Feb. 22, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
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ATLANTA – The third-ranked Georgia Tech (3-0) baseball team opened the 2010 season with a series sweep of Missouri State over the weekend, and now turns focus to two mid-week games against the 2009 Southern Conference Champion Georgia Southern Eagles (1-2) Tuesday and Wednesday in Statesboro, Ga.
Tuesday’s action begins at 6 p.m., while Wednesday’s first pitch will be thrown at 4 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
Tuesday, Feb. 23 (6 p.m.) – J.J. Clements Stadium (Statesboro, Ga.)
GT – Mark Pope, RHP, So. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GSU – Chris Beck, RHP, Fr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.1 IP)
Wednesday, Feb. 24 (4 p.m.) – J.J. Clements Stadium (Statesboro, Ga.)
GT – Buck Farmer, RHP, Fr. (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
GSU – Colin Snow, RHP, So. (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1.0 IP)
Follow live game updates at: www.twitter.com/gt_baseball
Sophomore Mark Pope, a closer in 2009, will make his career debut as a starter Tuesday, while freshman Buck Farmer will also make his debut as a starter in a Tech uniform when he gets the ball in Wednesday’s contest.
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.
Danny Hall Report
Beginning Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 12 p.m., and continuing until the end of the season, coach Hall will make a weekly appearance on 790 The Zone (WQXI-AM) in a segment called the “Danny Hall Report”. Hall will talk baseball with 790’s Brandon and Woolvey, and with the group from Mayhem in the AM.
The series
Georgia Tech holds an 82-27 lead in the all-time series between the two schools, having won seven of the last nine contests. The teams split wins last season, each winning one game at home and one on the road
Scouting the opponent
The Eagles enter the mid-week series after going 1-2 against Tennessee Tech over the weekend. Both losses came by a combined six runs, while Georgia Southern had most of the 16-9 win in game two.
Georgia Southern hit just above .300 with five home runs in the series with Tennessee Tech, but gave up 26 runs and 33 hits defensively. The GSU pitching did however average 11.3 strikeouts in the outings.
The Eagles, 2009 SoCon Champions, returned five starters and nine pitchers from last year’s team that went 42-17 and made an appearance in the NCAA Fullerton regional.
Two young pitchers will also take the mound for the Eagles this week, as freshman Chris Beck will get the nod Tuesday, and sophomore Colin Snow will take the mound Wednesday. Snow went 4-3 with a 3.77 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings in 2009.
Last time out
The Yellow Jackets used a balanced effort, both offensively and defensively, in 4-0, 20-3 and 13-0 wins over the Bears a few days ago. The Tech pitching staff, led by double-digit strikeout starts from junior Deck McGuire and sophomore Jed Bradley, combined for two shutouts in the first three games.
Offensively, junior outfielder Chase Burnette and senior first baseman Tony Plagman had five of Tech’s nine home runs and 12 of the team’s 34 RBI on the first weekend.
The bullpen was as equally sound as the starters, allowing just one run on six hits in nine innings of relief. Senior setup man Andrew Robinson and junior closer Kevin Jacob have been at the prime of the work, but junior Zach Brewster along with freshmen Luke Bard, Buck Farmer, Ben McKinney and senior Sean Devine were able to get in some work over the weekend.
Bradley Named ACC Pitcher of the Week
Sophomore Jed Bradley, who struck out a career-high 12 batters while leading then No. 6 Georgia Tech to a 13-0 win over Missouri State in the 2010 season opener, has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league office Monday afternoon.
The left-handed pitcher from Huntsville, Ala., allowed just four hits in six innings of work combining for a shutout of the Bears Sunday at Russ Chandler Stadium. Bradley held the opposing team to just a .190 batting average, retiring eight of the first nine batters he faced, six of the eight coming on strikeouts.
Tech climbs as high as No. 3 in the polls
Tech received a nice boost in the polls after a 3-0 start, and some help from teams previously above. Collegiate Baseball gave the Jackets the biggest climb, moving from No. 6 to No. 3, while Baseball America elevated Tech from No. 6 to No. 4.
Hall Gets Career Win No. 900
Last Saturday’s 20-3 win over Missouri State was the 900th career win for Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall. Now in his 23rd season overall, Hall holds a record of 901-430-1 and a winning percentage of .677. The winningest coach in school history, Hall is 693-313-1 on the Flats.
