THE FLATS – Junior Vahn Lackey (Suwanee, Ga. / Collins Hill HS) has earned two national player of the week honors, it has been announced today. The College Baseball Foundation has announced Lackey as the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Week while Perfect Game has awarded him with their National Player of the Week honor.
Lackey made Georgia Tech history this week, playing all eight positions and finishing a single shy of the cycle in a midweek game against West Georgia before leading the Yellow Jackets to a series victory at No. 8 Clemson. He slashed .600 avg / .667 OBP / 1.467 slug over four games this past week, leading the way for the best offense in college baseball. He collected six extra base hits, including three home runs, driving in five runs and coming around to score seven times. Lackey becomes the first Yellow Jacket since Drew Burress to be named National Player of the Week, after he did so in 2024.
Lackey became the first play in Georgia Tech baseball recorded history to play all eight defensive positions in the same game and finished one hit away from the cycle twice this week, also coming a triple shy of the cycle in Thursday’s 10-0 (7) win at No. 8 Clemson, helping lead the Jackets to their first series win over a Top 10 team since 2024. He is in the midst of a 30-game on-base streak dating back to last season, the longest of his career.
Lackey is having a breakout season, leading the team in batting average (.479), OBP (.602), slugging percentage (.972), OPS (1.574), RBI (31), hits (31), home runs (9), walks (20) and stolen bases (7-for-7). He is the only player in the nation with at least 30 hits (34), 30 RBI (31) and a batting average over .450 this season.
Lackey and the rest of the No. 3-ranked Yellow Jackets are taking on No. 4/5 Auburn today in the first Top 5 ranked matchup of the series’ 249 game history. First pitch is set for 5 pm (ET) from Plainsman Park and will be streamed live on SEC Network Plus.
Full Steam Ahead
Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.
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