April 9, 2018
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Tuesday at Mercer (6 p.m.): GT Game Notes | MU Game Notes | Video | Audio | Live Stats
Wednesday vs. Georgia State (6 p.m.): GT Game Notes | GSU Game Notes | Video | Audio | Live Stats
THE FLATS – Georgia Tech baseball will have two midweek contests this week versus a pair of in-state foes in the Mercer Bears and the Georgia State Panthers. The Yellow Jackets will hit the road to take on Mercer on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. in Macon, Ga., before returning home to host the Panthers on Wednesday night at 6 p.m. at Russ Chandler Stadium.
Follow the Action Live
Both contests will be video streamed live over ESPN3 and the ACC Network Extra (link located above).
The two non-conference games will also be broadcast live on WREK 91.1 FM radio and online at WREK.org.
Live stats for both games can be found above or on the baseball schedule page at RamblinWreck.com.
Georgia Showdown Rivalry
For our in-state rivalry game at home on Wednesday night versus the Georgia State Panthers the first 75 fans in attendance will receive free “State of Georgia Showdown” t-shirts.
Parking Now Available Online for Home Games
Yellow Jacket fans can now pay for parking ahead of time by going online to Park Mobile (Click Here). Klaus Deck (across from Cherry Street and the third base side of Russ Chandler Stadium) will be open for fans for $5.
Tech Tidbits
Georgia Tech had not just one, but two players earn ACC player of the week honors for their play last week. Austin Wilhite was named the ACC Baseball Player of the Week, while Connor Thomas was tabbed the ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week. It is the first weekly ACC honor for both Wilhite and Thomas.
The Yellow Jackets will have not just one, but two midweek games this week with a road game at Mercer on Tuesday night (6 p.m.) and a home contest versus Georgia State on Wednesday (6 p.m.). This is the second time this season that Tech has played back-to-back midweek contests, having hosted No. 6 Auburn and Mercer on two consecutive nights on March 20 and 21. The Jackets split those two home games.
Tech leads the ACC in three categories entering play this week. The GT offense leads the ACC in hitting at .306 overall as a team and is also first in the league in hits with 341. The pitching staff is tops in the conference in walks allowed per nine innings with an average of 3.22.
The Jackets’ pitching staff has issued just 3.2 walks per nine innings this season. The pitchers have walked just a total of 101 batters this season, an average of 3.1 walks per game on the year.
Tech’s pitching staff has five different pitchers with an ERA at or under 3.00 on the season. Micah Carpenter (0.00) and Jake Brace (0.00) have yet to allow a run this season, while Andy Archer (2.25) has allowed just seven earned runs over 28.0 innings out of the bullpen. Starters Xzavion Curry (3.00) and Tristin English (3.00) each have an ERA at 3.00 over a combined 17 appearances and 12 starts.
Georgia Tech is a stellar 17-1 this season when leading after the first six innings of play. The Yellow Jackets are also 10-2 this season when their starting pitcher goes 6.0-complete innings or more and 9-2 when their starter records a quality start (6.0 innings or more with three earned runs or less).
The Jackets will be playing their sixth and seventh games versus their in-state foes this week in Mercer and Georgia State. Tech is 3-2 versus teams from the state of Georgia thus far this season with two wins over Georgia Southern (Feb. 20 & March 27) and a win at Georgia State (March 7). However, Tech has one loss to Mercer (March 21) and another loss at No. 17 Georgia (April 3) as well.
Tech has a total of eight players hitting over .300 on the season led by Chase Murray who is also leading the ACC in hitting at .397 on the season. Michael Guldberg (.353), Oscar Serratos (.350), Joey Bart (.347), Kyle McCann (.337), Tristin English (.328), Wade Bailey (.319) and Carter Hall (.300) are the other Jackets hitting over .300 at the plate this year.
Since Xzavion Curry struck out 11 batters in the win at NC State on March 23, the Yellow Jacket arms have registered 99 strikeouts over their last 11 games, an average of 9.0 strikeouts per contest. After a 288-streak without a pitcher recording double-digit strikeouts for Tech, the Yellow Jackets had a pitcher post 10 strikeouts or more four times over a seven game stretch this year (Xzavion Curry – 11 at NC State (3/23), Brant Hurter – 10 vs. Georgia Southern (3/27), Curry – 12 vs. Miami (3/30) and Connor Thomas – 10 vs. Miami (3/31)).
Georgia Tech enters Wednesday’s game versus Georgia State on a 10-game winning streak over the Panthers. The Jackets have swept the two-game season series with the Panthers in each of the last three years and took a 16-5 win in their lone meeting in 2013. Tech last lost to Georgia State 5-4 in Panthersville back on March 7, 2012.
On Deck
Tech returns to ACC play on the road this weekend, April 13-15, at Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pa. in a key ACC Coastal Division three-game series.
