THE FLATS –As the calendar draws closer to opening day of the college baseball season, D1 Baseball has been publishing position rankings in which their staff ranks the top 50 players of each position, the top 150 outfielders, top 200 starting pitchers and top 100 relievers heading into the 2026 season. Georgia Tech is represented on every list, including being the only program in the nation with six position players listed in among the top 15 and the only program with eight position players in the top 50 of their respective position group.
Jackets in the D1 Baseball Position Rankings
Drew Burress – No. 1 – Outfield
Jarren Advincula – No. 2 – 2nd Base
Vahn Lackey – No. 2 – Catcher
Alex Hernandez – No. 11 – Outfield
Kent Schmidt – No. 13 – 1st Base
Carson Kerce – No. 15 – Shortstop
Ryan Zuckerman – No. 28 – 3rd Base
Caleb Daniel – No. 41 – Outfield
Tate McKee – No. 55 – Starting Pitcher
Mason Patel – No. 61 Starting Pitcher
Justin Shadek – No. 85 – Relief Pitcher
Charlie Willcox – No. 155 – Starting Pitcher
Georgia Tech and TCU are the only programs in the nation with three outfielders listed in the Top 50 of these rankings. Similarly, Tech and LSU are the only programs to have a representative from each infield position listed among the Top 30. Tech leads the nation with eight players listed among the top 50 in their position, one more than the next closest programs (LSU and TCU) and two more than the next closest ACC rival (North Carolina and Louisville).
The Yellow Jackets having the highest rated player group in the nation from D1 Baseball should come as no surprise, considering D1 Baseball’s Aaron Fitt referred to the 2026 Georgia Tech lineup as “the best position player group…and it’s not even close,” after visiting for an intersquad scrimmage in the fall. Additionally, D1 Baseball’s Bradley Smart gushed over the talent in the Tech lineup when he said, “This position player group has a chance to be the best in the country. Full Stop.”
In total, 12 players were selected as being among the best in their positions, including four pitchers. Charlie Willcox was one of four freshman pitchers to earn a spot in the Top 200 for starting pitchers, coming in at No. 155.
The excitement continues to build toward the 2026 season, leading to the most season tickets ever sold in program history and a program record 10 games selected for national broadcasts on either ACC Network or ESPN2.
2026 Georgia Tech Baseball
Georgia Tech enters the 2026 season as a consensus Top-5 team and the preseason ACC favorites. The Jackets boast three preseason 1st Team All-Americans, the most from any GT team since the turn of the century, in CF Drew Burress, C Vahn Lackey and RHP Mason Patel and are tied for the most preseason All-Americans in the nation headed into the season (five), also 2B Jarren Advincula and UTL Alex Hernandez.
The Yellow Jackets were the highest ranked team in the conference across four different national preseason top-25 polls: No. 2 (Perfect Game), No. 4 (Baseball America), No. 4 (USA Today Coaches Poll) and No. 5 (D1 Baseball). The No. 2 preseason ranking is the fourth highest in program history and the highest since 2003, 2001 and 1994 when the Jackets were preseason No. 1. Tech earned its highest preseason ranking from Baseball America since 2006 (the last time GT reached the College World Series) and the No. 5 ranking from D1 Baseball was the best Tech has received since the publication began doing preseason rankings in 2014.
2026 will be the first season for new Head Coach James Ramsey, who has been serving as an assistant coach for the past seven seasons. Since Ramsey took over coaching the offense in 2019, Georgia Tech leads the ACC in batting average (.308), OPS (.918), OBP (.408), hits (3,961), doubles (796) and SAC Flies (208) and is second in runs (2,937), triples (84), home runs (547), RBI (2,709) and slugging (.510) with more to come in 2026.
First pitch for the highly anticipated 2026 season is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. when the Yellow Jackets host Bowling Green for a three-game series at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.
2026 Season Tickets
Season tickets for Georgia Tech’s 2026 regular season home schedule, including five ACC home series and a collection of non-conference games, are on sale now. Visit ramblinwreck.com/tickets to purchase. For complete information on 2026 baseball tickets, including premium membership options, please visit the official Georgia Tech Baseball Tickets page.
2026 Single Game Tickets
Single game and mini plans for the 2026 regular season are on sale now featuring tickets for individual games and mini plans such as the Hattie B’s ACC Saturday Pack and the Midweek Pick ‘Em Plan. Purchase your tickets today to watch the defending ACC Regular Season Champions strive for more trophies in 2026!
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
