Tech Baseball Opens 2003 Season With No. 1 National Ranking

Jan. 28, 2003

ATLANTA – With 17 new players, many people dismissed Georgia Tech as a baseball power in 2002. Many people were wrong.

Head coach Danny Hall guided his Yellow Jackets to the College World Series for the second time in school history last season, and his team finished the season ranked fifth in the nation.

Despite the loss of several key members of last year’s club, the 2003 edition has made believers of all – enough to earn a preseason No. 1 national ranking from Baseball America magazine.

“It says pre for a reason and that means that you haven’t played any games yet,” said Hall, who owns a 396-172 record in nine years on the Flats. “That’s only on paper. I think that our team understands that totally.”

Two years ago the Yellow Jackets also opened the season with a No. 1 national ranking, only to finish the season with a pair of disappointing losses in the NCAA Athens Regional. That team was plagued by untimely injuries, although Tech did win 40 games during the season.

” I think that our team a couple of years ago understood that a preseason ranking is only on paper,” said Hall. “But we had some adversity with Mark Teixeira going down and other guys getting hurt and we did not handle that well. The key for any team is how you handle adversity. I hope that this team’s chemistry allows it that when adversity hits, we can still progress and stay in position to compete.”

For 2003, the Yellow Jackets return nearly their entire pitching staff intact, including the return of all 52 wins and 590.1 of 606.2 innings. Nine pitchers who tossed at least 15 innings return, including each of the team’s top four starting pitchers. Add to the mix several talented newcomers, and the Tech pitching staff has the potential to be one of the best in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the nation.

Nineteen of the 25 players who made the trip to the College World Series last year return for this season. And Hall is counting on that experience to help carry this team back to Omaha for a chance to play for a National Championship.

“Anytime you can get to Omaha, it puts your program in the eyes of everybody,” said Hall. “The guys that were on that trip gained the valuable experience of playing on that level and on a national stage.

The 2002 season also saw the reconstruction of Russ Chandler Stadium into a brand new, 4,154 seat facility at the cost of $9.7 million and the new home field proved to be very kind to the Yellow Jackets. Tech posted a 36-4 record at home, including a perfect 5-0 record in NCAA Regional play, and won its first 22 games at home during the season.

“We got a new stadium last year and we played great in that stadium,” said Hall. “You build a $9 million stadium, and that’s a major commitment from the school to the baseball program to ensure that all the ingredients are in place for us to be able to compete with all the elite programs in the county. I think that our coaching staff is outstanding, I think that the makeup and chemistry of our players is great, and we saw last year that we had great fan support.”

A position-by-position look at the 2003 Yellow Jackets:

Catchers

The Yellow Jackets lost their starter from a year ago in Tyler Parker, but Hall feels confident that he has players that he can put behind the plate and not lose a beat. Sophomore Mike Nickeas started 26 games last season, including 19 behind the plate, and impressed with his ability to handle the pitching staff and manage the game. Although he only hit .221 in 95 at bats, the coaching staff is confident that he will be a productive offensive player and are very comfortable with defensive abilities.

“I think that we are very solid behind the plate,” said Hall. “Mike Nickeas is going to be very good. He is a great leader and he has a great understanding of the game. I feel very comfortable with him.”

Freshman Andy Hawranick enters the spring as the Yellow Jackets’ No. 2 catcher following an impressive fall practice. Hawranick arrived on the Tech campus last fall with the reputation of a great defensive catcher with an outstanding arm, and he certainly lived up to that billing during fall intrasquad games.

“Andy Hawranick is a very talented guy,” said Hall. “He just lacks experience. He is a guy that can spell Mike a game here and there.”

Tech’s third catcher is sophomore Cameron Lane, who made the conversion behind the plate last season after playing in the infield in high school. Lane displayed a high aptitude for the catcher position, grasping the concepts of the position very rapidly and making great strides as the season progressed.

“Cameron Lane just keeps getting better,” Hall said. “I think we are three deep and in good shape.”

Infielders

Only one regular starter returns from last year’s infield, but the Yellow Jackets enter the season with a number of talented individuals who are ready to step in and produce.

The lone returnee is an outstanding one in sophomore Eric Patterson at second base. Patterson earned Freshman All-America honors last spring in addition to being named a third-team All-American, and he was Tech’s lone first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference selection. As a rookie he established himself as one of the premier leadoff hitters in the nation, batting .346 and stealing 41 bases in 50 attempts, the third highest single season total in school history.

Patterson, elected as one of three team captains for 2003, spent the summer with the USA Baseball National Team, ranking second on the squad with a .333 batting average and leading the team with 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts. He helped the Red, White and Blue win the silver medal at the FISU World Championships in Messina, Italy.

