Feb. 28, 2005
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ATLANTA–Georgia Tech (7-2), ranked as high as No. 13 in the Collegiate Baseball poll, hosts Georgia Southern (3-5) on Tuesday at Russ Chandler Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:30 p.m.
The Yellow Jackets had their seven-game win streak snapped on Saturday against Rutgers, dropping a 10-9, 13-inning decision, before the series finale on Sunday was rained out. For the year, Tech is batting .318 as a team, averaging 10 runs per game while posting a .440 on base percentage.
Third basebam Wes Hodges (.474AVG/.533OBP/1.053SLG, 6HR, 12RBI) has paced the Tech offense, leading the club in batting, slugging, on base percentage, home runs and hits. Hodges went 8-for-12 with three home runs in two games against Rutgers last weekend.
The rest of the Tech lineup features catchers Andy Hawranick (.235/.364/.235, 0, 4) and Matt Wieters (.214/.436/.250, 0, 3), first baseman Whit Robbins (.233/.452/.367, 0, 4), second baseman Mike Trapani (.219/.359/.313, 1, 6), shortstop Tyler Greene (.393/.500/.679, 0, 5), left fielder Steven Blackwood (.333/.444/.485, 1, 19), center fielder Danny Payne (.378/.510/.568, 1, 9), and right fielder Jeremy Slayden (.333.413/.564, 2, 11).
Sophomore RHP Blake Wood (2-0, 3.60) will get the start on Tuesday after his regularly scheduled start was rained out on Sunday.
Following Tuesday’s game, Tech will play Wednesday at the Atlanta Braves in Orlando, and Friday-Sunday at Duke in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both schools.
GAME COVERAGE: Live statistics for Tuesday’s game against Georgia Southern as well as all three games this weekend will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Series Notes vs. Georgia Southern
*** Georgia Tech leads Georgia Southern, 70-22, in a series that dates to 1947. The Yellow Jackets and Eagles have played every year since 1984, playing at leasat four times annually since 1986.
*** Tech had a 20-game winning streak against Georgia Southern snapped in the final game of the 2003 series when the Eagles claimed an 8-7 decision. The Yellow Jackets won 20 straight games in the series from 1996 through 2003. Tech has won 25 of the last 27 meetings.
*** The Yellow Jackets are 38-12 against the Eagles in games played in Atlanta, winning 11 of the last 13 meetings at Russ Chandler Stadium.
*** Tech is 38-10 (.791) against Georia Southern since 1994 under head coach Danny Hall. The Tech skipper owns a 20-6 record against the Eagles in Atlanta.
*** The Yellow Jackets are 2-0 against the Eagles in 2005, sweeping a two-game series in Statesboro on Feb. 12-13. Tech won by scores of 10-6 and 13-6.
*** Tech has won 18 straight games over Georgia Southern at J.I. Clements Stadium dating back to the 1997 season. The Yellow Jackets have an all-time record of 31-10 in games played in Statesboro.
*** Since the 2000 season, Tech has outscored Georgia Southern 246-108, an average of 11.1 to 4.9 per game.
HALL APPROACHES COACHING MILESTONES
Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall needs just one win to reach 700 for his career. Now in his 18th season as a head coach at Georgia Tech and Kent State, Hall owns a career record of 699-330 (.679).
Hall needs nine wins to reach 500 in his career at Georgia Tech, and with 14 wins he will become the school’s all-time leader in career victories. Hall, who has a 491-213 (.697) record in 12 years at Tech, already ranks as the school’s winningest coach by percentage.
VERSUS THE STATE OF GEORGIA
Georgia Tech is 3-1 against teams from the state of Georgia in 2005, posting a 2-0 record vs. Georgia Southern and a 1-1 mark vs. Georgia State. Since 1999, Georgia Tech owns a 61-16 (.792) record against its in-state foes. The Yellow Jackets are 103-33 (.757) against teams from Georgia in 12 years under head coach Danny Hall.
HODGES POWERS THE OFFENSE
Sophomroe Wes Hodges missed the final 17 games of the 2004 season after being hit by a pitch in the face and suffering several small fractures in his cheekbone. But the third baseman has returned to the lineup in strong fashion in 2005. Hodges leads Tech with six home runs in nine games, batting a team-leading .474 (18-for-38). He leads the team in hits (18), slugging percentage (1.053) and on base percentage (.533).
