Jump To Top of Page

BSB: Georgia Defeats Liberty, Advances to Athens Super Regional

Third-ranked Georgia defeated Liberty 6-1 on Sunday to win the NCAA Athens Regional and advance to an eighth Super Regional in program history.

Fast Facts

• Graduate right-hander Caden Aoki (9-1) started on the bump for the Bulldogs, firing six innings and allowing only one run while striking out a career-high 11 to earn the win.
• Liberty scored its sole run in the top of the first on an RBI single by Jaxon Sorenson.
• Junior Tre Phelps got the Bulldogs on the board in the sixth inning in dramatic fashion with a two-run blast, his 19th of the year.
• Junior Zach Brown entered the game in relief in the seventh and tossed three scoreless frames to close out the game for Georgia, earning his second save of the year.
• The Bulldogs added four more runs in the bottom of the eighth with a solo shot by senior Michael O’Shaughnessy, an RBI-double by sophomore Rylan Lujo and a two-run single by junior Ryan Wynn. The home run was O’Shaughnessy’s 18th of the year and his first in an NCAA Regional.
• With the win, the Bulldogs closed out the Athens Regional 3-0 and improved to 40-22 all-time in NCAA Regionals.
• Georgia will advance to its first Super Regional since 2024, when the Bulldogs hosted NC State at Foley Field.

Highlights

Box Score

Key Quotes

Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson

Opening Statement…

“I thought the game was – man – one to remember. For those first six innings, I thought their starter [Cooper Harrington] came out, threw the ball well. Kind of kept us off balance. I thought we got off some good swings and were just missing some balls. That’ll happen when you see a guy like that who’s kind of unique. He had a lower release height, was really commanding his pitches. He kept us off balance but really proud of our hitters. [I] thought we just kept grinding and didn’t give in and made it hard on them. Then, obviously, Caden Aoki – there’s a reason we call him ‘Doc.’ What he did tonight was phenomenal. Obviously, the big blow right there with Tre [Phelps] hitting the home run and then Michael [O’Shaughnessy] getting another one later. Then us putting some more pressure on them, getting off some really good at-bats. Then Zach Brown coming in and closing out the game was really, really good.

As far as the Tre (Phelps) situation, for the record, Tre’s family was sitting up in the stands. Tre was waving at his family. The umpires – whatever, you know I’m not an umpire – they thought he was talking to their dugout. Tre got ejected. Tre will miss game one of the super regional. I also was ejected. I have no further penalties. That’s the only statements that we can give and the NCAA will not be making a statement.”

#3 Daniel Jackson | C | Jr.

On the dugout culture…
“Everyone in the dugout, all the hitters, support each other and tell each other to keep going. We knew it was only a matter of time before our offense got going, and it was all about keeping our foot on the gas and keep going.”

#12 Caden Aoki | RHP | Sr. 

On staying level-headed as a pitcher…
“You have to go out there every inning. It’s like a new game every inning, every pitch. You have to stay locked in. You’re at your best pitching when you’re not looking at the score. So, I knew the job I had to do, and I wanted to go out there and execute.”

NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament Team

P (2): Joey Volchko, Georgia; Cooper Harrington, Liberty

C: Daniel Jackson, Georgia

DH: Jack Arcamone, Georgia

1B: Brennan Hudson, Georgia

2B: Ryan Wynn, Georgia

3B: Jordan Jaffe, Liberty

SS: Kolby Branch, Georgia

OF(3): Rylan Lujo, Georgia; Nick Barone, Liberty; Kenny Ishikawa, Georgia

Most Outstanding Player: Brennan Hudson, Georgia

Game Five Result

Liberty University defeated Boston College, 8-3, to advance to the NCAA Athens Regional Final against Georgia. 

Fast Facts

• With the win, Liberty tied the school record for most wins in a season (43) for the third time ever and first time since 2019.
• Graduate right-hander Jake Potts (4-2) entered the game in relief in the fourth and fired 5.0 innings of one-run baseball, striking out three to earn the win.
• Boston College got on the board first, putting up runs in the first and second innings, thanks to a solo shot by sophomore Ty Mainolfi (2-for-5, 2 RBI) in the first and an RBI single by graduate Gunnar Johnson in the second.
• It was all Liberty following the second inning, as the Flames drove in five runs on four hits, taking advantage of the two Boston College errors in the third. Junior Josh Campos and senior Jordan Jaffe (3-for-4, 2 RBI) each added a run to Liberty’s lead with solo shots over the right field wall in the fourth and fifth innings, respectively. Jaffe scored again in the seventh inning on a single to left field by senior Nick Barone (2-for-4, 2 RBI) to bring the Flames’ lead to 8-2.
• Mainolfi drove in a third run for Boston College on a hard-hit single in the top of the ninth, but the Eagles’ late comeback attempt ultimately fell short.

Up Next

Georgia (49-12) will advance to an NCAA Super Regional next weekend and likely host as the No. 3 overall seed. The official selection of the eight super regional hosts will be announced on www.NCAA.com/mcws on Tuesday, June 2, by 10 a.m. (ET). The College World Series begins play Friday, June 12, at Charles Schwab Field Omaha in Omaha, Nebraska.

T/F: UGA Women Earn 12 Additional Spots in 2026 NCAA Outdoor National Championships

The Georgia women secured 12 additional berths to the 2026 NCAA Outdoor National Championships on Saturday at the NCAA East Regional. 

Fast Facts 

• The Bulldogs advanced athletes in seven events and qualified a pair of relays to close out the final day, bringing Georgia’s tally to 14 tickets to Eugene. 
• The first ticket of the day came on the track in the women’s 4x100m relay by way of senior Kaila Jackson, freshman Adaejah Hodge, freshman Lisa Raye and senior Jassani Carter. The quartet clocked a school record-setting time of 42.40.
• Freshman Taylor Cox earned a trip to Eugene in the women’s 100m hurdles with a 12.92 finish to earn the automatic qualifying spot.
• The Bulldogs continued the success on the track, advancing three in the 100m dash. Carter nabbed the top qualifying spot with a career-best effort of 10.88, Hodge followed at 10.90 and Jackson also added a career-best at 10.93.
• Senior Dejanea Oakley delivered a facility record-breaking performance of 49.48, which claimed the top qualifying spot. 
• Meanwhile, in the hurdles rendition of the 400m hurdles, sophomore Michelle Smith grabbed the second-best qualifying spot for the Bulldogs with a season-best finish of 54.71.
• In the women’s triple jump, sophomore Danah Nembhard earned a trip to the national championships with a mark of 13.48m/44-2.75.
• The Bulldog women also tallied three entries in the women’s 200m dash. Hodge finished at  22.09, Jackson clocked a season-best of 22.36 and Carter rounded out the qualifiers with a 22.94 finish. 
• Georgia grabbed the last ticket of the meet in the women’s 4x400m relay. The foursome of Oakley, Smith, freshman Tianna Springer and senior Vimbayi Maisvorewa clocked a 3:24.60 to take the top spot.

Up Next 
Georgia will travel to Eugene, Ore., to compete at the NCAA Outdoor Championships and contend for national titles, which are set for June 10-13.

Jump To Today’s Discussion Thread