“Eric Patterson had a great year for us last spring, and he had a great summer with the USA National Team,” said Hall. “But he continues to work hard to improve himself as a player. He’s a leadoff hitter that can hit and run the bases. He has great makeup as a player, and he’s one of the leaders of our team.”

At first base, Hall will turn to sophomore Clifton Remole, who hit .283 with four home runs and 34 RBI in starting 40 games last year. With a smooth swing from the left side of the plate, Remole showed a good eye and flashes of power last season in addition to a solid glove in the field.

“I look for Clifton Remole to have a good year,” said Hall. “He started about half of the time last year, and I think that he is a better player now. He is one of the guys that we need to step up to fill in for the departure of Jason Perry. He’s the guy right now.”

Also in the mix at first base is the talented freshman Micah Owings, who turned down a sizeable bonus as a second round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies coming out of high school. The son of a former Tech football player and an outstanding athlete in his own right, Owings had a very impressive fall practice and quickly established himself as a middle of the order hitter. Hall plans to use Owings extensively as a pitcher as well, which might limit him more to designated hitter duty.

“Micah Owings is a very good first baseman,” said Hall. “The whole key with him will be what role he is going to play on the mound, and we are expecting him to play a big role. That will probably limit his chances to play first base, but he could play there very easily. But Micah will DH for us, and he is going to start the year hitting right behind Matt Murton in the lineup. He has great power, and we expect big things from him offensively.”

Freshman Ryan Stanley can also play first base, and he had a solid fall practice. A good hitter with good power potential, Stanley is a more than adequate defensive first baseman.

“Ryan Stanley has gotten a lot stronger and he swung the bat pretty good in the fall,” said Hall. “He just needs to continue working hard at all phases of the game.”

With the departure of four-year starter Victor Menocal, highly regarded freshman Tyler Greene steps into the starting lineup this spring. A second-round draft pick of the Atlanta Braves who opted to enroll at Tech instead, Greene is an outstanding athlete with nearly unlimited potential. During the fall he showed excellent range at shortstop in addition to great speed on the base paths. Greene chose to wear jersey No. 5, the same number worn by Menocal and Nomar Garciaparra in their Yellow Jacket careers.

“Tyler Greene is a great athlete and he got a lot better as fall practice went along,” said Hall. “He still has a lot to learn, but so much of it as a freshman is just getting comfortable and letting your ability take over. I thought that he started to do that at the end of the fall, and I am very comfortable with him stepping in at shortstop.”

The starting job at third base is up in the air heading into the season, and any one of three different players could see action there. Junior Davis Myers, Tech’s primary backup at all three infield positions the last two years, is a candidate for the position. Myers, the son of a former Tech quarterback, is the Yellow Jackets’ best defensive infielder and has excellent speed.

Sophomore Jake Hall saw spot duty at third base last season and is in the mix for a starting assignment this year. Hall has a good bat with a knack for finding the holes and has shown steady improvement defensively. Sophomore Garrett Groce is also in the mix at third base after seeing time in the outfield and at shortstop last season. One of the better all-around athletes on the team, Groce is versatile enough to play several different positions this spring.

“Whoever plays third base for us is probably going to hit ninth in the order so defense is a premium there,” said Hall. “Davis Myers is by far the best defensive player there. Jake Hall is the most consistent hitter. Garrett Groce is probably the best athlete of the group. We will probably let all three get some time there early on and figure out what our best options are as the season goes along. Another guy who could play third base is Mike Nickeas, who could see some time when Andy Hawranick is catching.”

Other infielders who add all important depth are redshirt freshman Mike Trapani and Cameron Lane. Tech’s third catcher, Lane was a middle infielder in high school and worked in the infield some during fall practice. Trapani is a versatile player who can fill in at second base, third base or shortstop if needed.

“We’ve used Cameron as a utility guy,” said Hall. “And Mike Trapani is a great utility defensive player. He needs to continue to work on his hitting, but defensively he could play all three positions and play them well.”

Oufielders

Hall essentially returns three starters in the outfield in left fielder Matt Murton, right fielder Jeremy Slayden and center fielder Brandon Boggs. The trio combined to hit .335 with 28 home runs and 159 RBI last spring, and Hall expects even bigger results from the group this year. Murton and Slayden were both named to Baseball America’s pre-season All-America team.

