Clean Old Fashioned collision? Georgia, Tech set paths to potential super regional battle

ATHENS — One of college baseball’s fiercest in-state rivalries could be reignited with a ticket to Omaha on the line.

The NCAA Tournament bracket revealed Monday set the stage for a potential Super Regional showdown between Georgia and Georgia Tech — two programs separated by just 70 miles and decades of competitive fire. If both teams win their respective regionals this weekend, the Bulldogs and Yellow Jackets would meet in a best-of-three series with a College World Series berth at stake.

But before the trash talk can begin, there’s work to do.

Seventh-ranked Georgia (42-15) earned a coveted national seed and will host the Athens Regional May 30-June 2 at Foley Field. The Bulldogs open play Friday at noon against Binghamton (29-24), champions of the America East Conference. Duke (37-19) and Oklahoma State (28-23) round out the regional field and will meet in Friday’s nightcap at 6 p.m.

Georgia Tech (40-17), the ACC regular season champion, was slotted as the No. 2 seed in the Oxford Regional hosted by Ole Miss. The Jackets will compete against the host Rebels (40-19), No. 3 seed Western Kentucky (46-12), and fourth-seeded Murray State (39-13). Georgia Tech is making its 36th NCAA Tournament appearance — and possibly its most meaningful in years.

This season marks the final ride for longtime Tech head coach Danny Hall, the 2025 ACC Coach of the Year, who announced in March he would retire after the season. Hall has led the Jackets to three College World Series appearances (1994, 2002, 2006) and five Super Regionals.

Georgia, meanwhile, is no stranger to postseason pressure. The Bulldogs are making their 15th NCAA Regional appearance and their second straight as a top-eight national seed. Head coach Wes Johnson isn’t interested in seed chatter — he’s focused on surviving the weekend.

“I told our guys don’t get caught up with what seed we are — we’ve got a game Friday against Binghamton,” Johnson said. “This is a tough regional with teams that can hit, and we better throw strikes and pitch.”

Georgia is 55-36 all-time in NCAA Tournament games and 36-20 in regionals. The Bulldogs won the 1990 national title and last reached the College World Series in 2008. Hosting this year’s regional is the eighth time Foley Field has been a postseason site.

Georgia Tech’s road-tested squad could be a threat in Oxford. The Jackets posted a 13-6 record in away games this season — their best since 2004 — and bring a dangerous lineup to the tournament. In regional action, Tech holds a 71-60 all-time mark and is 64-55 in postseason play under Hall.

While both teams insist they’re focused only on this weekend, fans across the state are already circling a potential Super Regional grudge match — Georgia vs. Georgia Tech with everything on the line.

Super Regionals are set for June 7-9 or 8-10, with host sites to be announced June 3. The eight Super Regional winners advance to the College World Series in Omaha, June 13-23.

Should both Georgia and Tech hold up their ends of the bracket, one of college baseball’s oldest rivalries will take center stage — with Omaha waiting at the finish line.