to go there,” Reed said. “Now, the work starts, and I’m just beginning to prepare.”
The young Reed is a member of the national Canes Baseball organization, where he’s gained a lot of experience up to this point.
The freshman Diamond Dog is a versatile player who can play infield, outfield or pitch, depending on the situation. Reed’s fastball sits in the mid-80s consistently, and his infield velocity to first base is even higher, topping out at around 88 miles per hour.
Reed has also shown his athleticism in the batter’s box and on the base paths in his baseball career.
According to Perfect Game, Reed has run a 1.69 second 10-yard dash and a 7.47-second 60-yard dash. This type of speed has led to performances such as a four-steal game back in 2020 against the East Cobb Colt 45s travel team.
During his time with the Canes, Reed achieved great hitting feats such as hitting two home runs in one game back in 2020 and accumulating 14 total bases during a game in 2021.
Reed attributed some of his success on the recruiting trail to Canes’ coach Kevin Mobley, who helped get his name out there after multiple successful travel ball seasons.
“I had a good fall-ball season, and we had a good team during spring ball, and I don’t know, I just started getting looks,” Reed said. “I have a very good head coach, Kevin Mobley, who helped with the contacting of everything, and after going to a [Georgia] camp, it just went from there.”
The Classic City is only about 35 minutes away from Morgan County’s campus, and even though Reed said he isn’t a life-long Georgia fan, the university just felt right.
“When I went there, it felt like home,” Reed said. “I loved the coaches, I loved Athens, and it was an overall great place. [Coach Stricklin] is a great guy, and he’s done a lot for his players and just felt like an overall great fit.”
Even though the 15-year-old can now get his learner’s permit, he will have to wait four more years until he’s able to step between the lines at Foley Field.
Until then, Reed is prepared to make an impact for Morgan County’s baseball team, which is coming off a successful 20-12 season last year.
Diamond Dogs’ head coach Merritt Ainslie has seen Reed play, and he’s excited to have him on the squad for this upcoming spring season.
“I’ve watched Hudson for several years, so I knew he was a good ball player, but I haven’t even ordered his uniform yet, because he’s a freshman,” Ainslie said. “He’s a hard worker, and I’m looking forward to seeing him grow. I never hear anything negative about him, and I’m excited he’s a part of the program.”