Feb. 7, 2013
Tournament Schedule | Game Notes | 2013 Media Guide
THE FLATS – The defending ACC champion Georgia Tech softball team opens its 2013 slate Friday when it hosts the Georgia Tech – Kennesaw State Invitational at Mewborn Field. The tournament features five teams and a total of eight games over the three-day span.
The Jackets play Eastern Michigan at 3 p.m. Friday to open the season, followed by a 5 p.m. matchup with first-time opponent Butler. Tech faces Missouri State (12 p.m.) and Coastal Carolina (2 p.m.) Saturday and wraps up the tournament with another game against Coastal on Sunday at 1 p.m.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Feb. 8
EMU vs. Butler, 1 p.m.
Georgia Tech vs. EMU, 3 p.m.
Butler vs. Georgia Tech, 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 9
Missouri State vs. Georgia Tech, 12 p.m.
Georgia Tech vs. Coastal Carolina, 2 p.m.
Butler vs. EMU, 4 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 10
Butler vs. Missouri State, 11 a.m.
Coastal Carolina vs. Georgia Tech, 1 p.m.
Live Coverage
Live stats will be available for all games. The Georgia Tech contests will be broadcast via a free internet stream on www.RamblinWreck.com in addition to the live stats.
2013 Yellow Jackets
The Jackets return six starters from a 2012 squad that finished 37-23 overall, captured its third ACC tournament title in the last four seasons and made its 11th-straight NCAA tournament appearance.
Of the six returning starters, three are juniors and three are sophomores, both groups have already experienced an ACC Championship and trips to the NCAA tournament.
In addition, there will be something new this year for Tech: good depth at every position. The Jackets suffered several injuries last year to critical players, and were forced to shuffle the lineup.
Eastern Michigan
Tech is 3-3 all-time against EMU with the teams’ last meeting coming in 2001 – a 3-2 Tech victory. The Eagles return eight starters and 10 letterwinners from a 2012 squad that went 21-33. Senior Katy Blaharski led the Eagles with a .363 batting average and 58 hits last season.
Butler
The Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs have never met. Butler, which recently joined the Atlantic 10, returns 12 letterwinners from last year’s 25-32 squad, which placed fifth in the Horizon League. Among the Bulldogs’ returnees are leading hitters Meaghan Sullivan (.345) and Kristin Boros (.324).
Missouri State
Tech will look for its first win of the series against the Bears, who leads the series 3-0. The teams last met in 2000 in Atlanta. Missouri State won the contest 6-2.
Last season, Ashley Brentz led the Bears with a .304 batting average, 24 runs scored, 45 base hits and 11 multi-hit games.
Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers lead the all-time series 6-4. The most recent meeting came in March 2011 when the Yellow Jackets defeated Coastal Carolina 12-0 in six innings.
The Coastal Carolina softball team was picked to finish first in the Big South Conference and sophomore Kory Hayden was tabbed the conference’s Preseason Player of the Year.
Hayden led the conference in six offensive categories, including totaling 15 home runs, tied for second-most in Coastal single-season history.
Tech in Season Openers
Tech is 16-10 in season openers and beat Oregon State 9-8 in last season’s opener at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. Coach Perkins is 5-1 in season openers at Tech.
Tech is 15-11 in home openers, including a 4-2 victory against Furman in 2012’s home opener. Perkins is 5-1 in home openers at Tech and the 2013 season opener marks the 10th time the Yellow Jackets kick off a season at home. The last time was in 2007 against Georgia Southern – Tech won, 3-2.
ACC Preseason Poll
The Georgia Tech softball team was picked by the league’s head coaches to finish third in the ACC in 2013. The Jackets received 38 points and one first-place vote.
National Preseason Polls
Tech will begin the season receiving votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball and the USA Today/NFCA top 25 polls.
Solid slate
The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to play a solid slate in 2013. The schedule features 15 teams from the 2012 NCAA Tournament field, including four teams that advanced to the super regionals and one WCWS team. Nine opponents are ranked in the preseason Top 25.
