The Georgia Bulldogs are returning to Omaha for the College World Series for the first time in 18 years. The Diamond Dawgs rode a red-hot lineup to the College World Series, plating 54 runs in just five postseason games.
All that’s left for Wes Johnson’s team is for his starting pitching to catch up to his bats.
Both of his aces, Joey Volchko and Caden Aoki, got knocked around in the Super Regionals by Mississippi State. Volchko and Aoki each allowed four earned runs before handing the ball to their bullpen.
Georgia erased a 7-0 deficit in Game 1 and a 7-2 deficit in Game 2, proving to be one of the only reliable top seeds in crunch time this June. Top seeds UCLA, Georgia Tech and Auburn all clammed up on their home fields, but not UGA.
This offense is built for rallies, equal parts power and contact up and down Johnson’s lineup.
The top three hitters in the SEC, by average, all wear red and black. Tre Phelps (.364), Rylan Lujo (.374) and Daniel Jackson (.396) are a nightmare 1-2-3 for any starting pitcher to be staring at from the bump.
As they head to Omaha, it’s clear this offense is national title-grade, but oddsmakers have lumped them in with North Carolina and Texas as co-favorites. Is this good fortune for Bulldog backers, or is their starting pitching truly a liability?
Let's take a look at my College World Series picks and college baseball predictions for the 2026 CWS.
College World Series Picks, Predictions
Georgia to Win College World Series
Odds: +300 · FanDuel
The good news for Volchko and Aoki is that neither needs to be lights out for UGA to claim its first national title in 36 years.
The Dawgs’ path to the CWS final runs through Texas and either Oklahoma or Alabama. This all-SEC side of the bracket may seem daunting, but I can explain why I’m not as enamored with Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas.
The Longhorns were gifted a red carpet to Omaha. The Horns' staff lucked out, drawing Holy Cross (201st in RPI), Tarleton State (56th) and UC Santa Barbara (38th) in the Regionals before quieting Oregon's bats in the Supers.
When facing SEC lineups down the stretch, this UT staff allowed nearly seven runs per game across its final nine contests.
This bullpen, in particular, hasn’t had to put out a late-game fire in weeks, and I believe that will cost the Longhorns against this relentless UGA offense.
As for Alabama, the Crimson Tide would be in for a rude awakening if they had to face Georgia.
Alabama State, USC Upstate and St. John’s were lucky to score 10 runs against the Alabama pitching staff across four games. Georgia has the lineup to pop off for 10 runs in a single game, as it has four times in the last six games.
That leaves us with Oklahoma.
The Sooners' lineup has been impressive, particularly the way that they hung crooked numbers on Georgia Tech in Atlanta. But the top of their rotation is worrisome, to put it lightly.
Top starters LJ Mercurius and Cord Rager have floated around 5.00 ERAs, and unfortunately for OU fans, crack lefty Cameron Johnson hasn’t bounced back from a knee injury. The lack of a true ace should bite the Sooners at Charles Schwab Field.
Should the Dawgs reach the CWS Championship Series, any 3-1 tickets will be long gone.
The only team that could conceivably put UGA in the underdog role would be UNC. If Tar Heels pitcher Jason DeCaro struggles for the third time in his last four starts, the door could be open for WVU, Ole Miss or even Troy.
Georgia would be a favorite over any of those three, making this current +300 pricing too good to pass up.
