The Bulldogs’ 2026 Opening Day starter may be a new face to many Georgia fans, but Bulldog newcomer and junior right-hander Joey Volchko made an early statement last Friday.

He struck out five and allowed just one run on two hits in 4.0 innings in Georgia’s 13-1 victory in seven innings over Wright State at Foley Field.

 

At 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, Volchko leads the Bulldogs’ No. 1-ranked transfer portal class and was named a Baseball America preseason second-team All-American and No. 30 in D1Baseball’s Top 100 College Prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft ahead of this season.

 

The Visalia, Calif., native joined the Bulldogs after two seasons at Stanford University. As a sophomore, Volchko made 15 starts for the Cardinal and posted a 3-4 record and 6.01 ERA in a team-high 70.1 innings with 56 strikeouts.

 

Before earning a win in his Bulldog debut, Volchko sat down to discuss his baseball journey including his decision to transfer to Georgia. 

 

Ramirez: When did you start playing baseball and why baseball?

 

Volchko: I started playing baseball when I was three, three and a half. I think I had to wait one more year because my birthday is so late. In high school, I started playing basketball. I made varsity my freshman year, so I thought I was going to be a basketball player. I didn’t think baseball was in the cards for me, or I didn’t know. I thought I would be better at basketball. My dad played college ball (Westminster College), and I thought I would just kind of fall into that, but when COVID hit and shut everything down, I went to a practice in a town about an hour from me. I started working with the guy there, started to play harder. Then when colleges started to reach out, that’s when I knew that this was my path. This was something I could be really good at. From then on, it’s been pitching and baseball ever since.

 

Ramirez: How did you get into pitching?

 

Volchko: Honestly, I don’t know. I couldn’t tell you why. In middle school, I think I grew from 5’9 to 6’3 in 7th grade. By the time I was done with that, I didn’t know where the ball was going. I was always playing in the outfield. I could always hit really well, so I thought, again, another path for me was as an outfielder. When COVID shut things down, I started throwing harder. I knew I had a chance to be good at it, so I just stuck with it and kept going.

 

Ramirez: What was your experience in the transfer portal like and why did you ultimately decide to come to Georgia?

 

Volchko: I took a few visits. I got to see some of the best programs in the country and talk to the best minds in college baseball, but Wes [Johnson] was my first call. He was the one I wanted to go visit, come here and see. As soon as I committed, I wanted to move out here right away just so I could talk about the adjustments, the plan, the stuff that he had laid out for me, what we would do when I got here that made the most sense for me.

 

Ramirez: You’re joined at Georgia by former Stanford teammate Matt Scott. What has it been like to play with him both at Stanford and Georgia and are you excited to continue playing with him this season?

 

Volchko: It’s been awesome. We’ve gone through highs and lows at Stanford together. Dorm life, studying really hard, doing homework until 2 in the morning on Friday night starts, whether it’s me or him, or weekend starts. I think us being here together – we’re both extremely grateful to be here, so I think that’s going to take us a long way.

 

Ramirez: How has your experience in Athens along with being a part of the Bulldog program been so far, and what has it been like being here from California?

 

Volchko: It’s been awesome. I get to live by myself now for the first time. The past two years, we’ve been in a shared room dorm, like I can reach out and touch my buddy’s bed. So, it’s nice having my own apartment, my own kitchen. All things that you have at home, but then you go to college and sometimes give up. My experience has been awesome. It’s cool living on my own and doing my own thing. It’s awesome because guys here have houses, so you can go hang out there whenever you want. So, I kind of get the best of both worlds. Football has been awesome. I’ve never seen football games like this. I knew it was going to be special, but there’s nothing like it.

 

Ramirez: What’s the biggest lesson you can bring to UGA from your time at Stanford?

 

Volchko: The confidence that comes with managing a heavy course load and being able to go compete in collegiate baseball where guys necessarily aren’t doing the same thing. Now that I can take the mental focus of being in school and focus on baseball, I think that puts me at a huge advantage. Studying so much and being able to do the same thing but studying the game. I think that brings me a lot of confidence.

 

Ramirez: What’s something someone wouldn’t know about you from your bio?

 

Volchko: As of recently, I don’t have ten toenails anymore. I had to get six ingrown toenails cut out last year, so three on each foot. This year, it got to the point where I just took the whole thing off, so now I have nine. A little gruesome, but that’s something nobody would ever guess.

 

Ramirez: Do you have a favorite MLB team or player?

 

Volchko: I grew up watching the Giants. Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, those were all the guys I watched growing up. Even now, I still watch Logan Webb pitch. The sinker, sweeper, changeup thing he does is really fascinating to me. I’ve implemented a little bit of that into my game. Giants all the way.