Open mobile menu
INF

#7 Luke Waddell

Luke Waddell - Baseball - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Year Junior
B/T L/R
Height 5-9
Weight 180
Hometown Loveland, Ohio
Last School Loveland
Luke Waddell - Baseball - Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

2020 CoSIDA/Google Cloud Second-Team Academic All-American
2020 CoSIDA/Google Cloud First-Team Academic All-District
2019-20 ACC Academic Honor Roll
2019 Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Semifinalist
2019 All-ACC Academic Team
2018-19 ACC Academic Honor Roll
2017-18 ACC Academic Honor Roll

2020 (Junior): Started all 16 games at shortstop as one of the nation’s top table setters … Hit .300 for the year, recording 18 hits – including four extra-base knocks – for nine RBI … Drew seven walks to average a .419 on-base percentage during his junior campaign … Struck out just seven times, drawing seven walks as well … Led the team by reaching base each of the final 10 games of the season … Finished the year on a five-game hitting streak – good for fourth-longest on the team … Finished tied for second with four multi-hit games … Went 2-for-3 in the season opener against St. Peter’s (Feb. 14) … Drove in two runs on two hits against Ohio State (Feb. 21) … Recorded three hits, including an RBI double at then-No. 4 Georgia (Feb. 28) … Drove in three runs on his lone home run of the season, coming against Tennessee Tech (March 3) … Also had two hits in the ACC opener against Virginia Tech (March 6) … Knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning of Game 2 during the ACC’s opening weekend against Virginia Tech (March 7).

2019 (Sophomore): Appeared in 58 games, starting in all of them … Started year at second base before moving to shortstop full-time against Virginia (March 16), forming one of the most dynamic middle infield duo with teammate Austin Wilhite for the season … Finished the season hitting .322 with 75 hits, 12 doubles, two triples and homers for 34 RBI … Held the team’s longest hitting streak (14) and reached base streak (39) … One of the toughest to strikeout in the nation, averaging 10.6 at-bats per strikeout, which was good for third in the ACC and 45th in the country … struck out in back-to-back games only twice all year … Hit .321 in May to close out the regular-season … Hit .337 in 19 road games, amassing 28 hits, three doubles a triple and 10 RBI to reach base .417 percent … Struck out just 10 times in 83 at-bats on the road … Hit .318 for the month of April, striking out just seven times in 66 at-bats … Finished the season with 20 multi-hit games, including two four-hit performances … Had one of his best games in the elimination game of the Atlanta Regional, facing Coastal Carolina (June 2) where he went 4-fot-5 with two runs and a walk … Also went 4-for-6 with one RBI and two runs at eventual Athens Regional team Mercer (March 19 … Recorded three hits and an RBI against Miami (Fla.) (March 12), while also stealing a base in the rubber match game … Caught fire against Virginia, going 3-for-5 for two RBI on March 16 before going 2-for-3 for one RBI and three runs on March 17 … Finished 3-for-5 to help Tech clinch the series at then-No. 4 and eventual College World Series team Louisville (March 23) … Also helped Tech clinch Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate against Georgia (April 23), going 3-for-4 for three RBI, finishing a home run away from a cycle in front of the largest regular-season college baseball crowd (18,861) … Recorded back-to-back two-hit games in the ACC Tournament (Duke – May 24; NC State – May 25), scoring three times against Duke … Drew three walks five times on the season to amass 45 on the year (Northwestern – March 2; at Louisville – March 24; Notre Dame – March 31; Clemson – April 26; Western Carolina – May 3) … Spent his offseason competing on the USA Collegiate National Team, one of only five ACC players to help lead the United States to an 8-6 record in Japan … Hit .320 over the course of the 14 games, getting 16 hits, three doubles and five RBI, reaching base .404 … Was first Yellow Jacket to make Collegiate National Team since Derek Dietrich in 2008.

2018 (Freshman): Played in 42 games, making 31 starts on the season as a true freshman … Saw time at third base, second base and shortstop throughout the year … Hit .283 with a home run, a triple, eight doubles, 10 walks, 10 RBIs and 20 runs scored … Posted an on-base percentage of .348 on the season … Recorded a season-high five-game hitting streak and a six-game on-base streak for the year … Totaled nine multi-hit games and two multi-RBI games … Made his collegiate debut in the season opener versus Minnesota (Feb. 16) … Picked up his first career hit in the opening-weekend contest versus Bradley (Feb. 17), going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs and a run scored … Also drove in two RBIs in the road win at Georgia Southern (Feb. 20) … Scored a season-high two runs in the Friday night win against Virginia Tech (March 16), going 2-for-4 with a home run … Went 2-for-4 with a run scored in game two of the doubleheader with Dartmouth (Feb. 24) … Also went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk in the home win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff (Feb. 27) … Was a combined 4-for-11 with a double and three runs scored in the series win over Illinois-Chicago (March 2-4) … Went 3-for-12 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored in three starts versus Virginia Tech (March 16-18) … Drove in an RBI and scored a run in the Jackets’ home win over No. 6 Auburn (March 20) … Went 1-for-1 with a triple in game one versus Miami (March 30) before leaving the game with an injury … Was 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored in the double-digit win over Kennesaw State (April 18) … Went a combined 3-for-9 with two doubles, a walk and two runs scored in the ACC series at No. 8 North Carolina (April 20-22) … Was also 3-for-9 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in the series win over Wake Forest (April 27-29) … Went a perfect 2-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored off the bench in Tech’s regular-season finale versus No. 10 Duke (May 19).

Before Tech: A three-sport athlete at Loveland High School … Was a four-year letterwinner and a two-time team captain in baseball under head coach Ken Reed … Rated as the No. 3 shortstop and the No. 11 overall prospect in the state of Ohio for the class of 2017 by Perfect Game … Also ranked as high as No. 141 nationally overall at the shortstop position by PG … A 2017 Rawlings-Perfect Game honorable mention all-American … Also a 2017 central region honorable mention selection by PG … A two-time Perfect Game underclassmen high honorable mention all-American (2015, 2016) … A two-time All-Ohio all-state selection and a two-time all-district honoree … Named the 2017 Eastern Cincinnati Conference (ECC) Baseball Athlete of the Year his senior season … Also a four-time ECC first-team all-conference selection on the baseball diamond … Played in the 2017 East vs. West All-Star game … Holds the school record in career games played, hits and doubles … Helped lead his Loveland High School team to a 21-6 overall record and a 13-3 conference record in 2016 as a junior … Also lettered in football and basketball at Loveland High School … Led his football team to the state championship title, district title and ECC conference title in 2013 … Holds the Loveland High School football records in career rushing yards, receiving yards, touchdowns and points scored … Also holds the football school records with the most rushing yards and touchdowns in a single season … Tabbed a MaxPreps second-team freshman all-American in 2013 on the football field … Also a four-time first-team all-conference selection in football … A member of the Midland Redskins summer team for three seasons … A member of the National Honor Society and the high honor roll.

Personal: Has an older brother … Also lived in Memphis, Tenn. … Enjoys playing ping pong … Chose Tech because of the coaching staff, the great academics and the chance to play in the ACC … Intends to major in business administration.

 

Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Legends Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Partner of Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets