For the first time in almost two decades, Georgia punches their ticket to Omaha. The 3rd seeded Bulldogs beat 14th-ranked Mississippi State in a two game thriller in front of sold out Foley field.
“I tell our guys all the time, I think toughness gets a bad rap. People think it’s some kind of physical element, and it’s not. You have to learn to be capable of great endurance and understand that our game is really long,” said head coach Wes Johnson after two close ball games. “And you just saw a bunch of resilient guys, and you saw the fruition of all that work come through.”
Game one was held on Saturday, ending in a close win for the Georgia Bulldogs. Mississippi State came out swinging, earning them a 7-0 lead. In the fifth inning, Georgia started climbing back to earn a 2-run lead. State and Georgia battle back and forth for the next 4 innings. In the bottom of the 8th, Micheal O’Shaughnessy – filing in for suspended third baseman Tre Phelps- hit a 3-run homer, sending it over the scoreboard. To end the game, closing pitcher Justin Byrd held the Mississippi State Bulldogs scoreless in the ninth inning, helping Georgia take game one of the Athens Super Regional.
Going into game two, Georgia just needed one more victory to punch their ticket to Omaha. The UGA Bulldogs quickly asserted dominance, keeping a steady lead for most of the game. With pitcher Caden Aoki setting the tone, pitching 5.2 innings, striking out 9 batters. State had a furious comeback attempt, which led to the game going into extra innings. Georgia star catcher Daniel Jackson blasted a go-ahead 2-run homer in the tenth. Justin Byrd took the mound yet again to secure the Bulldogs trip to Omaha.
“I remember going to bed that night knowing we were going to Omaha, we are going to win this game, and it just didn’t work out,” said Senior Kolby Branch. “And now we are on to Omaha, it’s kind of a full circle moment.”
Veterans, like Branch, having experienced heartbreaking endings the last two seasons, say the trip to Omaha is proof of their hard work paying off.
Head Coach Wes Johnson got emotional in the post-game interview, talking about the former players who helped the team get to where they are today and how the current team’s resilience is how they fought until the end to score their spot in the College World Series.
National Player of the Year finalist, Daniel Jackson, stated how seemingly little things as the “sour power” can unite their team like it has. The sour power trend started out as a simple celebration after scoring a run and it has turned into a fan wide tradition.
He ends his interview saying, “The chemistry on our team, it’s hard to talk about. I mean, it’s just incredible. I think a big factor of that is, as silly as it sounds to say, winning. When you’re winning together, it’s fun, and it’s true. The locker room is a much happier place after a win.”
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