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Padres’ draftee Cole Wilcox getting right to work

The way Cole Wilcox puts it, Georgians have two choices: Bulldogs or Yellow Jackets.

His allegiance was decided long before he decided to take his right arm to Athens and be a Bulldog. It’s why the 20-year-old Wilcox was more than willing to stay home until the Padres made their third-rounder an offer — a record $3.3 million — he couldn’t refuse.

“I grew up in Georgia,” Wilcox said this week. “I grew up on that campus going to football games. It really did feel like home. And I loved the guys I played (baseball) with and hated that our season ended short.