University of Georgia Athletics
University of Georgia
Arkansas
SEC-Leading Georgia Faces No. 14 Arkansas Starting Thursday
April 15, 2026 | Baseball
ATHENS, GA.-----Fifth-ranked and SEC-leader Georgia (30-8, 11-4 SEC) opens a road series with No. 17 Arkansas (25-13, 8-7 SEC) Thursday on ESPNU. First pitch will be at 8 p.m. ET and be available on the Georgia Bulldog Sports Network.
Game two of the series will be Friday at 7 ET (SECN+) and Saturday's action begins at 2 pm ET (SECN+).
Georgia ranks among the top offensive teams with an NCAA-leading 100 home runs to go with a .324 batting average, a .622 slugging percentage while averaging 9.6 runs a game. The Bulldogs are fielding .983. The Razorbacks, winners of five straight, are batting .275 with 53 home runs and averaging 7.1 runs a game. Arkansas is fielding .975.
The Bulldogs are 5-1 on the road in SEC action this season, winning series at No. 21 Texas A&M and sweeping then No. 5 Mississippi State. Georgia won its first four SEC series before dropping its latest to then No. 21 Florida last weekend in Athens two games to one. Georgia's 11-4 SEC start is its best since 2009 when it posted an 11-4 record through the first half of league play.
In the series history versus UA, Georgia trails 38-30 dating to 1987. Georgia's last visit came in 2021, and it went 1-2. Last year, Georgia won a series 2-1 in Athens on a 12th-inning walk-off solo home run by Henry Hunter. The teams first met at the 1987 College World Series.
Offensively, the Bulldogs are led by a trio of the league's top hitters in junior infielder Tre Phelps (.393-14-39), junior catcher Daniel Jackson (.384-16-52) and sophomore outfielder Rylan Lujo (.365-5-23). The Bulldogs have six regulars with at least 10 home runs. Phelps has been hit by a pitch an NCAA-best 24 times while Jackson is closing in on a 20-home run-20 stolen base season as he leads the club in home runs (16) and stolen bases (18). Meanwhile, Lujo ranks as the SEC's top hitter in league play with a .422 batting average and an OPS of 1.211.
The Razorbacks are 16-8 at home. Last weekend in the SEC, they swept No. 8 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. They have been on the road in the SEC the past two weeks with their last home series coming against Florida to end March as the Gators registered a sweep (9-4, 7-4 and 7-6) at Baum-Walker Stadium.
Georgia's Ike Cousins head baseball coach Wes Johnson is a native of Sherwood, Arkansas. He began his coaching career in the Arkansas high school ranks and later served as the pitching coach at Central Arkansas, Southern Arkansas as well at the University of Arkansas under Dave Van Horn from 2017-18. Now in his third season with UGA, the Bulldogs are perennial NCAA Regional hosts and owns a career record of 116-42 (.734).
Georgia-Arkansas Pitching Rotation
Game 1: Joey Volchko (6-1, 3.38 ERA), RHP, Jr., vs. Hunter Dietz (3-2, 3.61 ERA), LHP, RSo.
Game 2: Dylan Vigue (3-1, 2.63 ERA), RHP, Jr., vs. Cole Gibler (3-0, 2.78 ERA), LHP, So.
Game 3: TBA vs. TBA
*The Bulldogs have a 4.54 ERA with 400 strikeouts and 160 walks. Opponents are hitting .235.
*Volchko and Vigue have been Georgia's top two starters in SEC action this season while the game three starter has been either sophomore Kenny Ishiksawa (1-1, 11.08 ERA) or senior Matt Scott (5-0, 3.45 ERA, 2 SV).
*Graduate Caden Aoki (4-0, 2.55 ERA, 3 SV) and Scott have excelled out of the bullpen this year with redshirt junior Justin Byrd (2-1, 4.19 ERA, 3 SV) and redshirt sophomore Paul Farley (4-0, 4.28 ERA, 1 SV) also involved in high-leverage situations.
*UA has a 4.01 ERA with 378 strikeouts and 130 walks. Opponents are hitting .233.
Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach Wes Johnson On The Upcoming Series
On Georgia's success on the road this season:
"You have to find a way to focus, and at least on our first two trips on the road, the guys have been able to do that. We need to continue to do that. Sometimes when I was coaching in the Big Leagues and we went on the road, it helped guys. They got away from everything that is at home and were able to just focus on baseball. For some guys, that helps, and hopefully, it will again this weekend."
On the Arkansas Razorbacks:
"They are a classic Arkansas club. They can really pitch, got some power in the middle of their lineup and a couple guys that can really run. Obviously, I know Dave (Van Horn) really well; I worked for him and I know what his style is. It's going to be another tough SEC series just like all of them and especially being on the road."
Links To Follow The Bulldog Series
Thursday @ 8 pm ET
Radio/TV: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4992&type=Live
ESPNU (Tom Hart & Lance Cormier): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a7b20721-9da1-48a7-979b-f018945c61e6
Live Stats: https://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=629823
Friday @ 7 pm ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=4993&type=Live
SECN+ (Josh Haley & Troy Eklund): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/91ebc63d-0d70-45f3-a81b-18e43350fc71
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=629824
Saturday @ 2pm ET
Radio: 960TheRef (Jeff Dantzler & David Johnston): https://georgiadogs.com/watch/?Live=5025&type=Live
SECN+ (Brett Dolan & Troy Eklund): https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/6d258b9e-a175-456f-9926-08493d6f698f
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=629825
FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS: For the latest Georgia baseball news, visit www.georgiadogs.com and follow the Bulldogs on X (@BaseballUGA), Facebook (@GeorgiaBaseball) and Instagram (@baseballuga).
