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Late Night Heroics From Burress Clinch Series vs No. 14 NC State

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THE FLATS – The #CardiacJackets were back at it on Saturday night as Drew Burress connected for a go-ahead triple in the bottom of the eighth inning to vault the No. 3-ranked Yellow Jackets to a 6-4 victory over No. 14 NC State (18-9, 3-5 ACC) inside Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium. Georgia Tech (21-5, 8-3 ACC) has clinched its seventh straight series to begin the 2026 season, including all four ACC series and two against Top 15 ranked opponents.

The Jackets got off to a fast start, scoring two runs in the first inning for the second straight game thanks to a bases loaded walk from Alex Hernandez and an RBI single from Kent Schmidt. NC State would punch back, taking a 3-2 lead into the fifth inning before Schmidt tilted the scales back in Tech’s favor with a go-ahead two-RBI single. The Wolfpack would tie the score back at four with a solo home run in the eighth only for Burress to send the Jacket faithful into a frenzy with a triple off the wall, scoring Will Baker and putting GT in front for good, 5-4. Burress would score a few pitches later off a base hit from Vahn Lackey before Brett Barfield shut the door for his first save of the season.

QUICK HITS: TEAM

  • Georgia Tech has won its first seven series of the season and its first four ACC series for the first time since 2011.
  • The Jackets improve to 21-5, tied for the best 26-game record since 2010 (tied with 2025, 2013 and 2011).
  • Tech has scored 297 runs through their first 26 games. It’s the most runs Georgia Tech has recorded after 26 games in the program’s 131-year history and the most runs any Power 4 team has scored through 26 games in the BBCOR era (since 2011).
  • The Jackets scoring average now stands at 11.4 runs/game this season. The program record is 10.3, set back in 1984.
  • GT is outscoring its opponents 297-124, that +173 margin is the highest through 26 games in program history.
  • The Jackets drew five walks today, bringing their season total to 186, the second-most in Division I.
  • Tech improves to 10-0 in night games this season (games started at 6 pm or later) and are 5-0 in ACC games under the lights.
  • The pitching held NC State to four runs, marking the 19th time in 26 games that GT has allowed five or fewer runs against, GT is 19-0 when doing so.
  • The Jackets recorded 13 hits, 12 of which were singles, with the only extra base hit being the go-ahead triple from Burress in the eighth.
  • GT has recorded at least 10 hits in 20 of 26 games this season (76.9%).

Β  QUICK HITS: THE BATS

  • Junior Drew Burress delivered a vintage performance, going 3-for-5 with the go-ahead RBI and three runs scored. It was his fifth 3+ run game of the season and the 16th of his career.
  • He has scored three or more runs at least five times in each of his three seasons on The Flats and is one three-run game away from tying his career high (six) set during 2024.
  • The Houston County, Ga. man has scored 32 runs this season, the second most on the team behind Lackey, and 182 runs as a Yellow Jacket, bringing him three runs away from cracking into the Top 20 for runs scored in program history.
  • He is now 14 runs away from tying the BBCOR era program record for career runs, currently held by Wade Bailey (196 runs – 2015-18).
  • Junior Kent Schmidt delivered three hits, going 3-for-5 with three RBI. He nearly made it a career day in the eighth inning but was robbed of what would have been a three-run home run on a terrific defensive effort.
  • This was Schmidt’s third three-hit game of the season and his third game with at least three RBI – falling one shy of tying his season highs in both categories, which he accomplished at Georgia Southern (4 hits) and at No. 8 Clemson (4 RBI).
  • Schmidt has delivered 15 RBI in ACC play this year, tied with Carson Kerce for the most on the team.

  • Junior Jarren Advincula recorded his team-leading 16th multi-hit game of the season, going 3-for-5.
  • He extended his hitting streak to a team-high 10 games and has recorded multiple hits in six of his last seven games and eight of his last 10 dating back to March 10.
  • With his three hits tonight, Advincula guarantees himself to have delivered multiple hits in more than half of his games played in March, doing so in nine out of 15 games so far with only two left on the calendar for this month.
  • Junior Vahn Lackey had yet another highlight filled day at the ballpark, going 2-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored while also recording his second defensive highlight of the weekend with a back-pick to first base in the first inning for the third out.

  • His RBI in the eighth inning, making it a 6-4 game, was his 34th of the season, the most on the team. He continues to lead the Yellow Jackets offense in almost every offensive category this season: avg (.415), runs (34), home runs (tied with Zuckerman – 9), RBI (34), slugging (.809) OBP (.538) and stolen bases (7-for-7).
  • Junior Carson Kerce recorded a base hit to extend his on-base streak to 19 games, one shy of his career high.
  • Sophomore Will Baker came around to score the game winning run, his 30th of the season. He also drew a pair of walks, bringing his season total to 21 – one of six Yellow Jackets with 20+ free passes this season.
  • Sophomore Alex Hernandez extended his on-base streak to a career best 28 games with a bases loaded walk in the first inning. He has reached base in every game this season.
  • The walk drove in his 23rd RBI this year, bringing his career total to 92.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

  • JuniorΒ Porter Buursema made his first career start as a Yellow Jacket. He pitched 2.1 innings, just two out shy of his season long, set last Saturday at Pitt.
  • He would allow a double, just his second extra-base hit allowed all season, the fewest by any Tech pitcher with at least 10 innings pitched.
  • Junior Dylan Loy was the first out of the bullpen, entering the game with the bases loaded and one out and doing an excellent job of mitigating damage by only allowing one inherited runner to score and keeping the game in reach, 3-2. He wouldn’t allow a run from that moment on, delivering a scoreless fourth inning before handing the ball off to Caden Gaudette with two outs in the fifth inning.

  • This was Loy’s third appearance out of the bullpen this season. He has thrown 9.1 innings in relief this season, allowing only four hits and zero runs while striking out 10.
  • Gaudette delivered a career performance, pitching a career high 3.1 innings in relief and coming away with the win.
  • He entered the game with runners on second and third and two outs in the fifth inning, getting a strikeout on four pitches to fire up the GT dugout ahead of what would become a two-run bottom of the fifth.

  • He pitched the end of the fifth and the full sixth and seventh innings without allowing a hit before giving up a game-tying solo home run in the eighth. Gaudette stayed the course, collecting three straight outs on his next nine pitches and keeping the game tied before Burress took matters into his own hands in the bottom of the inning.
  • This was Gaudette’s second win of the season, bringing his record to 2-0. He leads the team with 11 appearances this season, all out of the bullpen.
  • He is 2-0 in ACC play, tied with Tate McKee for the most wins of any pitcher on staff while pitching 9.0 innings, the most of any non-starter.
  • He has set a new career high with 14.1 innings pitched this year while holding a 3.77 ERA, the lowest of his career.
  • Senior Brett Barfield slammed the door shut in the ninth. Holding onto the momentum the offense seized in the bottom of the eighth and recording three outs on eight pitches in the ninth to secure the save.
  • This was his first save of the season and the second of his career.
  • Barfield has not allowed a run in any of his last three outings (3.0 IP) and lowers his ERA to a team-best 2.35 over nine outings.

Up Next

The Jackets look for the series sweep tomorrow afternoon at 3 p.m. Tech will be throwing Jackson Blakely (2-1) against TBA from NC State. The game will be broadcast live on ACC Network. Tickets are available HERE

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 furtherΒ advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visitΒ atfund.org/FullSteamAheadΒ 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 baseball team, follow us onΒ X (@GTBaseball),Β Facebook,Β Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us atΒ www.ramblinwreck.com.

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