THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball begins the 2026 season with the 27th annual Buzz Classic, hosting No. 16 Alabama, ECU, and Villanova at Mewborn Field in a four-day tournament starting Thursday (Feb. 5) at 5:30 p.m. and running through Sunday, Feb. 8. The tournament is currently set to consist of 11 games, six featuring the Yellow Jackets along with five neutral contests.
Buzz Classic Tournament Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 5
Game 1: No. 16 Alabama vs. Villanova (H) | 3 pm | Live Stats
Game 2: Villanova vs. Georgia Tech | 5:30 pm | Live Stats | TV: ACCNX
Friday, Feb. 6
Game 3: ECU vs. Villanova (H) | 11 am | Live Stats
Game 4: ECU vs. No. 16 Alabama (H) | 1:30 pm | Live Stats
Game 5: Villanova vs. Georgia Tech | 4 pm | Live Stats | TV: ACCNX
Game 6: No. 16 Alabama vs. Georgia Tech | 6 pm | Live Stats | TV: ACCNX
Saturday, Feb. 7
Game 7: Villanova vs. ECU (H) | 11 am | Live Stats
Game 8: Villanova vs. No. 16 Alabama (H) | 1:30 pm | Live Stats
Game 9: No. 16 Alabama vs. Georgia Tech | 4 pm | Live Stats | TV: ACCNX
Sunday, Feb. 8
Game 10: ECU vs. Georgia Tech | 12 pm | Live Stats | TV: ACCNX
Game 11: ECU vs. Georgia Tech | 2 pm | Live Stats | TV: ACCNX
TV
All Georgia Tech games over the weekend will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Clear Bag Policy
Shirley Clements Mewborn Field will continue to implement a clear bag policy. Any outside items brought into the facility must be contained within a clear bag. For more information on Georgia Tech’s policy, go to https://ramblinwreck.com/clearbag/
Parking
Parking will be available in the Family Housing deck for all four days of the Buzz Classic with fans being able to start parking twos hours prior to first pitch on each day of the tournament.
Promotions
Fans can start the season helping the Yellow Jackets celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day Feb. 5 against Villanova. Tech fans can expect to see their first giveaway on Feb. 6 as the first 150 fans in attendance for Tech’s 6 p.m. game against No. 16 Alabama will receive a light up GT rally towel.
Storylines
- Yellow Jacket fans can expect the return its homerun leader third baseman Gracyn Tucker as well as its runs leader Paige Vukadinovich, slugging percentage leader Addison Leschber, and on base percentage leader Alyssa Willer.
- Leschber returns to occupy first base coming off of her first season as a Yellow Jacket which was capped by NFCA All-Region honors.
- Willer is set to resume left field after her freshman campaign saw her record 33 runs, 36 hits, three doubles, two triples, seven homeruns, 27 RBI, and 64 total bases while holding both a .340 batting average and .604 slugging percentage and maintaining a 1.000 fielding percentage.
- The outfielder collected two post season ACC honors in the form of All-Freshman and Second Team All-Conference honors as well as NFCA All-Region honors.
- In the circle, Tech fans can anticipate seeing the return of Makayla Coffield and Sydnie Watts as well as Reese Hunter behind the plate.
- The Jackets return to play following the 2025 season where Tech had three top-25 wins, including its first top-15 win since 2012, and punched its ticket to the NCAA Regionals for the first time since 2022.
- Ahead of the 2026 season, Tech softball has added nine freshman and four transfers, two from JMU, one from Kennesaw State, and even one from ACC opponent Cal.
- Tech’s 2026 schedule includes matches against top-ranked contenders from 2025 including No. 6 Florida, No. 7 Florida State, No. 12 Clemson, No. 15 Georgia, No. 16 Alabama, No. 19 Duke, No. 21 Virginia Tech, and No. 24 Mississippi State.
- The Jackets will take on participants from the 2025 NCAA Tournament including six from the Regional round, one from the Super Regional round, and two from the Women’s College World Series.
- Head coach Aileen Morales returns for her ninth season on The Flats in 2025-2026 as assistant coaches Erin Dixson returns for her third season overseeing the pitching staff and Deven Boland resumes his assistant coach position, focusing on the Jackets’ hitting. Assistant coach Megan Hill returns for her second season serving as the program’s outfield coach and point of contact for recruiting, as does Mya Knuteson, who assumes the role of Director of Operations for the Yellow Jackets.
Series Notes
- Tech softball will host the 27th annual Buzz Classic Feb. 5-8.
- This will be the third trip to the Buzz Classic for Villanova after the Jackets defeated them twice to start the season in 2022 and split wins during their last meetings in the 2024 season.
- Tech leads the overall series against Villanova, 3-1, with all of its wins being earned at Mewborn Field.
- Alabama enters the 404 leading the all-time series against Tech, 18-3. The games this weekend will be the seventh and eighth in Atlanta.
- The Yellow Jackets will enter Friday’s contest looking for their first win over the No. 16 Crimson Tide since 2004.
- The East Carolina Pirates lead the overall series against Tech, 9-8 despite the Yellow Jackets entering the Sunday double-header with back-to-back wins over ECU back in 2001 and 2010.
Purchasing 2026 Tickets
All tickets can be purchased online at https://ramblinwreck.evenue.net/list/SOFTBALL or by calling the Georgia Tech Ticket Office at 888.TECH.TIX (Hours: M-F, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM). Season tickets start at just $80.00 and all chairback seating is now sold out for the upcoming season.
2026 Softball Group Experiences and Video Board Messages!
Georgia Tech Softball is also offering special experiences for the 2026 softball season, including group postgame photos and special videoboard messages! Click the links below to purchase your experience today!
Click HERE to purchase videoboard messages!
Click HERE to purchase postgame photos!
On field Anthem Buddies experiences, for groups of 10-15 kids, ages 8-14, are also available for the 2026 season! To learn more, email gtmarketing@athletics.gatech.edu!
Want your special message on the board at Mewborn field for the 2026 season? 2026 video board messages are available for purchase now for $30!
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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech softball team, follow us on Twitter (@GaTechSoftball), Facebook, Instagram (@GaTechsoftball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
