March 29, 2010
Live Stats: RamblinWreck.com
Live Audio: WREK 91.1 FM
Twitter Updates: Twitter.com/gt_athletics
ATLANTA – The second-ranked Georgia Tech baseball team (21-2, 8-1 ACC) will play two midweek games on the road against in-state opponents this week. The Jackets face Georgia State (14-10, 2-1 CAA) at 6 p.m., Tuesday, at the Field at Panthersville, then head to Kennesaw State (10-16, 2-7 A-Sun) for a 6 p.m. matchup with the Owls on Wednesday at Stillwell Stadium.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS:
Tuesday, March 30 (6 p.m.) – The Field at Panthersville
Georgia Tech – Mark Pope, RHP, So. (2-0, 4.91 ERA, 23 K’s)
Georgia State – Nick Squeglia RHP, So. (2-0, 3.68 ERA, 14 K’s)
Wednesday, March 31 (6 p.m.) – Stillwell Stadium
Georgia Tech – TBA
Kennesaw State – TBA
BROADCAST INFORMATION
The GT radio broadcast can be heard over the air on WREK (91.1), the flagship station of Georgia Tech baseball, and online at RamblinWreck.com.
Be sure to tune into the pre-game show 15 minutes before every game as play-by-play commentator Kyle Tait will preview the matchup.
SERIES PREVIEW
• Georgia Tech is has won 14 of its last 15 games, and has lost just once on the road this season … The Jackets are currently on a seven-game win streak … Tech is coming off a series sweep of No. 17 North Carolina in Chapel Hill over the weekend … Georgia State enters the game having won 14 of its last 18 games, posting an 8-2 record at home … The Panthers are coming off of a series win over Old Dominion over the weekend … Kennesaw State Enters Wednesday’s matchup with a 10-16 overall record, 2-6 at Stillwell Stadium.
• The Jackets are sole possession of first place in the ACC Coastal division with an 8-1 record in conference play. Tech is ranked as high as No. 2 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ polls
• Georgia State is in a three-way tie for third place in the Colonial Athletic Association, holding a 2-1 record after one weekend of conference play … Meanwhile, Kennesaw State sits in eighth in the A-Sun with a 2-4 conference record.
• The Panthers return 18 letterwinners and five starters (3 position, 2 pitchers) from a 2009 team that went 39-22 (12-9 CAA) and won the Colonial Athletic Tournament … The Owls bring back 19 letterwinners and four position starters from a 2009 squad that finished 30-22 overall and 20-9 in the A-Sun for a second place finish.
SERIES HISTORY
Georgia State: Georgia Tech holds a 54-8 lead in the all-time series against Georgia State … The Jackets have won five of the last six against the Panthers, and three-straight on State’s home turf since 2007.
The Yellow Jackets are 30-4 against the Panthers since Danny Hall’s arrival in 1994.
Last Meeting:
Tech won two out of three against the Panthers in 2009 … The teams split wins on each others home field during the regular season, before the Jackets won 9-3 in the opening game of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on May 29.
3-24-2009 GSU 10, GT 1
4-7-2009 GT 18, GSU 2
5-29-2009 GT 9, GSU 3
Kennesaw State:
Tech has played Kennesaw State just 12 times since the Owls joined the NCAA Division I classification, holding a 10-2 advantage in the all-time series.
Last Meeting:
The Jackets won both games in 2009, an 11-0 result at Stillwell Stadium and an 11-3 win at Russ Chandler Stadium.
3-17-2009 GT 11, KSU 0
3-18-2009 GT 11, KSU 3
UP NEXT
Following the two midweek games, the Jackets will host Duke in a three-game ACC weekend series at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Quick Notes
GT ranks tied for second in the conference in batting average(.342) while holding the top spot in ERA at 3.17.
Entering last week (3/21), the Jackets ranked top five in thecountry in scoring (10.3, 5th), home runs (40, 2nd), sluggingpercentage (.620, 3rd) and ERA (2.80, 5th).
Tech’s starting pitchers are 15-2, and have combined for 142strikeouts. Deck McGuire leads the way with 49 strikeouts, which tie forthe most in the conference.
The Tech bullpen is 5-0 on the year, and 4-for-4 in saveopportunities.
The Jackets have recorded five shutouts on the year, three shy oftrying the school record of eight – held by the 1906, 1971 and 1997teams.
