Georgia
Georgia baseball shares personal significance of CWS opportunity, faces NC State at noon Saturday
ATHENS – Georgia baseball has already shocked many across the country, but a trip to the College World Series could cement a lasting legacy as coach Wes Johnson looks to recompose the program.
The Bulldogs (42-15) are just two wins away from erasing a 16-year CWS drought. UGA will fight to raise some more eyebrows when it opens a three-game super regional series against NC State at noon on Saturday at Foley Field (TV: ESPNU).
A CWS berth would be a massive step for the Georgia program as it looks to move back into national relevance and stay there.
But for long-time Bulldogs like Corey Collins and Charlie Condon, the road to Omaha has more personal significance.
Collins, who has been at Georgia since 2021, saw the program scuffle for three seasons. He experienced the Bulldogs miss the NCAA tournament outright in 2021 and 2023 and was there to watch the team suffer a heartbreak elimination at North Carolina’s regional in 2022.
Collins finished his first season on the SEC All-Freshman Team before statistically slumping his sophomore and junior years.
Then the Suwanee native found his stride – and health – again near the beginning of the 2024 SEC season and has been one of the country’s top leadoff hitters since. It was Collins who offensively willed Georgia into the super regionals with a two-out, two-run double to lift UGA over Georgia Tech in extra innings.
“It means the world,” Collins said. “We fell in love with this place the first day we stepped on it. We wanted to bring this back here for as long as we’ve been here. To us, it means everything.”
Condon, in his third year at Georgia, saw the heartache, too. The Golden Spikes Award finalist began building into his 6-foot-6 frame during his true freshman season and has led the Bulldog offense over the last two seasons.
Condon has often talked about “bringing Georgia baseball back” to the glory it last had in 2008.
“It was really getting everybody to buy into what this program is and what it looked like before,” Condon said. “We really believed that for a very long time and that’s why we’re here – the persistence of this group, and the willingness to never quit and get better. This has kind of been the vision for a while.”
A trip to Omaha would only further establish the first-year coach Johnson, who is already Georgia’s only first-year coach to host and win a regional.
Johnson’s transfer portal prowess built a veteran team around the core he inherited in Athens, and then the head coach established a culture of belief and confidence within the team.
Johnson was certainly confident in himself, using his systems to restructure a sliding program in less than a year.
“For us, it just shows that you can come in,” Johnson said. “I heard the term so many times when I got here about rebuild, rebuild, rebuild.
“You just know that you don’t have to rebuild — that you can go out and if you do your due diligence and run your models and everything else you can find a team that can win in your ballpark.”
Indeed, No. 7 seed Georgia has plenty left to prove against the No. 10 seed Wolfpack (36-20) this weekend.
The Bulldogs aim to start proving things early against NC State ace Sam Highfill. The right-hander enters Athens with a 5.35 ERA coming off a solid performance in NC State’s regional.
Highfill surrendered two runs on four hits in 6.0 innings of work in a regional-opening win against Bryant.
Johnson plans to counter with sophomore right-hander Kolten Smith. The team’s strikeout leader is arguably Georgia’s hottest pitcher and will enter Saturday with a 4.41 ERA.
Fellow sophomore starter Leighton Finley has typically opened series for the Bulldogs this season, but Finley closed Georgia’s win over Tech after starting the regional opener two days before.
Smith only threw 82 pitches in Saturday’s regional win over UNC Wilmington before leaving with a forearm cramp.
UGA is 3-2 against NC State all-time, including a 2-1 record against the Wolfpack in the 2008 Athens Super Regional to advance to the CWS.
No. 17 Georgia softball (34-16) closes its regular season slate at home in Athens beginning Thursday, April 30, against the No. 6 Gators (45-7).
The last time Georgia faced Florida was in the 2025 Super Regionals as part of the Women’s College World Series. The Gators defeated the Bulldogs, 2-1, in a best of three series to eliminate their chance of taking a trip to Oklahoma City.
The SEC Tournament is set for Lexington, Ky., between May 5-9. The NCAA Regionals is set across various campus sites between May 15-17, and NCAA Super Regionals are set across various campus sites between May 21-24. The Women’s College World Series is set for May 28-June 5 in Oklahoma City, as always.
Here’s what you need to know about the Georgia-Florida weekend series to end the Bulldogs’ 2026 slate of competition:
What channel is Georgia softball vs. Florida?
- Streaming: SEC Network+, ESPN
Georgia’s weekend series against Florida will be streamed through the SEC Network+ on Friday and Saturday, and ESPN on Sunday. Fans looking to stream the games can go to the ESPN app. An ESPN select subscription totals $12.99 monthly or $129.00 annually, while an ESPN unlimited subscription totals $29.99 monthly or $299.99 annually.
