Tech Overpowers Cal in 7 innings

BERKELEY, Calif. – No. 3 Georgia Tech scored nine runs in the first inning and never looked back, pummeling California (14-14, 1-9 ACC) in seven innings, 17-2. The Yellow Jackets (24-5, 10-3 ACC) were utterly dominant, scoring 17 unanswered runs in the first 4.5 innings thanks to career days from Jarren Advincula and Will Baker among many others.

The Jackets had all nine starters reach base in the first inning, chasing the Cal starter after just 0.1 innings and forcing the Golden Bears to use three pitchers. The inning lasted 40 minutes and featured two doubles from Advincula for a total of three RBI along with a double from Carson Kerce, two Cal errors and four walks.

The onslaught continued from there as by the games end, nine different Jackets scored at least one run, seven recorded hits and six posted an RBI. Tech connected for three home runs, two off the bat of Baker and the first-career home run for freshman Coleman Lewis, whose 106 mph blast made it a 15-0 ballgame in the 5^th inning.

QUICK HITS: TEAM

• Georgia Tech has won the series opener of all eight series this season for the first time since 1957.
• Tech is outscoring opponents 99-26 in series openers this season and 57-13 in series openers in ACC play.
• The Jackets improve to 24-5, tied for the best 29-game record since 2010.
• Tech has won at least 24 of its first 29 for only the 9^th time in the program’s 131 seasons: 2010, 2008, 2002, 1997, 1994, 1992, 1990 and 1971.
• GT is now 10-3 in ACC play, the best start to a conference season since starting 11-2 in 2011.
• The Jackets have won their last three games via run-rule for the first time since winning four-straight against Youngstown State back in 2024. This was the first time Tech has won three-straight against Power 4 competition (No. 14 NC State, No. 11 Auburn and Cal).
• The win keeps head coach James Ramsey in a tie with his predecessor, Danny Hall, for the best record by any GT head coach through the first 29 games of his first season at the helm.
• GT is now 7-3 playing away from home this season and have won at least seven of its first 10 road games in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2010-2011.
• The GT bullpen scoreless streak ended at 9.2 innings – 2.2 innings shy of the season-long set over the course of four games from Feb. 24-March 1.
• The offense scored 10+ runs for the 19^th time in 29 games this season. This was the sixth time this year the Jackets have scored 15+.
• Tech has scored 337 runs through their first 29 games. It’s the most runs Georgia Tech has recorded after 29 games in the program’s 131-year history and the most runs any Power 4 team has scored through 29 games in the BBCOR era (since 2011).
• The Jackets scoring average now stands at 11.6 runs/game this season. The program record is 10.3, set back in 1984.
• GT is outscoring its opponents 337-129, that +208 margin is the highest through 29 games in program history.
• The Jackets recorded 11 hits, eight of which were for extra bases (four doubles, one triple and three home runs). GT has recorded at least 10 hits in 23 of 29 games this season (79.3%).
• The Jackets scored nine runs in the first inning, marking the 22^nd inning this season with at least five runs scored (9.7% of total innings).
• The nine runs were the second most in an inning this season, behind only the 11-spot they put up against Bowling Green on Opening Day.
• Tech improves to 12-0 in night games (games started after 6 p.m.) this season.

  QUICK HITS: THE BATS

• Junior Jarren Advincula extended his hitting streak to a team-high 13 games, going 3-for-4 and tying his career high with 5 RBI. He hit two doubles in the first inning, scoring three and doubling his season total for 2B to four, before hitting his first triple of the season in the third inning to score two more.
• He has now recorded 35 RBI this season, surpassing his previous career high for a single season (33) set last season while he was playing at Cal.
• The former Golden Bear has recorded multiple hits in eight of his last 10 games and 10 of his last 13 dating back to March 10. He would match his career-long hitting streak should he collect a hit in each of the next two games against his former team.
• This was Advincula’s fifth career triple and first in White & Gold.
• The Santa Clara, Calif. native becomes the first Yellow Jacket to reach 50 hits this season.
• Sophomore Will Baker recorded his first-career multi-home run game, launching a pair of homers in the fourth and fifth innings. He doubled his season total from before the game, now standing at four HRs this year and 10 for his career.
• Baker finished with three hits (3-for-5) with three RBI and matching his career high with three runs scored.
• Junior Drew Burress went 1-for-3 with two walks and three runs scored.
• He has scored 38 runs this season, the second most on the team behind Vahn Lackey (41). He has scored 188 runs as a Yellow Jacket, tying him with Jeff Rowland for the 18^th most runs scored in Georgia Tech history.
• He is now eight runs away from tying the BBCOR era program record for career runs, currently held by Wade Bailey (196 runs – 2015-18).
• His two-run go-ahead double in the second inning were his 150^th and 151^st RBI in White & Gold. He is now 20 RBI away from cracking the all-time Top 20 in program history.
• Junior Vahn Lackey went 1-for-2 at the plate, hitting a double, walking twice and reaching on an error. He would set a new career high with four runs scored, bringing his season total to a team-best 41.
• Lackey continues to lead the Yellow Jackets offense in almost every offensive category this season: avg (.417), runs (41), home runs (11), RBI (38), slugging (.854) OBP (.538) and stolen bases (7-for-7).
• He has hit 10 doubles this season, becoming the fourth Yellow Jacket with 10+ doubles.
• Speaking of doubles, junior Carson Kerce hit his NCAA leading 17^th double of the season. He is on pace for 32 doubles this season, the program record is 27, set by Jay Payton in 1994.
• Junior Kent Schmidt had a very unique stat line, going 0-for-2 but delivering three RBI. He hit a SAC fly and drew a bases loaded walk in the first inning, going 0-for-0 with two RBI before grounding into a fielder’s choice with runners at the corners in the third inning, for his third RBI.
• Schmidt leads the team with 20 RBI in ACC play – 1.54 RBI/game.
• Freshman Coleman Lewis delivered his first-career home run, blasting a pitch 106 mph into right field to make it a 15-0 game in the 5^th
• Sophomore Alex Hernandez extended his on-base streak to a career best 31 games when he walked in each of his first three plate appearances. He has reached base in every game this season.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

• Junior Tate McKee made his 24th consecutive series opening start, pitching 4.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts, three hits and one walk before being pulled when the game was out of hand (14-0).
• He remains the only Yellow Jacket to breach the 30-strikeout mark, bringing his season total to a team high 38.
• Tech improves to 20-4 in series openers started by McKee (.833 win %) and have won each of the last 11 series begun by him.
• McKee has pitched a team-high 24.1 innings in ACC play this year with a tidy 2.96 ERA.
• He improves to 5-0 on the season, collecting his third win of ACC play across five starts.
• This was McKee’s fifth outing of the year with one or fewer earned runs allowed, surpassing his season total from last year when he did so four times over 16 starts.
• McKee now owns a 3.35 ERA this year over the course of 37.2 innings pitched.
• Sophomore Adam McKelvey made his seventh appearance of the season, coming in for the fifth inning. He recorded his 11^th strikeout of the season and is striking out batters at a team high 16.50-per-nine clip.
• R-Freshman Dimitri Angelakos pitched the final two innings of the game, collecting six outs, two strikeouts and allowing only one hit and one walk.
• This was his fifth scoreless outing over seven appearances, lowing his ERA to 3.31 for the season over 16.1 innings of work.

Up Next

The Jackets carry their six-game winning streak into the second game of the series, scheduled for tomorrow, April 3 at 9:05 ET. The game will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra.

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.

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