April 24, 2017
Georgia Tech Game Notes | Georgia Game Notes
2017 GT Baseball Information Guide
Tuesday: ACC Network Extra | GameTracker | WREK 91.1 FM
THE FLATS – “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” hits the baseball diamond on Tuesday night, April 25, as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (20-19) host the Georgia Bulldogs (16-25) in a midweek non-conference rivalry showdown at Russ Chandler Stadium. First pitch for the “Goldout” game is set for 7 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW THE ACTION LIVE
• Tuesday night’s game will be video streamed live over the ACC Network Extra and the WatchESPN App.
• Live stats can be found at RamblinWreck.com. A link to live stats can also be found on the baseball schedule page at RamblinWreck.com or at the top of this page.
• Wiley Ballard will also broadcast the game live over the radio air waves on WREK 91.1 FM.
THINGS FANS NEED TO KNOW FOR TUESDAY NIGHT
• “Goldout” – All fans are encouraged to wear gold! This game will feature an appearance from the Ramblin’ Wreck, Big Buzz, and special guests from around GT Athletics.
• ACC Coach of the Year Josh Pastner will be tossing out the honorary first pitch pre-game. Representatives from your 2017 National Invitation Tournament runners-up will be in attendance to support the Yellow Jackets as they take on the Bulldogs.
• Outside food and beverages are not permitted inside Russ Chandler Stadium. Also the season ticketholder clear bags are not permitted during baseball season at Russ Chandler Stadium. All bags will be searched upon entry into the stadium. NO bags larger than 14 by 10 by 5 inches will be permitted.
LEADING OFF
• The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets scored just one run in the first meeting against the Georgia Bulldogs back on April 11 in a 5-1 non-conference road loss. The run was an unearned run that crossed the plate in the top of the seventh inning.
• Tuesday night’s contest is the second of three scheduled “Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate” meetings on the diamond this season between the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and the Georgia Bulldogs. Georgia won the first game 5-1 in Athens, Ga. just two weeks ago on April 11.
• The Jackets are 3-1 overall on the season in home midweek games with wins over Georgia State (Feb. 28), No. 12 Oklahoma (Mar. 14) and Mercer (April 18.) Tech’s lone midweek loss at home this season came against then No. 16 Auburn on Mar. 21.
• Georgia Tech has won four of its last five games with all four of those wins coming last week. The Jackets defeated Mercer (8-5), won at Georgia State (7-0) and took two of three in the ACC weekend series at Virginia Tech (13-3 & 6-4).
• Tech has had five multi-home run games by a single player so far this season. Kel Johnson hit three home runs at Georgia Southern on Feb. 21, while Joey Bart hit two home runs in a single game versus Belmont on Mar. 4 and again at Mercer on Mar. 28. Coleman Poje blasted two home runs at Wake Forest on Mar. 24, while Wade Bailey hit two home runs in the Jackets’ win at Virginia Tech on April 22.
• Georgia Tech has played a total of six games against in-state foes this season in Georgia State, Mercer, Georgia Southern and Georgia. The Jackets are 5-1 against their in-state rivals with wins two wins apiece over both Mercer and Georgia State, one win at Georgia Southern and the lone loss coming at UGA in Athens back on April 11.
• This season, head coach Danny Hall and his Yellow Jackets are 7-2 in midweek contests. Tech has defeated Georgia Southern (Feb. 21), Georgia State (Feb. 28 & April 19), Oklahoma (Mar. 14), Mercer (Mar. 28 & April 18) and Auburn (April 4). GT’s losses came to then No. 16 Auburn (Mar. 21) and at Georgia (April 11).
• Georgia Tech has played a total of eight games Tuesday midweek games this season. The Yellow Jackets are 6-2 on contests played on Tuesday with the lone losses coming at home to Auburn (Mar. 21) and on the road at Georgia (April 11).
• After going eight games without a single home run from April 7-15, the Jackets have blasted a total of nine home runs over their last four games. Tech hit two home runs in the 7-0 win at Georgia State on April 19 and then totaled seven home runs as a team in the series win at Virginia Tech on April 21 & 22.
• The Georgia Tech bullpen pitched 10-plus scoreless innings out of the bullpen over the weekend series win at Virginia Tech. Jared Datoc (2.2 IP), Bailey Comes (2.0 IP), Micah Carpenter (3.1 IP) and Jake Lee (3.2 IP) combined to throw a total of 11.2 scoreless innings against the high-powered Hokie offense that entered the weekend leading the nation in home runs.
CLEAN OLD-FASHIONED HATE
• The Georgia Tech and Georgia baseball teams have played a total of 368 times, the most-played opponent for the Yellow Jackets in the program’s history.
• UGA leads the all-time series at 205-161-2 and won the first meeting between these two teams 5-1 two weeks ago on April 11 in Athens, Ga.
• Tuesday night’s meeting will be the second of three between these two rivals this season, as the third and final game of the series will take place at the new SunTrust Park on May 9.
FIRST MEETING IN ATHENS
• In Tech’s first meeting this season with UGA, the Jackets fell to the Bulldogs 5-1 in Athens, Ga.
• Georgia took a 3-0 lead in the first inning and added a run in both the third and the eighth to lead from start to finish in the non-conference win.
• The Jackets’ bullpen surrendered just two runs, one of which was earned, over 7.2 innings after being forced to enter the game in the first inning.
• Sophomore hurler Keyton Gibson gave up just one run on one hit while striking out one in 4.0 innings of work out of the bullpen.
• Sophomore Bailey Combs matched his career-high with four strikeouts in 2.0 innings of action on the mound.
COACHES’ CONNECTIONS
• Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall and Georgia’s head coach Scott Stricklin have a number of connections beyond coaching baseball in the state of Georgia.
• Both Coach Hall and Coach Stricklin are former head coaches at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. Coach Hall coached the Golden Flashes from 1988-93, posting a record of 208-117 overall and winning two MAC Championships. Stricklin was the head coach at Kent from 2005-13, where he directed the Golden Flashes to a school-record 47 victories including a 21-game winning streak and their first trip to the College World Series.
• Coach Stricklin was on Coach Hall’s staff at Georgia Tech for three seasons from 2002-04 and got his start in coaching in 1998 as a volunteer coach for the Yellow Jackets.
• Coach Hall was Coach Stricklin’s college coach at Kent State from 1991-93 where he was a two-time All-Mid-American Conference catcher under Hall’s tutelage.
HEATING UP OVER THE LAST 5 GAMES
• Georgia Tech’s offense has heated back up over the last five games, as five different players hit over .300 during that five-game span.
• Junior Trevor Craport is leading the offensive surge, as he has hit .364 (8-for-22) over the last five games with a home run, six doubles, six RBIs and six runs scored.
• Close behind him is sophomore Joey Bart, as the catcher has hit .348 (8-for-23) with two home runs, three doubles, nine RBIs and seven runs scored over his last five outings.
• It has all started with Wade Bailey moving back into the lead-off spot, as the junior second baseman has hit .333 (7-for-21) with two home runs, a triple, a double, four walks, three RBIs and nine runs scored.
ON DECK
• The Jackets will stay out of conference play and head north to the Windy City to face off with the Illinois-Chicago Flames in a three-game series on April 28-29. The two teams will play one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
