April 10, 2003
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ATLANTA–Georgia Tech, ranked fifth in the nation by Collegiate Baseball, visits Duke for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series this weekend at Jack Coombs Field. The series begins on Friday at 7 p.m., and continues on Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Live radio broadcasts will be available on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta), while live statistics and the radio broadcasts will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com.
Following the the weekend series at Duke, the Yellow Jackets return to Atlanta to open a six-game homestand against Georgia Southern, Wake Forest and Georgia.
GEORGIA TECH UPDATE (25-6, 5-1 ACC)
Georgia Tech won a non-conference matchup with Georgia State on Tuesday night to improve to 25-6 overall, and the Yellow Jackets currently stand in first place in the ACC with a 5-1 league mark after winning two of three games at North Carolina last weekend. Tech’s 17-0 start to the season eclipsed the previous school record of a 16-0 start in 1987.
The Yellow Jackets have been on an offensive tear over the last 12 games, scoring 127 runs on 148 hits over that stretch (10.6 runs per game), and LF Matt Murton (.339-9-29) is batting .417-4-12 over that 12 game stretch.
Tech has belted 52 home runs this season (averaging 1.68 per game after hitting 0.97 per game in 2002). Other offensive leaders include C Mike Nickeas (.357-6-30), DH Micah Owings (.304-11-27), SS Tyler Greene (.348-7-28) and 1B Clifton Remole (.327-2-21).
The Georgia Tech pitching staff owns a 3.67 team ERA, incluing a 7-3 record, nine saves and a 3.43 ERA from the Tech bullpen. Opponents are batting .236 against Georgia Tech pitching this season.
DUKE UPDATE (13-19, 0-8 ACC)
Duke is currently 13-19 overall and 0-8 in the ACC after being swept in a three-game series at home by NC State last weekend. The Blue Devils are batting .279 as a team and own a team ERA of 4.60, and Duke has hit just six home runs in 32 games.
Senior RHP Jeff Alleva (2-4, 3.77) is the scheduled starter on Friday night in the series opener, while junior RHP Kevin Thompson (2-6, 4.08) is set to start the second game of the series on Saturday afternoon. Sunday’s starting pitcher is TBA.
GEORGIA TECH VS. DUKE
GEORGIA TECH LEADS, 60-22
Georgia Tech leads Duke, 60-22, in a series that dates to 1903. The Yellow Jackets hold a 20-8 edge in games played in Durham.
The Yellow Jackets won all four meetings against the Blue Devils in 2002, sweeping a three-game series in Atlanta and posting a 6-1 win in the second round of the ACC Tournament in St. Petersburg, Fla. Tech has won six in a row and eight of the last nine game against Duke.
Georgia Tech took two of three games from Duke in 2001 at Jack Coombs Field, and the Yellow Jackets have won 13 of the last 15 meetings in Durham.
Last year, Tech won the opener in Atlanta, 4-2, behind a strong effort from Kyle Bakker (7.2 IP, 2 R) and a 3-for-4 performance from Eric Patterson. A walk off home run from Jason Perry gave the Yellow Jackets an 8-7, 10-inning win on Saturday, and Tech won 15-7 on Sunday behind a four hit, four RBI game from Matt Murton. Kyle Schmidt (8 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K) pitched Tech to a 6-1 win the ACC Tournament in his hometown of St. Petersburg.
Georgia Tech is 25-7 against Duke under head coach Danny Hall.
Starting Pitcher Notes
Friday: MICAH OWINGS (RHP) 4-1, 4.68 ERA
Freshman Micah Owings gets the nod on Friday evening in what will be his fifth start and 10th 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).
Owings suffered his first loss on Mar. 18 against Auburn (4 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 0 BB, 5 K). After allowing nine runs in five innings against Auburn and Maryland (Mar. 23), the freshman has allowed five earned run over 11.2 IP in his last three appearances (Mercer, Miami and North Carolina).
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 11 home runs.
Owings Game-by-Game in 20032003 Opp. S/R W/L IP H R ER BB SO NP2/15 Ga. Southern R W 3.1 0 0 0 0 0 402/23 Michigan R W 0.2 1 0 0 1 1 193/4 Campbell S W 6.0 4 2 2 0 3 693/11 Auburn S W 6.0 5 1 1 1 7 913/18 Auburn S L 4.0 6 6 6 0 5 683/23 Maryland R - 1.0 2 3 3 1 1 203/25 Mercer R - 1.0 0 0 0 1 1 173/29 Miami R - 5.1 4 2 1 2 2 784/4 North Carolina S - 5.1 8 5 4 3 3 96
Saturday: KYLE BAKKER (LHP) 5-0, 4.29 ERA
Junior Kyle Bakker will start on Saturday in the second game of the Duke series, and he will be making his ninth start of the season and the 34th start of his collegiate career.
Bakker is 5-0 with a 4.29 ERA in 2003 after earning wins over Georgia Southern, Rider, George Washington and Kent State in his first four starts of the season. He got no decisions in his next three starts against Kent State, Maryland and Miami, allowing eight runs in 11.2 innings over that stretch. He bounced back with a win at North Carolina last Sunday in his most recent start.
