OMAHA, Neb. – On Saturday, June 13, the Georgia Bulldogs took down the Texas Longhorns 7-1 in the 2026 College World Series. It is the first College World Series win for Georgia since 2008, when they lost to Fresno State in the national championship.
Georgia gets out to a fast start
Georgia took a quick 4-0 lead after the first inning. The first two runs came off a home run by the Bulldogs’ center fielder, Rylan Lujo. A quick review by the umpires determined that Lujo hit the left field foul pole. The home run was also the 175th of the season by Georgia.
The next two runs came off a miscue by the Texas defense. Texas catcher Carson Tinney sailed a throw to first baseman Ashton Larson while trying to complete a strikeout to Kolby Branch. This allowed two more Georgia runs to score. Those runs were scored by Michael O’Shaughnessy and Kenny Ishikawa.
Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle mentioned postgame that he felt it was the worst defensive game his team played all season. The Longhorns finished with three errors against the Bulldogs.
Texas tacks on its first run in the fifth inning
Adrian Rodriguez had the first two hits of the game for Texas. He seemed to be the only hitter in the Longhorns’ lineup who could figure out Georgia starting pitcher Joey Volchko.
After his second hit, Rodriguez advanced all the way to third on a pick-off attempt by Volchko that sailed into foul territory. After that play, Texas designated hitter Ethan Mendoza scorched a ball into right field that put the Longhorns’ first run on the board. This made it a 4-3 game.
Lujo and Ishikawa strike again in the seventh inning for the Dawgs
Georgia added some insurance in the seventh inning by way of Lujo once again. After Tre Phelps and Daniel Jackson got on base, Lujo ripped an RBI double off the left field wall to make it a 5-1 game.
The Bulldogs then had two runners in scoring position with no outs. Ishikawa then hit a groundball that found its way into right field. This scored Jackson from third, and Lujo from second base, and extended Georgia’s lead out to 7-1.
Texas reliever Brett Crossland came in for Texas starting pitcher Dylan Volantis and was able to end the inning by getting the final two outs.
Volantis finished the game with nine strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings. Only two of Georgia’s seven runs were earned runs for Volantis.
Volchko treats fans to a masterful start against Texas
Volchko had his best outing of the season, and possibly his career, at the right time for Georgia. He completely shut down the Longhorns’ offense.
The junior from California threw a complete game, allowing four hits and striking out 15 Texas hitters. Volchko also did not give the Longhorns many free opprotunities, allowing just one walk.
Johnson talked about Volchko’s big-time outing against Texas, giving him lots of praise.
“He came out and set the tone in the game,” said Johnson. “He was the story of the night with how he commanded pitches. It was one of the most impressive complete game performances I’ve been a part of.”
In return, Volchko gave his head coach some praise.
“I encourage everyone to come pitch at Georgia,” said Volchko. “Coming to work under Wes Johnson was the best decision I made.”
Up next for Georgia
The Georgia Bulldogs will face off against the Oklahoma Sooners in their next game of the 2026 College World Series. That game is on Monday, June 15, at 7 p.m. ET and is on ESPN.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko (37) celebrates after pitching a complete game during an NCAA baseball College World Series game against Texas, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in Omaha, Neb. Georgia won 7-1. (AP Photo/Vera Nieuwenhuis)
