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BSB: UGA Travels to Starkville For MSU Series
Fourth-ranked Georgia returns to SEC action Thursday in Starkville against fifth-ranked Mississippi State as co-leaders in the Southeastern Conference. First pitch will be at 7 p.m. ET and be available on SECN+ and the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Game two of the series will be Friday at 7 p.m. ET (SECN+) and the final game of the series on Saturday will begin at 2 p.m. ET (SECN+).
Georgia (24-6), ranked as high as No. 4 in the national polls this week, is tied for the SEC lead with MSU (25-4) and Texas (24-4) with each owning a 7-2 mark in league play. MSU is 18-0 at home this season. Last week, Georgia swept South Carolina in Athens while MSU swept No. 18 Ole Miss in Oxford. Incidentally, Georgia handed No. 21 Texas A&M its first two home losses of the season a couple of weeks ago as the Aggies entered the Georgia series with a 14-0 mark at Blue Bell Park.
A majority of Georgia’s coaching staff has MSU connections. Georgia’s Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson served as MSU’s pitching coach in 2016 when the Bulldogs won the SEC regular season title advanced to an NCAA Super Regional. Georgia assistant head coach Will Coggin, who graduated from Booneville (Miss.) High School, played for MSU in 2007-08 and was an assistant coach from 2015-17. Assistant coach Nick Ammirati played for MSU in 2012-13 including the starting catcher for the 2013 squad that was the College World Series (CWS) runner-up.
On a related note, MSU’s baseball complex, known as Dudy-Noble Field at Polk-Dement Stadium, is in part named for the legendary Ron Polk. Coach Polk served as Georgia’s head coach from 2000-01 including leading the red and black Bulldogs to the 2001 SEC title and an appearance at the CWS.
Georgia-MSU Pitching Rotation
Game 1: Joey Volchko (5-0, 3.93 ERA), RHP, Jr., vs. Charlie Foster (0-0, 4.24 ERA), LHP, So.
Game 2: Dylan Vigue (3-1, 3.03 ERA), RHP, Jr., vs. Tomas Valincius (6-0, 0.91 ERA), LHP, So.
Game 3: TBA vs. Duke Stone (5-0, 3.66 ERA), RHP, So.
*The Bulldogs have a 4.36 ERA with 320 strikeouts and 119 walks. Opponents are hitting .233.
*The Bulldog trio of Caden Aoki, Matt Scott and Justin Byrd have been elite in SEC action. Aoki is 0-0, 0.90 ERA in 10 IP, Scott is 3-0, 1.50 ERA in 12 IP and Byrd is 2-1, 2.19 ERA, 2 SV in 12.1 IP.
*MSU has a 3.14 ERA with 329 strikeouts and 94 walks. Opponents are hitting .205.
Georgia Leads Nation In Home Runs And Slugging Percentage
*Georgia has an NCAA-leading 87 home runs and .649 slugging percentage plus is in the top five in fielding percentage (.986). Also, the Bulldogs rank in the top 10 in runs (289), on-base percentage (.456), HPB (69), scoring (9.6) and batting average (.326).
*Junior C Daniel Jackson, who was recently named to the Midseason Watch List for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher Award, leads the team with 16 home runs, followed by senior SS Kolby Branch with 13, junior 3B Tre Phelps is next with 12 and senior 1B/C Brennan Hudson rounds out the group in double digits with 11. Branch ranks tied for seventh in Georgia history with 43 home runs and has 49 for his career counting the six he had for Baylor in 2023.
*Georgia is averaging an NCAA-leading 2.90 Home Runs per Game (HR/G) in 2026. The 2025 squad averaged 2.40 HR/G while the 2024 team averaged 2.52 HR/G. Georgia’s past two squads ranked 1-2 in school history in HR, Last season, the Bulldogs had a school-record eight players with double-digit HR as the team finished with 144. In 2024 when Georgia set a school mark with 151 HR, the Bulldogs had six players with 10+ HR including an NCAA-best 37 by Golden Spikes Award winner Charlie Condon who was the third overall pick in the MLB Draft that year (Colorado Rockies).
*MSU is batting .336 with 47 home runs and fielding .981. They average 9.8 runs per game.
Links To Follow The Bulldog Series
Thursday @ 7 p.m. ET
Radio/TV: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=5012&type=Live
SECN+ (Bart Gregory & Charlie Winfield): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401847279?gameId=401847279
Live stats link: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=633266
Friday @ 7 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=5013&type=Live
SECN+ (Bart Gregory & Charlie Winfield): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401847280?gameId=401847280
Live stats link: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=633267
Saturday @ 2 p.m. ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=5014&type=Live
SECN+ (Bart Gregory & Charlie Winfield): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/eventCalendarId/401847281?gameId=401847281
Live stats link: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=633268
SB: Dawgs Wreck Tech 5-1
The No. 13 Georgia Bulldogs defeated Georgia Tech, 5-1, on Wednesday evening at the Jack Turner Stadium to move to 21-7 (1-2) on the season while the Yellow Jackets slide to 17-14 (5-4).
