Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson (25) celebrates after hitting his second home run during a NCAA Regionals game against Binghamton in Athens, Ga., on Friday, May 30, 2025. Joshua L. Jones / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

UGA V.S. WSU Series Recap

Originally posted on Georgia Bulldogs on SI
By Drew Mullvain | Last updated Feb 17, 2026 5:41 PM ET

The University of Georgia opened up its season by facing off against Wright State University. The slate was scheduled for a game on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. However, due to the weather, they had to reschedule Sunday's game as a doubleheader on Saturday. The Dawgs would end up taking 2 out of 3 games of the series. Their loss came from the second game of the doubleheader on Saturday.

On Friday, the Dawgs won 13-1 in seven innings. They showcased their true possibilities on offense and defense. Joey Volchko, a transfer from Stanford University, started on the mound and showed he will be an instant impact player. Volchko pitched 4 innings and only allowed 1 run. He faced 16 batters and struck out 5 batters. Volchko displayed his talent for the fastball, which would whip right by batters.

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Caden Aoki followed up after Volchko with wicked curveballs and off-speed pitches that threw the Raiders off. Aoki only pitched 3 innings and struck out 8 out of 9 batters. The combo of Volchko and Aoki will be a force to be reckoned with this season. UGA also showed amazing offense as Daniel Jackson hit a home run and recorded 4 RBI’s. Four UGA players recorded at least 2 RBI’s, which overpowered WSU’s pitching and defense.

Game two was about the same as game one. UGA outperformed WSU and won by a score of 9-0, but this time it took all 9 innings. Kenny Ishikawa, a transfer from Seattle University, started on the bump. An electric two-way player who can shut people out on the mound and hit home runs at the plate. Ishikawa pitched 4.1 innings and struck out 8 batters. On offense, the Dawgs recorded 4 home runs by 4 different batters (Hudson, Jackson, Phelps, and Lujo).

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Game three (game two of the doubleheader), the Dawgs witnessed their first loss of the season, losing 6-3. It is very hard to win both games of a doubleheader. It takes extreme determination and focus to pull it off. WSU used a great rotation and would change pitchers whenever UGA had any sense of momentum. WSU used 4 different pitchers for the duration of the game. With two runners on base, Tre Phelps hit a ball that was a foot away from being a game-tying home run. Instead, the ball was caught, and the Raiders were able to turn two, which ended the game.

Even though the Dawgs lost a game at home, they were able to move up the rankings. Before this series, they were ranked #15 in the country; now they are ranked #14. The Dawgs will face USC Upstate on Wednesday and then will have a three game series with Sanford on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. All games will be at home, and the Dawgs will not leave Foley Field until March 3rd.