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Georgia Tech Faces Tennessee In NCAA Super Regional

June 9, 2005

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ATLANTA–Georgia Tech (45-17, 22-8 ACC), the regular season and tournament champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference and winner of the NCAA Atlanta Regional last weekend, will host Tennessee (44-19, 18-11 SEC) in the NCAA Atlanta Super Regional this weekend at Russ Chandler Stadium.

The best of three series will begin on Friday at 4 p.m. (ESPN2) and will continue on Saturday at 1 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m. (if necessary). All three games will be televised on the ESPN family of networks. The winner of the series will advance to the College World Series, June 17-27 in Omaha, Neb.

Georgia Tech, the only school in the nation to earn a national top eight seed in each of the last three seasons, is making its 20th NCAA appearance in the last 21 years. The Yellow Jackets are hosting a NCAA Regional for the fourth straight year and for the fifth time in the last six years.

Georgia Tech won the NCAA Atlanta Regional last weekend – def. Furman, 5-4; def. South Carolina, 10-2; lost to South Carolina, 3-8; def. South Carolina, 5-0. Tennessee swept through the NCAA Knoxville Regional with a perfect 3-0 record – def. Austin Peay, 5-2; def. Winthrop, 3-2; def. Wichita State, 12-2.

Yellow Jacket head coach Danny Hall won his 505th (currently 529-228 in 12 years) game at Georgia Tech on Mar. 27 in Miami, eclipsing the previous school record of 504 wins held by current Miami head coach Jim Morris (504-244-1 record at Georgia Tech from 1982-1993).

For the year, Tech leads the ACC in batting .337 and runs scored (9.5 per game). The Yellow Jackets have scored at least nine runs in 36 of 62 games, reaching double figure scoring in 27 games. Tech hit .354 and averaged 10.1 runs in 30 ACC games.

The Tech lineup features catchers Andy Hawranick (.298AVG/.366OBP/.425SLG, 4HR, 36RBI) and Matt Wieters (.369/.469/.590, 10, 68), first baseman Whit Robbins (.265/.411/.444, 5, 40), second baseman Mike Trapani (.329/.439/.445, 2, 23), shortstop Tyler Greene (.373/.464/.592, 12, 72), third baseman Wes Hodges (.400/.470/.573, 9, 50), left fielder Steven Blackwood (.340/.433/.464, 5, 65), center fielder Danny Payne (.291/.426/.386, 3, 40), right fielder Jeff Kindel (.363/.479/.561, 6, 64) and designated hitter Jeremy Slayden (.361/.461/.613, 13, 57).

PITCHING ROTATION:
Game 1: RHP Blake Wood (10-1, 3.35)
Game 2: TBA

GAME COVERAGE: All games from the NCAA Atlanta Super Regional will be televised live by ESPN2. Live statistics on the internet for all games of the regional at www.ncaasports.com. Radio coverage for all Georgia Tech games on WREK (91.1 FM) and on the internet at www.wrek.org.

GEORGIA TECH IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
All-time NCAA Tournament Record: 49-43

Georgia Tech is making its 20th NCAA Regional appearance in the last 21 years and 22nd overall appearance in the 2005 NCAA Championship. The Yellow Jackets have captured five regional championships (1994, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005) and have two College World Series appearances (1994, 2002).

Georgia Tech went 19-11 against the NCAA Championship field during the 2005 regular season.

Georgia Tech is 16-11 in NCAA games played at Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta.

Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee

Longtime rivals in the Southeastern Conference before Georgia Tech left the league in 1964, the Yellow Jackets lead Tennessee, 44-31, in the all-time series that began in 1902.

The Yellow Jackets and Volunteers played in 14 of 16 years from 1948 through 1964, but have played just six times in the last 41 years.

Tech and Tennesse last met 10 years ago in the 1995 NCAA Mideast Regional in Knoxville when the Vols eliminated the Jackets from the regional, 6-4.

Tennessee is making its first appearance in Atlanta since March 22, 1982, a 9-3 win for the Volunteers.

