THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball (16-8, 0-6 ACC) will jump back on the road, heading to Louisville (16-8, 0-0 ACC) for the first road conference series of the season over the weekend, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. at Ulmer Stadium
Series Schedule
Friday, March 18 @ 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 @ 4 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 @ Noon
TV
Game two on Saturday will be broadcast live on ACC Network. Games one and three on Friday and Sunday will both appear on ACC Network Extra.
Storylines
- Georgia Tech has outscored its opponents 131-75 to date.
- Tech got off to a 15-2 start on the year, the best for the program in 12 years. The 2010 Yellow Jackets started off 20-2 on the way to regular season and ACC tournament titles, making an NCAA regional appearance.
- The White and Gold won their first 11 straight home games, tying the 1991 Yellow Jackets for the best home start in program history.
- Most recently, the Yellow Jackets earned their first win over Georgia during the Aileen Morales era, downing the Bulldogs for the first time since a 2-0 victory on The Flats in 2012.
- The win marked the White and Gold’s first victory over Georgia on the road since winning 4-1 in 2007, a team that Morales was a member of as a player.
- Tech earned its largest margin of victory in a win over the Bulldogs in the history of the series, previously topping Georgia by three runs or less.
- In addition, the triumph was the first by run rule for the Jackets in the series.
- An eight-run outburst in the second inning against the Bulldogs marked the most runs in one inning by the Jackets this season.
- Tech owns four wins tallying double digit runs on the year.
- The Yellow Jackets have now defeated Georgia 11 times in program history. The White and Gold own five road victories through the series.
- Georgia Tech picked up its first ranked win of the season. Previously, the most recent ranked win for the Jackets came a season ago, downing No. 15 Virginia Tech on the road.
- Tech now owns 65 ranked wins all time, including six top-10 triumphs, two top-five victories and one top-three win in the history of the program.
- Across all sports in head-to-head competitions, Georgia Tech is now 9-3 against Georgia throughout the 2021-22 fall and spring seasons.
- Junior designated player Caroline Davis belted Tech’s second grand slam of the year against the Bulldogs following graduate slugger Tricia Awald’s same feat against Villanova (Feb. 12). The grand slam marked Davis’ first of her career, along with her team-leading fifth home run of the season and sixth of her career.
- Awald has gotten a hit in 17 games and reached base in Tech’s first 19 games this season. She’s reached in 22 of the Jackets’ 24 games on the year.
- Junior Blake Neleman tossed a career-high 13 strikeouts in the season opener against Saint Joseph’s, fanning 12 of the 13 batters on the way to a complete game win. Neleman nearly matched that total against Mississippi State with 12 punchouts in another complete game win over Mississippi State. She now owns eight complete game wins, two shutouts and a 10-4 record in 17 appearances on the year.
- The Jackets are currently among the nation’s most efficient at the plate and near the top of the league in multiple categories –21st in the land and third in the league in on-base percentage (0.413), third in the NCAA and atop the ACC in walks (108) and 36th in the country and fifth in the conference in doubles on the season (36).
- Tech stacks up among the nation’s best defensively as well, placing 13th in the country and fourth in the conference in fielding percentage (.979).
- Awald is among the nation’s best at the dish, currently 23rd in the country and leading the conference in on-base percentage (.554) while ranking 19th in the land and leading the league in walks per game (0.79).
- Awald and junior catcher Emma Kauf have excelled in hits for extra bases, both sitting in 16th in the NCAA and third om the ACC in doubles (9). Kauf leads the squad in hits, placing fourth in the league with 30.
- To date, Neleman is 10th in the land and second in the league with 10 wins in the circle this season. She’s also 16th in the country and second in the conference in strikeouts (109) while ranking sixth in the NCAA and leading the ACC in innings pitched (86).
Series Notes
- Georgia Tech trails Louisville 11-3 in the all-time series.
- The Yellow Jackets took the most recent contest against the Cardinals with a 12-2 mercy-rule triumph in five innings at home a season ago.
- Tech claimed last season’s home series, winning games one and three, including a 4-2 thriller in 11 innings in game one.
- The White and Gold own one road victory over Louisville, a 5-2 win in 2016.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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