Georgia Tech Journeys to Notre Dame for ACC Tournament

THE FLATS – No. 10 seed Georgia Tech softball (25-26, 7-17 ACC) will further its season in the 2023 ACC Softball Championship, facing host and No. 7 seed Notre Dame (29-16-1, 11-12-1 ACC) in the opening round on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. at Melissa Cook Stadium in Notre Dame, Ind. The winner will advance to face No. 2 seed Duke in the quarterfinals on Thursday at 5 p.m.

2023 ACC Softball Championship Schedule

Wednesday, May 10

Game 1: #8 Virginia vs. #9 Syracuse, 1 p.m., ACCN

Game 2: #7 Notre Dame vs. #10 Georgia Tech, 3:30 p.m., ACCN

Thursday, May 11

Game 3: #1 Virginia Tech vs. Winner Game 1, 11 a.m., ACCN

Game 4: #4 Louisville vs. #5 Virginia Tech, 1:30 p.m., ACCN

Game 5: #2 Duke vs. Winner Game 2, 5 p.m., ACCN

Game 6: #3 Clemson vs. #6 North Carolina, 7:30 p.m., ACCN

Friday, May 12

Game 7: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 1 p.m., ACCN

Game 8: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 3:30 p.m., ACCN

Saturday, May 13

Game 9: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8, 1 p.m., ESPN2

TV

All tournament competition through the semifinals will be broadcast live on ACC Network, and the championship game will air on ESPN2.

Tickets

Ticket books for the full tournament are available for $10-15, which covers tickets to all nine tournament games, including the championship game on Saturday. Single-session tickets also will be available.

Storylines

• Georgia Tech most recently took one game in its final ACC series against North Carolina, claiming a 12-5 victory to tie the second most runs scored in a single game this season.
• Through the series, sophomore designated player Emma Minghini blasted her first career grand slam and the fourth by a Yellow Jacket this season.
• Senior catcher Emma Kauf and junior right fielder Sara Beth Allen also went yard in the series as Allen improved to a team-leading 13 on the year while Kauf also roped her fourth triple of the season.
• Senior hurlers Blake Neleman and Chandler Dennis manned the circle through the series as Neleman moved to 10-10 on the year with a seven-strikeout performance in the regular season finale while Dennis secured her team-leading third save in game two.
• The Yellow Jackets have faced a tough slate this season with their schedule ranked the 29^th most difficult in the nation.
• Coach Aileen Morales has surpassed 150 wins as a head coach at Georgia Tech (154) and 250 victories in her career (267) this season, remaining the fourth-winningest coach in softball history on The Flats.
• Senior catcher Emma Kauf has moved up to a team-high 12 doubles on the year, taking sole possession of third in program history in career doubles with 48 to date.
• The Yellow Jackets have reached double-digit triples on the season for the first time since 2014, improving 11 total on the year.
• Neleman has improved to second all-time in career strikeouts, also becoming the second Yellow Jacket ever to surpass 500 career strikeouts with 554 to date.
• On top of marching through Tech’s record books in strikeouts, Neleman has picked up a pair of saves this season, moving up to six in her career as she’s now in an eight-way tie for third in program history in career saves.
• Neleman owns seven complete games this year and two shutouts this season.
• On the season, Neleman (146) and fellow senior right hander Chandler Dennis (110) have combined for 256 strikeouts.
• Defense has gone hand-in-hand with work from the circle this season as the Jackets are second in the ACC and 16th in the NCAA in fielding percentage (.977).
• Tech has displayed strong plate discipline throughout the season, ranking fourth in the ACC in walks (175).
• The Yellow Jackets have been aggressive as a unit on the base path, ranking fourth in the conference in triples per game (.22) and stolen bases per game (1.65).
• Amongst the conference this season, Neleman is fourth in the ACC in strikeouts as she’s surpassed the century mark with 146 punchouts.
• Complementing her renowned defensive acumen, junior shortstop Jin Sileo is the most proficient in the league in sacrifice bunts, averaging 0.18 per contest.
• Kauf leads the charge for Tech in triples, ranking third in the ACC in triples per game with four on the season.
• Opponents have pitched around slugger Sara Beth Allen, resulting in her ranking third in the conference in walks per game (0.63).
• Now owning three saves on the season, Dennis is ranked fourth in the league in the category.
• Junior first baseman Mallorie Black has done her job with runners in scoring position, landing fourth in the conference in sacrifice flies with three this year.

Series Notes

• Georgia Tech trails Notre Dame, 5-18, in the all-time series.
• The Yellow Jackets most recently earned their first road victory over the Fighting Irish a season ago with a 9-8 victory to open the series.
• The remaining pair of contests a season ago were both extra-inning affairs with each team scoring double-digit runs.
• Tech owns one series victory over Notre Dame, winning two of three on The Flats in 2017 as both triumphs were one-run games in nine innings as part of a doubleheader (8-7, 9-8). The entire series was decided in extras as each game was decided by two or fewer runs.
• The White and Gold earned their first win (7-3) of the series at home in 2014.

For more information on the 2023 ACC Softball Championship, visit the 2023 ACC Softball Championship Page.

Alexander-Tharpe Fund

The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.

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