March 11, 2008
ATLANTA – The 11th-ranked Georgia Tech baseball team will leave the friendly confines of Russ Chandler Stadium for the first time this season when they travel across town for a midweek game against Georgia State this Wednesday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets (12-1, 3-0 ACC) are riding a seven-game winning streak, which includes a series sweep of Virginia Tech in the first ACC series of the season last weekend, while Georgia State (9-4, 0-3 CAA) was last swept by James Madison and has lost three of its last four games.
Tech has steadily climbed the rankings this season after cracking the preseason Collegiate Baseball poll for the 15th time under head coach Danny Hall. Tech currently stands at No. 11 in the national publication and also appears in the top-25 in the latest USA Today (17) and NCBWA (22) polls.
The Yellow Jacket pitching corps has carried Georgia Tech in 2008, holding opponents to a .201 batting average while allowing just 2.0 runs per game (1.80 ERA). Six different pitchers have earned wins through the first 12 games of the 2008 season while closer Chris Hicks has collected five saves for the Yellow Jackets, including four last week.
Pitching Matchup (Georgia Tech vs. Georgia State)
Wednesday: RHP Deck McGuire (2-0, 1.20) vs. LHP Will Palmer (1-0, 4.02)
Georgia Tech’s offense is led by freshman CF Jeff Rowland (.371, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 SB), junior RF Charlie Blackmon (.333, 1, 8, 4), junior LF Chris House (.333, 0, 3, 2) and freshman SS Derek Dietrich (.304, 4, 13, 1).
Game Coverage: The game can be heard on WRAS Radio (88.5 FM) in Atlanta, with Georgia State broadcaster Dave Cohen calling the action. Live stats for the game will be available at Ramblinwreck.com.
Georgia Tech vs. In-State Opponents
Georgia Tech went 5-6 against teams from the state of Georgia in 2007 but swept Georgia Southern on opening week and stopped Kennesaw State last week to start 3-0 this season. Since 1999, the Yellow Jackets own a 80-26 (.755) record against its in-state foes. In 15 years under head coach Danny Hall, Tech is 123-43 (.741) against teams from Georgia.
