THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball turned in an impressive 2018 campaign under first-year head coach Aileen Morales, finishing with an overall record of 28-26 and a 13-11 mark in conference play.
The Jackets finished above .500 for the first time since 2012, the year of Tech’s last ACC Tournament title. Tech eclipsed the win total from last season (17) in March, reaching the 25 win mark for the first time since 2013 and finishing with 11 more wins than last season. The White and Gold recorded eight shutouts, six from senior Emily Anderson, and six more than last season.
In Atlantic Coast Conference action, the Jackets came away with five series wins, the most since 2011 when the Jackets were dubbed regular-season conference champions. Tech opened ACC play with a sweep of Virginia, the first time Tech has opened league action with a sweep since 2011 and was the first ACC sweep since 2015.
Georgia Tech broke two nine-game losing streaks to ACC opponents Boston College and North Carolina. The Jackets finished third in the Coastal Division and made its first postseason appearance since 2014 as the No. 6 seed in the ACC Tournament hosted on The Flats. It was the Jackets best conference finish since 2013 when Tech finished fifth.
Overall, Tech improved its RPI from 155 at the conclusion of the 2017 campaign to 100 at the end of the regular season in 2018. In the circle, Tech’s team ERA improved from 4.82 in 2017 to 2.74 in 2018, giving up more than 100 fewer walks. 2018 saw three Yellow Jackets honored on the all-ACC teams. Senior Draven Sonnon and freshman Cameron Stanford joined Anderson on the all-ACC second team. Stanford was also tabbed to the all-freshman team.
