Feb. 21, 2008
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech (32-25 in 2007) begins the 2008 season by hosting Youngstown State (19-37) for a three-game series in what will open a 13-game homestand for the Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets and Penguins will meet Friday at 4 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude with a 1 p.m. first pitch Sunday afternoon.
Game Coverage: Friday’s game can be found on ACC Select (gatech.playonsports.tv) and WREK Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta/www.wrek.org).
Weekend Giveaway: Georgia Tech Beanies will be handed out to the first 150 fans in attendance at Friday afternoon’s game.
The Yellow Jackets appear just inside the top-25 in the preseason Collegiate Baseball poll (ranked No. 25), marking the 15th-consecutive season that Georgia Tech has been ranked in the preseason top-25 since the arrival of head coach Danny Hall in 1994. Tech is coming off a 32-25 season in which the Jackets were left out of the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in the last 23 years and looks to rebound with a successful 2008 campaign.
Georgia Tech returns 2/3 of its weekend rotation of a year ago in addition to both its setup guy and closer on the mound, while a talented mix of both veteran and younger players should provide the offensive spark the Yellow Jackets need to push for a return to the NCAA Tournament this season.
Pitching Matchup (Georgia Tech vs. Youngstown State)
Friday: LHP David Duncan (7-4, 3.72) vs. Lucas Engle (4-6, 5.24)
Saturday: RHP Eddie Burns (3-3, 3.58) vs. Adam Kalafos (4-7, 5.72)
Sunday: RHP Zach Von Tersch (0-1, 11.74) vs. Aaron Swenson (3-2, 6.48)
Georgia Tech’s offense is led by infielder/outfielder Luke Murton (.282, 15 HR, 87 RBI in his first two years at Tech) and infielder Patrick Long (.299, 5 HR, 31 RBI in `07).
Tech vs. the Opponent (First Meeting)
The Yellow Jackets and Penguins will be meeting for the first time on the baseball diamond this weekend.
Jackets in Season and Home Openers
Georgia Tech has posted a 58-47-3 record in season openers and is 39-21-2 when the season opener occurs at home. The Yellow Jackets have fared well in season openers under head coach Danny Hall, posting a 10-4 record since his arrival prior to the 1994 season. They have opened the season at home on just four prior occasions under Hall, going 3-1 in those contests.
The Yellow Jackets’ home field has been good to them in home openers, as Georgia Tech has a sterling 74-29-3 record in its first game at home each season, and the Yellow Jackets have lost just one home opener (13-1) under Hall. That loss occurred in 2005 to crosstown rival Georgia State.
Georgia Tech Cracks Preseason Top 25 for 15th Time Under Hall
Georgia Tech has been ranked in the preseason Top 25 by at least one of the major polls (Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, USA Today/Baseball Weekly) in each of Danny Hall’s 15 seasons as the Yellow Jackets’ skipper. Tech has been a preseason Top 10 pick in six of the last 10 years and a top five selection in four of the last eight seasons.
For an abbreviated copy of game notes, click HERE