For his career, Bakker stands at 22-3 with a 3.28 ERA in 222 innings pitched. Bakker currently ranks as the top command pitcher in school history, allowing just 1.86 walks per nine innings.
Bakker enters Saturday’s game having won nine consecutive decisions, and he has not suffered a defeat since April 26, 2002 against Virginia.
A preseason All-America in 2003, Bakker earned second team All-America honors in 2002 after earning Freshman All-America honors in 2001. The 6-9 lefty spent the summer of 2002 with the USA Baseball National team, and he posted a 3-2 record and a 2.14 ERA in six starts.
Bakker Game-by-Game in 20032003 Opp. S/R W/L IP H R ER BB SO NP2/15 Ga. Southern S W 6.0 4 1 1 1 4 732/22 Rider S W 6.0 3 0 0 1 7 832/28 G. Washington S W 6.0 4 3 3 2 7 953/7 Rutgers S W 5.0 12 4 4 1 5 993/14 Kent State S - 7.0 5 3 0 0 8 1023/21 Maryland S - 2.2 6 5 5 1 3 723/28 Miami S - 2.0 3 4 3 2 3 513/30 Miami R - 1.1 1 1 1 4 1 324/6 North Carolina S W 6.0 5 3 3 1 3 87
Sunday’s starter is TBA.
OFFENSE HEATS UP IN LAST 12 GAMES
After hitting .277 as a team through the first 19 games of the season, Georgia Tech’s offense has finally started to produce at a level that was expected in the Yellow Jackets’ last 12 games against Maryland, Mercer, Miami, Winthrop, North Carolina and Georgia State.
The Yellow Jackets have hit .334 (148-for-443) in the last 12 games to raise their team batting average nearly 25 points. Tech is averaging 10.6 runs per game over the last 12 games, and the Yellow Jackets scored in 58 of their 101 innings at bat (57.4%).
The Yellow Jackets hit .330 in 2002, .347 in 2001 and .342 in 2000. In fact, Tech has never hit lower than .306 as a team since Danny Hall became the school’s head coach in 1994, and the Yellow Jackets have hit better than .320 as a team in seven of his nine years at the helm of the program.
VERSUS THE STATE OF GEORGIA
Georgia Tech is 6-0 against teams from the state of Georgia in 2003, and Tech posted a 13-1 mark against its in-state rivals during the 2002 season. Tech is 2-0 against Georgia Southern and Mercer, and 1-0 against Armstrong Atlantic State and Georgia State this year.
Since 1999, Georgia Tech owns a 48-8 (.857) record against its in-state foes. The Yellow Jackets are 90-25 (.782) against teams from Georgia in 10 years under head coach Danny Hall.
NICKEAS ONE OF FIRST EIGHT INVITED TO USA BASEBALL TRIALS
Sophomore catcher Mike Nickeas is one of the first eight collegiate players invited to participate in the 2003 USA Baseball National Team Trials that will be held June 21-27 in Tucson, Arizona. The USA National Team will be selected from a pool of 35 players, of which an additional 27 have yet to be determined.
USA Baseball’s final selection of the athletes that will comprise the team that will represent the USA at the 2003 Pan Am Games, is subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee. The official team roster will be determined and announced on June 27.
NICKEAS NAMED TO JOHNNY BENCH WATCH LIST
Sophomore catcher Mike Nickeas is one of 33 collegiate catchers named to the 2003 Johnny Bench Award watch list, an award given annually to the nation’s top collegiate catcher. The watch list will be narrowed down to 10 semifinalists, whom will be announced on May 20. Three finalists will be announced on June 2, prior to the College World Series.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN . . .
After opening the season with six straight games away from home, Georgia Tech played 16 of its next 17 games at home. Two weeks ago, the Yellow Jackets began a stretch of three straight weekends on the road (at Miami, North Carolina and Duke). Tech will play nine of 11 games away from home during the current three week strectch.
VERSUS NCAA REGIONAL FOES
Georgia Tech owns an 10-6 record this spring against teams that played in the 2002 NCAA Regionals. The Yellow Jackets are 3-0 against George Washington, 2-0 against Georgia Southern, 2-1 against Kent State and North Carolina, 1-1 against Auburn and 0-3 against Miami. Tech has 11 more games on the regular season schedule against postseason teams.
HOME RUNS COMING AT BLISTERING PACE
Georgia Tech has hit 52 home runs as a team in 31 games in 2003, averaging 1.68 home runs per game. Last season Tech hit 66 home runs in 68 games (0.97 home runs per game). The school record for home runs is 119, which was accomplished in 65 games during the 1987 season (1.83 per game).
Listed below are Tech’s home run totals since the NCAA adopted the current bat rules for the 1999 season.
GEORGIA TECH'S YEARLY HOME RUN TOTALSYear Games HR HR per game1999 58 65 1.122000 66 79 1.202001 61 74 1.212002 68 66 0.972003 31 52 1.68