There is no other way to tune into these games, as the university is not streaming the game audio on their radiocast.
Georgia softball start times vs. Florida
Start times for Georgia’s three-game weekend series against Florida in Athens:
Date
Time (ET)
Thursday, April 30
6 p.m.
Friday, May 1
6 p.m.
Saturday, May 2
Noon
Georgia vs Florida softball history
- Series record: Florida leads, 49-33
- Georgia’s last win: May 24, 2025; 2-1
- Florida’s last win: May 25, 2025; 5-2
Georgia softball 2026 schedule
Record: 34-16 overall, 10-11 SEC
- SEC competition*
- Red & Black Showcase^
- Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational#
- Georgia Classic/
- Bulldog Classic//
| Date & Time | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb. 6 @ 3:30 p.m. | Missouri State^ | Athens | W, 10-1 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 6 @ 6 p.m. | Fordham^ | Athens | W, 7-1 |
| Feb. 7 @ 1 p.m. | Fordham^ | Athens | W, 5-1 |
| Feb. 7 @ 3:30 p.m. | Belmont^ | Athens | W, 12-0 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 8 @ 1 p.m. | Belmont^ | Athens | L, 1-2 |
| Feb. 12 @ 11 a.m. | Oklahoma State# | Clearwater, Fla. | L, 5-6 |
| Feb. 12 @ 4 p.m. | Nebraska# | Clearwater, Fla. | W, 6-5 |
| Feb. 13 @ 9 a.m. | NC State# | Clearwater, Fla. | W, 16-2 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 13 @ 1 p.m. | UCF# | Clearwater, Fla. | W, 13-5 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 14 @ 1 p.m. | Northwestern# | Clearwater, Fla. | W, 8-3 |
| Feb. 14 @ 4 p.m. | Duke# | Clearwater, Fla. | W, 9-1 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 18 @ 4 p.m. | Samford | Athens | W, 13-8 |
| Feb. 20 @ 3:30 p.m. | Seton Hall/ | Athens | W, 9-1 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 20 @ 6 p.m. | Utah State/ | Athens | W, 4-1 |
| Feb. 21 @ 3:30 p.m. | Virginia Tech/ | Athens | L, 3-9 |
| Feb. 21 @ 6 p.m. | Utah State/ | Athens | W, 11-2 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 22 @ 1 p.m. | Virginia Tech/ | Athens | L, 3-9 |
| Feb. 25 @ 6 p.m. | Clemson | Athens | L, 1-10 (6 inn.) |
| Feb. 27 @ 6 p.m. | South Alabama// | Athens | W, 8-0 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 28 @ 1 p.m. | South Alabama// | Athens | W, 9-0 (5 inn.) |
| Feb. 28 @ 3:30 p.m. | UNC-Wilmington// | Athens | W, 9-1 (5 inn.) |
| March 1 @ 1 p.m. | UNC-Wilmington// | Athens | W, 9-1 (5 inn.) |
| March 4 @ 6 p.m. | Georgia State | Athens | W, 9-1 (5 inn.) |
| March 6 @ 3 p.m. | Arkansas* | Fayetteville, Ark. | W, 7-2 |
| March 7 @ 6 p.m. | Arkansas* | Fayetteville, Ark. | L, 6-7 |
| March 8 @ 2 p.m. | Arkansas* | Fayetteville, Ark. | L, 0-6 |
| March 10 @ 6 p.m. | West Georgia | Athens | W, 8-0 (5 inn.) |
| March 18 @ 6 p.m. | Georgia Tech | Athens | W, 5-1 |
| March 20 @ 6 p.m. | Mississippi State* | Athens | W, 6-3 |
| March 21 @ 2 p.m. | Mississippi State* | Athens | L, 2-3 |
| March 22 @ 2 p.m. | Mississippi State* | Athens | W, 7-4 |
| March 25 @ 6 p.m. | Mercer | Athens | W, 18-1 (5 inn.) |
| March 27 @ 6:30 p.m. | Kentucky* | Lexington, Ky. | W, 10-2 (6 inn.) |
| March 28 @ 2 p.m. | Kentucky* | Lexington, Ky. | W, 11-1 (5 inn.) |
| March 29 @ 1 p.m. | Kentucky* | Lexington, Ky. | W, 5-0 |
| April 2 @ 7 p.m. | Texas A&M* | College Station, Texas | L, 2-3 |
| April 3 @ 5 p.m. | Texas A&M* | College Station, Texas | W, 10-6 |
| April 3 @ 7:30 p.m. | Texas A&M* | College Station, Texas | L, 1-2 |
| April 8 @ 6 p.m. | USC-Upstate | Athens | W, 19-6 (5 inn.) |
| April 10 @ 6 p.m. | Missouri* | Athens | W, 8-0 (5 inn.) |
| April 11 @ 2 p.m. | Missouri* | Athens | L, 3-4 |
| April 12 @ 2 p.m. | Missouri* | Athens | W, 4-0 |
| April 15 @ 6 p.m. | Kennesaw State | Kennesaw, Ga. | W, 7-5 |
| April 18 @ 4 p.m. | Texas* | Athens | L, 5-7 |
| April 19 @ Noon | Texas* | Athens | W, 4-2 |
| April 20 @ 7 p.m. | Texas* | Athens | L, 3-6 (8 inn.) |
| April 22 @ 6 p.m. | Georgia Southern | Athens | W, 8-0 (5 inn.) |
| April 24 @ 7:30 p.m. | Oklahoma* | Norman, Okla. | L, 2-10 (6 inn.) |
| April 25 @ 2:30 p.m. | Oklahoma* | Norman, Okla. | L, 1-3 |
| April 26 @ 1:30 p.m. | Oklahoma* | Norman, Okla. | L, 5-6 |
| April 30 @ 6 p.m. | Florida* | Athens | |
| May 1 @ 6 p.m. | Florida* | Athens | |
| May 2 @ Noon | Florida* | Athens | |
