May 25, 2004
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SALEM, Va.–Georgia Tech (38-17, 18-5 ACC) won 17 straight games to close out the regular season, including 16 straight in ACC play, to earn the No. 1 seed at the 2004 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Salem, Va. The Yellow Jackets won the ACC regular season championship for the fifth time in school history (1987, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2004).
The Yellow Jackets play Wednesday at 1:30 p.m. against No. 9 seed Maryland, a 15-12 winner over Wake Forest Tuesday. Other first-round matchups include No. 4 Clemson vs. No. 5 North Carolina at 10 a.m., No. 2 Virginia vs. No. 7 Duke at 5 p.m., and No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 6 NC State at 8:30 p.m.
Georgia Tech’s 17-game win streak is the longest current streak in the nation, while the Yellow Jackets’ 16-game conference win streak is a school record.
The Yellow Jackets are looking to capture their seventh ACC Championship, and defend their improbable 2003 title when Tech won three games on the final day against North Carolina, Florida State and NC State. The Jackets won league titles in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2000 and 2003.
Georgia Tech is ranked 5th in the nation this week by Collegiate Baseball.
GAME COVERAGE: Live statistics for all games in the ACC Tournament will be available on the internet at www.theacc.org. Radio coverage for all Tech games will be available on WREK-FM (91.1 FM in Atlanta) and on the internet at www.wrek.org.
LEADING OFF … NEWS & NOTES ON THE YELLOW JACKETS
WEB GEMS: The Yellow Jackets are fielding .975 as a team in 2004, committing 54 errors in 55 games. Tech’s best fielding percentage since records were kept in the 1950’s is .968, which was accomplished by the 1994 team that played for the national championship and featured Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Jay Payton. The Yellow Jackets have committed one error or less in 41 of 55 games, including 22 errorless games. In 23 conference games, Tech is fielding .981 (16 errors).
THE OFFENSE: After seeing the team batting average briefly drop below the .280 mark in early March, Tech has returned to its familiar ways of a potent offensive attack. The Yellow Jackets lead the ACC with a .321 team batting average, and Tech is averaging 9.0 runs per game. Tech has hit over .300 as a team in 19 of the last 21 years, and has averaged at least seven runs per game every year since 1981. Tech has led the ACC in batting in four years (1994, 1995, 2000, 2001) under Danny Hall.
BALANCED ATTACK: Georgia Tech’s offensive prowess can be largely attributed to a balanced attack that features a number of different contributors. The Yellow Jackets have six players with at least 40 RBI, and nine regulars and key reserves are batting over .300. Five of Tech’s everyday players are batting .320 or better.
Georgia Tech’s ACC Tournament History
ALL-TIME RECORD: 53-38
*** Georgia Tech will play in its 25th Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament this week in Salem, Va. The Yellow Jackets have captured six championships-1985, 1986, 1986, 1988, 2000, 2003.
***The Yellow Jackets went 5-1 to capture the 2003 crown in Salem. Tech’s run to the championship included a triple-header sweep of North Carolina, Florida State and NC State on the final day of the tournament.
***Since 2000, Georgia Tech is 14-5 in ACC Tournament play, winning the 2000 title in Fort Mill, SC and the 2003 title in Salem.
*** Georgia Tech is 22-17 in ACC Tournament play under head coach Danny Hall.
vs. WAKE FOREST
*** Georgia Tech is 8-4 against Wake Forest in ACC Tournament play. The two teams have split the last four tournament meetings. Demon Deacons won 2-1 en route to the 1998 championship, Tech won 6-3 on the way to the 2000 championship, Wake Forest won 4-3 on the way to the 2001 championship and the Jackets won 9-8 in its opening game on the way to the 2003 championship.
***Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Wake Forest, 53-34-1. Tech took two of three from Wake during the regular season in Winston-Salem. Tech is 22-15 against Wake Forest under head coach Danny Hall.
vs. MARYLAND
*** Georgia Tech is 3-2 against Maryland in ACC Tournament play. The Yellow Jackets and Terrapins have not met in tournament play since 1993, a 6-1 Tech victory. Maryland claimed victory over Tech in the ACC Tournament in 1980 and 1984, but Tech has won the last three meetings (1985, 1986, 1993).
***Georgia Tech leads the all-time series with Maryland, 55-18. The Yellow Jackets swept three games from the Terrapins in Aberdeen, Md. during the final weekend of the regular season. Tech is 30-3 against Maryland under head coach Danny Hall.
STREAKING JACKETS
Georgia Tech has won 17 straight games overall and 16 straight against ACC opponents. The Yellow Jackets’ current win streak has been highlighted by a resurgence from the pitching staff, including starters working more innings and relievers holding the lead. In the current 17-game win streak, the Yellow Jackets have scored seven or more runs in 16 games, including 11 games with nine or more runs. Tech is averaging 10.4 runs per game in the current win streak.
The Yellow Jackets’ 16 consecutive wins against conference opponents is a new school record.
YEAR TECH CONSECUTIVE ACC WINS FINAL ACC RECORD2004 16 18-51997 11 19-42000 9 18-6
LONGEST CONFERENCE WIN STREAKS IN ACC HISTORY WINS SCHOOL YEAR(S) 1. 21 Clemson 1987-88 21 North Carolina 1963-65 3. 17 Florida State 1996 4. 16 Georgia Tech 2004 5. 14 Clemson 1975-76 14 Clemson 1993-94
LONGEST GEORGIA TECH OVERALL WIN STREAKS WINS YEAR 1. 20 1990 2. 18 1992 3. 17 2003 17 2004 5. 16 1987
“5” – THE MAGIC NUMBER
Georgia Tech is 28-2 this season when the Yellow Jackets allow five runs or less. Tech’s only two losses when allowing five or less runs are against Virginia (3-4 and 1-2).
Since the arrival of pitching coach Bobby Moranda prior to the 2002 season, the Yellow Jackets are 100-6 when allowing five runs or less. Tech went 34-2 in 2003 and 38-2 in 2002 when allowing five runs or less. When allowing six or more runs, the Yellow Jackets are 32-45 since 2002, including a 10-15 mark this season.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN … JUST CAN’T WAIT TO GET ON THE ROAD AGAIN
Georgia Tech is 15-5 in games played away from Russ Chandler Stadium this season, including a 14-3 mark in true road games. The Yellow Jackets went 10-1 in ACC road games during the regular season. Tech finished the year with 12 straight wins in games played away from home, and the Yellow Jackets have not lost a road game since March 20 at Wake Forest.
THE BROOM
Georgia Tech has swept each of the last five Atlantic Coast Conference series, and the Yellow Jackets have swept 51 weekend series since the conference adopted the current three-game round-robin format in 1987. Since 1987 Tech has won 91 of 140 (.650) ACC series, including seven of eight series in 2004.
