Powered by sour candy, Georgia baseball keeps sights set forward

Every team begins the college baseball season with the same goal: to advance to the Men’s College World Series (CWS) in Omaha, Nebraska, and win the national championship. On Sunday, the Georgia Bulldogs took the next step in advancing towards the national championship, clinching a spot in the CWS after sweeping Mississippi State in a high-scoring two game series. In front of 3,633 fans packed inside Foley Field on Sunday, the Diamond Dawgs mashed four home runs — none bigger than junior catcher Daniel Jackson’s go-ahead two run home run in the 10th inning — en route to an 11–9 extra innings victory.

“It’s everything we’ve been working for the last ten months,” Jackson said during an interview with ESPN discussing the win. “As soon as I saw that it would stay fair, I knew it’d be lights out from there.”

Jackson’s tie-breaking home run was his 31st of the year, the second most in Georgia baseball history, behind Charlie Condon’s 38 home run season in 2024. “He’s the best player in the country,” Bulldogs head coach Wes Johnson said. “He’s one of the best I’ve ever coached.”

With the win, Georgia advanced to the CWS for the first time since 2008 and for just the seventh time in program history. In their previous six trips to Omaha, the Bulldogs have only won the tournament once, in 1990, led by late coach Steve Webber. The latest trip to the CWS for Georgia ended with a second place finish, as they lost the championship series to Fresno State.

The 2026 campaign has already been one of the most storied in program history, with the Bulldogs winning their first conference tournament in the club’s 140 year history. Additionally, the Super Regional clinching win on Sunday was the Bulldogs’ 51st of the season, second only to the 1990 team that won 52 games and the CWS. The team also leads the nation in home runs with 174, a school record.

The Bulldogs success this season can be attributed to a variety of factors, including their high-powered offense led by Jackson, Tre Phelps and Brennan Hudson, and a solid pitching staff headlined by junior and top Major League Baseball draft prospect Joey Volchko. However, the players claim that Buc-ee’s candy is the secret to the team’s winning ways.

Quattro Sour Power Candy Belts from the Texas-based gas station chain Buc-ee’s have established themselves into the mythos of Bulldog baseball. Georgia players claim the rainbow-colored candy gives them powers on the diamond.

“This is sour power right here. Every time you score, you get some of it,” Jackson explained during a post game interview. “It’s actually one of the things that brings us together. A part of our offensive identity is sour power.”

“Sour power” has become a rallying cry of sorts for the team. The fans have also embraced the sweet tradition, with a large “sour power” sign adorning the lawn of Kudzu Hill during Sunday’s game.

With a trip to Omaha secured, the Bulldogs know they can’t afford to become complacent. “We”ll soak it in for about 12 to 24 hours and then get right back to the grind,” Jackson said in a post game press conference. “Take each day of practice and get better. That”ll set us up for a good time in Omaha.”

Senior shortstop and clubhouse leader Kolby Branch also weighed in on the team’s need for focus. “We just want to get there and go from there and start playing and competing like we’ve done all year. Just like the SEC tournament, the Regional, and the Super Regional,” Branch said. “You just got to get to the next step and go from there. But we’re confident and ready to go and ready to get after it.”

Georgia’s third-year head coach Wes Johnson emphasized his lack of relaxation and his full concentration on the CWS. “We didn’t get to sit back and soak it in,” Johnson said when the media asked how he celebrated the Bulldogs win. “It was business as usual. We’re getting ready for Texas. Sitting back and taking it in will hopefully happen July 4th weekend.”

The Bulldogs are listed as the best team in the field of the CWS according to USA Today, having won 19 of their last 20 contests. Georgia’s first game in Omaha will commence at 7 p.m. EST on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns and will be broadcast on ESPN.