THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball will retire number 23, worn by former Yellow Jacket standout Mark Teixeira, it was announced on Thursday. Teixeira will be honored in a special pregame ceremony on Saturday, May 20, before Tech takes on Virginia at 12 p.m.
“To be able to retire Mark Teixeira’s number is one of my great honors as a head coach,” head coach Danny Hall said. “Mark has meant so much to this program, and to Georgia Tech, in his time as both a player and as an alum. His accomplishments on the field speak for themselves as to how great a player he was on The Flats and in the Major Leagues. He is undoubtedly deserving of this prestigious honor and I’m proud to have been his coach.”
One of the top performers in Yellow Jacket history, Teixeira earned a long list of honors, including the 2000 Dick Howser Trophy (National Player of the Year), 2000 ACC Player of the Year, 2000 consensus first-team All-American, 1999 National Freshman of the Year, 1999 ACC Rookie of the Year and 1999 second-team All-American. He was also named to the All-ACC first team twice (1999, 2000).
The third baseman from Baltimore, Md., batted .409 during his three-year career while slugging 36 home runs and 165 RBI. He ranks fourth in school history in career batting average (.409) and second in slugging percentage (.712), and holds the school record for most runs scored in a season with 104. As a sophomore in 2000, Teixeira batted .427 with 18 home runs and 80 RBI, posting the seventh-best batting average for a single-season in school history. That performance helped Georgia Tech win the 2000 ACC regular season and tournament championships as well as the NCAA Atlanta Regional title.
“It’s with great excitement and pride that we announce the retirement of Mark Teixeira’s No. 23 from Georgia Tech baseball,” director of athletics J Batt said. “Mark is one of the greatest players to ever wear the White and Gold on the baseball diamond, and his accomplishments in the Major Leagues are a huge point of pride for Yellow Jackets everywhere. In the classroom, he was an Academic All-American who came back to the Institute following his MLB career to earn his degree in business administration. And, most importantly, he and his wife, Leigh, have been champions away from the field with their selfless contributions to Georgia Tech and so many communities across America. It is our privilege and honor to recognize Mark as one of the greatest student-athletes in Tech history.”
Teixeira would be selected by the Texas Rangers with the fifth overall pick of the 2001 MLB Draft, and continue his excellence over the next 14 years. He’d play in three All-Star Games (including the 2005 Midseason Classic with fellow Jackets alumnus Jason Varitek), win five Gold Gloves (all at first base), three Silver Sluggers, and win the 2009 World Series Championship with the New York Yankees.
Teixeira was elected to the Georgia Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2011. An Academic All-American in 2000, he returned to Georgia Tech after retiring from professional baseball and completed his degree in business administration in 2022.
His number will join only two previously retired numbers in program history: No. 44 for infielder and eventual head coach Jim Luck and No. 33 for Jason Varitek.
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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