University of Georgia Athletics
Friday, February 13
Athens, Ga.
3 pm
University of Georgia
1-0
13
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1
Wright State
0-1
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7
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E
Wright State
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Georgia
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13
6
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No. 6 Georgia Blasts Wright State 13-1 In Season Opener
February 13, 2026 | Baseball
ATHENS, Ga. — Sixth-ranked Georgia (1-0) defeated Wright State 13-1 in dominant fashion to earn the Opening Day victory Friday in front of a sellout crowd of 3,633 at Foley Field.
Fast Facts
· Junior Joey Volchko (1-0) made his Bulldog debut earning the Opening Day start and allowed one run in four innings and tallied five strikeouts.
· Junior Tre Phelps (1-for-1, HR, 3 RBI, 3 HBP) extended his 15-game hitting streak dating back to last season with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first.
·With runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, Volchko struck out Andrew Duncan on three pitches to end the top of the inning and preserve a 2-1 lead.
·Graduate Caden Aoki pitched three scoreless frames, striking out eight to earn a save as the game ended after seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
·The Bulldogs added three more runs in the fifth inning with true freshman Cole Johnson launching a stand-up double to right field to bring in one run in his debut. In the same inning, sophomore Kenny Ishikawa and junior Daniel Jackson both recorded an RBI on a single and a sacrifice fly, respectively.
·Senior Kolby Branch made an impressive defensive play to record the third out of the sixth inning.
·In the bottom sixth, Georgia recorded five runs on a combination of walks, hit by pitches and wild pitches. Also, in the frame, Jackson provided a three-run home run.
Key Quotes
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On Joey Volchko's start today...
"We've worked really hard with Joey [Volchko] on what I think is going to be his routine. I want guys to get comfort in their routine because you're going to get out here and there's going to be emotions. There's going to be different things, but if we can find some comfort and confidence in what we're doing to prepare every day, then it's just another scrimmage. Just a scrimmage that's got – our crowd today was outstanding – with a big crowd. That's the mindset we've had with Joey. That's what I wanted him to take with him today, and I couldn't be happier with what he did today."
On Tre Phelps playing at third...
"Tre [Phelps]'s worked really hard. I've told people, a healthy Tre Phelps is one of the best, if not the best, players in college baseball. He's healthy. He looks confident. He's playing a great third base. I thought he had great at-bats all day today."
Tre Phelps | Jr. | 3B
On getting the Opening Day win today...
"It was good. Being able to set the tone Opening Day is never easy. You have a lot of adrenaline going, but being able to lock in and do the main thing is a little bit harder than it will be tomorrow, per say. I was glad to see guys get in and start winning our at-bats, winning our pitches towards the middle to end of the game. That's just who we are, for sure."
On his first inning two-run home run...
"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 Brock [Bennett]."
Joey Volchko | Jr. | RHP
On his first start in a Georgia uniform…
"It was awesome. 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."
Handling game day nerves…
"Any Opening Day, you're a little nervous, but more than anything, excited to get back out there and play, especially, like, I've been facing these guys for the past six months. Excited to see somebody new because they're tough outs."
On Caden Aoki's impressive pitching performance…
"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."
Getting a strikeout with runners at second and third in a 2-1 game…
"It was great. Kind of proving myself too when I get ahead, good things happen, and there fell behind a little bit, but then getting right back on the mound and got ahead {in the count}."
Up Next
No. 6 Georgia (1-0) will conclude its series against Wright State Saturday with a doubleheader. The first pitch for game one will be at 1 p.m., and the final game of the series will begin 45 minutes after the first game is complete. The stands will be cleared between games of the doubleheader.
Fast Facts
· Junior Joey Volchko (1-0) made his Bulldog debut earning the Opening Day start and allowed one run in four innings and tallied five strikeouts.
· Junior Tre Phelps (1-for-1, HR, 3 RBI, 3 HBP) extended his 15-game hitting streak dating back to last season with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first.
·With runners on second and third with two outs in the fourth, Volchko struck out Andrew Duncan on three pitches to end the top of the inning and preserve a 2-1 lead.