| May 5-9 | SEC Tournament | Lexington, Ky. | |
| May 15-17 | NCAA Regional | Campus sites | |
| May 21-24 | NCAA Super Regional | Campus sites | |
| May 28-June 5 | Women’s College World Series | Oklahoma City, Okla. |
Georgia’s 2027 recruiting class has taken a hit, with four-star cornerback Jerry Outhouse decommitting from the Bulldogs on Wednesday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
Outhouse is one of the top players in the country, but was not a member of Georgia’s recruiting class for long. The Fort Worth, Texas, product committed to them on March 6, and less than two months later, is back on the market.
The Bulldogs officially entered his recruitment on May 7, 2025, when they extended him a scholarship offer. He visited Athens multiple times after that before ultimately committing. However, he never shut down his recruitment and is set to take official visits this summer to see the UCLA Bruins, Texas Tech Red Raiders, and Arizona State Sun Devils.
He is ranked as the No. 109 overall player and No. 15 cornerback in the Rivals industry ranking. He is also the No. 14 player from Texas. He is the third player to decommit from Kirby Smart’s program in the 2027 recruiting cycle, joining three-star wide receiver Gavin Honore and three-star offensive lineman Kyson Mallard.
His departure leaves Georgia with seven commits. The group is ranked as the No. 9 class in the country and the No. 4 class in the SEC by Rivals. It puts even more pressure on them to hold onto five-star cornerback Donte Wright, who has been committed to Georgia since June 2025, but is being pursued by several other programs.
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A Georgia police officer was placed on administrative leave after he was captured picking up a man and slamming him to the ground inside a Walmart.
The incident unfolded when police received a report of a man causing a disturbance inside the Walmart in Lovejoy, Ga. — about 20 miles outside Atlanta — at around 8 p.m. on Saturday, Lovejoy Police Chief Steve Wright told Fox 5 Atlanta.
The 20-second distressing clip showed the officer holding the man’s arms behind his back in the electronics section, exchanging words briefly before grabbing him around the chest, hoisting him into the air and slamming him to the ground.
The man, whose identity has not been released, was then rushed to a nearby hospital and will not be facing any charges, Wright told the outlet.
It remains unclear what condition the man was in after being taken to the hospital.
A witness told Fox 5 Atlanta that the officer shocked everyone who watched the incident unfold.
“The officer just lifted him up, and to everyone’s surprise, BAM! Slammed him to the ground, and you could hear the impact to the floor,” the witness, identified only as Ms. DeeDee, said.
“I thought he was dead, everybody thought he died, clocked out,” she said, adding that she believes the cop should be fired over his use of force.
On Sunday, the Lovejoy Police Department said that the officer was placed on administrative leave “pending investigation.”
“The City of Lovejoy Police Department is aware of a video circulating on social media depicting an incident involving one of its officers at a Walmart location,” officials said. “The video appears to show an officer engaged in a physical encounter with an individual whose hands appear to be positioned behind his back. The circumstances surrounding the incident are currently under review.
Officials said that it has started an administrative review of the incident.
“The City of Lovejoy Police Department recognizes the community’s interest in this matter and remains committed to transparency, accountability and public safety.”
The probe will dig into incident reports, witness statements and departmental policies and training, the department said, promising “a fair, objective, and timely review.”
Fluellyn also confirmed that the matter was being investigated.
“We want you to know that we are investigating the incident and will share the results of the investigation,” she wrote. “Transparency resides in Lovejoy!”
Chief Wright told Fox 5 Atlanta he anticipates concluding the internal investigation by the end of the week.
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