University of Georgia Athletics
Byrd Living His Dream With Bulldogs
June 12, 2026 | Baseball, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When Justin Byrd struck out Mississippi State's Jacob Parker in the bottom of the 10th inning last Sunday at Foley Field, sealing Georgia's spot in the College World Series, the pitcher let out a scream and tossed his glove high into the air before being mobbed by his celebrating teammates. The scream might have been loud enough to be heard back home.
"That was a dream come true. First, it was a dream to come play here, and it's coming to real life, and we have a chance to do something special and go to Omaha," Byrd said Tuesday, before the third-seeded Bulldogs headed to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series, which begins Saturday night with a game against No. 6 Texas.
Byrd grew up about 20 minutes away from the UGA campus, in nearby Bogart. He was a standout basketball and baseball player at North Oconee High School, earning All-Region honors in both, before starting his collegiate career at USC Aiken. Byrd transferred to Georgia after an injury-shortened sophomore year with the Pacers and has been a valuable bullpen contributor the past two seasons with the Bulldogs.
During last weekend's Athens Super Regional series, Byrd earned a save in Georgia's 13-12 win in Game 1 and earned the win in the 10-inning, 13-12 victory in Game 2.
"I mean, it's awesome," Byrd said last weekend about playing at Georgia. "I've always wanted to come here, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to play here. It's so cool hearing people from my hometown come to games to cheer me on. It's just amazing."
At USC Aiken, Byrd was a two-way player, pitching and playing shortstop. As a freshman, Byrd played in all 54 games for the Pacers, making 15 appearances on the mound. He had a 2-0 record and three saves over 17.0 innings, with 18 strikeouts, 10 walks, and five earned runs allowed. At the plate, he hit .243 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 42 runs batted in. He also stole 11 bases in 12 attempts.
His sophomore season ended after nine games due to an injury, and then Byrd, now a redshirt junior, transferred to his dream school. Last spring, Byrd pitched in 15 games, throwing 21.2 innings. He had an ERA of 3.74 with 26 strikeouts and just six walks.
"I definitely think when I first got here, I was more of just an infielder on the mound," Byrd said.
In 2026, Byrd has been much more than that. He has a 5-2 record, a team-high eight saves, an ERA of 3.95, and his 72 strikeouts are the most on the team other than starters Joey Volchko and Caden Aoki, who each have 104.
Wes Johnson, Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach, said after Byrd got the save in Game 1 against Mississippi State that relievers like him have "got a little edge" to them, which is how they're able to enter the game in big moments and get the job done.
"They got an edge, but yet they're calm, and you see that with Justin," Johnson said. "It's like, yeah, his heart's probably racing a little bit to create the edge, but at the same time, he's under control, he's got a plan, and he knows how to go execute it. Justin's been in that role quite a bit this year, and he's taken off with it, and we couldn't be happier for him."
Byrd said his belief in himself has come in part through mental preparation. Around the midpoint of the season, Johnson encouraged the guys to start "telling ourselves how good we are," Byrd said, "and I think ever since that point, a lot of us have really taken that in and do it every day, and I think it's starting to work."
Along with growing up not far from Foley Field, Byrd has another connection to the Georgia baseball program. David Perno was a member of Georgia's 1990 national championship team, and he went on to lead the Bulldogs to the College World Series three times (2004, '06, '08) as head coach. Perno was later Byrd's coach on a travel ball team.
That 1990 team also had a local pitcher in a starring role. Stan Payne, an Athens native and graduate of Clarke Central High School, was a freshman when he got the start and the victory when the Bulldogs beat Oklahoma State, 2-1, to win the title. Payne allowed a run on four hits in 6.0 innings, with six strikeouts and three walks. Dave Fleming took over for Payne in the seventh inning and threw three scoreless innings to get the save.
Byrd is more likely to be in the Fleming role than Payne's if the Bulldogs make it that far, but there's still a chance for another local hurler to deliver on the biggest stage in college baseball.
