March 26, 2009
What’s On Tap…
Georgia Tech (22-8) continues its seven-game homestand tonight against Georgia State (13-11) as the Yellow Jackets look to bounce back from Tuesday’s tough 6-5 loss to Georgia Southern in game two. They did win the first game 9-1 in six innings.
Tonight will mark the first home night game in the history of Georgia Tech softball.
The Series…
Georgia Tech is now 35-19 against Georgia State after sweeping the Panthers on Opening Day in Panthersville. Whitney Haller broke the ACC career home run record and was 4-for-7 with two home runs and six RBI on the day. Christy Jones was 4-for-6 in the doubleheader with three runs scored and five stolen bases, while Blair Shimandle was also 5-for-8 with three runs scored and two stolen bases.
Weseman, Yee En Fuego…
Freshman Kelsi Weseman batted .652 (15-for-23) last week en route to ACC Player of the Week honors. In the month of March, Weseman is hitting at a .533 (24-for-45) clip with 16 runs scored, seven doubles, one triple, two home runs and 15 RBI. That is good for a .867 slugging percentage and a .604 on-base percentage. The Yellow Jackets are 13-3 in March so far.
Yee, meanwhile, is on a six-game hitting streak. During this streak, she has hit .647 (11-17) with 11 runs scored, three doubles, three home runs and four RBI. Yee, who does not consider herself a home run hitter, went deep in each game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against Georgia Southern and now has five this season.
Tid-bits…
Senior Blair Shimandle has not made an error now in her last 120 games … She also set a new school record when she stole four bases in game one against Georgia Southern on Tuesday. Nine different Yellow Jackets, including Shimandle, had swiped three bases in a game … Since giving up a walk-off grand slam against No. 2 Florida on Feb. 15, senior pitcher Tiffany Johnson is 6-0 with a 0.71 ERA. She has allowed just 23 hits and five earned runs in 49.0 innings, while walking 14 and striking out 49. Opponents are hitting just .139 against her in this stretch … 10 different players have hit at least one home run this season and eight of them went deep for the first time in their careers … Kristen Adkins came into the March 10 home opener against Tennessee Martin without a home run or RBI in a Tech uniform. She hit the game-winning, two-run home run in game one and in the 11 games since then is batting .483 with two doubles, four home runs and 16 RBI … (Tech’s two catchers — sophomore Jessica Weaver and freshman Kate Kuzma — have thrown out 10 of 21 would-be base stealers. They have each thrown out five runners trying to steal and Weaver has a pick off to her credit as well … At Mewborn Field, the Yellow Jackets are out-scoring the opposition 54-19 and hitting at a .361 clip. Adkins leads the way batting .579 with four home runs and 10 RBI, while Weseman is hitting .522 with five doubles, a triple, a home run and 10 RBI. Whitney Haller is batting .476 with two home runs and five RBI, while Yee (.364) and Christy Jones (.333) are over .300.
Up Next…
The Yellow Jackets will host Florida State this weekend for a big three-game series at Mewborn Field.
Saturday is Stadium Celebration Day and the first 200 fans will receive a commemorative Mewborn Field t-shirt. Gates open at 11:30 a.m. and first pitch of game one is set for 1 p.m. There will be free popcorn for all fans and free pizza for students.
Beyond the right field fence, there will be games for the kids and special promotions and give-a-ways throughout the day for all fans. Make sure to arrive early and bring the whole family for a fun-filled day this Saturday. The Yellow Jackets and Seminoles will then wrap up the series with a single game Sunday at 1 p.m.
