March 27, 2017
GT Game Notes | Mercer Game Notes | 2017 GT Baseball Information Guide
Media Links
ESPN3 | Live Stats | WREK 91.1 FM
THE FLATS — Georgia Tech (13-9) will wrap up its four-game road swing on Tuesday night at Mercer (21-5) in a non-conference midweek contest in Macon, Ga. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE
• Tuesday night’s game will be video streamed live on the American Sports Network, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN App.
• Live stats can be found at MercerBears.com. A link to live stats can also be found on the baseball schedule page at RamblinWreck.com or at the top of this page.
• Wiley Ballard will also broadcast the game live over the radio air waves on WREK 91.1 FM.
LEADING OFF
• Tuesday night’s meeting between Georgia Tech and Mercer will be the first of two scheduled non-conference contests between the two in-state rivals in 2017. Mercer will return the home game to play at Tech on April 18.
• The Jackets are 2-0 this season versus schools from the Peach State with a road win at Georgia Southern (10-3) on Feb. 21 and a victory at home versus Georgia State (12-5) on Feb. 28.
• The Yellow Jackets are 3-1 this season in midweek games, all of which have been played on Tuesday. The Jackets have recorded wins over Georgia Southern, Georgia State and No. 12 Oklahoma in non-conference midweek games this season.
• Tech’s Wade Bailey ranks fourth nationally in runs per game (1.43), while Joey Bart is fourth in the nation in home runs per game (0.43).
• A total of five different high schools are represented by a player on both the Georgia Tech and Mercer teams on Tuesday night. Tech’s Joey Bart, Austin Wilhite, Nick Wilhite and Keyton Gibson all played at Buford High School along with Mercer starter Kevin Coulter. Adam Moore of Mercer and Brandt Stallings of GT both played high school ball at Kings Ridge Christian, while Tech’s Garrett Gooden and MU’s Nick Spear each pitched at St. Pius X Catholic. Mercer junior Conrad Cornell is from Westminster High School in Atlanta, the alma mater of Tech’s Coleman Poje, while both Ben Schniederjans of Tech and Ben Brock of Mercer pitched at Harrison. Three players are from Lambert High School in Kyle McCann from Tech and both Danny Edgeworth and Zach Graveno of Mercer.
• Defense has played a key for Tech this season, as the Yellow Jackets are 6-1 on the year when not committing an error for the game. Tech is also 6-1 when making one error for the contest. However, the Jackets are 1-7 on the season when making two or more errors for the game.
• As a team, the Jackets rank seventh in the nation overall with 38 home runs on the season. That is also third in the ACC behind both Wake Forest and Virginia Tech who each 44 on the year.
• Ben Schniederjans will be making his eighth appearance on the mound for Tech this season on Tuesday night. The righty missed all of 2016 and the majority of 2015 due to an injury.
• Georgia Tech is 9-3 overall on the year when out-hitting their opponents at the plate.
• On the season, the Yellow Jackets are a perfect 10-0 overall when holding its opponents to five runs or less for the contest. In their other three wins, the Jackets allowed just six runs overall.
TECH VERSUS THE BEARS
• The Yellow Jackets are 109-55 all-time versus the Mercer Bears on the baseball diamond with the two programs first playing back in 1897.
• The two teams split the two games last season with each winning on the other team’s home field (GT won 6-5 at Mercer on April 5, while Mercer edged the Jackets 9-8 at Tech on April 19).
• Georgia Tech is 27-10 versus the Bears all-time under head coach Danny Hall, including winning three of the last four meetings between the two teams.
• The Jackets are 44-29 all-time versus the Bears on their home turf in Macon, Ga.
VERSUS IN STATE RIVALS IN 2017
• Georgia Tech is 2-0 versus in state rivals thus far this season having both of its contests versus Kennesaw State rained out.
• Tech defeated Georgia Southern on the road 10-3 back on Feb. 21 and then upended Georgia State 12-5 one week later at home on Feb. 28.
• Mercer is 4-0 versus teams from Georgia with two wins apiece over UGA and Savannah State.
WRAPPING UP A FOUR-GAME ROAD SWING
• Tech will wrap up a four-game road swing, its longest of the season to date, on Tuesday night at Mercer.
• The Yellow Jackets are 1-2 thus far in the current road trip and have dropped each of the last two games (Saturday and Sunday at Wake Forest).
IF YOU LIKE OFFENSE
• Tuesday night’s game on paper looks to be one that will be full of offense as both Georgia Tech and Mercer have two of the best offensive teams in the country.
• Tech ranks in the top 50 nationally in home runs (38), doubles (51), batting average (.299), slugging percentage (.519) and scoring (7.7 runs per game).
• Mercer ranks in the top 50 nationally as well in hits (285), home runs (42), doubles (65), batting average (.316), slugging percentage (.529), on-base percentage (.426), runs (224) and scoring (8.6 runs per game).
A GIBSON CONNECTION
• Georgia Tech second-year undergraduate assistant coach Tyler Gibson is the son of Mercer head coach Craig Gibson.
• Tyler Gibson, who is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in administration, was the 2011 Georgia High School Player of the Year and a two-time Georgia All-State player at Stratford Academy in Macon, Ga. before being drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 15th round of the MLB Draft in 2011 and playing professionally in the Tigers’ organization from 2011-15.
ON DECK
• The Jackets will return home to host the nationally ranked Clemson Tigers this weekend, Mar. 31-Apr. 2, at Russ Chandler Stadium.
