2026 ABA National Championship Preview: Georgia Premier Academy

May 11, 2026
Prep Baseball Georgia
Staff

The Academy Baseball Association National Championship kicks off on May 12 at LakePoint Sports in Emerson, Ga. Over the next week leading up to the double-elimination tournament, we'll be publishing our team previews to highlight the event's outlook. These previews are built from the questionnaires submitted by head coaches, giving us detailed insights into their 2026 rosters.

Our 2026 ABA National Championship coverage continues today.

Academy: Georgia Premier Academy Sox
Division: Premier
Head Coach: Gene Reynolds
2026 Record: 28-11
Team Strengths: Hitting and pitching

ROSTER PREVIEW

NAME	CLASS	POS	COMMITMENT
RJ Cope	Senior	1B/RHP	Vanderbilt
Cam Jackson	Senior	SS	Oklahoma
Reiston Durham	Senior	2B	Texas
Jenker Romero	Senior	RHP	Oklahoma
CJ Wall	Junior	C	Arkansas
Collin Thomas	Junior	SS	Auburn
Dylan White	Junior	INF	New Orleans
Victor Acosta	Junior	RHP	Uncommitted
Sebastian Dimitroff	Senior	RHP	Georgia Southern
Cody Bullard	Senior	RHP	Uncommitted
Jason Philips	Junior	DH/RHP	Kennesaw State
Ben Laircey	Senior	EH	Uncommitted
Brycen Harris	Senior	RF	Polk State
RJ Groomster	Senior	CF	Purdue
Nox Williams	Senior	3B	Polk State
Jace Dardar	Senior	LF	Seminole State

TOP UNCOMMITTED PROSPECTS

While the Sox roster is loaded with Division I commits, they also feature a pair of high-impact uncommitted arms that college recruiters will be tracking closely at LakePoint:

Victor Acosta (RHP, 2027)
Cody Bullard (RHP)

SEASON HIGHLIGHTS & DATA

The Sox have compiled an impressive 28-11 record against top-tier national competition heading into the ABA National Championship.
They feature an incredibly balanced roster, relying equally on run production and run prevention to stack wins in the Premier Division.
The roster boasts an astounding collection of high-major collegiate talent, featuring seven players committed to SEC or Big 12 programs.

X-FACTOR

Star-studded, up-the-middle defense and two-way impact. It is rare to find a high school lineup where the entire middle of the diamond is committed to college baseball's highest levels. With CJ Wall (Arkansas) behind the dish, Cam Jackson (Oklahoma) at shortstop, and Reiston Durham (Texas) at second base, the Sox are incredibly difficult to beat defensively. Add in the sheer impact of Vanderbilt commit RJ Cope—who serves as a middle-of-the-order bat at first base and a top starting pitcher—and Georgia Premier has game-changing talent at every premium spot.

TEAM OUTLOOK

Georgia Premier Academy enters Emerson with what might be the most heavily recruited roster in the entire tournament. Head coach Gene Reynolds noted that his team's strengths lie simply in "hitting and pitching," and a quick glance at their lineup confirms exactly why.

The offense is an absolute gauntlet. Opposing pitchers have to navigate a lineup littered with Power 4 commits, anchored by Cope, Jackson, and Durham. The depth extends into the junior class with highly touted prospects like Wall, Collin Thomas (Auburn), and Dylan White (New Orleans). On the mound, the Sox plan to deploy Cope alongside right-handers Sebastian Dimitroff and Victor Acosta to handle the bulk of the starting duties, with Cody Bullard and two-way threat Jason Philips ready to lock down games from the bullpen. They bring a 28-11 record and the swagger of a team fully capable of running the table in Georgia.

BOTTOM LINE

There are very few teams in the country that can match the sheer prospect pedigree of the Georgia Premier Academy Sox. They don't have glaring weaknesses; they just have dudes. If their top-tier arms throw strikes and their highly touted lineup clicks, they have the firepower to outscore anyone in the Premier Division and make a serious push for the national title.