May 6, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Game Coverage
Live stats will be provided on www.ramblinwreck.com.
Georgia Tech Softball
Tech enters this weekend on a four-game winning streak. The Yellow Jackets will be the No. 4 seed at the ACC Tournament, May 14-16, in Tallahassee, Fla. Tech will face NC State on Friday at 11 a.m. in the first round of the tourney.
The Jackets enter both polls in week 13 at No. 22/25, ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll and USA Today/NFCA Poll, for the first time since week eight. Tech has been ranked in the last 10 ESPN.com/USA Softball polls.
The Rambling Wreck surpassed 40 wins for just the second time in school history. In 2002, the Yellow Jackets finished the season with 52 victories and came within one win of making the College World Series.
Tech currently stands fourth in the ACC with a team batting average of .277. The Jackets rank second in the conference, and third in the nation, with a team ERA of 0.77. No. 2 Florida State leads the ACC and NCAA with a team ERA of 0.54.
Georgia Tech’s Jessica Sallinger ranks in three different national categories; fourth in ERA (0.57), sixth in strikeouts per game (11.0) and 11th in wins (26). Erin Voeltz holds the 23rd best ERA in the nation at 0.96.
Offensively, Tara Knudsen leads the way appearing in two national rankings. The shortstop ranks 24th in slugging percentage (.752) and 36th in batting average (.409).
Georgia Tech-Mississippi State Series
The Yellow Jackets and Bulldogs have met eight times in the history of these two programs, with MSU holding a 6-2 advantage. The Jackets swept the Bulldogs last season in Atlanta, 9-1 (5) and 5-3, on April 14, 2003.
Tech is 1-2 against the SEC this season. The Jackets dropped a 5-3 decision to Kentucky on Feb. 8 and lost to then-No. 5 Georgia, 4-1, in Atlanta on March 31. The Rambling Wreck downed then-No. 13 Alabama, 1-0, in Atlanta on April 13.
Mississippi State is one of the top offensive teams in the country. The Bulldogs are 12th in the nation with a .312 team batting average and tally 5.44 runs per game, 15th most in the NCAA.
Leading the way for MSU is reigning SEC Player of the Year Iyhia McMichael. The senior outfielder leads the country with a .481 batting average and leads the SEC in runs per game (1.3) and slugging percentage (.877), ranking her second and fourth in the NCAA, respectively.
The Bulldogs’ Jennifer Waterman appears in the national rankings at No. 19 with 0.93 runs batted in per game, driving in 53 on the season. Melissa Massey leads MSU in the circle with a 16-8 record this season. Massey has 108 strikeouts in 160.2 innings pitched and a 2.44 ERA.
