Branch Brothers Baseball Sends Kolby, Kyle Branch to Omaha

Branch brothers baseball reaches the 2026 Men’s College World Series with Kolby Branch of Georgia set to face Kyle Branch of Oklahoma in Omaha. Georgia and Oklahoma meet Monday evening for a spot in the right side of the bracket’s final, and the winner moves one step closer to a school’s first national championship since the 1990s.

Kolby And Kyle In Omaha

Kolby Branch is Georgia’s senior shortstop and a team captain. Kyle Branch is Oklahoma’s sophomore second baseman, and the brothers will be on opposite sides when their schools meet after both won their opening games in Omaha.

Georgia beat Texas, and Oklahoma beat Alabama. That sets up a direct branch brothers baseball matchup at the 2026 Men’s College World Series, with the family storyline running through a game that carries bracket stakes for both programs.

Branch Family In Lucas

The brothers both attended Lovejoy High School in Lucas, Texas, and Rusty and Kari Branch have four sons. Kari Branch said, “We haven’t all been together as a family since Christmas.”

The family has had to split around baseball schedules for months, and Rusty Branch summed up the stretch this way: “We just went from oldest to youngest.” The parents were in Omaha after flying home to watch Carson Branch finish his senior high school season in the 5A DII state championship for Lovejoy High School, where he was named state tournament MVP.

Georgia And Oklahoma Paths

Georgia reached Omaha as the No. 3 national seed after winning both the SEC regular season and SEC tournament championships. Kolby Branch helped lead that run and earned second-team All-SEC honors, while Georgia hosted a regional in Athens for the third straight season.

Oklahoma came through a different route. The Sooners opened postseason play in Atlanta against No. 2 national seed Georgia Tech, and Kolby Branch and teammate Tre Phelps attended Oklahoma’s walk-off win over Georgia Tech on Sunday, May 31. Kyle Branch made the All-SEC Freshman team in 2025.

For the Branches, Monday evening is less about a family reunion than a split-screen collision of seasons. Kari Branch said, “It still feels like we are floating above everything, to be able to watch both of them in the same day at the same place,” and added, “As a boy, you dream of (playing at the Men’s College World Series), but to be here at all, and then with your brother, too, it’s amazing.”