No. 9 Georgia Opens Series with 11-1 Run-Rule Victory Over Samford

Friday, February 20

Athens, Ga.

3 pm

University of Georgia

4-1

Samford

2-3

Samford

Georgia

No. 9 Georgia Opens Series with 11-1 Run-Rule Victory Over Samford

February 20, 2026 | Baseball

Box Score Georgia-Samford Friday Box

ATHENS, Ga. – Ninth-ranked Georgia began a three-game series against Samford with a seven-inning victory, 11-1, on Friday afternoon at Foley Field.

Fast Facts

Junior Joey Volchko (2-0) got the start, tallying eight strikeouts and held Samford to three hits and only one run across six frames in his second appearance as a Bulldog.
In the first inning, sophomore Henry Allen (1-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI) hammered Georgia's first home run of the game and his second of the season to give Georgia the early lead, 3-0.
Junior Tre Phelps (1-for-3, 1 RBI) extended his hitting streak dating back to last season to 19 games with a single in the third inning.
To extend Georgia's lead to 6-1 in the fourth inning, sophomore Rylan Lujo (2-for-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI) smashed his second home run as a Bulldog, and senior Kolby Branch (2-for-3, 1 HR, 3 RBI) logged his first home run of the season with a two-run shot over the left field wall, marking the 37th of his career.
In the sixth frame, Branch and senior Ryan Black (1-for-4, 1 RBI) both hit an RBI single, while Phelps' bat led Branch to home plate, catapulting Georgia to a 9-1 lead.
To close out the game, freshman Ty Peeples was hit-by-pitch, and junior Jack Arcamone (1-for-2) was walked to put two runners on base. A balk and a wild pitch advanced the runners and scored Peeples. Arcamone scored the final run to invoke the 10-run rule off a fielder's choice.

Key Quotes

Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson
On Joey Volchko's ability and future as a pitcher…
"I think you saw it today. Unfortunately, we won't be seeing his best days, not here in Athens. Those guys that are going to have success have the ability to manipulate the baseball. It's no different than the big leagues. Teams will come in and try to take away a pitch. You better be ready to throw something else and have confidence and command over that, or you won't make it long. That's what Joey is."

Joey Volchko | Jr. | RHP
On moving away from pitching fastballs….
"It seemed like they were trying to jump it; that's what they were looking for. I had to adjust, go to sweepers and curveballs, and I did it well. That's something that I'm going to have to do later in the year, so it's good that we got that early."

Up Next
Georgia is back in Foley Field for its second game of a three-game series against Samford tomorrow afternoon. First pitch is set for 2 p.m. and will be live on SECN+ and the Georgia Bulldogs Sports Network.