THE FLATS – Competing in the quarterfinals of the 2019 ACC Softball Championship, Georgia Tech softball closed its second season under head coach Aileen Morales with a 31-27 record.
Reaching the 30-win mark for the first time since 2012, the Jackets finished over .500 for the second-straight season under Morales after missing the mark for five seasons. With its road victory over Mississippi State on Feb. 25, the White and Gold recorded its first win over an SEC opponent since 2015. Tech recorded key ACC series wins over North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Syracuse, sweeping the latter two programs on The Flats.
The Jackets drew the seventh seed in the 2019 ACC softball Championship, making it to postseason play for the second-straight season. With an 8-0 five-inning run-rule win over Virginia in the opening round, the White and Gold recorded its first ACC tournament win since 2012.
The Jackets saw improvements on the offensive side of the ball, increasing the team batting average from .227 to .277, and seeing four Jackets bat above .300 for the season. Tech’s run total improved from 233 in 2018 to 326 in 2019 and recorded more than 100 more hits from 213 in 2018 to 419 in 2019. Of Tech’s 419 hits, 171 were for extra bases including 61 home runs. Tech’s 104 doubles are a program record for the Jackets. The Jackets ranked second in the nation in doubles per game at the conclusion of the regular season. There were four Jackets with double-digit home runs.
For the second consecutive season, Tech placed three student-athletes on all-conference teams. With all-ACC first team honors, senior Katie Krzus was the first to receive first team distinction since 2014. Sophomore Cameron Stanford earned second-team honors after receiving second team and all-freshman laurels in 2018. Freshman Bailee Zeitler rounded out the group with all-freshman honors. With senior Kaylee Ellebracht named to the 2019 ACC Softball Championship all-tournament team, Tech gains its first all-tournament honoree since 2012.
Off the field, the Jackets put together a team GPA above 3.0 for the Spring 2019 semester. In addition, softball recorded a perfect single year APR (Academic Progress Rate) for the 2017-18 year. The Jackets multiyear APR scores rank above the national average.
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