Murton, who hit .344 with 10 homers and stole 20 bases, has been solid in his first two years in a Georgia Tech uniform. But the big, powerful hitter has really made a name for himself over the last two summers in the Cape Cod Baseball League where he has been selected as one of the top prospects in the league in both seasons. In 2001, he was named the league MVP while last season he won the home run contest at the all-star game, and he hit well over .300 with wood bats in both seasons.

“Matt Murton has been a starter for two years,” said Hall. “He has put up good numbers here and put up great numbers up in Cape Cod. I think he is one of the premier players in the country and I expect him to have a great year. He has great power, he hits for average, he can steal bases and he has gotten much better in the outfield.”

Slayden set a Tech freshman record with 18 home runs last season and earned freshman All-America honors in the process. The left handed hitter batted .348 for the season with a team high 66 RBI and 74 runs scored. In his right field position, Slayden showed a strong and accurate throwing arm in addition to good range.

“Jeremy Slayden has the most power on the team,” said Hall. “He was a very good outfielder for us last year. He has a passion for hitting and a passion for the game. He’s a great player.”

Boggs started 54 games last season, seeing action at all three outfield positions. The lone switch hitter on the team, Boggs is blessed with outstanding speed, good power and an excellent throwing arm. As a rookie last year, he hit .305 with 35 RBI, and Hall expects increased production from him this spring.

“Brandon Boggs is a very athletic guy, and he played a good bit of the season as our starter in center field last year,” said Hall. “He has a great throwing arm. He gets on base a lot and I look for him to have a much more productive year offensively this season. The one thing that you will see from him is that he will hit more home runs this year then many people would think.”

Other players in the mix in the outfield are freshman Steven Blackwood, senior Matthew Swain and sophomore Garrett Groce. A solid left handed hitter and good defensive outfielder, Blackwood had a solid fall practice and showed that he has a chance to crack the lineup. Swain, who is in his fifth year in the Tech program, was voted by his teammates as a team captain this spring, while Groce saw action at all three outfield positions in a reserve role last year.

“The fourth outfielder is Steven Blackwood,” said Hall. “He is going to be in the mix somehow and some way. He can hit, he’s a good outfielder and he plays hard. He will see some action, whether it is as the DH or resting someone in the outfield, he is going to get plenty of at bats.”

“Nobody works harder than Matthew Swain,” Hall continued. “He was voted by his teammates as a team captain, and that is very deserving because of how hard he works. Garrett Groce is probably our backup center fielder. He runs good and he has a great throwing arm. He is going to work in both places and he could end up being the utility guy that could play in the infield as well as the outfield.”

Pitchers

Hall and pitching coach Bobby Moranda enter the 2003 season with perhaps the deepest and most gifted pitching staff in school history. The goal is to translate that athletic ability into results on the field, and Hall feels like he has a good mix of proven veterans and talented newcomers that can evolve into a successful staff.

The 2002 pitching staff developed into a strength of the club, and the group set school records for fewest walks per nine innings and best walk to strikeout ratio.

“It doesn’t matter what level you are playing at, but for any team to be successful you need to have good pitching,” said Hall. “I feel like we have the ingredients to have a great pitching staff. We have a lot of different guys that we can count on to help us win games.”

The unquestioned leader of the staff is 6-9 southpaw Kyle Bakker, a second-team All-America selection last season after posting a 13-2 record and a 3.14 ERA in 134.2 innings. The best control pitcher in school history, averaging just 1.7 walks per nine innings for his career, Bakker was named a first-team preseason All-American by Baseball America this spring.

“Everybody feels like Kyle Bakker is our Friday night starter, and he definitely proved last year that he could handle that role,” said Hall. “We fully expect him to be the guy again this year that pitches the tough games on Friday nights.”

Senior Chris Goodman, who pitched for the first time last spring after playing shortstop for the first half of his collegiate career, ended the 2002 season as Tech’s No. 2 pitcher after going 8-2 with a 4.41 ERA. Goodman picked up right where he left off in preseason workouts, showing marked improvement as he continues to learn the nuances of being a front line pitcher. Blessed with a 90-plus mile per hour fastball, a good slider and a very effective change up, Goodman has the tools to put together a very successful season.

“One of the most improved guys on our club is Chris Goodman,” said Hall. “He is better now than he was at any point last year, and he ended up being our No. 2 starter last year and won some big games for us. I think he is very solid.”

Junior Brian Burks, who won 10 games and tossed 102.1 innings with a 3.87 ERA last season, is the versatile member of the Tech pitching corps. He was used as a starter, set up man and closer at various points last spring, and Hall has no intention of that role changing at all this season. A tough competitor and tested veteran, Burks has earned the confidence of the Tech coaching staff.

