ATLANTA (Feb. 22) – Georgia Tech’s softball team will try to capitalize on momentum from last weekend as it hosts Furman in its home opener Wednesday in a doubleheader at Glenn Field at 2 p.m. The Yellow Jackets then travel to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to participate Friday-Sunday in the five-team Bama Bash Tournament hosted by Alabama.
Tech opens play in the Bama Bash against Drake Friday at 10 a.m. and then faces NCAA regional participant Alabama at 4 p.m. On Saturday, Tech plays two 1999 Women’s College World Series participants, Depaul at 10 a.m. and Arizona at 6 p.m. The fourth and fifth place teams after round robin play will meet at 8 p.m.. Sunday, the second and third place teams meet at 9:30 a.m., the winner of the No. 4-5 game plays No. 1 at 11:30 a.m., and the championship is slated for 1:30 p.m.
Tech swept the Paladins in Greenville, S.C., last year and will be looking to improve its home record of 6-17 from a year ago.
Tech went 5-1 in the Carolina Triangle Classic last weekend, winning the Silver Bracket Championship after defeating Illinois-Chicago, 2-1.
“We are coming off of a very solid weekend which was a great confidence builder for our team,” said head coach Kate Madden. “To beat a program like Illinois-Chicago in a one-run game is tremendous for our program. Now we have to look ahead to a strong tournament at Alabama with four strong teams that will really challenge us. It will be a great opportunity for our team.”
Tech is led by senior catcher Anne Knobbe (Brea, Calif.), who won all-tournament honors in the Triangle Classic after going 10-for-19 at the plate with two home runs and six RBI. She is batting .469 with two home runs and 10 RBI so far this season, with a slugging percentage of .750. Senior designated player Beth Warren (El Dorado Hills, Calif.) has also come on for Tech and is batting .481 with eight RBI so far this year. Sophomore right fielder Kori Jacobson (Candler, Ariz.) is batting .417 with an on base percentage of .462.
The Jackets have received solid pitching from senior Jamie Smith (Salem, Ore.), who has a 4-1 record with a 1.32 ERA. Opponents are batting just .208 against her in 34 innings, and she has yielded just five earned runs in that stretch. Freshman pitcher Tiffany Goodman (Pleasanton, Calif.) went 3-0 during the Triangle Classic and is now 3-1 with a 3.54 ERA.
Tech returns home after the Triangle Classic to host arch-rival Georgia on Mar. 2 in a 2 p.m. doubleheader at Glenn Field.
