April 13, 2006
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ATLANTA–Tenth-ranked Georgia Tech (26-8, 8-7 ACC) hosts No. 6 Clemson (26-8, 9-3) for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series this weekened at Russ Chandler Stadium. Game times are 7 p.m. on Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday’s game will be televised on the ACC Regional Network (FSNS, SUN, CSN, NESN) and Sunday’s game will be broadcast on FSN South.
Georgia Tech is ranked as high as No. 10 in the national polls this week after winning two of three games at Virginia Tech last weekend. Tech spent three weeks earlier this season ranked No. 1 in the nation, the 11th time in school history the Yellow Jackets have topped the national polls.
Clemson enters the weekend series having won 15 of its last 17 games.
Following the weekend series, the Yellow Jackets visit Georgia State and Florida State next week.
Pitching Matchups: (Georgia Tech vs. Clemson)
Friday: RHP Blake Wood (6-3, 4.47) vs. RHP Josh Cribb (6-0, 1.98)
Saturday: RHP Jared Hyatt (2-0, 3.38) vs. RHP Jason Berken (4-2, 1.69)
Sunday: LHP David Duncan (3-1, 5.60) vs. RHP Stephen Faris (4-0, 1.75)
GAME COVERAGE: Televsion coverage on Saturday (ACC RSN) and Sunday (FSNS). Radio coverage on WREK-FM (91.1 FM in Atlanta / online at: www.wrek.org). Live statistics available at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Georgia Tech vs. Clemson
Georgia Tech and Clemson have played 183 games since 1902, and the all-time series between the two schools is tied at 90-90-3.
The Yellow Jackets hold a 64-38-2 advantage in games played in Atlanta.
Last year in Clemson, Georgia Tech won two of three games to clinch the series. The Yellow Jackets won 18-14 on Friday, the Tigers rallied for a 6-5 win on Saturday, and Tech won the series finale, 6-4.
Georgia Tech has had the upper hand over the last two years, winning six of the last seven meetings to snap a streak of five straight Clemson wins in the series.
The 330-game series is Tech’s third longest against any opponent. The Yellow Jackets’ two longest series are 331 games against Georgia and 224 games against Auburn.
Georgia Tech is 20-24 against Clemson under head coach Danny Hall.
Home, Sweet Home
Georgia Tech is 18-3 within the friendly confines of Russ Chandler Stadium in 2006, and is just 8-5 in games away from home.
Tech’s pitching staff has performed much better at home in 2006:
Site ERA Opp/Avg. BB/9IP K/9IPHome 3.43 .251 3.3 7.7Road/Neutral 6.09 .318 5.1 7.4
Interestingly, Tech’s hitters are batting .301 at home while posting a .336 average in road and neutral games.
Road Warriors
Georgia Tech is in the middle of a stretch where it plays 14 of its 20 games on the road. The Yellow Jackets play ACC road series in four of five weekends. Included in that stretch are road trips to Maryland, Virginia Tech, Florida State and Boston College, while Tech’s lone home series is against Clemson on Easter Weekend. Tech hosts Georgia Southern and Georgia in midweek non-conference action during this span.
The positive side to Tech’s road schedule in April is that the Yellow Jackets will not have to leave the city of Atlanta in the month of May. Tech plays nine home games against South Florida, Duke and Miami, and the Yellow Jackets’ lone game away from Russ Chandler Stadium is a May 10 matchup against Georgia at Turner Field.
Bullish on the Bullpen
Georgia Tech’s pitching staff has been bolstered by stong efforts from the bullpen. Relievers have pitched 137.0 innings in 34 games, posting a 3.55 ERA and a 11-1 record with nine saves.
Leading the way are RHP Tim Gustafson (1-0, 1.50, 18.0, 5 SV), LHP Lee Hyde (1-0, 2.25, 12.0), RHP Jared Hyatt (1-0, 3.05, 20.2, 1 SV), RHP Brad Rulon (1-0, 2.42, 22.1) and RHP Matt Wieters (1-1, 3.31, 16.1, 3 SV).
Versus the State of Georgia
Georgia Tech is 8-1 against teams from the state of Georgia in 2006, posting a 3-0 record vs. Kennesaw State, a 3-1 record vs. Georgia Southern and a 1-0 record vs. Georgia and Georgia State. Since 1999, Georgia Tech owns a 71-18 (.798) record against its in-state foes. The Yellow Jackets are 114-35 (.765) against teams from Georgia in 13 years under head coach Danny Hall.
“5” – The Magic Number
Since the arrival of pitching coach Bobby Moranda prior to the 2002 season, the Yellow Jackets are 155-15 (.912) when allowing five runs or less. The Yellow Jackets are 19-1 when allowing five runs or less in 2006.
Tech went 38-2 in 2002, 34-2 in 2003, 33-3 in 2004 and 31-7 in 2005 when allowing five runs or less. When allowing six or more runs, the Yellow Jackets are 51-66 since 2002.
