THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball has officially added five transfers to its roster this summer, further bolstering its roster depth, head coach Danny Hall announced Wednesday.
Joining the Yellow Jackets this season will be infielders Tim Borden II (Louisville), Brandon Prince (Georgia Highlands) and Chandler Simpson (UAB), as well as right-handed pitcher Cole McNamee (Wake Forest) and catcher Jack Rubenstein (Emory).
TIM BORDEN II (6-2, 200, So., INF, Sellersburg, Ind./Our Lady of Providence (Louisville))
Named a 2020 freshman all-American by Collegiate Baseball … Appeared in 39 games with eight starts in a season and a half of action at Louisville, primarily at second base … Posted a .220 average with three doubles and five RBI last season … Had a double and two RBI against Georgia Tech … Played in 11 games in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic … Started the year on fire, hitting .444 with two doubles, a home run and nine RBI … Made his collegiate debut on Feb. 15 against Ole Miss, starting at second base … Was a four-year letterwinner at Our Lady of Providence High School … Selected in the 37th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the Cleveland Indians … Ranked No. 6 in the state of Indiana and 146th nationally in the 2018 Class … Three-time selection to first-team all-state … Won 2A state championship with Providence as a sophomore … Hit .484 with six home runs, 12 doubles, 41 RBI and 28 runs scored during senior season … Hit .417 with seven homers, 12 doubles, 38 RBI and 28 runs as a junior.
COLE McNAMEE (6-4, 215, Sr., RHP, Milton, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic (Wake Forest))
Served as a utility player for three years at Wake Forest … Made 51 career appearances on the mound and 114 at-bats … Tossed 44 career innings with 67 strikeouts … Also recorded 22 hits, five doubles, eight home runs and 22 RBI … Finished second on the team in 2021 with 24 appearances and one start (at Liberty, April 7) … Posted a 3-1 record with an 8.68 ERA in 18.2 innings … Threw a career-high tying two scoreless innings in midweek win over Charlotte (March 16) … Earned his first win of the season in Wake’s ACC-opening win against Notre Dame (Feb. 27) … Made 16 appearances at the plate in 2021, recording nine hits, a double, and four home runs for eight RBI … Four-year letterwinner at Blessed Trinity Catholic … Won state titles in 2014 and 2015, while finished as runners-up in 2016 and 2017 … Recorded a perfect 17-0 career record on the mound, including a 9-0 record and 1.17 ERA in 2017 … Did not allow a run in 2015 … Hit .303 with 10 doubles and four home runs as a senior … Awarded the SOAR award at Wake Forest, which recognizes students who have contributed to the quality of student life during their time at the university
BRANDON PRINCE (5-11, 175, INF, Carrollton, Ga./Carrollton (Georgia Highlands)
Appeared in 71 games at Georgia Highlands, helping the Chargers win 63 games over two years … Hit .321 for his career with 75 hits, 16 doubles, a triple and six home runs for 46 RBI … Also drew 34 walks and swiped 51 stolen bases … Shattered the school record with 40 stolen bases in 2021 … Hit .337 during the stretch with five homers and 15 doubles … Helped lead Chargers to 42 wins in 2021 as Georgia Highlands led the conference in eight offensive categories … Was named school’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year … Hit .268 over 16 games in 2020 for 15 hits, a double, a homer and eight RBI … Hit .500 as a senior at Carrollton, appearing in 30 games … Recorded 48 hits, 15 doubles, five triples and two home runs for 39 RBI … Had an OPS of 1.370 for the year … Stole 16 bases.
JACK RUBENSTEIN (5-11, 195, Sr., C, Atlanta, Ga./Pace Academy (Emory))
Made 92 appearances and 86 starts in four years at Emory … Missed all but the first six games of 2021 due to injury … Named all-University Athletic Association in 2020 after hitting .380 in 15 games (14 starts) with two doubles, one triple, seven RBI and eight stolen bases … Led the Eagles with a .475 on-base percentage … Was named second-team all-conference his freshman year in 2018 … Hit .286 for 11 runs, seven doubles and 14 RBI … Ranked second in single-season program history with 15 hit by pitches … Four-year letterwinner at Pace Academy … Named first-team all-region as a senior after batting .346 with three home runs and 34 RBI to go along with a .509 on-base percentage … Served as a team captain his senior season.
CHANDLER SIMPSON (6-2, 155, So., INF, East Point, Ga./St. Pius X (UAB))
Named to Conference USA all-freshman team as a second-year freshman at UAB … Appeared in all 54 games for the Blazers, making 48 starts at second base … Led team with 24 stolen bases – good for 10th-most in program history for a single season … Hit .288 with 51 hits, 31 runs, two doubles and three triples … Recorded a .968 fielding percentage … Had two four-hit games (at Georgia Southern, March 13; vs. MTSU, March 27) … Ranked as the toughest to strikeout in Conference USA and one of the top in the country, only striking out 16 times on the year … Made 14 starts in 2020 before the season was canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic … Hit .256 with 11 hits and 11 runs … stole eight bases … A four-year letterwinner at St. Pius X High School in Atlanta … Split time at shortstop and second base … Earned all-state and all-county honors … Ranked the No. 13 shortstop and No. 73 player overall in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game … Named co-MVP in the Northwoods League in summer 2021, hitting .377 while setting the league stolen base record with 55.
Georgia Tech’s first action of the fall will be against Troy this Saturday, Oct. 16 at 1 p.m. when it hosts the first of two exhibitions at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Jackets will also host UAB on Oct. 23 at noon.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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