April 21, 2016
| GAMES 38-40: #26 GEORGIA TECH AT #23 CLEMSON FRIDAY, APRIL 22 – SUNDAY, APRIL 24 // DOUG KINGSMORE STADIUM // CLEMSON, S.C. FIRST PITCH: 6:30 P.M. (Fri/Sat), 1 P.M. (Sun) // TV: None // Radio: WREK 91.1 FM | |
| GEORGIA TECH (25-12, 8-9 Coastal) Last Game: W, 11-5 vs. Georgia State (April 20) Head Coach: Danny Hall (Miami – Ohio, 1977) Career Record: 1,156-581-1 (29th year) Friday SP: RHP Brandon Gold (4-2, 2.67 ERA) Saturday SP: RHP Cole Pitts (3-2, 5.68 ERA) Sunday SP: TBA | CLEMSON (25-12, 8-10 Atlantic) Last Game: W, 12-0 vs. Georgia (April 19) Head Coach: Monte Lee (College of Charleston, 2000) Career Record: 301-157 (8th year) Friday SP: LHP Charlie Barnes (3-4, 4.67 ERA) Saturday SP: RHP Alex Eubanks (2-3, 4.56 ERA) Sunday SP: TBA |
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LEADING OFF: STORYLINES TO KNOW
- Freshman C Joey Bart has emerged as one of the ACC’s best rookie hitters in 2016. Bart, who currently third on the team with a .349 average, is batting .418 when he’s behind the plate in the lineup.
- The Yellow Jackets have not posted a winning ACC road record since 2011 when they went 10-5 and won series at Miami, Duke, Wake Forest and Virginia Tech.
- Georgia Tech enters the weekend with an 8-5 road record. The Jackets haven’t finished a season with an above .500 road record since 2011 (15-8).
- 25 of Tech’s 37 games this season have been played in less than three hours. Georgia Tech is 21-4 (6-3 on the road) in games played in less than three hours. In contrast, the Jackets are 4-8 (2-3 on the road) in games lasting more than three hours.
- Georgia Tech is 22-1 when allowing five or fewer runs this season. Offensively, the Jackets are 19-4 when scoring five or more runs in a game.
- While Georgia Tech leads the nation with 57 double plays, it’s been 2B Wade Bailey and SS Connor Justus involved in most of them. Bailey and Justus have combined to turn 34 of Tech’s 57 double plays. Either Bailey or Connor has been involved in 52 of Tech’s 57 double plays.
- Dating back to his final five appearances of the 2015 season, closer Matthew Gorst has a 0.67 ERA in his last 26.2 relief innings, allowing two earned runs with 33 strikeouts.
- Georgia Tech has used 31 different lineups in the first 37 games. Only 2B Wade Bailey and SS Connor Justus have started every game at the same position.
- Junior SS Connor Justus is enjoying his best season with the White and Gold. Justus leads all Georgia Tech hitters with a .373 average – 124 points higher than his .249 batting clip in 2015.
- Senior 3B/LF Matt Gonzalez is second among NCAA Division I active players behind UConn’s Bobby Melley (260) with 259 career hits. He is currently 18th on Tech’s career hits list.
SERIES HISTORY
• Clemson leads 108-106-3
• Streak: Georgia Tech, 1 win
• GT at Clemson: 22-47-1
• Last Meeting: April 26, 2015, in Atlanta (W, 5-4 – 10 inn.)
• Danny Hall vs. Clemson: 36-42
• GT in Last 5 Meetings: 4-1
• GT in Last 10 Meetings: 5-5
A TOUGH ONE TO CRACK
• Sophomore Wade Bailey is toughest Yellow Jacket to strikeout in 2016 as the second baseman strikes out once every 10.9 at bats. In 90 career games, Bailey has struck out only 31 times in 363 at bats.
• Bailey’s career at bat-to-strikeout ratio of 11.7 would rank him eighth all-time in Georgia Tech history, but he currently does not qualify (needs 400 at bats).