Staff Writer
When Justin Byrd struck out Mississippi State's Jacob Parker in the bottom of the 10th inning last Sunday at Foley Field, sealing Georgia's spot in the College World Series, the pitcher let out a scream and tossed his glove high into the air before being mobbed by his celebrating teammates. The scream might have been loud enough to be heard back home.
"That was a dream come true. First, it was a dream to come play here, and it's coming to real life, and we have a chance to do something special and go to Omaha," Byrd said Tuesday, before the third-seeded Bulldogs headed to Omaha, Neb., for the College World Series, which begins Saturday night with a game against No. 6 Texas.
Byrd grew up about 20 minutes away from the UGA campus, in nearby Bogart. He was a standout basketball and baseball player at North Oconee High School, earning All-Region honors in both, before starting his collegiate career at USC Aiken. Byrd transferred to Georgia after an injury-shortened sophomore year with the Pacers and has been a valuable bullpen contributor the past two seasons with the Bulldogs.
During last weekend's Athens Super Regional series, Byrd earned a save in Georgia's 13-12 win in Game 1 and earned the win in the 10-inning, 13-12 victory in Game 2.
"I mean, it's awesome," Byrd said last weekend about playing at Georgia. "I've always wanted to come here, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to play here. It's so cool hearing people from my hometown come to games to cheer me on. It's just amazing."
At USC Aiken, Byrd was a two-way player, pitching and playing shortstop. As a freshman, Byrd played in all 54 games for the Pacers, making 15 appearances on the mound. He had a 2-0 record and three saves over 17.0 innings, with 18 strikeouts, 10 walks, and five earned runs allowed. At the plate, he hit .243 with 12 doubles, four home runs and 42 runs batted in. He also stole 11 bases in 12 attempts.
His sophomore season ended after nine games due to an injury, and then Byrd, now a redshirt junior, transferred to his dream school. Last spring, Byrd pitched in 15 games, throwing 21.2 innings. He had an ERA of 3.74 with 26 strikeouts and just six walks.
"I definitely think when I first got here, I was more of just an infielder on the mound," Byrd said.
In 2026, Byrd has been much more than that. He has a 5-2 record, a team-high eight saves, an ERA of 3.95, and his 72 strikeouts are the most on the team other than starters Joey Volchko and Caden Aoki, who each have 104.
Wes Johnson, Georgia's Ike Cousins Head Baseball Coach, said after Byrd got the save in Game 1 against Mississippi State that relievers like him have "got a little edge" to them, which is how they're able to enter the game in big moments and get the job done.
"They got an edge, but yet they're calm, and you see that with Justin," Johnson said. "It's like, yeah, his heart's probably racing a little bit to create the edge, but at the same time, he's under control, he's got a plan, and he knows how to go execute it. Justin's been in that role quite a bit this year, and he's taken off with it, and we couldn't be happier for him."
Byrd said his belief in himself has come in part through mental preparation. Around the midpoint of the season, Johnson encouraged the guys to start "telling ourselves how good we are," Byrd said, "and I think ever since that point, a lot of us have really taken that in and do it every day, and I think it's starting to work."
Along with growing up not far from Foley Field, Byrd has another connection to the Georgia baseball program. David Perno was a member of Georgia's 1990 national championship team, and he went on to lead the Bulldogs to the College World Series three times (2004, '06, '08) as head coach. Perno was later Byrd's coach on a travel ball team.
That 1990 team also had a local pitcher in a starring role. Stan Payne, an Athens native and graduate of Clarke Central High School, was a freshman when he got the start and the victory when the Bulldogs beat Oklahoma State, 2-1, to win the title. Payne allowed a run on four hits in 6.0 innings, with six strikeouts and three walks. Dave Fleming took over for Payne in the seventh inning and threw three scoreless innings to get the save.
Byrd is more likely to be in the Fleming role than Payne's if the Bulldogs make it that far, but there's still a chance for another local hurler to deliver on the biggest stage in college baseball.
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files.
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