Lodise’s 3 Home Run Game Lifts Tech to Run-Rule Win at ND

SOUTH BEND, Ind, – On a blustery Friday evening in South Bend, Georgia Tech baseball (18-4, 5-2 ACC) blasted its way past Notre Dame (12-7, 1-6 ACC) by mercy-rule, 18-7 (8 innings) from inside Frank Eck Stadium. Junior shortstop Kyle Lodise connected for three home runs and freshman Caleb Daniel scored five times as the Yellow Jackets dominated play from start to finish.

With winds gusting over 40 mph directly to left field, strikeouts were at a premium. Tech struck out 12 ND batters while only walking one. In contrast, Notre Dame struck out only six Jackets while walking 12.

The Jackets scored three runs every odd inning and two runs every even inning, with the exception of the scoreless sixth. Seven of Tech’s nine starters drove in at least one run, led by five from Lodise and four from Vahn Lackey.

Catching up with Player of the Game @KyleLodise after his 3 home run performance lifted GT to its 18th win of the year.#StingEm x #WreckHavoc pic.twitter.com/QwD71UU0Gb

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 22, 2025

QUICK HITS: THE TEAM

• Tech improves to 18-4 for the first time in 12 seasons (2013). It’s tied with 2013 & 2011 for the best record through 22 games since 2010 (20-2).
• The Yellow Jackets are 5-2 in ACC play for the first time since 2021.
• Tech is 6-0 on Fridays this season for the first time since 2011. Sophomore Tate McKee has started all six of those games, GT Hall of Famer Mark Pope started seven of the eight straight Friday wins achieved in 2011.
• Tech is outscoring their opponents 25-9 in the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th innings over the last nine games.
• The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series with Notre Dame, 14-12, following today’s result.
• The Jackets delivered three doubles to bring their season total to 69 as a team – the most in the country.
• Tech pitching struck out 12 ND batters tonight, the 13^th 10+ K performance of the season and tied with the Kennesaw State midweek game (March 4) and last game (March 18 vs. GWU) for the most Ks in a game this month. It was the most strikeouts in an ACC game this season and the most since collecting 14 Ks in a win over Pitt last year.
• This was the fifth mercy-rule win of the season and second in ACC play.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

• Junior shortstop Kyle Lodise had a career day, launching three home runs and a triple for five RBI on four hits, both career highs.
• He becomes the first Yellow Jacket to hit three homers in a game since Drew Burress set the program record with four against Georgia State last season (Feb. 28, 2024).

𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐋𝐎𝐃𝐈 💣@KyleLodise deposits the second pitch of the day over the wall for his 6th HR of the season!!

ACCNX – https://t.co/IaJdqgpVXH#StingEm🐝 x #WreckHavoc pic.twitter.com/gF2TCFgykb

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 21, 2025

𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄 @KyleLodise with his first multi-HR game as a Yellow Jacket!!

ACCNX – https://t.co/IaJdqgpVXH#StingEm🐝 x #WreckHavoc pic.twitter.com/QA4Ah5RaXl

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 21, 2025

𝐋𝐎𝐃𝐈 𝐃𝐈𝐃 𝐈𝐓 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍…𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍!!!

3⃣ HRs from @KyleLodise and it's only the fifth!

ACCNX – https://t.co/IaJdqgqtNf#StingEm🐝 x #WreckHavoc pic.twitter.com/k7MS6JREZy

— Georgia Tech Baseball (@GTBaseball) March 21, 2025

• The Brunswick, Ga. native has reached base in a career-best 35 straight games dating back to his time at Augusta University.
• Lodise has now tied Burress for the team-lead in home runs with eight, tied for the second most in the ACC heading into the game.
• Freshman Caleb Daniel matched Burress for the most runs scored by a GT freshman in an ACC game, rattling off five runs today on 4-for-5 hitting while finishing a triple shy of the cycle.
• Daniel launched his second home run of the season in the first inning, he hit homers in back-to-back ACC games after hitting his first-career HR in the 9^th inning of Sunday’s game against Pitt.
• Sophomore Vahn Lackey extended his on-base streak to 27 games after connecting for an RBI single in the 1^st That streak dates back to last season and is the longest of his career.
• Lackey finished with a career high four RBI off two singles, a groundout and a SAC fly.
• Freshman Alex Hernandez set new career-best with four runs scored tonight, drawing four walks and coming around to score each time.
• Sophomore Tyler Neises matched a career high with three hits tonight, previously achieved against West Georgia (Feb. 26). He extends his on-base streak to a career-best 14 games.
• Sophomore Drew Burress has now reached base in a career-best 40 consecutive games dating back to April 28 of last season.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

• Sophomore Tate McKee secured his fourth win of the season, improving to 4-0 for the first time in his career.
• He pitched 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out seven.
• McKee has pitched at least five innings in five of his six starts, striking out at least six in each of his last five.
• The Yellow Jackets are 6-0 in games started by McKee this season.
• Junior LHP Brett Barfield picked up his first career save, pitching the final three innings and allowing only one run on three hits, striking out a career high five batters on a career high 53 pitches.

UP NEXT­­
The Jackets continue the series at Notre Dame tomorrow at 2 p.m. from Frank Eck Stadium. Tech is expected to start junior Brady Jones (2-0) against Notre Dame’s Jackson Dennies (2-2). The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

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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