Georgia Bulldogs Adjust Pitching Rotation After Injury to Kenny Ishikawa

Stanford transfer Matt Scott to make first start for Georgia in place of injured Ishikawa

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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The Georgia Bulldogs baseball team has made changes to its weekend pitching rotation after mid-week starter Kenny Ishikawa suffered a hairline fracture in his foot. Sophomore Matt Scott, a transfer from Stanford, will make his first start for Georgia in place of Ishikawa on Saturday against Samford. Scott has 38 career starts at Stanford and made his Georgia debut last weekend, striking out seven batters in three innings of relief.

Why it matters

Ishikawa was expected to be a key part of Georgia's weekend rotation this season, so his injury creates an early challenge for the Bulldogs as they look to build momentum in the early part of the schedule. Scott's experience as a starter at Stanford should help ease the transition, but Georgia will need other pitchers to step up with Ishikawa sidelined.

The details

Georgia head coach Wes Johnson has shifted the team's weekend pitching rotation after Ishikawa suffered a hairline fracture in his foot after being hit by a pitch in Wednesday's win over USC-Upstate. Joey Volchko will remain the Friday starter, but Matt Scott will make his first start for Georgia on Saturday in place of Ishikawa. Scott made 38 career starts at Stanford before transferring to Georgia, and he impressed in his Bulldogs debut last weekend, striking out seven batters in three innings of relief.

  • Georgia will begin its series against Samford today, February 20, 2026, at 3 p.m.
  • Game two of the series is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
  • The series finale is set for 1 p.m. on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

The players

Wes Johnson

The head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs baseball team.

Joey Volchko

A Georgia pitcher who will remain the Friday starter for the Bulldogs.

Kenny Ishikawa

A Georgia pitcher who suffered a hairline fracture in his foot and will miss time due to the injury.

Matt Scott

A transfer from Stanford who will make his first start for Georgia on Saturday in place of the injured Ishikawa.

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What they’re saying

“I'm excited. Everyone's been kind of doing everything. Everyone's got their pitch counts up, so anybody can kind of fill those roles.”

— Matt Scott (on3.com)

“Guys can think about it a little more. Think about how to get to the lineup two or three times, but you just have to treat it the same. I've been fortunate enough to do both for a while, so I kind of just treat it the same.”

— Matt Scott (on3.com)

What’s next

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The takeaway

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