GUSTAFSON NAMED NCAA ATLANTA REGIONAL MVP

Sophomore RHP Tim Gustafson was named the MVP of last week’s NCAA Atlanta Regional, working 10 innings and allowing one run while posting a 2-0 record in two appearances. After earning a win out of the bullpen in the opening game of the regional (3.0 IP, 1 R), he picked up his second win in a start in the championship game vs. South Carolina (7.0 IP, 0 R).

Joining Gustafson on the All-Tournament team were catcher Andy Hawranick, shortstop Tyler Greene, outfielders Jeff Kindel and Danny Payne, and pitcher Blake Wood.

DRAFT REPORT

Junior shortstop Tyler Greene a first round selection of the St. Louis Cardinals (30th overall) in the Major League Baseball Draft on Tuesday. Greene is the the sixth Georgia Tech player selected in the first round of the MLB draft, joining Kevin Brown (1986), Ty Griffin (1988), Jason Varitek (1994), Nomar Garciaparra (1994) and Mark Teixeira (2001).

Other Tech draftees include RHP Jason Neighborgall (3rd/Diamondbacks), OF Jeremy Slayden (8th/Phillies), OF Steven Blackwood (26th/Cardinals) and C Andy Hawranick (48th/Cubs).

BULLISH ON THE BULLPEN IN THE POSTSEASON

The Yellow Jackets swept through the 2005 ACC Tournament with a perfect 4-0 record against Wake Forest, Florida State and Virginia, due in large part to the success of the Tech bullpen in the tournament. The bullpen combined to work 16.2 innings and allowed just one earned run (0.54 ERA). The group allowed 10 hits and struck out 18 batters while posting a 4-0 record in four games. Tech’s bullpen continued the success in the NCAA Atlanta Regional last week, working 13.1 innings and allowing two earned runs on eight hits and two walks while fanning 17 (1.35 ERA).

In eight postseason games in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Atlanta Regional, the bullpen has worked a combined 30 innings and allowed just three earned runs (0.90 ERA). The unit has allowed 18 hits and nine walks while striking out 35 and holding opponents to a .167 batting average.

The main workhorses of the bullpen have been Matt Wieters (2-0, 1 SV, 6.0 IP, 0 ER, 8 K), Jordan Crews (1-0, 8.2 IP, 0 ER, 4 K), Jared Hyatt (1-0, 6.1 IP, 0 ER, 12 K) and Tim Gustafson (6.0 IP, 2 ER, 7 K).

GREENE NAMED FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICA

Junior shortstop Tyler Greene was tabbed a first-team All-America by USA Today Sports Weekly and Collegiate Baseball. Greene’s first-team All-America recognition is the first since Mark Teixeira earned consensus first-team All-America honors in 2000. Greene is the 13th player in Georgia Tech history team earn first-team All-America honors by at least one publication.

HODGES TOPS 100 HITS; GREENE CLOSES IN

Sophomore third baseman Wes Hodges joined Georgia Tech’s exclusive 100-hit club with three hits vs. Furman on June 4 and has 104 hits on the season.

Shortstop Tyler Greene enters the Super Regional with 97 hits and needs just three more to join the 100-hit club.

Previously, there had been nine different players who have topped the 100-hit mark in school history for a total of 11 different times. Current volunteer coach Victor Menocal is the most recent player to record at least 100 hits in a season (2002), while Menocal and Richard Lewis are the only players to top 100 hits twice in their careers. Jay Payton set the school record with 129 hits in 1994.

PITCHING STAFF SHINES IN MAY

Georgia Tech’s pitching staff was at its finest in the month of May, posting a 2.86 ERA in 132 innings while holding opponents to a .261 batting average. The seven pitchers who have seen the bulk of the innings have all fared very well – Matt Wieters (6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA), Jordan Crews (15.0, 1.20), Brad Rulon (5.0, 1.80), Ryan Turner (29.2, 2.43), Tim Gustafson (21.0, 2.57), Lee Hyde (20.2, 3.48), and Blake Wood (21.1, 3.80).

The unit continued the trend in June at the NCAA Atlanta Regional, posting a 2.18 ERA and holding opponents to a .195 batting average in 37 innings.

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