THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball returns to the field to begin the 2024 season with the 25th Buzz Classic, hosting No. 11/14 Alabama, Villanova and Longwood to Mewborn Field for a four-day tournament beginning Thursday (Feb. 8) at 4 p.m. and running through Sunday, Feb. 11. The tournament is currently set to consist of 11 games, six featuring Georgia Tech along with five neutral contests.
Tournament Schedule
Thursday, Feb. 8
Game 1: Villanova at Georgia Tech | 4 pm
Game 2: Villanova (R) vs Alabama (H) | 6 pm | Live Stats
Friday, Feb. 9
Game 3: Alabama (R) vs. Longwood (H) | 11 am | Live Stats
Game 4: Longwood (R) vs. Villanova (H) | 1:30 pm | Live Stats
Game 5: Alabama vs. Georgia Tech | 4 pm
Game 6: Villanova vs. Georgia Tech | 6:30 pm
Saturday, Feb. 10
Game 7: Longwood (R) vs. Villanova (H) | 11 am | Live Stats
Game 8: Alabama (R) vs. Longwood (H) | 1:30 pm | Live Stats
Game 9: Alabama vs. Georgia Tech | 4 pm
Sunday, Feb. 11
Game 10: Longwood vs. Georgia Tech | 12 pm
Game 11: Longwood vs. Georgia Tech | 2 pm
TV
All Georgia Tech games over the weekend will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Clear Bag Policy
This year, Shirley Clements Mewborn Field is implementing a clear bag policy. Any outside items brought into the facility must be contained within a clear bag. For more information on Georgia Tech’s policy, go to https://ramblinwreck.com/clearbag/
Parking
Parking will be available in the McCamish lot and in the Family Housing deck.
Promotions
The first 250 fans at Saturday’s 4 pm game against Alabama will receive free navy GT Softball T-Shirts. Stay after the doubleheader on Sunday as we open up the diamond for kids to run the bases after the second game against Longwood.
Storylines
- Georgia Tech softball begins its 37th season on The Flats with the Buzz Classic, featuring matchups against 2023 Women’s College World Series participants, Alabama, as well as Villanova and Longwood.
- The Yellow Jackets return nearly every starter from last season’s 26-win squad, including all five pitchers. Georgia Tech is one of just three ACC schools to return every inning pitched from the ‘23 season (346.1), alongside Duke & Virginia Tech.
- The Jackets top tandem in the circle consists of two 5th year seniors, Blake Neleman and Chandler Dennis. The duo combined for 277.1 innings pitched last season (80.1% of all innings pitched by GT last year).
- Neleman (145.0 IP) and Dennis (130.1 IP) each finished in the Top 225 across Division I in innings pitched last season. Georgia Tech is one of only two ACC teams to return multiple pitchers who threw over 130 innings last season (Syracuse).
- In her fifth season on The Flats, Neleman has an opportunity to etch her name into the top of the program record books. She enters the year with the 2nd most career strikeouts in program history (561) after collecting 153 Ks in 2023, the 5th most in the ACC. The Marietta native is one save away from tying Kristen Adkins (‘09-’11) for the 2nd most by a Jacket, her next shutout will tie her for the 5th most in program history (Nikki Johnson ‘94) and she is six appearances shy of tying Erin Voeltz (‘01-’04) for the 4th most ever by a Georgia Tech pitcher.
- Experience is a common theme throughout the Georgia Tech lineup as infielders Mallorie Black (3B), Jin Sileo (SS) and Grace Connelly (2B) all return to the diamond after playing in all 53 games last season. That infield core was a major contributor to Georgia Tech setting program records for best fielding percentage (.978) and fewest errors committed (30) during the 2023 season.
- Impeccable defense has become the standard on The Flats under Coach Aileen Morales. Since the start of the 2021 season, the Yellow Jackets have committed just 104 errors, the fewest in the ACC by a comfortable margin (2nd is Syracuse – 124 errors). That is the 9th fewest errors committed in Division I over the last three years and the fifth fewest among Power 5 programs, behind only Oklahoma (77), Washington (89), Michigan (99) and Arizona (102).
- The Jackets were one of the best teams in the country at creating havoc on the base paths last year, posting 1.64 stolen bases per game, the 8th most among Power 5 programs. Ella Edgmon and Jin Sileo led the way individually, finishing with 18 and 16 base swipes respectively, placing them both in the Top 175 base stealers in Division I (132 and 174). Tech is one of just 12 Power 5 teams to have multiple players in the Top 175.
- Sileo tied a program record on the base paths last season, when she recorded four stolen bases in a single game (vs. Kent State, Feb. 25, 2023).
- Edgmon averaged .4 stolen bases per game last season, the 7th most among ACC returners.
- Sara Beth Allen returns to the lineup after a 13-homerun season in 2023, the 7th most among ACC returners.
- In its history, Georgia Tech is 84-31 all-time in its renowned tournament.
Series Notes
- This will be the second trip to the Buzz Classic for Villanova after the Jackets defeated them twice to start the season in 2022. Tech won those games 5-2 and 11-0(5) respectively.
- Emma Minghini hit her first-career homerun in the first game, en-route to a 4 RBI performance before Neleman shut the door in game two, pitching 5.0 shutout innings and allowing just one hit.
- Alabama enters the 404 leading the all-time series against Tech, 16-3. The games this weekend will be just the fifth and sixth to be played in Atlanta, where the Jackets are 1-3 against the Crimson Tide.
- This will be the first two meetings between Georgia Tech and Longwood.
- Graduate transfer Tiffany Domingue has plenty of experience against Longwood, a former conference rival before transferring to The Flats this season. Domingue had a career-game against the Lancers last season, posting her second-career multi-homerun game while driving in a career-best five RBI (March 21, 2023) while at USC-Upstate.
2024 SOFTBALL TICKETS
Georgia Tech softball 2024 season and single-game tickets are now on sale and can be purchased HERE.
Season tickets are located in the reserved chairback sections of Mewborn Field and cost $100 per seat. Season ticket members enjoy every game in the same seat for a discounted rate. Single-game tickets are also available as detailed below. More ticketing information can be found on the official Georgia Tech Softball Tickets page.
Single-Game Pricing:
Reserved Chairback: $5
Adult GA Bench: $3
Standing room only tickets will be sold for $2 each if all other sections are sold out. Georgia Tech students and faculty/staff can receive free admission to regular season home games while seats remain available by showing a valid BuzzCard at the entrance.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of the development of Yellow Jackets that thrive academically at the Institute and 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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