ACC ROAD WOES
• Georgia Tech snapped a 9-game ACC road losing streak when it won the series at North Carolina in March. Prior to Georgia Tech’s 3-2 win on March 25, the Jackets had not won an ACC road game since April 5, 2015.
• The Yellow Jackets have not posted a winning ACC road record since 2011 when they went 10-5 and won series at Miami (3-0), Duke (2-1), Wake Forest (2-1) and Virginia Tech (2-1).
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
• Georgia Tech enters the weekend with an 8-5 road record. The Yellow Jackets are 5-3 in their last eight road games. The Jackets haven’t finished a season with an above .500 road record since 2011 (15-8).
THE BAT BEHIND THE MASK
• Georgia Tech freshman C Joey Bart has emerged as one of the ACC’s best rookie hitters in 2016. Bart, who currently third on the team with a .349 average, is batting .418 when he’s behind the plate in the lineup.
• In fact, 28 of Bart’s 37 hits and 17 of his 24 RBI have come when he’s the starting catcher.
• Bart’s seven multi-RBI games this season are the second-most among all Yellow Jackets.
CONNOR’S CAREER YEAR
• Junior SS Connor Justus is enjoying his best season with the White and Gold. Justus leads all Georgia Tech hitters with a .373 average – 124 points higher than his .249 batting clip in 2015.
• Justus’ 13 doubles, which are a career high, rank second on the team and is one shy of matching his combined doubles total from his first two seasons.
• Through 37 games, Justus has 53 hits, which matches his freshman season total in 56 games.
FRESHMEN POWER HOUR
• Freshmen Joey Bart and Tristin English have become mainstays in Georgia Tech’s lineup. Bart ranks third on the team with a .349 average with seven doubles and 24 RBI. English is fourth with a .333 average, a team-best 15 doubles with one home run and 25 RBI.
• Bart and English have combined for 22 doubles and 49 RBI in 34 games.
BRANDT. GO. BOOM.
• In his last eight games, freshman Brandt Stallings is batting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, three home runs and 11 RBI. Eleven of his season-total 19 RBI have come in the last eight games, including three 3-RBI games – April 2 vs. Duke, April 16 and April 17 vs. NC State.
• Stallings crushed a pair of 3-run home runs last weekend against NC State. The home runs accounted for Stallings’ only hits on the weekend.
#DOUBLETROUBLE
• While Georgia Tech leads the nation with 57 double plays, it’s been 2B Wade Bailey and SS Connor Justus involved in most of them. Bailey and Justus have combined to turn 34 of Tech’s 57 double plays. Either Bailey or Connor has been involved in 52 of Tech’s 57 double plays.
SHUT THE DOOR
• Junior Matthew Gorst has solidified his role as Georgia Tech’s closer. The Alpharetta, Ga., native has recorded 9 of Tech’s 13 save opportunities. Gorst owns a microscopic 0.39 ERA, allowing one earned run with 31 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
• Since allowing his lone run of the season, Gorst has pitched 16.0 scoring innings of relief, walking only four batters and allowing four hits with 16 strikeouts.
• Dating back to his final five appearances of the 2015 season, Gorst has a 0.67 ERA in his last 26.2 relief innings, allowing two earned runs with 33 strikeouts.
GONZO ON THE CAREER LISTS
• Senior 3B/LF Matt Gonzalez is tied for the lead among NCAA Division I active players with 19 career sacrifice flies and is second behind UConn’s Bobby Melley (260) with 259 career hits. Gonzalez is also second in career at bats and is currently sixth among NCAA active players in doubles, and ninth in both total bases and RBI.
• Gonzalez is two sac flies shy of tying the school record of 21 held by Jason Basil (1998-2001). He is currently 18th on Tech’s career hits list.
TIME FLIES
• 25 of Tech’s 37 games this season have been played in less than three hours.
• Georgia Tech is 21-4 (6-3 on the road) in games played in less than three hours. In contrast, the Jackets are 4-8 (2-3 on the road) in games lasting more than three hours.
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