April 5, 2011
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ATLANTA – Winners of 24 out of their last 26 games, the No. 25/23 Georgia Tech softball team (31-6) hosts Kennesaw State (20-14) at 6 p.m. Wednesday night at Mewborn Field. Admission is free of charge. Its a brief homestand for the Yellow Jackets as they head right back out on the road this weekend for a three-game series at Virginia Tech.
Back in the Rankings
• Georgia Tech is back in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25 polls for the second straight week after falling in the “also receiving votes” category for nearly a month.
• Tech opened the season ranked 18th and 17th, respectively, but a losing streak in late February dropped the Jackets out of the poll for the first time in two years.
• Prior to the arrival of head coach Sharon Perkins, the Yellow Jackets had appeared in the NFCA top 25 poll 25 times. Tech surpassed that in her fourth year in Atlanta.
• In the first RPI released March 24 by the NCAA, Tech came in at 15th. Georgia Tech is one of five school nationally with a baseball and softball team ranked in the top 15 joining Florida, Arizona State, Oklahoma and Texas.
Jackets Continue Streak Of ACC Series Wins
• Dating back to the 2008 season, Georgia Tech has won 19 straight ACC series which is now an ACC record. Virginia Tech held the previous mark having won 15 straight from 2006 to 2008.
• Since being swept by NC State April 5-6, 2008, Georgia Tech is 52-7 (.881) in ACC games. During its streak, Virginia Tech went 34-10 (.773).
• The Yellow Jackets have won the ACC regular season and tournament titles in each of the past two seasons and were picked as unanimous favorites to win in 2011 by the league’s coaches.
• The 2011 ACC Tournament will be held May 13-15 at Mewborn Field. Its the first time Georgia Tech has hosted the softball championship.
No Yee…No Problem
• Every time head coach Sharon Perkins was asked in the offseason how you replace the bat of Jen Yee she said you can’t do it with one bat, everyone has to contribute. Well, in 2011 it has been a team effort.
• Georgia Tech is hitting .323 as a team through 36 games and eight of the nine regular starters are batting at least .311. Tech ranks first in the ACC and 13th nationally in batting average and leads the conference in every offensive category except doubles (third).
• Tech is averaging 6.3 runs a game this season and its .606 slugging percentage is fourth in the nation.
Bombs Away In `11
• After hitting a school record 118 home runs in 2010, Georgia Tech is right on that pace again in 2011 despite losing All-American Jen Yee and her 29 round-trippers.
• Tech is first in the nation with 68 home runs thus far in 2011 and has nearly doubled the next closest team in the ACC.
• Six of the top 10 home run hitters in the ACC don the Gold and White led by sophomore Hope Rush’s 12. Junior Kelsi Weseman and freshman Alysha Rudnik have 11 apiece while senior Kristine Priebe and junior Jessica Sinclair check in with 10. Junior Shannon Bear has gone deep nine times for the Yellow Jackets.
• Rush is 10th in the nation in homers while Weseman and Priebe are tied for 24th.
