March 18, 2004
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ATLANTA–Georgia Tech (11-9, 0-3 ACC) travels to Wake Forest (10-7, 0-0) for a three-game Atlantic Coast Conference series in Winston-Salem, N.C. The series opens on Friday at 3 p.m., and continues on Saturday and Sunday at 1:30 p.m. each day.
The Yellow Jackets are looking to bounce back following a disappointing series against Virginia last weekend when the Cavaliers swept a three-game series. Tech jumped back into the win column with a pair of midweek wins against Purdue, 14-4 and 18-16. Wake Forest enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak, including a 15-2 win over Virginia Tech on Wednesday.
Following the series against the Demon Deacons, the Yellow Jackets will face Georgia on Wednesday at Foley Field in Athens before returning home to host Georgia Southern for a two-game series next Saturday and Sunday.
Game Coverage: Live statistics will be available on the internet at www.ramblinwreck.com. Live radio coverage for all three games can be found on WREK-Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta) and on the internet at www.wrek.org.
LEADING OFF … NEWS & NOTES ON THE YELLOW JACKETS
*** After struggling offensively in a 12 game stretch, Tech’s bats came out of hibernation in the Yellow Jackets’ two game series against Purdue this week. Tech hit just .252 and averaged 4.1 runs per game in the 12 game slump, but the Jackets hit .440 and averaged 16.0 runs per game in the two games against the Boilermakers. Also of note, Tech hit five home runs in the last two games and posted a .532 team on base percentage and a .773 slugging percentage. In the previous 12 games, Tech had a total of eight home runs, a .333 OBP and a .372 slg%.
*** Despite committing six errors in the series against Purdue, the Yellow Jackets are fielding .970 as a team in 2004. Tech best fielding percentage in the 10 previous years under Danny Hall is .968, which was accomplished by the 1994 team that played for the national championship and featured Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Varitek and Jay Payton.
*** Head coach Danny Hall has used 19 different starting lineups in 20 games this season.
*** Tech has used 15 different pitchers this season, including 12 pitchers who have made at least five appearances.
*** Pitching matchups for the three-game series: Friday: RHP Micah Owings (2-2, 3.86) vs. RHP Justin Keadle (0-2, 5.92); Saturday: RHP Brian Burks (1-1, 2.54) vs. RHP Kyle Young (2-1, 4.09); Sunday: RHP Andrew Kown (2-1, 3.58) vs. LHP Tim Morley (2-1, 3.45).
GEORGIA TECH VS. WAKE FOREST
*** Georgia Tech leads Wake Forest, 51-33-1, in a series that dates to 1898. Tech has won four games in a row (all in 2003), after the Demon Deacons won four of five games in 2001 and 2002.
*** The Yellow Jackets are just 10-18-1 in games played in Winston-Salem. Tech lost both games of a rain-shortened two-game series in 2002, but took two of three games in 2000.
*** Last year in Atlanta, Tech swept the three-game series behind strong pitching performances and timely hitting. In game one of the series, Tech’s Kyle Bakker outdueled Wake Forest ace Kyle Sleeth in a 2-0 victory. Bakker fired a seven hit shutout, striking out seven while not issuing a walk, while Sleeth worked 7.2 innings and allowed two runs.
*** In game two of the 2003 series, Tech scored seven runs in the second inning and held on for a 10-4 victory. Chris Goodman worked six innings and allowed three runs, while Jake Hall went 2-for-4 and drove in three runs.
*** In game three, Micah Owings carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning and hit a home run, and Brian Burks picked up a save in a 5-3 Georgia Tech victory.
*** The Yellow Jackets and Demon Deacons met for a fourth time in the first round of the ACC Tournament in Salem, Va., and Tech took a thrilling 9-8 win. Georgia Tech raced to an early lead with five runs in the third inning, but the Yellow Jackets had to hold off a three-run ninth-inning Deacon rally as Brian Burks earned his eighth save of the season.
*** Tech is 20-14 against Wake Forest under head coach Danny Hall.
