Full ACC Breakdown by Perfect Game
THE FLATS – No. 11 Georgia Tech baseball continues to receive preseason attention as sophomores Kevin Parada and Tres Gonzalez earned preseason all-Atlantic Coast Conference honors by Perfect Game on Friday.
The two Yellow Jackets were among the 15-player team that consists of each on-field position as well as a designated hitter, utility player, four starting pitchers and one relief pitcher.
Parada has earned multiple preseason all-American honors heading into the season after an impressive freshman campaign, where he was a consensus freshman all-American. He made 48 starts behind the dish and led the ACC in hitting the entire first half of the season before inevitably “cooling” slightly to finish top 20 in the league with a team-best .318. He became the first freshman to lead Georgia Tech in hitting since Matt Murton in 2001.
The California native also led the ACC with 20 doubles on the season, and recorded four four-hit games on the season – only two other ACC players had three games.
Gonzalez is also coming off a banner 2021 campaign that had him start in all 56 games for the Yellow Jackets – 26 in left field and 30 in center field. He was a constant presence on the base path, recording a .422 on-base percentage after finishing fourth in the ACC with 44 walks. Gonzalez hit .279 for 57 hits, 16 doubles and three homers for 27 RBI overall in addition to his blanketing defense in the outfield.
The Georgia native didn’t slow one iota this past summer either, hitting .331 and producing a .418 on-base percentage for the Wareham Gatemen in the prestigious Cape Cod League. Gonzalez finished runner-up for the 2021 Cape batting title.
TOP-TO-BOTTOM TALENT
Georgia Tech returns one of its deepest rosters in recent history and has been touted by both Perfect Game and D1Basbeall as having one of the top offensive lineups in the country.
Perfect Game ranked a whopping nine Yellow Jackets in the ACC’s top 50 2022 Draft Prospects – No. 2 Parada, No. 10 Gonzalez, No. 12 Zach Maxwell, No. 22 Chandler Simpson, No. 24 Marquis Grissom, Jr., No. 29 Jake DeLeo, No. 34 Stephen Reid, No. 40 Drew Compton, and No. 41 Jackson Finley.
Georgia Tech’s nine selections to the list is by far the most for any ACC team – NC State (6), Florida State and Duke (5).
In total around the country, the 11th-ranked Jackets sport seven players ranked in Perfect Game’s top 300 MLB prospects and four in D1Baseball’s top 100 prospects list.
COASTAL DIVISION HISTORY
The Yellow Jackets will look to become just the fourth ACC team to win three-straight division titles since the league split into division championships in 2006 and the second in the Coastal Division – Florida State (2007-14), Miami (2014-16) and Louisville (2015-17). Since head coach Danny Hall took over in 1994, only one team in the ACC has won more regular season and divisional championships than Georgia Tech’s seven.
GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL SEASON TICKETS
Be there for all the heart-stopping action as Georgia Tech baseball looks to three-peat as ACC Coastal Division Champions! Opening Day is slated for Friday, Feb. 18 as the Yellow Jackets prepare to host more than 30 home games at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium – one of the country’s premier collegiate baseball venues. Beginning at just $175, fans can secure the best seats in the house for every game, while also experiences season-ticket membership benefits like priority parking and an add-on for Champions Hall access. For more information on the 2022 season, click HERE!
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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