No. 3 Bulldogs Open CWS Saturday vs Texas

Georgia’s No. 3 Bulldogs begin their College World Series run in Omaha on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET against No. 6 Texas, a matchup the Bulldogs haven’t faced in the regular season. The game airs on ESPN and highlights a season defined by record power, a surge of w

OMAHA, Neb. — Saturday night arrives at 8 p.m. ET, and Georgia is walking into the College World Series with a number next to its name: No. 3.

The Bulldogs will face No. 6 Texas in their CWS opener at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, with the game set for ESPN coverage. For Georgia, the timing feels like a hand on the throttle—because the momentum is already there. The Bulldogs have won 19 of their past 20 games. and their 51 wins rank as the second most in program history. trailing only the 1990 national championship that finished 52-19.

Georgia enters this series as the kind of team that shows up in stat lines no one forgets. The Bulldogs lead the NCAA with a school record 174 home runs and a .629 slugging percentage. They’re also fourth in scoring at 9.4 runs per game. On the field, Georgia’s defense is doing its part with a .982 fielding percentage, ranked 10th nationally. Offensively, they post an SEC-best .326 batting average, which sits fourth in the country.

That season résumé didn’t happen by accident. Georgia won the Southeastern Conference regular season title with a 23-7 mark and then took the SEC Tournament title by going 3-0. After that. the postseason run continued through its Regional and then into a Super Regional in Athens. where the Bulldogs swept No. 14 Mississippi State.

The matchup itself is a new one for Georgia and Texas. The Bulldogs did not face the Longhorns during the regular season, and now the bracket has placed them together immediately. Oklahoma and Alabama round out Georgia’s side of the bracket. Those two teams meet in the first game Saturday.

After Georgia and Texas, the path tightens: the winners of the game will play Monday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, while the losers will square off at 2 p.m. ET Monday on ESPN.

Under head coach Wes Johnson, Georgia is in its third season with the program’s expectations kept high. His tenure has already produced a national top eight seed each year. This is also Georgia’s seventh appearance in the College World Series and its first since reaching the Finals in 2008.

The face of that run is catcher Daniel Jackson, a junior All-America who arrives as one of the most decorated players in college baseball. Jackson is hitting .396 with 31 home runs, 86 runs batted in, and 26 stolen bases. He ranks in the top five nationally in five offensive categories.

Friday added another layer to his spotlight: Jackson claimed the 2026 Dick Howser Trophy as the top player in college baseball. He is also a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award, the Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, and the Bobby Bragan Slugger Award.

The honors don’t stop there. Jackson was named the SEC Player of the Year and 1st Team All-SEC by the league coaches, and he earned SEC Tournament MVP honors and a spot on the All-Tournament team as Georgia captured its first-ever SEC Tournament title.

On the mound, Georgia has a right-hander ready to start the evening: Joey Volchko (10-2, 4.07 ERA). Georgia’s team ERA stands at 4.92, with 653 strikeouts and 273 walks in 538.1 innings. Opponents are hitting .242 against the Bulldogs.

Texas counters with a southpaw of its own: sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis (10-1, 2.03 ERA).

As the bracket sets, it’s not just about who has the best single-game matchup. Georgia’s CWS opener is carrying the weight of a season built around home runs, consistency, and a record of winning when the stakes rise.

And for Jackson, for Johnson, and for a Bulldogs program returning after years away from the Finals stage, Saturday is the start of the next chapter.

Georgia Bulldogs Texas Longhorns College World Series Omaha Daniel Jackson Dick Howser Trophy Joey Volchko Dylan Volantis ESPN