April 15, 2013
Overall Record: 26-10
ACC Record: 11-7
Winning/Losing Streak: W1
Past Week: 3-1
4/9: at Georgia: W, 7-5 / Zane Evans (2-for-5, 3 RBI) provided game-winning RBI in fifth inning and fanned two in the ninth for the three-out save
4/12: vs. Virginia: W, 2-1 / Buck Farmer fired a complete-game with 10 K to improve to 7-1 and Evans provided the winning RBI in the sixth
4/13: vs. Virginia: L, 2-7 / Daniel Palka homered and had two hits, but Virginia evened the series
4/14: vs. Virginia: W, 3-2 (6 inn.) / Cole Pitts allowed two hits and two runs in 5.1 innings as Tech clinched the series with a rain-shortened win
Coming Week
4/16: vs. Savannah State (Atlanta, Ga.), 6 p.m.
4/19: vs. N.C. State (Atlanta, Ga.), 3 p.m. (ESPN3)
4/20: vs. N.C. State (Atlanta, Ga.), 6 p.m. (ESPN3)
4/21: vs. N.C. State (Atlanta, Ga.), 1 p.m. (ESPN3)
THIS WEEK: Tech welcomes Savannah State (21-15) Tuesday night for a midweek tilt at Russ Chandler Stadium, then hosts a red-hot N.C. State (28-10, 11-7) club this weekend on the Flats. Friday’s game versus the Wolfpack, which should feature a marquee pitching matchup between ACC strikeouts leaders Buck Farmer and Carlos Rodon, is set for a 3 p.m. start. That game was moved up to 3 p.m. to accommodate fans wishing to attend both the baseball game and Tech’s spring football game that night. Saturday’s game versus State is set for 6 p.m. and the series finale is Sunday at 1 p.m. All three games will air on ESPN3.
FARMER GOES THE DISTANCE AGAIN: Buck Farmer completed his second-straight complete game, this time in a winning effort, as No. 19 Tech beat No. 5 Virginia, 2-1, in Friday’s series opener. After losing for the first time in ACC play in nearly a calendar year to Duke last Friday 2-0, Farmer went the distance versus the Cavaliers for his fifth career complete game. Farmer and Duke’s Robert Huber are the only two pitchers in the ACC with two complete-games in conference play.
BIG-TIME BUCK: In eight career starts versus ACC opponents ranked in the Top 10, Farmer is now 6-1 with his lone loss coming in the 2011 ACC Tournament to No. 7 Florida State. In those eight starts, Farmer has pitched to a 2.33 ERA (his overall career ERA is 2.91) with 50 strikeouts against 19 walks in 58.0 innings. The senior righty from Conyers, Ga. has two of those wins this season, winning at No. 5 Florida State (7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K) in March and Friday’s victory over the fifth-ranked Cavaliers (9.0 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 10 K).
EVERYWHERE EVANS: Junior C/RHP Zane provided the Yellow Jackets a pair of game-winning RBIs this week and picked up a save on the mound as Tech went 3-1 with a midweek win at Georgia, and a key series victory over fifth-ranked Virginia. The junior caught all four games this week and hit a team-best .385 with four RBI and a double. He caught eight innings Tuesday at Georgia, ripped a two-RBI double, provided the go-ahead single in the fifth, and then fanned two during a dominant 1-2-3 ninth inning on the mound to earn his third save. Friday, his RBI single broke a 1-1 tie in the sixth inning and he threw out a pair of would-be base-stealers en route to a 2-1 Tech win. He walked in Saturday’s loss and singled and walked Sunday as Tech claimed the series with a 3-2 win.
PITTS COMES UP IN THE CLUTCH: Thanks to 5.1 strong innings from sophomore righty Cole Pitts, Tech won its second series rubber-game this season (and first in ACC play) with Sunday’s 3-2 rain-shortened victory over the Cavaliers. Pitts allowed just two runs and two hits in winning for the first time since March 17 versus Boston College. Pitts also put the Jackets on his back in the rubber-game versus St. John’s on Feb. 24, as he allowed one run on four hits in six innings to help clinch the series. The series win over Virginia was the first for Tech since the 2008 season.
PEACH STATE PROWESS: Thanks to Tuesday’s win at Georgia, the Yellow Jackets’ 6-2 record versus in-state opponents is the best among Georgia’s Division-I teams. Surging Mercer, which split the season-series with Tech, is 6-3 versus in-state foes. Tech hosts Savannah State Tuesday night, and has two more games versus Georgia on the schedule, including April 23rd at Turner Field on Fox Sports South.
ON THE DEFENSIVE: The Yellow Jackets extended their streak to five straight games without an error this week, and remain the ACC’s best fielding team at .978. Of Tech’s 14 error-free games this season, six have come in the last seven games… Tech also rolled up five double plays this past week, with a season-high three coming in the win at Georgia on Tuesday… Outfielders Kyle Wren and Daniel Palka each recorded outfield assists this week. Tech has nine outfield assists this season, with Wren accounting for five.
