Good morning, everyone! It’s Olivia again, filling in for Sarah. As a reminder, I’ll be covering the newsletter duties this week!
That means look forward to a bunch of Georgia baseball content, as college baseball is one of my favorite sports — if not my favorite sport — to cover. It’s authentic, which is refreshing.
And, man, is there a lot to discuss.
The Bulldogs had a busy Monday, adding four commitments through the transfer portal before watching catcher Daniel Jackson win the Golden Spikes Award, which is presented to the best amateur baseball player in America.
Georgia now has the top-ranked portal class on 64 Analytics’ board with 11 commits in this cycle. And the portal has yet to close.
So let’s dive in!
Tracking Georgia baseball’s transfer portal haul
We’re going to start today with an updated look at Georgia baseball’s transfer portal haul. The Bulldogs gained four commitments Monday: Indiana’s Jacob Hanley, Oregon’s Naulivou Lauaki Jr., Wichita State’s Matt Cuccias and Louisiana Tech’s Casey McCoy.
Hanley is one of the most intriguing pickups to me. He could hit 30 home runs at Foley Field as a left-hander after tallying 14 for Indiana last season.
He also posted a near-even strikeout-to-walk ratio with 43 walks and 47 strikeouts across 210 at-bats.
Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson wins Golden Spikes Award
Staying with the theme of baseball — I’ll switch sports soon, I promise — Daniel Jackson added to his trophy collection Monday night. The junior catcher won the Golden Spikes Award, becoming just the second Bulldog in program history to do so.
In coach Wes Johnson’s three seasons with Georgia, the program has two Golden Spikes winners.
Jackson beat out fellow finalists Roch Cholowsky (UCLA) and Landon Hairston (Arizona State) to win the award, which is presented to the top amateur baseball player in the nation.
“Daniel Jackson put together a historic season that was so exciting to watch,” USA Baseball President John Gall said. “He is an incredible ambassador of the game, both on and off the field, and is greatly deserving of this honor. We are excited for Daniel to join our incredible family of Golden Spikes Award winners and look forward to celebrating his special season.”
Jackson won’t just go down in the Georgia history books. He’ll be remembered within the legacy of the sport. He slashed .379/.473/.803 with 32 home runs and 26 stolen bases, becoming the first catcher in NCAA history to go 30-25.
Jackson’s honor marked just the fourth Golden Spikes Award won by a catcher and first since Adley Rutschman did so in 2019. His professional career turned out pretty well.
Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson hits a homer during a College World Series game against Oklahoma on Monday, June 15, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Vera Nieuwenhuis/AP)
Georgia pitcher Joey Volchko (left) celebrates with catcher Daniel Jackson following a complete game win against Texas at the College World Series on Sunday, June 14, 2026, in Omaha, Nebraska. (Cody Chaffins/AJC)
Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson (center) celebrates in the dugout during UGA's game against Liberty in the Athens Regional on Saturday, May 30, 2026. (Conor Dillon/UGAAA)
Business side of NFL doesn’t favor Stetson Bennett in Rams QB race
Switching over to some football, let’s turn our attention to the NFL, where one former Bulldog is deep in a quarterback competition out West.
And the odds might not be in his favor.
Because although Stetson Bennett has made a career out of beating the odds, the former Georgia quarterback is up against them once again.
“Stetson has been in a good situation in Los Angeles, but sometimes the business side of things can get in the way,” said Jake Fromm, a former UGA and NFL quarterback who played ahead of Bennett on the 2017 and 2019 Bulldogs’ teams.
“There’s a lot invested in Ty to get up to speed, get repetitions and, at the end of the day, play quarterback for the Rams.”
To Fromm’s point, Simpson is in the first year of a four-year rookie contract deal worth $25.4 million, while Bennett is in the final year of a rookie contract worth $4.5 million.
“It’s not impossible for Stetson to overcome,” Fromm said. “But it’s a lot.”
Good thing Bennett has experience beating the odds.
In honor of Bennett, today’s trivia question looks back at the 2021 and 2022 national championship-winning teams.
In those championship games, Georgia beat Alabama and TCU. What was the combined score of the two matchups?
Answer at the bottom of the newsletter.
Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (center) and Gary Stokan, CEO and president of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, after the College Football Playoff semifinal Dec, 31, 2022, in Atlanta. (Jason Parkhurst/Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl)
Georgia coach Kirby Smart (left) celebrates with defensive lineman Jordan Davis (center) and quarterback Stetson Bennett after Georgia's 33-18 win over Alabama in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship game. (Curtis Compton/AJC)
Georgia students show their appreciation for quarterback Stetson Bennett, also known as the Mailman, during the 2022 national championship celebration at Sanford Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Athens. (Jason Getz/AJC)
Some (more) positive notes
Yesterday, we took a look at some of the team accomplishments from Georgia baseball’s history-making 2026 season. As promised, today we will turn our attention to some individual accolades.
(Shout out to baseball sports information director Christopher Lakos for the information.)
Here are just a few of the highlighted accomplishments:
Catcher Daniel Jackson: Dick Howser Trophy recipient as the nation’s top Division I player (second in school history); Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award (first in school history); Golden Spikes Award (second in school history); Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award (second in school history); SEC triple crown winner (first in school history, third in NCAA history).
Pitcher Caden Aoki: National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association All-American Second Team; American Baseball Coaches Association All-Region Second Team; finalist for NCBWA Stopper of the Year.
Shortstop Kolby Branch: ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winner (fourth in school history); USA Collegiate National Team invitation; school-record .972 career fielding percentage for shortstop.
First baseman/catcher Brennan Hudson: NCAA Athens Regional Tournament Most Valuable Player; NCAA Athens Regional All-Tournament Team; SEC All-Tournament Team.
Third baseman Tre Phelps: First Team All-American (ABCA, College Baseball Foundation, NCBWA); Second Team All-American (Perfect Game); Third Team All-American (Baseball America, D1Baseball); school-record 35 hit-by-pitches in 2026.
Coach Wes Johnson: SEC Coach of the Year; first Georgia baseball coach with three straight 40-win seasons; most wins by Georgia baseball coach in his first three seasons with 139.
And with that, enjoy the rest of your Tuesday!
See y’all tomorrow!
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Trivia answer
98-25
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