·Graduate Caden Aoki pitched three scoreless frames, striking out eight to earn a save as the game ended after seven innings due to the 10-run rule.
·The Bulldogs added three more runs in the fifth inning with true freshman Cole Johnson launching a stand-up double to right field to bring in one run in his debut. In the same inning, sophomore Kenny Ishikawa and junior Daniel Jackson both recorded an RBI on a single and a sacrifice fly, respectively.
·Senior Kolby Branch made an impressive defensive play to record the third out of the sixth inning.
·In the bottom sixth, Georgia recorded five runs on a combination of walks, hit by pitches and wild pitches. Also, in the frame, Jackson provided a three-run home run.
Key Quotes
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On Joey Volchko's start today...
"We've worked really hard with Joey [Volchko] on what I think is going to be his routine. I want guys to get comfort in their routine because you're going to get out here and there's going to be emotions. There's going to be different things, but if we can find some comfort and confidence in what we're doing to prepare every day, then it's just another scrimmage. Just a scrimmage that's got – our crowd today was outstanding – with a big crowd. That's the mindset we've had with Joey. That's what I wanted him to take with him today, and I couldn't be happier with what he did today."
On Tre Phelps playing at third...
"Tre [Phelps]'s worked really hard. I've told people, a healthy Tre Phelps is one of the best, if not the best, players in college baseball. He's healthy. He looks confident. He's playing a great third base. I thought he had great at-bats all day today."
Tre Phelps | Jr. | 3B
On getting the Opening Day win today...
"It was good. Being able to set the tone Opening Day is never easy. You have a lot of adrenaline going, but being able to lock in and do the main thing is a little bit harder than it will be tomorrow, per say. I was glad to see guys get in and start winning our at-bats, winning our pitches towards the middle to end of the game. That's just who we are, for sure."
On his first inning two-run home run...
"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 Brock [Bennett]."
Joey Volchko | Jr. | RHP
On his first start in a Georgia uniform…
"It was awesome. 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."
Handling game day nerves…
"Any Opening Day, you're a little nervous, but more than anything, excited to get back out there and play, especially, like, I've been facing these guys for the past six months. Excited to see somebody new because they're tough outs."
On Caden Aoki's impressive pitching performance…
"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."
Getting a strikeout with runners at second and third in a 2-1 game…
"It was great. Kind of proving myself too when I get ahead, good things happen, and there fell behind a little bit, but then getting right back on the mound and got ahead {in the count}."
Up Next
No. 6 Georgia (1-0) will conclude its series against Wright State Saturday with a doubleheader. The first pitch for game one will be at 1 p.m., and the final game of the series will begin 45 minutes after the first game is complete. The stands will be cleared between games of the doubleheader.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Volchko, Joey (1-0)
L: Cam Allen (0-1)
S: Aoki, Caden (1)
Base Running:
RUNS: Cy Turner 1
SB: JP Peltier 1 ; Gus Gregory 1
CS: Patrick Fultz 1
Batting:
2B: Branch, Kolby 1 ; Johnson, Cole 1
HR: Phelps, Tre 1 ; Jackson, Daniel 1
RBI: Ishikawa, Kenny 2 ; Phelps, Tre 3 ; Oriach, Jordy 1 ; Jackson, Daniel 4 ; Johnson, Cole 2
SF: Oriach, Jordy 1 ; Jackson, Daniel 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Ishikawa, Kenny 3 ; Phelps, Tre 2 ; Oriach, Jordy 1 ; Jackson, Daniel 1 ; Calloway, Bryce 1 ; Arcamone, Jack 1 ; Branch, Kolby 2 ; Johnson, Cole 2
HBP: Ishikawa, Kenny 1 ; Phelps, Tre 3 ; Oriach, Jordy 2 ; O'Shaughnessy, Michael 1
Game Leaders
AB
2
R
3
H
1
RBI
2
AB
1
R
2
H
1
RBI
3
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
RHP
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INF
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/ BaseballC/OF
/ Baseball
OF/LHP
/ BaseballINF/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
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