May 20, 2003
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SALEM, Va. — Georgia Tech earned the No. 2 seed in the 2003 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Salem, Va., and the Yellow Jackets will face No. 7 seed Wake Forest in the first round on Wednesday at 5 p.m.
The tournament begins on Tuesday with a single elimination game between No 8 seed Maryland and No. 9 seed Duke. Wednesday will mark the first full day of action in the double elimination tournament, with first round matchups featuring No. 4 seed Clemson vs. No. 5 North Carolina at 10 a.m., No. 1 Flroida State vs. the 8/9 winner at 1:30 p.m., and No. 3 NC State vs. No. 6 Virginia at 8:30 p.m.
Tournament Coverage: Radio coverage for all of Georgia Tech’s games in the 2003 ACC Tournament will be available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta). Live statistics and the radio broadcasts will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com. The ACC Regional TV network (Fox Sports Net South, Comcast and Sunshine) will televise the championship games of the tournament on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.
GEORGIA TECH’S ACC TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Georgia Tech holds a 48-37 (.565) record in the ACC Tournament since joining the league for the 1980 season. The Yellow Jackets have won five ACC Championships: four in a row from 1985-88 and most recently in 2000. Georgia Tech is 17-16 in the ACC Tournament under Danny Hall, including a 9-4 record since 2000.
The Yellow Jackets won just one game in the ACC Tournament from 1997-99 before posting a perfect 5-0 record en route to the championship in 2000. Tech went 2-2 in both the 2001 and 2002 tournaments. (For a year by year summary of Tech in the ACC Tournament, please refer to the chart on p. 2 of this packet).
Georgia Tech vs Wake Forest: The Yellow Jackets swept three games from the Demon Deacons during the regular season in Atlanta, and Tech now leads the all-time series 50-33-1 since 1898. Georgia Tech and Wake Forest have met on 11 previous occasions in the ACC Tournament, and the Yellow Jackets hold a 7-4 edge in those contests. Tech is 2-2 against Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament under head coach Danny Hall.
Overall, Tech is 19-14 against Wake Forest under Danny Hall.
Starting Pitcher Notes
Game 1: MICAH OWINGS (RHP) 8-2, 3.81 ERA
Freshman Micah Owings gets the nod on Wednesday afternoon against Wake Forest in what will be his 11th start and 16th appearance of the season. Owings holds the unique distinction of earning a win in each of his first four career appearances, including two starts and two relief stints.
Owings earned a win in his first career start against Campbell (Mar. 4) after holding the Camels to two runs on four hits in six innings. He struck out three batters and did not issue a walk. The freshman won his second start of the season on Mar. 11 at Auburn (6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 7 K). In a start against Wake Forest on Apr. 20, a 5-3 Tech win, Owings carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning.
Owings allowed eight earned runs over 26.2 IP (2.70 ERA) in five appearances (Mercer, Miami, North Carolina, Duke and Wake Forest) prior to a start at Clemson where he surrendered seven earned runs in seven innings. Owings has bounced back with three solid performances in his last three appearances (Florida State, Virginia and NC State), allowing five runs in 21 innings (2.14 ERA).
The 6-5 power righthander made his first career appearance in Tech’s second game of the season, working 3.1 scoreless and hitless innings against Georgia Southern. The only baserunner he allowed came via a hit batsman on an 0-2 pitch. Owings earned a win in relief against Michigan in his second appearance, recording two outs in the top of the ninth inning in a tie game before Tech rallied for a 7-6 win in the bottom of the ninth.
As a senior at Gainesville High School, Owings went 12-1 with a 1.03 ERA while recording 121 strikeouts and just three walks in 75 innings.
Owings also serves as Tech’s regular DH, and he has a team-high 14 home runs.
WHERE HAS THE LONG BALL GONE?
Georgia Tech has 67 home runs in 54 games in 2003, already eclipsing the total of 66 home runs in 68 games last season. The Yellow Jackets’ home run pace is up overall, and Tech has had a number of different players contribute in the power department this season.
However, the Yellow Jackets are in the midst of a power outage, having not hit a home run since May 9 at Virginia. The current stretch of six games without a home run is the longest of the season.
ACC Tournament HistoryYear Site Record:1980 Raleigh, N.C. 0-11981 Champel Hill, N.C. 1-21982 Chapel Hill. N.C. 1-21983 Chapel Hill, N.C. 0-21984 Durham, N.C. #3-21985 Atlanta, Ga. *5-01986 Durham, N.C. *5-01987 Greenville, S.C. *4-11988 Greenville, S.C. *4-11989 Greenville, S.C. 1-21990 Greenville, S.C. 1-21991 Greenville, S.C. #3-21992 Greenville, S.C. 2-21993 Greenville, S.C. 1-21994 Greenville, S.C. 2-21995 Greenville, S.C. 1-21996 Durham, N.C. 2-21997 St. Petersburg, Fla. 1-21998 Durham, N.C. 1-21999 Durham, N.C. 1-22000 Fort Mill, S.C. 5-02001 Fort Mill, S.C 2-22002 St. Petersburg, Fla. 2-2
* = champions # = runner up
Champions 1986, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2000
Runner-up 1984, 1991
