Georgia Baseball Wins 2 of 3 Against Wright State in Season Opener

Bulldogs' new transfers shine as team moves up in national rankings after series

Published on Feb. 19, 2026

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The University of Georgia baseball team opened its 2026 season by hosting a three-game series against Wright State University. Despite having to reschedule Sunday's game as a doubleheader on Saturday due to weather, the Bulldogs came away victorious in two of the three contests, showcasing their offensive and pitching depth with contributions from several new transfer players.

Why it matters

This early-season series provided an important gauge of Georgia's potential this year, as the team looks to build on last season's success and climb higher in the national rankings. The performance of the Bulldogs' new transfer players, in particular, will be crucial to their chances of contending for a conference title and making a deep postseason run.

The details

In the series opener on Friday, Georgia cruised to a 13-1 victory in seven innings. Transfer pitcher Joey Volchko from Stanford started on the mound and allowed just one run over four innings, while fellow transfer Caden Aoki followed with three scoreless frames and eight strikeouts. On offense, Daniel Jackson homered and drove in four runs to lead the Bulldogs' onslaught. Saturday's doubleheader saw more of the same, as Georgia won the first game 9-0 behind four home runs and a strong outing from transfer Kenny Ishikawa of Seattle University. However, the Bulldogs dropped the second game of the twin bill, 6-3, despite a near-game-tying blast from Tre Phelps in the late innings.

  • The series was originally scheduled for Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 14-16, 2026.
  • Due to weather, Sunday's game was rescheduled as a doubleheader on Saturday, February 15, 2026.
  • Georgia opened its home season at Foley Field on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

The players

Joey Volchko

A transfer pitcher from Stanford University who started the series opener for Georgia and allowed just one run over four innings.

Caden Aoki

A Georgia pitcher who followed Volchko and struck out eight of the nine batters he faced over three innings of relief.

Kenny Ishikawa

A transfer pitcher and two-way player from Seattle University who started the first game of Saturday's doubleheader and pitched 4.1 scoreless innings while also contributing on offense with a home run.

Tre Phelps

A Georgia infielder who hit a ball that came close to tying the game in the final inning of the series-ending loss.

Daniel Jackson

A Georgia player who hit a home run and drove in four runs in the series opener.

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What’s next

The Bulldogs will face USC Upstate on Wednesday, February 19, 2026, before hosting a three-game series against Sanford on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, February 21-23, 2026.

The takeaway

Georgia's early-season series against Wright State showcased the team's offensive firepower and deep pitching staff, led by several talented transfer players. While the Bulldogs suffered their first loss of the year, their overall performance was enough to move them up in the national rankings, setting the stage for an exciting home-heavy stretch to open the 2026 campaign.