THE FLATS – After tying a program record with four players selected in the first two rounds of the 2026 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, four more Yellow Jackets had their names entered into the history books today for a total of eight players drafted, including a program record five in the first five rounds. Six different position players were drafted, matching the program record set back in 2010.
Alex Hernandez was the first Jacket off the board, taken with the No. 143 overall selection by the Las Vegas Athletics in the 5th round. He was followed by Parker Brosius (Round 9, Pick 262) to the Atlanta Braves, Tate McKee (Round 10, Pick 293) to the Tampa Bay Rays and Porter Buursema (Round 16, Pick 475) to the Miami Marlins.
In total, eight Yellow Jackets heard their names called during the draft, giving Georgia Tech 237 draft picks in its history. Hernandez became the fifth Jacket taken in the first five rounds this year, breaking the program record set back in 1994 (Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek, Jay Payton and Brad Rigby). Tech had five players drafted in the first 150 picks, the most in the ACC and tied with UCLA and Arkansas for the most in the nation.
Vahn Lackey, C, Round 1, Pick 3, Minnesota Twins
Drew Burress, CF, Round 1, Pick 8, Las Vegas A’s
Jarren Advincula, 2B, Round 2, Pick 45, Los Angeles Angels
Carson Kerce, SS, Round 2, Pick 53, Arizona Diamondbacks
Alex Hernandez, OF/3B, Round 5, Pick 143, Las Vegas A’s
Parker Brosius, OF, Round 9, Pick 262, Atlanta Braves
Tate McKee, RHP, Round 10, Pick 293, Tampa Bay Rays
Porter Buursema, RHP, Round 16, Pick 475, Miami Marlins
Alex Hernandez played two seasons on The Flats, starting 114 games, mostly in the outfield with stints at first base and second base, with a career .359 average, 1.064 OPS, 29 home runs and 126 RBI. He holds the Georgia Tech program record for most RBI by a freshman with 69, including six in the Oxford Regional against Western Kentucky. He would carry that clutch gene into the Atlanta Regional In 2026, setting Georgia Tech postseason records with three home runs and nine RBI in an opening round win over UIC. He was at his best in the postseason, where he delivered a team high 19 RBI over seven games across the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. Hernandez was a consensus 1st team Freshman All-American and earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors after his record-breaking 69 RBI.
Parker Brosius established himself as a Georgia Tech legend. He played four years on The Flats, being utilized mostly as a pinch runner as a freshman before earning a spot as an opening day starter in the corner outfield during both his sophomore and junior seasons, after losing his starting spot to a pair of freshmen all-Americans, Brosius returned for his senior season needing to carve out a role for himself in what turned out to be the best offense in BBCOR history. He made his first start of the season on March 13, eventually working his way back into the every day lineup down the stretch, starting 25 games in the outfield. He took his game to the next level after graduating from school, going off for 10 home runs, 26 RBI and a 1.093 OPS over his final 14 games, helping Georgia Tech secure back-to-back ACC regular season titles and an ACC Tournament trophy.
For his career, Brosius played in 184 games in White & Gold with a .278 average, 16 HRs and 93 RBI. In his senior season, he hit .329 with 13 home runs and 44 RBI, both career highs, with 10 homers and 26 RBI coming in the last 14 games alone. A consistent team captain, Brosius blossomed into one of the most productive and one of the most well loved players on a roster for the history books. Brosius is a three-time Academic All-ACC honoree and earned his degree in Business Administration from Georgia Tech’s Scheller College of Business this past May.
Tate McKee was the only pitcher in Division I to start every series opener for his team over both the 2025 and 2026 seasons. The Georgia Tech ace broke into the weekend rotation as a freshman, starting eight games in 2024 before becoming the Friday night starter for both the 2025 and ’26 seasons. He started 40 games over his GT career, posting a 21-10 record with a 5.14 ERA over 205.0 innings with 243 strikeouts and only 105 walks. His senior season he delivered a career-best 4.15 ERA over 16 starts with a 9-2 record and a career-high 99 strikeouts over 78.0 innings. He earned national pitcher of the week honors in the final week of the regular season, when he pitched 7.0 scoreless innings with only one hit allowed and a career-high 14 strikeouts at No. 23 Boston College. A three-time Academic All-ACC honoree, McKee landed himself on the 2nd Team All-ACC as a senior and ended his college career leading GT to a 24-6 record when he was starting in season openers (.800 win %).
Porter Buursema played at Tech for two seasons after transferring in from Georgia Southern as a sophomore. He would make 18 appearances for the Yellow Jackets, 14 out of the bullpen and four games as the Saturday starter before ultimately suffering a season ending injury. Buursema completed his college career with a 6.20 ERA over 40.2 innings. He allowed only one earned run over 8.0 combined innings in starts at Cal and vs. No. 5 Florida State, striking out 13 batters with only two walks. One of the most talent rich arms on the roster, Buursema topped out at 99 mph on his fastball while at Georgia Tech and helped lead the Tech pitching staff to an ACC best 4.36 ERA in conference play on their way to back-to-back ACC regular season titles and an ACC tournament championship.
2027 Season Tickets
Season tickets for the 2027 campaign are selling at a record pace! ACC coach of the Year James Ramsey will lead the back-to-back ACC Champion Yellow Jackets into the new season with a revamped roster as they push for a 12th ACC title and 38th NCAA Tournament appearance. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the best college baseball atmosphere in the state! Tech fans set a new record for season tickets sold in just seven days! Secure your spot at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler stadium by purchasing season tickets HERE.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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