Josh Roberge’s journey from his hometown of Chelmsford, Massachusetts to Athens as a pitcher for Wes Johnson’s Georgia Bulldogs is unlike any you’ve seen before.

This tale takes some unpacking.

Roberge began his career at Division III Wheaton College. He spent four years there, including the 2021 season, which saw the school make that division’s World Series in 2021.

With eligibility remaining after earning his bachelor’s degree in psychology, Roberge transferred to Southern New Hampshire University. He helped lead SNHU to back-to-back Division II College World Series.

With a master’s degree in developmental psychology secured from SNHU, Roberge thought his playing days were through. So, like college grads from across the country, Roberge started looking for a job.

“I was done playing, but knew I wanted to continue being around baseball. So, I hit up all the D-1 teams in the country, every single one. Go down the list, SEC, all the Power-5s, I hit them all up,” said Roberge, who simply wanted to get his foot in the door.

“I wrote an email. I would just change out the name of the coach and the school,” he said. “I was job hunting.”

Initially, only one school hit him up: the University of Maine, which was impressed by his on-field credentials, but had no spot for him at the time.

Shortly thereafter, Roberge heard from a friend, who just happened to be the head coach at Iona.

“They offered me a job, and I took it,” said Roberge, who thought he’d be spending this season as a full-time assistant coach with the Gaels.

But that itch to pitch remained.

“The coach (Iona head coach Conor Burke) was talking to me, and he said, you know you have an extra year of eligibility,” Roberge said. “He said you can put your name in the portal to see what happens, and hopefully get a better start in that realm of college baseball.”

This is where Georgia comes in.

Johnson explained what happened next.

“Kevin Knight, our director of player ops at that time, was helping us go through the portal, checking some stuff from a computer standpoint,” Johnson said. “Kevin got the stuff and he sent it to (assistant coach) Will Coggin, and Will said, ‘Hey, I think we’ve got a guy here we can look at.’”

Roberge could not believe his good fortune.

“There were a lot of emotions there,” he said. “I talked to my parents first, because obviously, having been in college that long, they want you to get started on your career. But we talked and felt like this was a good opportunity.”

Three weeks into the season, Roberge’s addition has already paid off.

In four appearances, the 6-foot-2, 218-pound right-hander is 2-0, both wins coming over the weekend against Georgia Tech. He’s also saved a game and has struck out nine batters in seven innings.

Although he primarily served as a starter at his previous schools, it appears Roberge is settling in as a key member in the back end of the Bulldog bullpen.

“Josh has transformed, not only his mechanics but his body and his arm. Last year, he would show you some flashes of velocity. But I think he’s added 20-25 pounds since he’s been here. I saw a lot of potential in him,” Johnson said. “He was already a strike thrower and knew how to compete, had a winning background. Those things were big to me. You want guys who know how to win.”

Armed with a fastball that tops out at 95 mph and a sharp slider, Roberge has no idea what the future holds.

“We’ll see what happens. I’ve been on the draft board for three or four years and nobody has taken me. I think it comes down to me not being in a position to play with the best talent,” he said. “In the Cape, I had pretty good success there, I thought I was going to get drafted or signed. No one reached out to me."

"I don’t overlook professional baseball, but that’s not something I want to do right now," Roberge continued. "I want to win a national championship, help this team win, and take it as far as I can go."

But even if pro baseball is not in the cards, the opportunity he’s receiving to learn from Johnson includes lessons Roberge figures he’ll be able to put to good use whenever he does begin his coaching career.

“I look at it as an internship more than anything else, a first step toward where I want to go in terms of coaching, and Wes is obviously a great resource, so I’m just building and stacking those along the way,” he said. “We’ll see what happens at the end of the year.”