Joey Volchko struck out 15 across nine innings, lifting third-seeded Georgia past sixth-ranked Texas 7-1 on Saturday night at the College World Series in Omaha. The junior right-hander’s complete game was the first by a Georgia pitcher at the CWS since Mike Rebhan did it twice in 1990, the year the Bulldogs won the national title. The win pushed Georgia to 52-12 and into the winners’ bracket, where Oklahoma will meet the Bulldogs on Monday at 7 p.m. ET.
Texas starter Dylan Volantis lasted 6 1/3 innings and took the loss. Rylan Lujo’s two-run homer in the first gave Volchko a lead that grew before the Longhorns ever put a runner on base. By the time the game ended, the Bulldogs had matched the 1990 team’s school record for wins in a season, and the pitching staff had recorded its 31st outing this year of holding an opponent to three runs or less.
Volchko’s Nine Innings Marked a First for Georgia Since 1990
Volchko needed 114 pitches, 84 of them strikes, to put away a Texas lineup that finished the regular season 45-13. He scattered four hits, gave up one unearned run in the fifth, struck out the side in both the first and fourth innings, and set a new high for a Georgia pitcher in a College World Series game with his 15 strikeouts. The performance lifted him to 11-2 on the year, and his previous career high in strikeouts was 11 against Santa Clara in 2024.
I felt a lot of confidence and comfort with the gameplan we came in with tonight. We had a very clear plan and executed. We always talk about it as a team in terms of don’t panic, don’t get sped up. I had to attack the zone, and I did that with the first hitter even after I got behind in the count 3-1 and then came back with a strikeout. I’ve grown as a pitcher and credit goes to coach Wes Johnson.
Volchko delivered those words in the postgame press conference at Charles Schwab Field, where a crowd of 25,002 watched him record the first nine-inning complete game of the 2026 season for Georgia. Georgia’s official recap of the 7-1 win noted that Volchko had improved to 11-2 and struck out the side in the first and fourth innings on his way to the CWS strikeout record.
The outing marked the first CWS complete game since 1990 for a Georgia pitcher. Rebhan did it twice for the Bulldogs that year, when the program won its only national title. The 1990 championship team finished 52-19. Georgia reached 52-12 in 64 games this season, and Saturday’s gem gave the 2026 squad the same number in the win column that the program’s last title-winning team needed 71 games to reach.
A Four-Run First Built on One Swing and a Cascade of Miscues
Georgia sent nine batters to the plate in the first and came away with a 4-0 lead before Volantis recorded an out in the second. Lujo opened the scoring with a two-run blast off the fair pole in left, his 14th homer of the year, scoring Tre Phelps, who had walked to lead off the game. The two runs that followed did not come on clean contact, and the four-run first set the tone for a night when every break went to Volchko.
- Lujo homered to left with Phelps aboard, staking Georgia to a 2-0 lead.
- Kolby Branch struck out swinging but reached first on a wild pitch by Volantis, allowing Mike O’Shaughnessy to score.
- Carson Tinney’s throw down to second sailed into center field, letting Kenny Ishikawa come home from third.
- Georgia led 4-0 before Volantis recorded an out in the second.
The Bulldogs built their early cushion with a pair of errors, two wild pitches, and two hit batsmen in the opening frame. Texas never put a runner on base until the second inning, and the Longhorns never built any momentum after that.
How the Two Starters’ Lines Stacked Up
Volantis came in 10-1 with a 2.03 ERA, and he left with the loss after 6 1/3 innings, giving up five runs (two earned), seven hits, two walks, and striking out three. The gap in strikeouts told the story of the night: 15 to 3.
| Pitcher | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | Pitches | Decision |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joey Volchko (Georgia) | 9.0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 114 | Win (11-2) |
| Dylan Volantis (Texas) | 6.1 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 111 | Loss |
Ethan Mendoza’s single in the fifth was the only Texas RBI of the night, and his run was unearned after Adrian Rodriguez reached third on a botched pickoff attempt. Volchko threw first-pitch strikes and let his defense work, retiring seven batters in a row at one stretch after the Longhorns’ lone run crossed the plate.
Tied With 1990, the Year Georgia Last Saw This Kind of Outing
The Bulldogs’ 52nd win of the year matches the 1990 team for the most in program history and locks in the school record for wins in a season. That 1990 squad, the last Georgia team to win a national title, finished 52-19. The 2026 team reached 52-12 in 64 games, a different pace and a different era, but the same number in the win column.
Saturday was Georgia’s seventh trip to the College World Series and its first since reaching the Finals in 2008. The 31st time this season that the staff held an opponent to three runs or less came at Charles Schwab Field in front of a crowd of 25,002. A 7-1 final did not just advance Georgia to the winners’ bracket, it confirmed that the pitching depth the Bulldogs leaned on all year travels to a stage as loud as Omaha.
Coach Wes Johnson highlighted the early offensive cushion and Volchko’s command of both sides of the plate after the win, calling the outing one of the most impressive complete game performances he has been a part of. The phrasing fit a program that had waited 36 years to see another Bulldog throw all nine innings on college baseball’s biggest stage.
Oklahoma Awaits in the Winners’ Bracket
Georgia (52-12) faces Oklahoma (39-22) on Monday at 7 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field, with the game televised on ESPN. The matchup caps the opening weekend in the winners’ bracket on one side of the double-elimination bracket. A win on Monday puts the Bulldogs one victory from clinching a spot in the best-of-three CWS finals.
The numbers that defined Saturday in Omaha:
- 15: strikeouts by Joey Volchko, a school record for a CWS game.
- 114: pitches thrown by Volchko, with 84 going for strikes.
- 7-1: final score, the 31st time Georgia held an opponent to three runs or less this season.
- 52-12: Georgia’s record, tied with the 1990 national championship team for the most wins in program history.
- 4: runs Georgia scored in the first inning, the inning that decided the night.
Oklahoma reached the winners’ bracket by blanking seventh-seeded Alabama 9-0 in their opener on Saturday, with freshman Cord Rager pitching seven shutout innings. Oklahoma’s Monday matchup with Georgia now sets up a meeting of the two opening-day winners in a bracket where one more Bulldogs win clinches a spot in the best-of-three finals. The 2026 Men’s College World Series bracket shows the rest of the path from there.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Georgia play next in the College World Series?
Georgia faces Oklahoma on Monday at 7 p.m. ET at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha. The game is televised on ESPN and is the winners’ bracket matchup on one side of the double-elimination bracket.
Who started for Texas against Georgia?
Dylan Volantis started for the Longhorns. He came in 10-1 with a 2.03 ERA, lasted 6 1/3 innings, allowed seven hits, five runs (two earned), two walks, and struck out three, taking the loss.
What was Joey Volchko’s final pitching line?
Volchko threw a complete game of nine innings, allowing four hits, one unearned run, one walk, and striking out 15. He needed 114 pitches, 84 of them strikes, and improved to 11-2 on the season.
How does the 2026 Bulldogs team compare to the 1990 national champions?
Both teams won 52 games in their seasons, tying the school record. The 1990 team finished 52-19 and won the program’s only national title; the 2026 Bulldogs reached 52-12 with the win over Texas. Saturday’s complete game was the first by a Georgia pitcher at the CWS since Mike Rebhan did it twice for the 1990 team.
How did Oklahoma reach the winners’ bracket?
Oklahoma beat seventh-seeded Alabama 9-0 in the CWS opener on Saturday, with freshman Cord Rager throwing seven shutout innings. The Sooners improved to 39-22 and earned the right to face Georgia on Monday.
