THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball (24-21, 6-12 ACC) will hit the road for the final time in conference play, heading to No. 10 Duke (37-8, 13-5 ACC) for its next ACC series in Durham, N.C. The Yellow Jackets and Blue Devils will begin the weekend series with a doubleheader on Friday, starting at 4 p.m. with game two following shortly after game one. The series finale will be held on Sunday at noon at Duke Softball Stadium.
Game Information
Friday, April 21 @ 4 p.m. vs. Duke
Friday, April 21 @ 6:30 p.m. vs. Duke
Sunday, April 23 @ Noon vs. Duke
TV
Each game of the series will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Storylines
- Georgia Tech most recently split its midweek competition, sweeping the season series over Georgia State.
- The Yellow Jackets went undefeated against Sun Belt squads this season, finishing 5-0 against the likes of Georgia State (twice), Georgia Southern, Southern Miss and Troy.
- Sophomore second baseman Grace Connelly hammered her second grand slam of the season against Georgia State, marking her fifth dinger of the season and sixth of her career.
- The Yellow Jackets have blasted three total grand slams on the year.
- Dennis improved to 13-6 against Georgia State, tossing her fifth complete game this season before tying her season high of eight strikeouts in just three innings of work against Alabama State.
- Minghini went 4-for-4 at the plate against Alabama State, setting a single-game career high of four hits while blasting her first bomb of the season and second of her career.
- Over the weekend, the White and Gold clinched their third ACC series of the season, taking two of three games at Pitt.
- The Jackets claimed their previous two conference series wins by the same margin over Virginia and Boston College.
- Tech has now won seven of its last 10 games.
- Coach Aileen Morales has surpassed 150 wins as a head coach at Georgia Tech (153) and 250 victories in her career (266) this season, remaining the fourth-winningest coach in softball history on The Flats.
- Swatting another double last time out, senior catcher Emma Kauf moved up to a team-high 12 on the year and has taken sole possession of third in program history in career doubles with 48 to date.
- The Yellow Jackets have reached double-digit triples on the season for the first time since 2014, improving 10 total on the year.
- Senior hurler Blake Neleman has moved into second all-time in career strikeouts, also becoming the second Yellow Jacket ever to surpass 500 career strikeouts with 541 to date.
- On top of marching through Tech’s record books in strikeouts, Neleman has picked up a pair of saves this season, moving up to six in her career as she’s now in an eight-way tie for third in program history in career saves.
- Neleman owns six complete games this year and two shutouts this season.
- On the season, Neleman (133) and fellow senior right hander Chandler Dennis (101) have combined for 234 strikeouts.
- Defense has gone hand-in-hand with work from the circle this season as the Jackets are second in the ACC and 14th in the NCAA in fielding percentage (.978).
- Tech has displayed strong plate discipline throughout the season, ranking third in the ACC and 11th in the NCAA in walks (160).
- The Yellow Jackets have been aggressive as a unit on the base path, ranking fourth in the conference in triples per game (.22).
- Amongst the conference this season, Neleman is third in the ACC in strikeouts as she’s surpassed the century mark with 133 punchouts.
- Complementing her renowned defensive acumen, junior shortstop Jin Sileo is the most proficient in the league in sacrifice bunts, averaging 0.20 per contest.
Series Notes
- Georgia Tech trails Duke, 8-2, in the all-time series.
- The Yellow Jackets lead the series on the road, clinching the lone previous series visiting the Blue Devils.
- The White and Gold took two of three games in that same first series between the two in 2018.
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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