“Going into the year I would say Brian Burks is our third starter,” said Hall. “But the great thing about Brian is that he can fill a lot of roles for us. He’s a valuable guy to have because he can start, middle relieve, set up or close. He can do anything just because of his makeup.”

The closer, or stopper, in the Tech bullpen is senior Jeff Watchko, who went 11-1 with a 4.01 ERA in 29 appearances last season. One of Tech’s career leaders in appearances and saves, Watchko would often come out of the bullpen at any point after the fifth inning when the game was on the line.

“When you say that Jeff Watchko is your closer, I wouldn’t call him your classic closer,” said Hall. “He was a guy that would be in the game whenever we got in trouble and he picked up a lot of wins when he was in there at crunch time. That may not change much with him this year, he’s a senior and he has that experience.”

Sophomore Kyle Schmidt was impressive as a rookie last season, splitting time between the staring rotation and the bullpen. He went 5-2 with a 3.64 ERA in 71.2 innings, and was dominant in several of his starts. Blessed with one of the best curve balls on the Tech staff, Schmidt is poised to crack the starting rotation on a full time basis this season.

“Kyle Schmidt ended up being our fourth guy last year,” said Hall. “He is better now and I think is in a position where he can challenge for a spot in the top three of the weekend rotation.”

Junior Aaron Walker was Tech’s top lefty out of the bullpen last spring, posting a 1-2 record and a 5.34 ERA in 21 appearances. A veteran who was impressive at times last season, Walker was outstanding in fall practice and should again be the top southpaw in the bullpen this spring.

“Aaron Walker was probably the best pitcher that we had all fall,” said Hall. “He made a big jump in velocity, and his slider got much better. I think that he will be a huge factor for us this season.”

Two freshmen right-handers were very impressive during fall practice and both have a chance to play significant roles on the Yellow Jackets’ staff this spring. Micah Owings sported a low 90’s fastball and outstanding command, while Jason Neighborgall reached the high 90’s on the radar gun with an impressive breaking ball. Both players were considered among the best high school pitchers in the nation last year.

“Micah is going to push somebody,” said Hall. “He is going to end up in the top three or four, he is that good. Jason Neighborgall has more talent than anybody on the staff. So if he gets consistent with his stuff then he goes by everybody.”

Other players in the mix for duty out of the Tech bullpen include four sophomores who saw limited action last season. Lefty Jeff Kindel posted a 3.52 ERA in 15 appearances, and should be a key member of the staff this spring as he continues to improve his control and command. Righties Jordan Crews, Andrew Kown and Nick Wagner combined to make 28 appearances last season, and each member of the group displayed improvement during fall practice. All four of theses sophomores will get a chance to contribute this season.

“We’ve got some other sophomores who have improved a lot from last year,” said Hall. “Andrew Kown has improved quite a bit, Nick Wagner is better, Jordan Crews is better and I think that Jeff Kindel is better.”

Three other freshman also join the Yellow Jackets’ pitching staff this season – righties Jon Crosby and Jared Hyatt and lefty Ryan Self. All three of the rookies had their moments in fall practice and showed the tools to be successful pitchers in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Crosby, a late-round draft pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks coming out of high school, showed a good live arm and has excellent potential. Hyatt displayed great command of the strike zone while Self will have a chance to contribute this season as a left-handed flush reliever.

“We’re very pleased with Jon Crosby,” said Hall. “We feel like he has a lot of upside potential. And Ryan Self, who is left handed, has played in some great programs and he has a chance to help us. The sleeper of the whole group may be Jared Hyatt. He got better as the fall went along, he throws strikes and he has a good idea out there on the mound.”

“There are a lot of names to throw out there, and as we start playing it will sort itself out as to who is going to get opportunities and who is going to fill what roles on the staff.”

Schedule

As is custom, the Yellow Jackets will again take on a schedule that includes the nation’s top opponents. In addition to the usual Atlantic Coast Conference opponents, Tech faces perennial power Miami in a three-game series, as well as Georgia, Georgia Southern and Auburn in key non-conference match ups. Additionally, the Yellow Jackets will face the Atlanta Braves on Feb. 27 in an exhibition at the Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando.

In all, Tech has 17 games on the schedule against teams ranked in the pre-season Top 25, and the Yellow Jackets will play 30 games against teams that made the NCAA Tournament last season.

“”We were dissapointed in our finish in the ACC last year,” said Hall. “But our league was tough and it says a lot that we finished fifth in the league and still made it to Omaha. The league is not going to change much. I think that it is going to be as tough this year as it was last year. Hopefully we can play very consistent again and play hard, and then be in a position in May to host a regional and have a good chance to get back to Omaha.”