THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball and coach Aileen Morales announced the 56-game 2023 regular season schedule on Friday, highlighted by 33 home games and four Atlantic Coast Conference series at Mewborn Field. The Yellow Jackets will also host three home tournaments, most notably the ACC/B1G Challenge, as well as a pair of SEC schools, including this season’s edition of Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate.
Georgia Tech enters its sixth season under coach Aileen Morales, bringing back 18 returners from last season’s squad. Chief among the notable returners is NFCA Southeast Second Team All-Region and First Team All-ACC catcher Emma Kauf. The ACC’s two-time top catcher in the league is joined by a dynamic duo of right-handers in the circle in Blake Neleman and Chandler Dennis as well as the “walking web gem” serving as Tech’s vacuum in the middle, shortstop Jin Sileo. Also returning from last season’s regular starting lineup is leadoff mainstay and third baseman Mallorie Black along with ACC All-Freshman Team left fielder Auburn Dupree and fellow former freshman center fielder Ella Edgmon.
The stable of returners is bolstered by the Yellow Jackets’ recent recruiting class, composed of six highly-touted new Jackets. The class consists of five newcomers joining the collegiate ranks along with Texas A&M transfer Cayden Baker, who carved out a starting role with the Aggies while batting .261 as a freshman in the SEC.
2023 Schedule Highlights
- The Yellow Jackets open the season with the 24th Buzz Classic, including UConn, North Texas, Saint Francis and UIC.
- Georgia Tech welcomes 2022 Gainesville Regional foe Wisconsin, Illinois and Louisville for a highly-contested ACC/B1G Challenge on The Flats as one of four campus host sites. The Jackets will only face B1G adversaries in the Badgers and Fighting Illini during the challenge. Later in the season, Tech will also take on Penn State.
- The Jackets host another edition of the I-75 Tournament, including UNI, Southern Miss and Brown.
- Tech will welcome eight 2022 NCAA Regional participants to The Flats in North Texas, Saint Francis, Wisconsin, Illinois, Georgia, Auburn, Virginia Tech and Clemson.
- The White and Gold will take on a total of 10 Regional squads from a season ago, also hitting the road for weekend series late in the season at Florida State and Duke.
- Georgia Tech will battle five in-state foes in seven different games including rival Georgia, Kennesaw State (home and home), Georgia State (home and home), Georgia Southern and Mercer.
- The Jackets will face 10 top 50 RPI squads from a season ago, including Wisconsin, Illinois, Charlotte, Georgia, Auburn, Virginia Tech, North Texas, Clemson, Florida State and Duke. Among the 10, five were ranked inside the top 25 in Georgia, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Florida State. The Hokies led the pack, being tabbed second and advancing to host their own Super Regional.
- The White and Gold will host four ACC series this season, including Virginia Tech (March 17-19), Clemson (March 24-26), Boston College (April 7-9) and North Carolina (April 28-30).
Georgia Tech’s 2023 gauntlet begins Feb. 10 with the Buzz Classic at Mewborn Field. At the conclusion of the regular season, the ACC tournament will be held on May 10 in Notre Dame, Ind. Ticket information for the 2023 season is coming soon.
Competitive Drive Initiative
In a unified endeavor, Georgia Tech, the Georgia Tech Foundation, Georgia Tech athletics and the Alexander-Tharpe Fund have come together to accelerate funding for student-athlete scholarships with the launch of the Competitive Drive Initiative. The initiative kicks off with the Accelerate GT Match Program, where any new gift to the A-T Fund’s Athletic Scholarship Fund made through Dec. 31 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by the Georgia Tech Foundation, up to $2.5 million. Should Accelerate GT reach its $2.5 million fundraising goal, the matching gift would result in a $5 million impact for Georgia Tech athletics. To learn more and to contribute online, visit atfund.org/accelerate.
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