June 2, 2011
TO: Fans, Friends, and Supporters of Georgia Tech Athletics
FROM: Dan Radakovich, Georgia Tech Director of Athletics
Welcome to NCAA Regional Baseball time again here on the Flats. I hope you know by now that our Yellow Jackets will host Mississippi State, Southern Mississippi and Austin Peay this weekend at Russ Chandler Stadium. Game times are at 3 and 7 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with the “if necessary” game slated for Monday at 7 p.m.
Danny Hall’s Jackets open with Austin Peay at 7 p.m. on Friday in the double-elimination event, with the two Mississippi squads facing off in the tourney opener at 3.
It’s always at this time of year when I ask for your support by coming out to the ballpark and enjoying some outstanding college baseball at a reasonable price. It is crucial that we uphold our responsibility as the host institution to rally great fan support and provide an electric atmosphere for these NCAA games. Purchase your tickets online right now.
For a complete rundown of the Atlanta Baseball Regional, go to our Regional Central page on RamblinWreck.com.
Golf Team on the March
Coach Bruce Heppler’s golf team is currently in a race for the national championship in Stillwater, Okla. Thirty teams are competing today in the third and final round of stroke play with the top eight teams moving on to match play to determine the NCAA champion.
The Yellow Jackets enter today’s final round in solid shape and, in fact, have led almost wire-to-wire. But again, stroke play only determines the eight teams that will compete in three rounds of match play – it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Make sure to check out live scoring from Stillwater to see where the Jackets stand.
You can also check out headlines, videos and photo galleries of the golf team here
Ultimately, a national champion will be crowned on Sunday.
Note to Football Season Ticket Holders
If you are a current football season ticket holder you will receive information next week via U.S. Mail encouraging your purchase of individual game tickets, including your opportunity to order additional tickets to the game with arch-rival Georgia on November 26th at Bobby Dodd Stadium. As you recall, two years ago we initiated the opportunity for our own season ticket holders to have the first, and perhaps only, chance to purchase all available Georgia game tickets. The process proved to be a huge success as our stands were filled with a predominance of White and Gold.
I hope you will take advantage of this program once again this year as we strive to keep these tickets in the hands of Yellow Jacket fans. I know it makes a huge difference to our players and coaches and certainly puts the Institute in a great light before the national television audience.
Actually, the same can be said for our entire slate of home games in 2011. We hope you’ll find additional tickets desirable and valuable for home games with the likes of Clemson, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Maryland and Kansas. This certainly will go down as one of the most attractive home schedules in recent memory. With that in mind, take a minute to think of any relatives, friends or co-workers you could encourage to become a season ticket holder. These referrals will be a great help to our program.
If you are not a current season ticket holder it’s not too late to take advantage of this opportunity. There are plenty of great seats available in every price range. Click Here for information on 2011 Georgia Tech Football Season tickets.
I hope you all enjoy the summer ahead, but as you look toward August remember our Great Yellow Jacket Encounter (Fan Day) is scheduled for Saturday August 6 at 3 p.m. and our Third Annual Can’t Wait Till Kickoff Luncheon is set for Friday August 26th at the Cobb Galleria. Toe meets leather to kick off the 2011 season vs. Western Carolina on Thursday, September 1st at 7:30 p.m.
GT Foundation Board Meeting
Over the next couple of days I have the great fortune to spend some time with our Georgia Tech Foundation Board of Directors at their annual meeting. I will have the opportunity to present an update on Georgia Tech Athletics to separate groups today (Thursday) and Saturday. It is a great honor as these folks are the bedrock of our Institution’s success by marshalling the resources from the private sector that are so vital in higher education today.
I have always found this group to be profoundly interested in athletics as a vital component in the profile of the Institute. Georgia Tech is fortunate to have such a distinguished group of successful graduates willing to give of their time, money and energy to forward our mission, both in academics and in intercollegiate athletics.
Softball
Sharon Perkins’ softball team had a tough end of the season, getting upset in the first round of the ACC Tournament and then going 1-2 in the Knoxville Regional, but still went 45-12 and won its third straight ACC regular season title despite a couple of injuries late in the year to some key starters in the outfield. On Wednesday, junior shprtstop Kelsi Weseman, the ACC Player of the Year, was named just the eighth All-American in school history and will lead a talented group of returners back in 2012.
Women’s Tennis
The Georgia Tech women’s tennis team’s season came to a close May 25 when junior Jillian O’Neill fell 6-3, 6-3 to Cal’s Mari Andersson in the first round of the NCAA Singles Championship. The Yellow Jackets, currently ranked 16th, finished the season with a 15-11 overall record and a 5-6 mark in ACC play. The Jackets advanced to the NCAA Championships Round of 16 for the sixth time in the last seven years before falling 4-3 to No. 3 Duke.
Head Coach Bryan Shelton will return a very strong squad in 2011-12 with five of the six singles players returning and two of the three doubles teams back, and will welcome Jasmine Minor from Mundelein, Ill., to the team.
Men’s Tennis
Congrats to Kevin King and Juan Spir, who made a run all the way to the NCAA Doubles Championship semifinals. The Tech duo defeated the No. 1 team in the nation from Tennessee and then beat a doubles team from Duke in the quarterfinals before falling to a tandem from Texas A&M in the semifinals. King and Spir earned All-American honors for their run.
As a team, Coach Kenny Thorne’s squad finished 22-6 overall and reached the Round of 16 of the NCAA Championships before falling to eventual National Champion University of Southern California.
GT Track Heads To Iowa
After competing in the East Regionals last weekend in Bloomington, Ind., three members of the Yellow Jacket track and field team will return back to the north when they head to the NCAA Championships in Des Moines, Iowa.
Seniors Joanna Wright and Leslie Njoku and freshman Julienne McKee will all take part in the meet held on the campus of Drake University. This will be the second trip to the championship for Wright, who last competed at the meet in 2009 in the pole vault, while both Njoku (400-meter hurdles) and McKee (triple jump) will make their first trip to the national event.
