May 13, 2015
| GT Game Notes • 2015 Media Guide • Season Statistics |
| GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (32-19, 13-14) at #8 MIAMI HURRICANES (39-13, 19-8) May 14-16, 2015 • Coral Gables, Fla.• Mark Light Field (4,999) |
| ESPN3: Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
| Radio: WREK 91.1 FM Atlanta Listen Live |
LEADING OFF
>> Georgia Tech and No. 8 Miami bring the 2015 regular season to a close this weekend with a series in Coral Gables. The series is underway Thursday night at 7 p.m. and all three games will air on ESPN3 and on WREK 91.1 FM Atlanta.
>> The Yellow Jackets have won three straight over the Hurricanes, including the final two in Atlanta last year to clinch the series and a 6-3 win at the ACC Tournament. Tech has won six of the last 10 meetings, but Miami leads the all-time series 52-35-2. As ACC members, the series favors Miami 20-16.
>> Tech enters the final weekend having not yet secured an ACC Tournament berth. In order for the Jackets to defend their 2014 title — the program’s second in the past three seasons and ninth overall — Tech needs a win combined with a Wake Forest loss at Duke. Two wins will guarantee a tournament berth. Other clinching scenarios also exist.
>> Only 10 pitchers nationally entered the week with more wins than sophomore closer Zac Ryan, who is 9-1 with seven saves and a 2.74 ERA. Ryan has logged a win or a save in 16 of his team-leading 26 pitching appearances. He and Ohio State’s Trace Dempsey (9-1, 7 saves, 3.38) are the two relief pitchers in the NCAA with nine or more wins. Ryan is tied for the ACC lead in wins and is tied for fifth in saves. He has been credited with four of Tech’s last eight wins.
>> Senior A.J. Murray, who made his 100th consecutive start Tuesday versus Georgia, is tied for the ACC lead in homers (14) and among the league’s top 10 in runs (48), RBI (49) and slugging (.595) — seven of his 14 homers have come in the last 12 games and he has scored at least a run in 11 of the last 12 games.
>> Tech is outscoring opponents 80-38 in the eighth inning and beyond this season. That includes a +30 margin in the eighth (50-20), +10 in the ninth (25-15) and +2 (5-3) in extra innings. 18 of Tech’s 32 wins are come-from-behind victories, including five when trailing in the eighth inning and four when trailing in the ninth. Tech is 4-1 in walk-off games, and 3-1 in extra-inning games. Five of Tech’s last seven wins have been comeback victories.
>> Sophomore C Arden Pabst is among the NCAA leaders in runners caught stealing and caught-stealing percentage. Pabst, who is on the watch list for the Johnny Bench Award, has thrown out 24 would-be base stealers this season, which are eighth-most nationally. He is the first Tech catcher since Matt Wieters in 2007 to throw out 20+ runners in a season..
>> The Jackets continue to be one of the nation’s best defensive teams, entering the week ranked 12th in double plays, top 50 in fielding percentage, and sixth in outfield assists. Tech led the nation in both double plays (school record 77) and outfield assists last season. Since 2012, Tech’s 246 double plays are second-most nationally.
>> Tech is 19-3 this season when scoring first; 9-3 in one-run games; 7-7 versus ranked teams. Sophomore RHP Brandon Gold is 5-0 in series rubber-games — all coming in ACC victories over Notre Dame, Duke, Virginia Tech, Virginia and Pitt. As a team, the Jackets are 8-1 this season in weekend rubber-games (6-1 in ACC play).
