May 5, 2005
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ATLANTA–Sixth-ranked Georgia Tech (32-12, 18-6 ACC) hosts Florida Atlantic (26-16, 13-11 Atlantic Sun) for a three-game series this weekend at Russ Chandler Stadium. The series begins on Friday at 7 p.m., and continues on Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30. The weekend series is a rematch of the 2002 NCAA Atlanta Super Regional, which the Yellow Jackets won, 14-3 and 11-5, to advance to the College World Series.
The Yellow Jackets open a seven-game homestand this weekend before finishing the regular season with a three-game set at North Carolina, May 19-21.
Tech won a series at Clemson last weekend and the Yellow Jackets have won 13 of their last 14 ACC weekend series. Tech stands in first place in the league standings, ahead of Miami (17-6-1), North Carolina (15-6-1), Clemson (13-8), Florida State (12-9) and NC State (13-11).
Yellow Jacket head coach Danny Hall won his 505th (currently 516-223 in 12 years) game at Georgia Tech on Mar. 27 in Miami, eclipsing the previous school record of 504 wins held by current Miami head coach Jim Morris (504-244-1 record at Georgia Tech from 1982-1993).
For the year, Tech leads the ACC in batting .341 and runs scored ( 10.0 per game). The Yellow Jackets have scored at least nine runs in 29 of 44 games, reaching double figure scoring in 21 games.
The Tech lineup features catchers Andy Hawranick (.316AVG/.386OBP/.487SLG, 4HR, 26RBI) and Matt Wieters (.404/.511/.629, 7, 49), first baseman Whit Robbins (.264/.430/.387, 1, 27), second basemen Mike Trapani (.325/.438/.447, 2, 15) and Michael Fisher (.319/.385/.553, 2, 16), shortstop Tyler Greene (.324/.413/.514, 7, 47), third baseman Wes Hodges (.423/.493/.659, 9, 42), left fielder Steven Blackwood (.370/.447/.533, 5, 54), center fielder Danny Payne (.299/.425/.418, 3, 32), and right fielders Jeremy Slayden (.358/.462/.572, 10, 50) and Jeff Kindel (.364/.489/.550, 3, 41).
PITCHING MATCHUP (Georgia Tech vs. Florida Atlantic):Friday: LHP Lee Hyde (6-2, 4.95) vs. RHP Mickey Storey (6-1, 2.08)Saturday: RHP Blake Wood (7-1, 3.39) vs. RHP Brandon Kloess (6-2, 4.43)Sunday: LHP Ryan Turner (5-1, 3.80) vs. TBA
GAME COVERAGE: Live statistics on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com. Radio coverage on WREK (91.1 FM in Atlanta) and on the internet at www.wrek.org on Friday and Sunday. Radio Coverage on 790 The Zone (790 AM) on Saturday and on the internet at www.790thezone.com.
RECORD SETTING OFFENSE
Georgia Tech is batting an ACC-best .341 as a team and scoring 10.0 runs per game. Tech, which has been known for prolific offenses through the years, has led the ACC in batting in five of 11 years under head coach Danny Hall. The 2001 team set a school record with a .347 batting average, while the 1984 team scored a record 10.3 runs per game.
Top Hitting Teams Tech's Top Scoring TeamsAverage Year Runs/gm Year1. .347 2001 1. 10.3 19842. .342 2000 2. 10.2 19873. .341 2005 3. 10.0 2005 .341 1987 4. 9.5 1994 .341 1984 9.5 2001
THE CHASE FOR .400
Third baseman Wes Hodges (.423) and catcher/first baseman Matt Wieters (.404) are both hitting over .400 in 2005. Since the Yellow Jackets joined the ACC for the 1980 season, 10 players have hit .400 or better for an entire season. Nine of those 10 players have reached the Major Leagues.
TECH'S .400 HITTERS SINCE JOINING THE ACC IN 1980 Player H-AB Avg. Year1. Jay Payton* 129-297 .434 19942. Mark Teixeira* 103-241 .427 20003. Nomar Garciaparra* 117-274 .427 19944. Riccardo Ingram* 101-237 .426 19875. Jason Varitek* 106-249 .426 19946. Wes Hodges 77-182 .423 20057. Scott Jordan* 94-226 .416 19858. Scott Jordan* 84-206 .408 19849. Jason Varitek* 86-212 .406 199210. Jason Varitek* 92-228 .404 199311. Matt Wieters 61-151 .404 200512. Mark Fischer 104-260 .400 1997
* = reached Major Leagues
SUCCESS IN CLEMSON
Georgia Tech won two of three games at Clemson (Apr. 29-May 1) to move back into first place in the ACC regular season standings. The series win was Tech’s first at Clemson since 1993, and only the second since the league adopted the current three-game weekend format in 1992.
