University of Georgia Athletics
Photo by: Kevin Jones, USA Baseball
Branch Earns Spot On USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
July 05, 2026 | Baseball
ATHENS, Ga.-----University of Georgia graduate Kolby Branch has earned a spot on USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team (CNT), it was announced Sunday.
Branch will be on the team that will compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15. The 2026 CNT roster was named after 11 days of workouts, practices, and intrasquad scrimmages across North Carolina and Virginia. A total of 53 players were vying for a spot on the team.
"After nearly two weeks of an extremely competitive Training Camp, we are excited to finalize the 28-man roster that will represent the United States in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship," said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball's General Manager of Professional and Collegiate National Teams. "The talent at Training Camp was incredible and made this decision difficult, but we are confident that these 28 players will represent the U.S. well in our quest to win a gold medal."
Branch, a 6-0, 200-pound native of Lucas, Texas, was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs and was awarded a Gold Glove for his defensive play this past season as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods.
Branch started all 67 games for the Bulldogs this past season as they finished with a 53-14 record, tied for third at the College World Series and had a final ranking of No. 3 in the national top 25 polls. He posted a .975 fielding percentage in 277 total chance and batted .291 with 19 doubles, 20 home runs and 60 RBI. The Bulldogs won the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles and made their first College World Series appearance since 2008.
The World Collegiate Baseball Championship format will feature five days of games, with three days of pool play followed by the semifinals and medal games. The U.S. will open its pool play slate on July 11 against Korea at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local, face Chinese Taipei on July 12 at 6:30 a.m. ET/6:30 p.m. local, and then play Japan on July 13 at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local. The semifinals will be played July 14 and the finals, which will consist of gold- and bronze-medal games, will be held July 15.
The Bulldogs who have represented USA Baseball on a CNT over the year have included Cris Carpenter (1987, LHP), Dave Fleming (1989, LHP), Brian Powell (1994, RHP), Clint Sammons (2002, C), Kyle Farmer (2012, SS), Robert Tyler (2015, RHP), Cole Wilcox (2019, RHP), Charlie Condon (2023, 1B/OF), Alton Davis II (2024, LHP), Tre Phelps (2024, INF/OF) and Kolten Smith (2024, RHP).
Overall, 21 schools and five conferences are represented on the 2026 CNT roster. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) boasts 16 athletes on the roster to lead all conferences, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 with six, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with two, and the Sun Belt Conference with one.
The 2026 Collegiate National Team will be led by manager Dan Hartleb. He will be joined by Matt Hobbs (pitching coach), Jonathan Hernandez (assistant coach), Tracy Smith (assistant coach), and Tom Walter (assistant coach).
For the most up-to-date information on the Collegiate National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseballCNT and @USABaseball on Twitter/X and Instagram.
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).
Branch will be on the team that will compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15. The 2026 CNT roster was named after 11 days of workouts, practices, and intrasquad scrimmages across North Carolina and Virginia. A total of 53 players were vying for a spot on the team.
"After nearly two weeks of an extremely competitive Training Camp, we are excited to finalize the 28-man roster that will represent the United States in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship," said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball's General Manager of Professional and Collegiate National Teams. "The talent at Training Camp was incredible and made this decision difficult, but we are confident that these 28 players will represent the U.S. well in our quest to win a gold medal."
Branch, a 6-0, 200-pound native of Lucas, Texas, was a three-year starter for the Bulldogs and was awarded a Gold Glove for his defensive play this past season as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association and Rawlings Sporting Goods.
Branch started all 67 games for the Bulldogs this past season as they finished with a 53-14 record, tied for third at the College World Series and had a final ranking of No. 3 in the national top 25 polls. He posted a .975 fielding percentage in 277 total chance and batted .291 with 19 doubles, 20 home runs and 60 RBI. The Bulldogs won the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament titles and made their first College World Series appearance since 2008.
The World Collegiate Baseball Championship format will feature five days of games, with three days of pool play followed by the semifinals and medal games. The U.S. will open its pool play slate on July 11 against Korea at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local, face Chinese Taipei on July 12 at 6:30 a.m. ET/6:30 p.m. local, and then play Japan on July 13 at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local. The semifinals will be played July 14 and the finals, which will consist of gold- and bronze-medal games, will be held July 15.
The Bulldogs who have represented USA Baseball on a CNT over the year have included Cris Carpenter (1987, LHP), Dave Fleming (1989, LHP), Brian Powell (1994, RHP), Clint Sammons (2002, C), Kyle Farmer (2012, SS), Robert Tyler (2015, RHP), Cole Wilcox (2019, RHP), Charlie Condon (2023, 1B/OF), Alton Davis II (2024, LHP), Tre Phelps (2024, INF/OF) and Kolten Smith (2024, RHP).
Overall, 21 schools and five conferences are represented on the 2026 CNT roster. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) boasts 16 athletes on the roster to lead all conferences, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 with six, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with two, and the Sun Belt Conference with one.
The 2026 Collegiate National Team will be led by manager Dan Hartleb. He will be joined by Matt Hobbs (pitching coach), Jonathan Hernandez (assistant coach), Tracy Smith (assistant coach), and Tom Walter (assistant coach).
For the most up-to-date information on the Collegiate National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseballCNT and @USABaseball on Twitter/X and Instagram.
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).
Players Mentioned
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LHP
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INF/OF
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RHP
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