When Georgia shortstop Kolby Branch looks into the Oklahoma dugout for Monday night’s Men’s College World Series game, he will see a familiar face staring back at him — his younger brother, and Sooner second baseman, Kyle Branch.
The Branch brothers will face each other for the first time this season in Monday’s Bracket Two contest when third-seeded Georgia and Oklahoma square off. Monday’s winning side will move on to Wednesday’s bracket final.
“I think it’s going to be a competitive game,” Kolby said. “(Oklahoma is) a great team. I can’t wait to play with Kyle and play against him. We’ll take it one pitch at a time of course, but I’m not missing that opportunity to see him and hang out with him.”
Georgia and Oklahoma had a three-game series at Georgia in 2025, with the Bulldogs winning two games.
“I knew that it would be a long road to get here,” Kyle said. “How cool is it that we get to be a part of this and be together at this ballpark for this event? It’s a blessing and a dream come true.”
Kolby, a senior, is the oldest of the four Branch boys. In addition to Kyle, a sophomore, Carson and Cooper are high schoolers in Lucas, Texas, which is 45 minutes outside of Dallas. With four boys in the house, things were never boring for parents Rusty and Kari.
“It was chaos all around the house at all times,” Kyle said. “Just being brothers while being athletes is so fun because you can support each other but you can also just love each other and mess with each other.”
Rusty and Kari Branch put in hundreds of miles during the super regional weekend to see as much action as they could. In addition to seeing Kolby play in Athens, Georgia, and Kyle play on the road at Lawrence, Kansas, Carson had high school games going on that same weekend, and the Branch parents were able to see all three in action.
“As I’ve grown older, I noticed how their support, how it’s so amazing, so intentional,” Kyle said. “It’s just really cool that they’ve been able to go back and forth and cheer each and every one of us on. We couldn’t ask for two better parents to help lead us this way.”
The travel for the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament was significantly less as Kyle’s Sooners went to the regional in Atlanta, just 75 miles from Kolby in Athens. Kolby was even able to sit in the stands with his parents at one of Kyle’s games.
“It’s an accumulation of the hard work and commitment (Rusty and Kari) made into me and my brothers,” Kyle said. “My parents have done such a great job taking care of us as we’ve grown up to be better men.”
Kolby and Kyle each came to Omaha with some postseason success. Kolby had two home runs, two doubles and four RBIs as Georgia swept Mississippi State in the Super Regional round. Kyle had seven hits, three RBIs and four walks when Oklahoma came through the loser’s bracket to upset second-seeded Georgia Tech and win the Atlanta Super Regional.
Through the season’s ups and downs, Kolby and Kyle, along with the rest of the Branch family, have been there to support each other, and that support will continue no matter the result of Monday’s game.
“(Kolby’s) support throughout the year, I’ve struggled and he’s struggled, and just being able to pick each other up is really special,” Kyle said.