The Jackets have scored double digit runs 12 times this season, andin six of their last seven games.
Tech has hit 50 home runs so far this season, an average of 2.2 pergame. Seven different players have hit at least five homers, led bysenior Tony Plagman’s nine. Even more impressive might be the team’sslugging percentage, which sits at .612 on the season.
Junior Derek Dietrich has started 143 consecutive games at shortstop,every game of his career.
Tech has produced 15 different batting orders in 23 games thisseason.
GEORGIA TECH vs. IN-STATE OPPONENTS
The state championships of college baseball in Georgia continue Tuesday when Tech faces its fourth and fifth in-state opponent of the season. Georgia Tech went 8-4 against teams from the state of Georgia in 2009 and has posted a 5-0 mark against in-state foes in 2010. The Jackets have won two against Georgia Southern, two against Mercer and one against Georgia already this season.
Tech has a total of 13 regular season games on the schedule against schools from Georgia this season.
Since 1999, the Yellow Jackets own a 103-33 (.757) record against its in-state foes. In 17 years under head coach Danny Hall, Tech is 147-50 (.746) against teams from Georgia.
IN 2010, TECH HAS SHOWN IT CAN….
Shutout opponents: Five shutouts in 23 games.
Score a lot of runs: 12 games in double digit runs (two games of20+ runs, two of 19+ runs.
Close out games: 16-0 when leading after six innings.
Get a big inning: Eight games with an inning of at least six runs,including a season-high 10 in the sixth inning against Xavier(2/27).
Hit with from different parts of the lineup: 15 different lineupsin 2010.
hit the deep ball throughout the batting order: 11 players with atleast one home run, six players with at least five home runs.
Get an out when needed: 8.6K’s/9 IP.
Rally for the win: Two come from behind victories when down byseven runs, including a five-run ninth inning rally for an 11-8(10) win over then No.17 UNC.
OFF TO A GREAT START
Tech’s 21-2 record to start to the 2010 season is its best ever under 17-year head coach Danny Hall. The 2003 team opened with a 21-2-1 mark, before losing three-straight on the road at Miami.
DIETRICH NAMED ACC Co-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shortstop Derek Dietrich was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Co-Player of the Week after his performance in leading Tech to a 5-0 record from March 23-28. He shares the honor with Florida State’s Tyler Holt.
Dietrich batted .520 (13-for-25) with two doubles, two triples, two home runs and nine RBI to lead Georgia Tech to two wins over Mercer during the week, and a three-game series sweep over 17th-ranked North Carolina in Chapel Hill on the weekend.
MCGUIRE LEADING THE WAY ON THE MOUND
Junior all-american Deck McGuire, the 2009 ACC Pitcher of the Year, is leading the conference in many categories for the second straight year. The Richmond, Va. native holds the top spot in ERA with a 1.17 average, having allowed just six earned runs in 46.0 innings pitched. His 46 innings are also the most in the ACC. McGuire is tied for first in strikeouts (49), and has pitched the most complete games (2).
ROBINSON A VETERAN IN THE PEN
Senior Andrew Robinson has logged quite a few outings in his four year career at Tech. With 84 career appearances for the Jackets, Robinson sits alone in eighth on Tech’s all-time list for games pitched. The Senoia, Ga. native holds a 0.55 ERA in 16.1 innings of relief in 2010, and has come through when it counted most, as he is 3-0 with a save on the year. Robinson picked up a win and a save in three innings of relief in the series with North Carolina.
FRESHMEN MAKE IMMEDIATE IMPACT
Despite being a veteran team, Tech has received immediateimpact from the freshman class.
RHP Buck Farmer has made seven appearances on the season, includingtwo starts.
He is 2-0 in two starts, and has posted a 3.63 ERA with ninestrikeouts.
RHP Luke Bard has made eight appearances out of the bullpen,holding a 3.38 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 10.2 IP. He recorded thefirst save of his career in a 10-0 win over Georgia Southern(2/23).
OF Brandon Thomas has made six starts on the season (five in leftfield and one at DH), and is hitting .429 (12-for-28) with twodoubles, two triples and five RBI.
Right-handed pitchers Clay Dalton and Ben McKinney have each pitched three innings of relief thisseason. McKinney has allowed just two hits while striking out two,while Dalton has given up just one hit and fanned three.
