University of Georgia Athletics
Pitching, Power Propel Georgia To Opening Win
February 13, 2026 | Baseball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Pitching, defense and power at the plate — the sixth-ranked Georgia baseball team showed off all three in the Bulldogs' 13-1 season-opening win over Wright State on Friday afternoon at Foley Field. Joey Volchko and Caden Aoki took care of business on the mound, combining for 13 strikeouts, and Tre Phelps and Daniel Jackson each hit home runs in the blowout win.
Phelps' two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning gave the Bulldogs the lead, and Georgia added three more runs in the fifth and blew the game wide open with an eight-run sixth that included a three-run shot by Jackson.
After ending last season with a 14-game hitting streak, Phelps wasted no time getting his first hit of 2026. Facing Wright State starter Cam Allen, who walked Kenny Ishikawa on four pitches to begin the bottom of the first, Phelps drilled a 3-2 pitch over the wall in right-center field.
"It was just staying in my approach. I got to 3-2 that at-bat and just being able to cover both sides of the plate and stay through the middle. He threw me a slider, I want to say a little bit outside, and I was able to stay on it and go through to the right side of the field which is what we work on in batting practice with (assistant coach) Brock (Bennett)," Phelps said.
Volchko started the opener and showed off his power from the outset. His 1-2-3 opening inning, all ground-ball outs, featured pitches between 95 and 97 miles per hour.
The 6-foot-4 and 225-pound transfer from Stanford ran into some trouble in the top of the third, giving up a run on a wild pitch with runners on the corners. Georgia still led 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Volchko walked a pair of batters and faced the Raiders' Andrew Duncan with runners on second and third with two away.
How did the big right-hander handle that? A 95-mph fastball for a strike on the first pitch, a 96-mph strike on the second, and Duncan swung and missed on another 95-mph offering for strike three.
That final strikeout was the end of Volchko's first outing as a Bulldog. Aoki took over on the mound in the fifth, and Volchko ended his debut having struck out five batters, walked two and allowed a run on two hits in four innings.
"It was awesome," Volchko said of his first start with the Bulldogs. "It was the biggest home game I've ever pitched in my life as far as attendance and people behind you, so it was a really great feeling."
It was also Aoki's Bulldog debut after playing at USC for the past three seasons (and Notre Dame in 2022), and he made quite a first impression. The 6-foot right-hander, who typically throws in the 80s, struck out the side in the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, third-year Bulldog Kolby Branch, a senior shortstop, doubled off Raiders reliever J.J. Thompson to lead off the frame. Next up was left fielder Cole Johnson, a freshman from nearby Watkinsville, who hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the 370 marker in right-center field, scoring Branch from second and pushing the Bulldog lead to 3-1.
Ishikawa, batting first in the lineup in his Georgia debut after playing at Seattle, then singled to center field, scoring Johnson and making it a 4-1 lead. Ishikawa, a two-way player who played center field Friday and may start on the mound later in the three-game series, moved to second when Phelps was hit by a pitch. That put runners on first and second for designated hitter Jordy Oriach, another new Bulldog, and Oriach was also hit by Thompson.
That loaded the bases with nobody out for Jackson, and the catcher brought home Ishikawa with a fly ball to right field, pushing the lead to 5-1.
In the top of the sixth, Aoki allowed a leadoff single by Patrick Fultz before striking out the next two batters. Branch then made the defensive play of the game on Fultz's steal attempt. Jackson's throw from behind home plate was a little right of second base, and Branch made a diving grab and tag to get Fultz out and end the inning.
Georgia added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth, going up 6-1 on a bases-loaded walk off reliever Matthew Johnson, and then 7-1 after Ishikawa was hit by a pitch with the bases full. Phelps was then hit by a pitch for the third time in the game, scoring another run. A dropped fly ball led to another run, followed by a wild pitch that scored a run, and then Jackson made it 13-1 with a three-run blast to right field.
Aoki closed out the game in the top of the seventh due to the 10-run rule, striking out the side to give him the save in three innings of work. He struck out eight of the 10 batters he faced.
"He's an absolute master of his craft. It's impressive watching him pitch. It's been like that since he showed up. Nothing's changed, and he's just gotten better," Volchko said of Aoki.Â
Bulldog batters only produced six hits — nobody had more than one — but they also drew six walks and were hit seven times. The Bulldogs and Raiders will wrap up their series with a doubleheader on Saturday.
