May 30, 2009
• SUNDAY SCHEDULE:
3 p.m. – Georgia Tech vs. Elon (elimination game)
7 p.m. – Southern Miss vs. Georgia Tech/Elon winner
GEORGIA TECH (36-18-1)
• Georgia Tech is now 57-50 in the NCAA Tournament, including a 53-46 record in Regional and Super Regional play.
• Tech committed a season-high five errors. Second baseman Connor Winn, who was errorless in 47 total chances entering tonight’s game, committed three errors. • Tech allowed six unearned runs, a season high.
• Georgia Tech now faces an elimination game against Elon on Sunday. The Yellow Jackets have an all-time record of 19-19 in NCAA Regional and Super Regional elimination games, but are just 1-6 since 2000.
• Georgia Tech, which has eight NCAA Regional and Super Regional championships, has never won coming out of the loser’s bracket.
• RF Luke Murton hit his 19th home run of 2009, the highest single-season total at Georgia Tech since 1997 when Mark Fischer hit 24 and J.J. Thomas hit 22. Murton’s 19 home runs puts him in a tie for 10th in Tech history.
SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI (37-23)
• Southern Miss is now 12-18 in the NCAA Tournament.
• The Golden Eagles will make their fourth appearance in a NCAA Regional championship game. USM, which has never won a NCAA Regional, also advanced to the championship game in 2008, 2003 and 1999.
• USM won its first two games in a NCAA Regional for the first time in school history (10 appearances).
• Starter J.R. Ballinger worked a career-high 8 1/3 innings. His previous longest career outing was eight innings, set last week against East Carolina in the C-USA Tournament.
• In three postseason appearances in 2009 (a start and a relief appearance in the C-USA Tournament, and a start in the NCAA Regional), Ballinger has worked 17.1 innings and allowed 5 earned runs (2.60 ERA).
• Ballinger issued a career-high five walks.
• Freshman SS B.A. Vollmuth drove in a season-high four runs.
• Southern Miss scored at least 10 runs for the second time in as many games in the NCAA Atlanta Regional. The Golden Eagles have scored 10+ runs in 18 games in 2009, and are 18-0 in those games.
• USM improved to 28-1 when leading after six innings in 2009. In the last five years, the Golden Eagles are 161-8 when leading after six innings.
• The Golden Eagles are 16-6 in games away from home in 2009.