SOFTBALL | vs. Georgia Tech | W, 5-1
Winning Pitcher: Addisen Fisher (7-0)
Losing Pitcher: Madalyn Johnson (8-8)
Fast Facts:
- RHP Addisen Fisher made the start in the circle – her sixth of the season – going 5.0 innings with two hits, one earned run, four walks and three strikeouts. RHP Presley Harrison pitched the sixth inning in relief with a strikeout before LHP Randi Roelling closed the game in the top of the seventh with a strikeout.
- Senior Tyler Ellison paced the Bulldog offense with a 2-3, three-RBI performance. Both of her hits were extra-base hits – an RBI triple and a two-RBI double.
- Junior Emily Digby launched her fifth home run of the season with her leadoff shot in the bottom of the fifth inning. She was also 2-3 on the day with one RBI.
- Georgia Tech scored its lone run off a bases-loaded walk in the top of the fourth inning.
- The Bulldogs maintain a dominant 37-11 series advantage over the Yellow Jackets, and under Baldwin, Georgia moves to 4-1 against the in-state foe.
Key Quote:
Georgia Head Coach Tony Baldwin
On the game and the weather…
“One of the things that we consistently talk about in trying to grow is our resilience and that things aren’t always going to go our way. It’s not always going to be in a neat and tidy package – and we can handle it – so I was proud. It actually wasn’t too bad out here. Maybe different sitting in the stands and not doing anything, but when you’re moving around, it really was a pretty nice night. I thought we had a great crowd, and I thought they were into it on a Wednesday night. That’s always appreciated, and I thought it was a good night of softball.”
On Tyler Ellison’s performance…
“She’s just put in a lot of work over the course of the year, and she’s in good form right now. That game means something to her. She’s got some good friends and former teammates on the other team, so she wanted to play well. Just happy to see her come up with some big hits there.”
Up Next:
No. 13 Georgia remains at home this weekend for the SEC home opener series against No. 12 Mississippi State at the Jack Turner Stadium. The series opens Friday night at 6:00 p.m. ET on the SEC Network with Saturday and Sunday’s games each starting at 2:00 p.m. ET and streaming live on the SEC Network+. More, Saturday’s game is Alumni Day at The Jack.
Replacing Production, Creating Havoc
The absolute primary issue Kirby Smart and his staff have identified for the 2026 season is the lack of “havoc” and disruption from the defensive front. Despite the Bulldogs winning the SEC Championship last season, the defense finished 117th nationally in sacks per game. The inability to consistently affect opposing quarterbacks was a glaring weakness in the 2025 losses to Alabama and Ole Miss. To return to the playoff summit, players like Raylen Wilson, Chris Cole, and Zayden Walker must become more disruptive in the backfield. The addition of transfer Amaris Williams and the development of edge rushers like Gabe Harris and Quintavius Johnson are central to solving this production gap.
Replacing Perimeter Production
While the defense has been the vocal point of concern, the offense faces a significant transition in its pass-catching corps. Georgia lost five of its top six receivers from the 2025 roster, leaving a massive void in production for veteran quarterback Gunner Stockton. For the Bulldogs to remain explosive, London Humphreys must step into a true primary role, while young talents like CJ Wiley and tight end Lawson Luckie need to emerge as reliable targets. Ensuring Stockton has a “weapon closet” capable of stretching the field is essential to maintaining the offensive efficiency seen last season.
Winning the Postseason Margins
Beyond specific position groups, there is a mounting narrative regarding playoff execution. Georgia has not won a game in the College Football Playoff in nearly four years, with recent exits occurring in the quarterfinal rounds. Solving the “postseason wall” involves better in-game adjustments and finishing close games against top-tier opponents. Analysts point to the 2026 schedule—which includes road trips to Alabama and Ole Miss—as the ultimate proving ground for whether this team can handle the pressure of elite matchups before the expanded playoff begins.
Roster Continuity and the Ground Game
A major strength working in Georgia’s favor is returning production. With 14 starters returning, including Stockton and a loaded backfield featuring Nate Frazier and Chauncey Bowens, the Bulldogs have the veteran leadership necessary to navigate a tough SEC slate. The “number one” issue isn’t a lack of talent, but rather the refinement of that talent into a unit that creates negative plays on defense and maintains explosive efficiency on third downs. If the Bulldogs can marry their established run game with a revitalized pass rush, they remain the frontrunner for a deep playoff run.
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