Staff Writer
Pitching, defense and power at the plate — the sixth-ranked Georgia baseball team showed off all three in the Bulldogs' 13-1 season-opening win over Wright State on Friday afternoon at Foley Field. Joey Volchko and Caden Aoki took care of business on the mound, combining for 13 strikeouts, and Tre Phelps and Daniel Jackson each hit home runs in the blowout win.
Phelps' two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning gave the Bulldogs the lead, and Georgia added three more runs in the fifth and blew the game wide open with an eight-run sixth that included a three-run shot by Jackson.
After ending last season with a 14-game hitting streak, Phelps wasted no time getting his first hit of 2026. Facing Wright State starter Cam Allen, who walked Kenny Ishikawa on four pitches to begin the bottom of the first, Phelps drilled a 3-2 pitch over the wall in right-center field.
"It was just staying in my approach. I got to 3-2 that at-bat and just being able to cover both sides of the plate and stay through the middle. He threw me a slider, I want to say a little bit outside, and I was able to stay on it and go through to the right side of the field which is what we work on in batting practice with (assistant coach) Brock (Bennett)," Phelps said.
Volchko started the opener and showed off his power from the outset. His 1-2-3 opening inning, all ground-ball outs, featured pitches between 95 and 97 miles per hour.
The 6-foot-4 and 225-pound transfer from Stanford ran into some trouble in the top of the third, giving up a run on a wild pitch with runners on the corners. Georgia still led 2-1 in the top of the fourth when Volchko walked a pair of batters and faced the Raiders' Andrew Duncan with runners on second and third with two away.
How did the big right-hander handle that? A 95-mph fastball for a strike on the first pitch, a 96-mph strike on the second, and Duncan swung and missed on another 95-mph offering for strike three.
That final strikeout was the end of Volchko's first outing as a Bulldog. Aoki took over on the mound in the fifth, and Volchko ended his debut having struck out five batters, walked two and allowed a run on two hits in four innings.
"It was awesome," Volchko said of his first start with the Bulldogs. "It was the biggest home game I've ever pitched in my life as far as attendance and people behind you, so it was a really great feeling."
It was also Aoki's Bulldog debut after playing at USC for the past three seasons (and Notre Dame in 2022), and he made quite a first impression. The 6-foot right-hander, who typically throws in the 80s, struck out the side in the fifth.
In the bottom of the fifth, third-year Bulldog Kolby Branch, a senior shortstop, doubled off Raiders reliever J.J. Thompson to lead off the frame. Next up was left fielder Cole Johnson, a freshman from nearby Watkinsville, who hit a ground-rule double that bounced over the 370 marker in right-center field, scoring Branch from second and pushing the Bulldog lead to 3-1.
Ishikawa, batting first in the lineup in his Georgia debut after playing at Seattle, then singled to center field, scoring Johnson and making it a 4-1 lead. Ishikawa, a two-way player who played center field Friday and may start on the mound later in the three-game series, moved to second when Phelps was hit by a pitch. That put runners on first and second for designated hitter Jordy Oriach, another new Bulldog, and Oriach was also hit by Thompson.
That loaded the bases with nobody out for Jackson, and the catcher brought home Ishikawa with a fly ball to right field, pushing the lead to 5-1.
In the top of the sixth, Aoki allowed a leadoff single by Patrick Fultz before striking out the next two batters. Branch then made the defensive play of the game on Fultz's steal attempt. Jackson's throw from behind home plate was a little right of second base, and Branch made a diving grab and tag to get Fultz out and end the inning.
Georgia added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth, going up 6-1 on a bases-loaded walk off reliever Matthew Johnson, and then 7-1 after Ishikawa was hit by a pitch with the bases full. Phelps was then hit by a pitch for the third time in the game, scoring another run. A dropped fly ball led to another run, followed by a wild pitch that scored a run, and then Jackson made it 13-1 with a three-run blast to right field.
Aoki closed out the game in the top of the seventh due to the 10-run rule, striking out the side to give him the save in three innings of work. He struck out eight of the 10 batters he faced.
"He's an absolute master of his craft. It's impressive watching him pitch. It's been like that since he showed up. Nothing's changed, and he's just gotten better," Volchko said of Aoki.Â
Bulldog batters only produced six hits — nobody had more than one — but they also drew six walks and were hit seven times. The Bulldogs and Raiders will wrap up their series with a doubleheader on Saturday.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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