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BSB: Georgia is NCAA Men’s College World Series Bound
Third-seeded Georgia defeated No. 14 Mississippi State, 11-9, in an extra innings thriller to win the Athens Super Regional and advance to the NCAA Men’s College World Series for the first time since 2008 and seventh time in program history in front of a sold-out Foley Field on Sunday afternoon.
Fast Facts
With the win, Georgia (51-12) captured its fifth NCAA Super Regional in program history. The Bulldogs have now won five of the six super regionals the team has competed in.
Junior catcher Daniel Jackson, a finalist for National Player of the Year and multiple awards, blasted a two-run homer in the top of the tenth inning to put Georgia up 11-9. It was his team-leading 31st home run of the year. Byrd then closed out the game in the bottom of the 10th with a strikeout to send Georgia back to Omaha for the first time in 18 years.
The win marks the first time Georgia has swept an NCAA Super Regional at home in program history and first time sweeping one in 2024 at Georgia Tech.
Graduate Caden Aoki started on the mound for Georgia, firing 5.2 innings and striking out nine. Redshirt junior Justin Byrd (5-2) earned the win after tossing the final two innings, striking out two and holding off Mississippi State to punch the Bulldogs ticket to Omaha.
Georgia took an early lead in the back-and-forth offensive battle, scoring two runs in each of the first two innings. Mississippi State (43-19) responded in the bottom of the second with a two-run homer.
Georgia added three more runs over the next three innings, including one from senior Brennan Hudson, hammering a solo blast to right center for his 21st homer of the year in the third.
Senior Kolby Branch also launched solo shots in both the second and seventh innings to record his 18th and 19th home runs of the year, a new career high for the Texas native.
Mississippi State battled back, scoring seven runs on five home runs and a single from the sixth to eighth innings, including three consecutive solo homers in the seventh inning, to take a 9-8 lead entering the ninth innin.
Hudson kept Georgia’s super regional sweep hopes alive with a single to drive in Ishikawa and tie the game at nine in the top of the ninth. Byrd then sent the game to extra innings by holding off Mississippi State in the bottom of the ninth.
Highlights
Box Score
Key Quotes
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On resiliency of the team…
“I tell our guys all the time I think toughness gets a bad rap. People think it’s some kind of physical element, and it’s not. You have to learn to be capable of great endurance and understand that our game is really long. They got to get you out. Teams are going to get emotional. Those emotions are going to carry you out of what you normally do every day. That’s what we talk a lot about. Not only do we talk about it, we practice it. We try to try to give our guys something hard to do every single day, whether it be physical or mental. And you just saw a bunch of resilient guys, and you saw the fruition of all that work come through.”
#3 Daniel Jackson | C | Jr.
On how team chemistry contributed to the team’s success…
“The chemistry on our team, it’s hard to talk about. I mean, it’s just incredible. I think a big factor of that is as silly as it sounds to say, winning. When you’re winning together, it’s fun and it’s true. The locker room is a much happier place after a dub. The whole sour power thing like that’s been a crazy thing that’s united us just because it’s turned into this fun thing. Have to give credit to a guy like Scott Newman, who has not played as much as he has, but instead of sitting at the
end of the dugout sulking, he’s finding a way to be part of the team.”
#9 Kolby Branch | SS | Sr.
On learning from the 2024 Super Regional loss…
That hurt me, Tre [Phelps], Coach Wes, Paul Farley, Luke Wiltrakis. Those are the four guys that have been there and then obviously the other coaching staff too. That hurt on our home field. I still remember that. We were just talking about it before. I remember going to bed that night knowing we were going to Omaha, we are going to win this game, and it just didn’t work out. That’s how baseball is. And so now that we got that third game, that second game, and now we are on to Omaha, it’s kind of a full circle moment.”
Mississippi State Head Coach Brian O’Connor
Opening statement…
“I would first like to congratulate Coach [Wes] Johnson and the Georgia Bulldogs. We all know how hard it is to get to Omaha. The reason you go to Omaha is not to get there, it’s to compete for a national championship. That team in the other dugout is absolutely capable of winning the national championship. One of the best lineups in my coaching career that I coached against. So, I tip my cap to them and congratulations to them. You know, we’re just proud of our guys, proud of [Jacob Parker]. I know he hurts because the game ended with his at-bat, but we wouldn’t be where we are without him and his teammates’ contributions. Reflecting back throughout the year, there are so many moments when this team needed to step up and rise up. In this league, it’s never a smooth sail. It might have been a smooth sail for Georgia this year because they ran away with the league. But we had our challenges, and I’m just proud of these young men for what they represent and how they carry themselves. These two games were a great example of that. We couldn’t figure out pitching-wise what to do to get them out. Today was more a story of free passes and then them getting hits or home runs and giving them a little bit of momentum. Not to take anything away from them, but we just had too many walks today to win this ballgame. I’m really proud of this group, proud to be the coach at Mississippi State, and it’s because of these guys and the way that they carry themselves and the way they compete.”
#2 Jacob Parker | OF | Fr.
On making it to Super Regionals as a freshman…
“I would say I want to win, but I walked up to the plate knowing that win or lose, I’ve won in life. I think that’s what’s special, and that’s what this program’s about. It’s not about wins or losses. It’s about how can these guys turn us into better men. From the second I stepped foot on campus, I’ve completely changed into a better man, and I can’t thank these guys enough.”
Up Next
Georgia will travel to Omaha, Nebraska, to compete in the NCAA Men’s College World Series, which will take place from June 12-22. The College World Series schedule will be announced Monday after 7 p.m. ET by the NCAA and ESPN.
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