DURHAM, N.C. – Georgia Tech baseball (38-16, 18-11 ACC) fell behind early and couldn’t mount a comeback, falling 14-4 (7) to No. 20 Duke (35-17, 16-12 ACC) on Friday night at Jack Coombs Field. After scoring in the first inning, the Yellow Jackets allowed 10 unanswered runs over the first four innings, suffering just their second run-rule loss of the season.
QUICK HITS: THE TEAM
- Tech is now 38-16, tied for the best record in 15 years (tied with 2019 & 2011 for best since 2010).
- The Jackets are now 11-2 in games decided by run-rule this season.
- Tech connected for three doubles today, off the bats of Vahn Lackey, Kent Schmidt and Kyle Lodise bringing the season total to 138, the most in the Power 4.
- Georgia Tech is averaging 2.56 doubles per game this season (138 in 54 games) – the program record for doubles/game is 2.51, set in 1987.
- With today’s results, Georgia Tech sits at 3rd in the standings, trailing NC State (17-10) and North Carolina (18-10) on win percentage. The Jackets need to win tomorrow’s rubber match to guarantee a double bye in next week’s ACC Tournament as one of the top four teams in the league.
- The Yellow Jackets can still win the regular season ACC title with a win over Duke tomorrow, a loss from NC State and a loss from North Carolina.
QUICK HITS: THE BATS
- Sophomore Kent Schmidt extended his hitting streak to a team-high eight games with a 2-for-4 showing.
- Schmidt now has 19 multi-hit games in just 33 games with multiple ABs (57.6 percent of opportunities).
- He hit his 16th double of the year, putting him at a 26 double pace had he not missed 20 games due to injury. That number would lead all of Power 4 and be 2nd in Division I.
- He came around to score two runs, marking his 12th multi-run game over 33 starts.
- Junior Kyle Lodise laced a two-run double off the wall in center field in the fifth inning. It was his 20th double of the season and tied Drew Burress for the most extra-base hits in the ACC this season, with 37.
- It was his team-leading 18th multi-RBI game of the season, bringing his season total to 55.
- Georgia Tech is the only team in the ACC with three players at 55 or more RBI this season: Lodise (55), Burress (55) and Hernandez (58).
- Sophomore Vahn Lackey delivered his team-leading 24th multi-hit effort, going 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the first inning.
- He leads all Power 4 catchers with 69 base hits this season, the most hits on the team.
QUICK HITS: THE ARMS
- Freshman Connor Chicoli made his first-career weekend start, recording a pair of outs before exiting the game.
- Freshman Adam McKelvey got the Jackets out of the fifth inning, retiring the only batter he faced on three pitches. It was his fourth appearance of the season and third of ACC play.
- R-Sophomore Riley Stanford returned to the mound after missing the last 20 games with an injury. He was consistently hitting 96 mph on his fastball and delivered a scoreless sixth inning.
- It was his 10th appearance of the season as he recorded his 30th strikeout, a career-high for a single season.
UP NEXT
The Jackets will look to secure a double bye in the ACC Tournament tomorrow during the final game of the series, beginning at 3 p.m. on ACC Network. Tech will start reigning ACC Pitcher of the Week Brady Jones (6-2 / 3.81 ERA) against Duke’s Henry Zatkowski (5-1 / 5.01 ERA). The ACC Tournament will be played in Durham, at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park next week. For more information on the 2025 ACC Baseball Championship, including tickets and schedule, click HERE
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
