April 12, 2002
ATLANTA – With numerous records already under its belt this season, the Georgia Tech softball team (39-11, 6-0 ACC) will gun for the first 8-0 conference mark in ACC history with a 1 p.m. doubleheader at No. 21 Florida State (36-13, 0-0 ACC) Saturday.
Despite an all-time mark of 4-24 against the Seminoles, the Jackets have experienced recent success in the series, winning three of the last four meetings. On Tech’s last trip to Tallahassee, the squad swept a doubleheader, winning 2-1 and 8-2 on April 1, 2000. A year ago, the Jackets and Noles split the doubleheader in Atlanta. FSU took game one 7-0, while Tech won the second game, 2-1, in eight innings. The Jackets were the only team to hand the Seminoles a regular-season conference loss in 2001
With a sweep Tech will become the first ACC team to post an 8-0 record. The Seminoles went 4-0 in 1993 and 6-0 in ’95. A sweep will also guarantee the Jackets the top seed at the 2002 ACC Tournament, set for May 10-12. With a split, Tech clinches at least a first-place tie in the regular season.
As has been the case all season, Tech is led by sophomore shortstop Tara Knudsen, who tops the team with a .401 average to go along with 13 home runs and 43 runs batted in. The pitching tandem of freshman Jessica Sallinger and sophomore Erin Voeltz is also a catalyst for the Jackets’ success, posting a combined 32-9 record.
Offensively, Florida State is led by Brandi Stuart, who owns a .414 average, nine homers and 34 RBI. She has also swiped 41 of 43 bases. The Seminoles also have a dominant pitching tandem of their own in Leslie Malerich and Jess van der Linden. The pair owns a combined 33-13 mark.
Live stats of the games will be available at www.seminoles.com and the contests will be televised on same-day delay on the Sunshine Network beginning at 6 p.m.
-GT-
