Schedule announced for Georgia-NC State Super Regional

ATHENS, Ga. — The schedule is out for this coming weekend’s Athens Super Regional between No. 7 Georgia and No. 10 NC State. Expecting a great matchup between the Bulldogs and Wolfpack – the closest between two teams in terms of seeding across the country – the NCAA announced the two teams will meet starting on Saturday and play into Monday if necessary. First pitch of the two announced games (Saturday and Sunday) is set for 12:00 p.m. ET on ESPNU with Monday to be announced should the teams split the first two.

The format is simple: a best-of-three series with the winner advancing to the College World Series. After last weekend’s more complex double-elimination format to the regionals, Super Regional weekend around the country offers a return to the usual schedule teams see on a weekly basis during the course of a season.

Georgia advanced out of its regional for the first time since 2008 on Sunday with an exciting win over in-state rival Georgia Tech. UGA outlasted Army in its opener before an offensive explosion against UNC-Wilmington in the all-important 1-0 winner’s bracket game. That set the Bulldogs up well in the regional final, leaving room for error if they were to drop one on Sunday.

Trailing 5-3 through seven innings, freshman Tre Phelps led off the eighth with a solo home run. Then, Kolby Branch did the same in the top of the ninth to tie the game at 5, his second home run of the regional.

Chandler Marsh escaped the ninth inning thanks to the help of Corey Collins after loading the bases before Georgia gave itself some breathing room in extra innings. A run scored on a Fernando Gonzalez sacrifice bunt and ensuing Georgia Tech error before Collins brought home a pair with a two-out, bases-clearing double. Turning this over to ace starting pitcher Leighton Finley on short rest in the tenth, UGA escaped 8-6 without needing to go to a winner-take-all regional final on Monday.

“I think it’s important that I tell the players all the time that you can’t ever hit the panic button. It’s a long game. It’s the teams who can stay focused, it’s the teams who can understand that they got to get us out 27 outs as well that keep teams in games like this,” Georgia head coach Wes Johnson said in his postgame press conference. “I’m sitting beside two superstars. I mean, Zach Harris being able to go six innings today and just staying out there, keeping it calm and settling it down, and keeping the game where it was was huge. And then, what Corey Collins, he’s been doing it all year. I don’t even know what to say about him. What do clutch seniors do? They have moments just like what you saw tonight.” 

As for NC State, Elliott Avent’s team also went 3-0 in its regional – hosted at their home stadium in Raleigh – by beating Bryant, South Carolina and James Madison. State trailed only once (early in the NCAA Tournament opener against Bryant) in the entirety of its weekend. Third baseman Alec Makarewicz was named Most Outstanding Player of the Raleigh Regional after he went 6-for-14 with four doubles, a home run and five RBI. Five NC State players in total earned a spot on the All-Regional team.

Georgia and NC State met the last time the Bulldogs advanced out of their regional in 2008. UGA won that Super Regional matchup, also in Athens, to advance to the College World Series. NC State last went to Omaha in 2021 when the Wolfpack were controversially sent home just one game away from the championship series after not being able to field a team for their elimination game due to a COVID-19 outbreak.

TICKET INFORMATION

A very limited number of general admission seats for the NCAA Athens Super Regional will go on sale starting Wednesday, June 5^th at 9 a.m. online at https://georgiadogs.evenue.net/list/BBS, by phone (706-542-1231 or 877-542-1231) or in person at the UGA Ticket Office located in the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. The general admission seats are $15. They will be $10 for college students while UGA Students get in free with their UGA ID.