Jackets Come Up Short Against Georgia State

THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball (8-1) dropped its first game of the season on Tuesday night, falling to Georgia State (7-2) by a final score of 9-4 inside Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Yellow Jackets were given a phenomenal start by sophomore Jackson Blakely but gave up nine unanswered runs across the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, resulting in the first setback of the James Ramsey era.

Blakely, making his first career start, pitched 4.0 innings, allowing three hits and striking out nine, becoming the first Tech pitcher since at least the turn of the century to record nine or more strikeouts in his first career start. Unfortunately, the Panthers would score nine unanswered runs to erase a 2-0 Tech lead, earned off a two-run home run from Jarren Advincula in the first inning. The Jackets would load the bases in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings but couldn’t get enough runs across, ultimately falling short by five.

QUICK HITS: TEAM

• Tech has scored 130 runs through their first eight games, still the most runs Georgia Tech has ever recorded through the first nine games of a season in the program’s 131-year history.
• Despite the loss, the Yellow Jackets are on a record setting pace, averaging 14.4 runs-per-game.
• James Ramsey suffered the first loss of his head coaching tenure, tying him with John Heisman (1906) for the 2^nd-best start to a coaching career at Tech. He is the first Tech coach to win at least eight of his first nine games since Joe Pittard in 1946.
• The Jackets have recorded 138 hits in their first eight games, a new record for the BBCOR era (since 2011).
• GT has now hit at least one home run in each of its last six games.
• The Jackets have hit a Division I best 30 doubles this season after connecting for two tonight off the bats of Ryan Zuckerman and Will Baker.
• Tech now leads the all-time series against Georgia State, 74-15.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

• Junior Jarren Advincula drove in two runs in the first inning when he launched a two-run home run into center field. It was his first home run of the season, his first as a Yellow Jacket and the 12^th of his career.
• He is the only player on the team to have gotten at least one hit of every game this season, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, including one game from last season when he was playing for Cal. Ironically, that game came against Georgia Tech in the ACC Quarterfinals, a game GT won, 10-3.
• Advincula leads the team with five multi-RBI games this season, breaking the tie he had with junior catcher Vahn Lackey.
• He has recorded 12 RBI this season, becoming the fifth Jacket to reach at least 12 RBI. Georgia Tech is the only team in the nation with five players at 12+ RBI this year.

𝐉𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀𝐀 💣

Advincula CRUSHES one for his first HR as a Yellow Jacket!

428 ft / 105 mph / 27 degrees

📺 ACCNX#StingEm🐝 x #WreckHavoc x @jcula1 pic.twitter.com/TaafAh3B1o

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) February 24, 2026

• Junior Drew Burress didn’t get many pitches to hit, going 1-for-2 with a pair of walks and a run scored off Advincula’s home run.
• He is now 7-for-13 (.538) with nine RBI, eight runs, five home runs and six walks in his four-game career against the Panthers.
• Junior Ryan Zuckerman delivered a pair of hits, including an RBI double in the eighth inning for his third multi-hit game in White & Gold.
• It was his 13^th RBI of the season, tying him with Alex Hernandez for the second-most on the team, behind Vahn Lackey.
• Sophomore Will Baker connected for his sixth double of the season before coming around to score on the double from Zukerman. He continues to lead the ACC in doubles this year, breaking the tie he had with fellow Yellow Jacket Carson Kerce.
• Freshman Coleman Lewis entered the game as a pinch-hitter, drawing a walk and coming around to score the third run of his career.
• Junior Vahn Lackey extended his on-base streak to 19 games with a pair of walks, three games behind Kent Schmidt for the longest on-base streak on the team.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

• Sophomore Jackson Blakely delivered one of the greatest first career starts in program history.
• He pitched 4.0 innings without allowing a run and striking out nine – the most strikeouts by any Tech pitcher making his first career start since at least the turn of the century.
• He becomes the first Tech pitcher since current Friday night starter Tate McKee to pitch at least four innings without allowing a run in his first career start.

BIG TIME BLAKELY! @JacksonBlakely1 gets his 9th K of the day to keep the Panthers off the board 😤

📺 ACCNX#StingEm🐝 x #WreckHavoc pic.twitter.com/Ui0xzwpFFj

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) February 24, 2026

• The bullpen couldn’t carry that momentum into the game, surrendering nine runs over the next 2.1 innings.
• R-freshman Dimitri Angelakos entered the game to start the eighth inning, pitching 1.2 innings without allowing a run in his third appearance of the season.
• Angelakos has not allowed a run in any of his last 3.0 innings pitched.
• R-junior Caden Gaudette pitched the final 0.1 innings of the ninth, striking out the only batter he faced. He has recorded three strikeouts across his 1.1 innings pitched this season.

Up Next

Georgia Tech will look to get back in the win column this weekend when Northwestern (5-2) comes into town for a three-game series. First pitch of game one is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27 will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. Tickets are available at ramblinwreck.com/tickets

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

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