March 6, 2006
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ATLANTA–Top-ranked Georgia Tech (13-0) hosts Colonial Athletic Association member Northeastern (3-1) at Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Yellow Jackets, who have the longest active winning streak in the nation, are ranked No. 1 in the nation by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and USA Today/ESPN. Tech is ranked No. 1 in the nation for the 11th time in school history.
The Yellow Jackets are off to a 13-0 start in 2006, and most recently swept Rutgers in a three-game series last weekend at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Tech’s offense has been led by 1B Whit Robbins (.431-4-26), 3B Wes Hodges (.429-1-11) and CF Danny Payne (.436-2-16). The Yellow Jackets scored 48 runs in three games vs. Rutgers last weekend, hitting .404 as a team in the series. Tech is averaging 10.0 runs and batting .327 in 13 games this season.
Georgia Tech’s pitching staff owns a 3.24 ERA and has held opponents to a .263 batting average. Tech’s bullpen has been especially impressive, posting a 4-0 record, five saves and a 2.84 ERA in 44.0 innings.
Pitching Matchups (GT vs. Northeastern)
LHP Ryan Turner (1-0, 4.50) vs. RHP Adam Ottavino (0-0, 0.00)
GAME COVERAGE: Live statistics on the internet will be available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Jackets Achieve No. 1 National Ranking
Georgia Tech ascended to the No. 1 spot in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll released on Feb. 27. The Yellow Jackets moved to the top spot in both the Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball polls on Mar. 6. Tech is off to a 13-0 to start the 2006 season, and Georgia Tech has the longest active winning streak in the nation.
Georgia Tech is ranked as the top team in the country for the 11th time in school history, including six times in 13 years under head coach Danny Hall. Tech’s last No. 1 ranking came on March 28, 2005. The Yellow Jackets are ranked No. 1 for the fifth time since 2000.
Third Best Start in School History
Georgia Tech’s 13-0 record to open 2006 stands as the third best mark to open a season in school history. The Yellow Jackets set a school record with a 17-game winning streak to open the 2003 season, and Tech opened 16-0 in 1987. Listed below are Tech’s best records to open a season:
Best Starts to Open a Season
Year Start Final Record 2003 15-0 44-18 1987 16-0 51-14 2006 13-0 ??? 1985 11-0 42-19-1 1997 10-0 41-22 1946 10-0 10-2
Pitching Staff Shines in Last 10 Games
After allowing 25 runs in its first three games, Georgia Tech’s pitching staff excelled in the last 10 games. The Yellow Jackets have allowed just 26 earned runs in that span (2.69 ERA, 87.0 IP).
Tech’s starting rotation of Blake Wood (16 IP, 10 ER), Lee Hyde (18.1 IP, 3 ER) and Tim Ladd (12 IP, 1 ER) have combined for a 2.72 ERA over the last three weekends.
Swinging the Big Sticks
Georgia Tech had an offensive explosion last weekend in a three-game sweep of Rutgers, scoring 48 runs and batting .404 as a team. The Yellow Jackets are batting .327 in their first 13 games of 2006, and Tech has scored 130 runs (10.0 runs per game).
The Yellow Jackets led the ACC with a .319 team batting average during the 2004 season and a .333 team average in 2005. Tech has hit over .300 as a team in 19 of the last 21 years, and has averaged at least seven runs per game every year since 1981. Tech has led the ACC in batting in six years (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005) under Danny Hall.
