College World Series Preview: Georgia Bulldogs

It’s been a long time coming in Athens.

Eighteen years. That’s the drought Georgia baseball just ended. The last time the Bulldogs made the College World Series, it was 2008. A lot has changed, but what this team has done in 2026 is something different entirely. This isn’t a program that snuck into Omaha. This is a program that spent the entire season dominating.

The No. 3 national seed enters the CWS at 51-12, riding an SEC regular season title, an SEC Tournament championship, and one of the most entertaining Super Regional runs in recent memory.

Under third-year head coach Wes Johnson, who has quietly become one of the best coaches in the country, Georgia has built something special in Athens. And now, they get to show it on the biggest stage.

Journey to Omaha

Georgia didn’t just host a regional, they dominated one. In the Athens Regional, the Bulldogs took down Long Island, Boston College, and Oklahoma State with ease, setting a new program record for home runs in a single season along the way.

The offense was a wrecking ball from the jump. When Joey Volchko threw six hitless innings with 10 strikeouts against Long Island in the opener, it set the tone for everything that followed. Daniel Jackson knocked his 28th homer of the year in that game, tying a Georgia program record in the process.

Then came the Super Regional, and with it, a Mississippi State squad that entered Athens having won 43 games and sporting one of the most dangerous offenses in the SEC. What followed over two days at Foley Field was exactly what Georgia baseball in 2026 looks like: an absolute slugfest, from start to finish.

Game 1 was one of the wildest games of the entire NCAA Tournament. Georgia and Mississippi State combined for 11 home runs and 25 runs in a 13-12 Bulldogs win. Mississippi State jumped out to a commanding lead, plating six runs in the second inning, including a three-run shot from Reed Stallman, and pushing their advantage to seven runs in the third.

Most teams fold in that spot. Georgia didn’t flinch. Back-to-back homers from Daniel Jackson and Rylan Lujo ignited a five-run fourth, and the Bulldogs kept coming until they had the lead. Michael O’Shaughnessy hit two home runs and drove in five. Georgia survived.

Game 2 was more of the same. Caden Aoki was brilliant on the mound, career-high 121 pitches, 5.2 innings, nine strikeouts, and held the lead until Mississippi State went on a stunning back-to-back-to-back home run sequence in the seventh to tie the game.

Brennan Hudson‘s RBI single in the ninth tied it at nine after the Bulldogs had briefly fallen behind. Then in the 10th, with Georgia batting as the designated visiting team under NCAA rules, Daniel Jackson happened. His two-run homer to left, his 31st of the season, gave Georgia the lead.

Justin Byrd came back out and struck out Jacob Parker, who had already gone deep twice in the game, with two men on to end it.

Georgia stormed the outfield. The CWS drought was over.

Expectations for the College World Series

Georgia opens CWS play against Texas on Saturday, June 13 at 8 PM ET. This might be one of the most marquee games of the entire NCAA Baseball postseason. Texas and Georgia are the clear top two teams in the College World Series.

This Georgia team is built differently than most. They lead the nation in home runs per game at 2.90, continuing a trend that has made them one of the most feared offensive programs in the country over the past three seasons.

But it’s not just power, the Bulldogs have depth across every position in the lineup, legitimate starting pitching anchored by one of the best young arms in the country, and a bullpen capable of closing games out.

What makes them particularly dangerous in Omaha is that they’ve already proven they can win ugly. The Super Regional didn’t go smoothly, Mississippi State hit 10 home runs across the two games and nearly forced a Game 3.

Georgia kept answering. That kind of mental toughness, earned through a 23-7 SEC regular season and a tournament title, is not something you manufacture in the postseason.

The biggest question is whether Joey Volchko and Caden Aoki can replicate their regular-season dominance on the CWS stage. If he’s on, Georgia could go very deep. If they need to rely on the bullpen early, the depth will be tested. Either way, this is a team with the firepower to beat anyone.

Players to Watch

C Daniel Jackson: 2026 SEC Player of the Year

There is no more complete player in college baseball right now. Jackson enters Omaha having had one of the most remarkable junior seasons in Georgia history, hitting .396 with 31 home runs and 86 RBI on the season, while also posting 26 stolen bases and providing elite defense behind the plate.

He is the engine of this offense, the emotional leader of this team, and the player who delivered the moment that punched Georgia’s ticket to Omaha. His two-run homer in the 10th inning of Game 2 against Mississippi State was the kind of at-bat that defines a season. He is the best player in this CWS field and the frontrunner for national player of the year honors.

SS Kolby Branch

Branch is one of the most decorated players in Georgia history, and in 2026 he is playing some of the best baseball of his career. A senior with 43 career home runs heading into the postseason, Kolby Branch hit two home runs in Game 2 of the Super Regional, including one that sailed into the parking lot in left field.

He’s a middle-of-the-lineup force who gives this lineup a second true power threat to pair alongside Jackson, and his experience on the big stage is invaluable. With multiple deep postseason runs already under his belt, Branch has seen everything. You won’t rattle him.

OF/3B Michael O’Shaughnessy

One of the most impactful portal additions Wes Johnson has made, O’Shaughnessy came over from Davidson and has been an offensive revelation in 2026. He went for two home runs and five RBI in Game 1 of the Super Regional and finished the season with 20 home runs, part of the unprecedented home run depth this Georgia lineup carries.

He’s a physical, professional hitter who punishes mistakes and has proven he can produce in the biggest moments. Pitchers in Omaha will need a plan for him.

OF Tre Phelps

One of the more underrated players on this roster, Tre Phelps is a force at the top of the lineup who makes everything easier for the hitters behind him. A junior with 19 home runs and exceptional bat-to-ball skills, he’s also a weapon on the bases.

In the Super Regional, Phelps led off Game 2 with a walk and was immediately part of the run-scoring in the extra innings, he’s the kind of player who shows up in the box score in quiet ways. When Phelps is on base, Georgia’s lineup becomes even more dangerous.

RHP Joey Volchko

The ace. Volchko enters Omaha at 10-2 with 104 strikeouts on the season, and his Super Regional start against Mississippi State in Game 1, despite the wild final score, showed why Georgia trusts him in the biggest games.

He was brilliant early, helping the Bulldogs build a lead before the bullpen took over. At his best, Volchko is one of the most overpowering starters in the field. His stuff plays at the highest level, and if he’s dialed in, Georgia’s path through the bracket gets a lot smoother.

RHP Caden Aoki

The other half of one of the most reliable 1-2 pitching punches in the CWS field. Aoki went 9-1 with a 4.04 ERA on the season before his career-defining Super Regional performance, 121 pitches, 5.2 innings, nine strikeouts, holding a stacked Mississippi State lineup at bay long enough to give his offense time to get going.

He’s a graduate transfer from USC who came in and immediately became one of Wes Johnson’s most trusted arms. In a tournament where every start matters, Aoki gives Georgia a genuine ace-quality option in Games 2 or 3.