May 26, 2010
Live TV: RSN Live Stats: RamblinWreck.com
Live Audio: WREK 91.1 FM
Twitter Updates: Twitter.com/gt_baseball
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Georgia Tech (44-11, 21-9 ACC) enters the 2010 ACC Baseball Championships as the No. 3 seed and will begin tournament play Thursday at 8 p.m. when it meets sixth-seeded Virginia Tech at the NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, N.C.
The championship is split into two brackets, with each team playing the other three teams on their side of the bracket through the first four days of the tournament. The winners of the two brackets will meet Sunday at 1 p.m. for the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Yellow Jackets’ 2010 ACC Baseball Championship Schedule
Thursday, 8 p.m. – No. 3 Georgia Tech vs. No. 6 Virginia Tech
Friday, 8 p.m. – No. 3 Georgia Tech vs. No. 7 NC State
Saturday, 4 p.m. – No. 3 Georgia Tech vs. No. 2 Clemson
Sunday, 1 p.m. – Championship Game
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS:
Thursday, May 27 (8 p.m.) – NewBridge Bank Park (Greensboro, N.C.)
Georgia Tech – Deck McGuire, Jr., RHP (8-3, 2.84 ERA, 105 K’s)
Virginia Tech – Justin Wright, Jr., LHP (7-4, 3.76 ERA, 80 K’s)
Overall Series: GT leads 16-8
2010 Series: VT won 2-1 (3-1 (11), 10-3, 12-14)
Friday, May 28 (8 p.m.) – NewBridge Bank Park (Greensboro, N.C.)
Georgia Tech – Brandon Cumpton, Jr., RHP (8-2, 4.86 ERA, 48 K’s)
NC State – Jake Buchanan, Jr., RHP (7-4, 3.73 ERA, 88 K’s
Overall Series: GT leads 65-46
2010 Series: NC State won 2-1 (6-5, 4-2, 3-5)
Saturday, May 29 (4 p.m.) – NewBridge Bank Park (Greensboro, N.C.)
Georgia Tech – Jed Bradley, So., LHP (9-3, 3.86 ERA, 93 K’s)
Clemson – TBA
Overall Series: Tied 99-99-3
2010 Series: GT won 3-0 (8-6 (10), 4-3, 11-3
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. The games can also be heard online, free of charge at www.ramblinwreck.com.
SERIES PREVIEW
Georgia Tech heads the to 2010 ACC Championships in Greensboro,N.C., having won nine of its last 11 games, including its lastthree weekend series. The Jackets own a 56-49 all-time record atthe ACC Championships, having won seven tournament titles. Tech wonACC tournament titles in 1985-’88, 2000, 2003 and 2005, whileadvancing to the Championship game in 1984, 1991 and 2004. OnlyClemson (9) has won more tournament titles than the Jackets.
Line scores for each every one of the Yellow Jackets previous 114ACC Championship games are available on pages 87-89 of the 2010Georgia Tech Yearbook. Shaded years indicate those in whichGeorgia Tech captured tournament titles.
QUICK NOTES
Georgia Tech ranks third in the ACC in batting (.329) andpitching (3.82 ERA), while leading the pack in home runs with 111and sitting second in RBI with 477.
The Jackets rank among the top 10 in the nation in sevencategories: Scoring (9.4, 8th), Runs (517.0, 8th), Home runs (111,2nd), Triples (25.0, 9th), Slugging percentage (.585, 3rd), Walks(291.0, 6th) and W/L percentage (.800, 6th).
Tech’s starting pitchers have combined for 320 strikeouts in 326.2innings. Deck McGuire leads the way with 105 strikeouts, the second mostin the conference.
McGuire ranks in the top five in the conference in five differentcategories: Wins (8, T-3rd), Innings pitched (98.2, 1st),Strikeouts (105, 2nd), Opp. Batting average (.228, 4th)and Completegames (2, T-1st).
Sophomore Jed Bradley , Tech’s No. 3 weekend starter, is tied for theconference lead in wins with nine … Bradley is 5-1 in his lastsix games, with 39 strikeouts in the five outings (37.0 IP).
The Tech bullpen is 9-2 on the year, and a perfect 12-for-12 insave opportunities.
Senior Andrew Robinson has made a team-leading 23 appearances out ofthe bullpen (29.1 innings) … He is 4-0 on the year and hasrecorded seven saves.
Tech has hit a home run in 46 of the 55 games this season. Eightdifferent players have gone yard at least six times, and six haverecorded double-digit home run totals. Tech is currently tied forsecond place in the record book with 111, nine shy of theschool-record.
A couple of players have been key for the Jackets in the last 11games. Junior Derek Dietrich is hitting .541 with three doubles, two homeruns and seven RBI Dietrich has had multiple hits in eight of the10 games, including four against four against UIC (5/7) … JuniorThomas Nichols is batting .417 with three doubles, a home runand six RBI … Junior Chase Burnette is hitting .415 with five doubles, one triple,three home runs and 12 RBI. Burnette was 5-for-6 with two doublesand a home run against BC last Thursday. On the mound, McGuire hasgone 3-0, holding a 2.37 ERA with 21 strikeouts. Senior Patrick Long has pitched three scoreless innings of relief, notallowing a single hit while striking out six. Andrew Robinson has recorded three saves, allowing just fourhits in 4.0 innings as the closer.
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YELLOW JACKETS IN THE RPI
Georgia Tech enters the weekend ranked No. 10 in the nation in the latest Pseudo-RPI (source: BoydsWorld.com). (The NCAA releases its RPI just once a week, and the Yellow Jackets are listed No. 10 in the official RPI released on May 18). The Atlantic Coast Conference is well represented in the most updated RPI, with five teams ranked among the top 25 in the nation. Virginia, ranked No. 2 in the country in the RPI, leads all conference teams while Miami (8), Georgia Tech (10), Clemson (16) and Florida State (17) and all rank in the top 25. Only three ACC teams stand outside of the top-75 in the RPI.
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LIGHTS OUT WHEN IT’S TIME TO CLOSE
The Jackets have been solid this season when it comes to closing out games. Tech is 33-1 when leading after six innings, and a perfect 36-0 when leading after the seventh. The reason being is the Tech bullpen, which is a perfect 11-for-11 in save opportunities.
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MAKING A STATEMENT ON THE MOUND
The 2010 pitching staff could certainly be the best coach Hall has ever had in his 17 years at Georgia Tech. The Tech hurlers currently hold a 3.82 ERA, the 13th lowest ERA in the nation. It marks the first time a Tech team has had an ERA under 4.00 since 1994, coach Hall’s first season on the Flats. If the numbers hold up, it would also be the lowest earned run average since the 1993 squad finished with a 3.13 ERA.
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BALANCE OF POWER
For the second straight year and just the fifth time in school history, the Jackets have belted over 100 home runs. The team’s 111 runs are the second most in the nation, tie for the second most round-trippers in school history. The amount is high, but the number of different players that have hit home runs is just as impressive. Thirteen different players have hit at least one home run, while six have gone yard at least 10 times.
In 2009, the Jackets hit the second most home runs in school history with 111. It was the most since Hall’s arrival in 1994.
