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Georgia coach Wes Johnson (Photo by David Buono/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The calendar has flipped to September, which means that players and coaches are back at their respective college campuses and fall ball is on the horizon.
1. Georgia
Over the last few seasons, Georgia has proven it can navigate the portal as well as any team in the country. Things were no different in 2025—and it may have been the Bulldogs’ best transfer class yet. While Georgia hasn’t made the College World Series since 2008, this year’s portal class certainly gives coach Wes Johnson’s squad Omaha upside in 2026.
There’s plenty of talent to go around, but it’s hard to not focus on the standout arms the Bulldogs brought in. It starts with Joey Volchko (3-4, 6.01 ERA), who might have the best pure stuff in the 2026 draft class. He has an unbelievably live arm, yet command has been a bugaboo in each of his first two seasons. Fellow former Stanford righthander Matt Scott (5-2, 6.02 ERA) opted to head to Georgia for his senior season instead of turning pro, while Caden Aoki (6-4, 3.99 ERA)—one of the best, if not the best, strike-throwers in the country—is also expected to compete for a spot in the weekend rotation.
Those three arms are talented enough to make up a quality portal class on their own, yet Georgia also added a number of big-time bats. Two-way players Bryce Calloway (.390/.484/.722, 4.26 ERA) and Kenny Ishikawa (.318/.420/.562, 4.21 ERA) are in line to make an impact on both sides of the baseball, while Jack Arcamone (.355/.463/.675)—who also had plenty of draft interest—and Ryan Wynn (.331/.413/.492) give the Bulldogs two quality up-the-middle pieces.
In addition to its premier portal class, the ‘Dawgs also welcome a pair of high-level recruits to campus in Joe Nottingham (No. 159) and Ty Peeples (No. 192). How much of an impact they make in year one is yet to be seen, but Nottingham is a projection righthander who’s been up to 95 mph, while Peeples has flashed solid thump from the left side.
2. Mississippi State
Following the departure of Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State made a big-time splash this past June when it announced it would be hiring former Virginia head coach Brian O’Connor. O’Connor and his staff wasted no time getting to work and quickly put together one of the best portal classes in the country.
A number of O’Connor’s better players from Virginia—such as James…