THE FLATS – Junior catcher Vahn Lackey (Suwanee, Ga./Collins Hill HS) has been named to the 2026 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award Preseason Watch List, the Wichita Sports Commission announced today. Lackey, a 2025 semifinalist for the award, is hoping to become Georgia Tech’s third winner in the last eight years, alongside Kevin Parada in 2022 and Joey Bart in 2018. GT is one of three programs with multiple Buster Posey Award winners.
Lackey is a favorite for the award this season, having been named preseason 1st Team All-America by both Perfect Game and Baseball America. He was also named 2nd Team All-America in D1 Baseball’s preseason list, making him a consensus top catcher in college headed into the highly anticipated 2026 season.
He has been touted as the most athletic catcher in college heading into the season, known for his top tier defending, receiving along with exceptional contact hitting, plate discipline and speed. D1 Baseball’s Aaron Fitt described him as “an explosive athlete, with emerging power and legitimate speed,” saying Lackey “has a chance to be a high first-round pick and play in the big leagues a long time, because his defense behind the plate is special.”
National Catchers Day rolls on! First up, @LackeyVahn
A beaut on both sides of the plate for @GTBaseball ; In his 25’ szn he burst into the scene.
3.53 WAR
.353 batting avg
.421 OBP
7.33 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) @643chartsHe also threw out, 14 out of 29 base stealers!😱 pic.twitter.com/xkTHctzKnN
— Jack DeLongchamps (@JDelongchamps) February 2, 2026
In Baseball America’s breakdown of their preseason All-Americans, Carlos Callazo described Lackey as “the best defensive catcher in the class, and some scouts think he has a chance to compete for Gold Glove awards. He’s an excellent athlete and natural receiver and blocker with the actions and arm you’d expect to see from a high-level defensive catcher.”
𝑫𝙧𝒂𝙛𝒕 𝑩𝙤𝒂𝙧𝒅 𝑺𝙥𝒐𝙩𝒍𝙞𝒈𝙝𝒕
Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
Really athletic backstop with plus strength behind the dish & will stick there. Bat continues to tick up with more power output to unlock moving forward. #PGDraft #MLBDraft pic.twitter.com/fLK7shyWAY
— Perfect Game Draft (@PG_Draft) December 20, 2025
Lackey enjoyed a breakout 2025 season, in which he slashed .347 avg./.421 OBP/.500 Slug. with a team-high 77 base hits including 14 doubles, one triple and six home runs for 42 RBI and 45 runs scored while also leading all Division I catchers with 18 stolen bases on 21 attempts. He delivered multiple hits in 45% of his games played (27-of-60) and ranked third among DI catchers in both batting average (.347) and hits (77). He worked with the Georgia Tech pitching staff to hold opponents to 8.84 hits-per-nine innings, the lowest mark in over a decade while helping lower the team ERA by 1.57 runs compared to 2024, the largest decrease of any Power 4 team to make a Regional last season. Over the summer, he was named one of two catchers for the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team, becoming the fifth Tech catcher to represent on the international stage, joining GT legends Kevin Parada, Matt Wieters, Mike Nickeas and Jason Varitek. He also excels in the classroom, where he was named to the acc All-Academic Team in 2025 and is a two-time member of the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Vahn Lackey is another elite catcher coming out of @GTBaseball
Hit .347 last season. One of the more athletic catchers you’ll see and has great hands behind the plate. Yellow Jackets will have one of the toughest lineups in 2026 pic.twitter.com/vufw68nA4E
— Stephen Schoch (@bigdonkey47) December 29, 2025
2026 Georgia Tech Baseball
Georgia Tech enters the 2026 season as a consensus Top-5 team and the preseason ACC favorites. The Jackets boast the most preseason All-Americans in the nation according to Perfect Game’s Preseason All-American list. The Jackets received four All-American nods, including being the only program in the nation with multiple players listed on the 1st Team: CF Drew Burress (1st Team), C Vahn Lackey (1st Team), 2B Jarren Advincula (2nd Team) and UTL Alex Hernandez (3rd Team).
The Yellow Jackets were the highest ranked team in the conference across three different national preseason top-25 polls: No. 2 (Perfect Game), No. 4 (Baseball America) and No. 5 (D1 Baseball). The No. 2 preseason ranking is the fourth highest in program history and the highest since 2003, 2001 and 1994 when the Jackets were preseason No. 1. Tech earned its highest preseason ranking from Baseball America since 2006 (the last time GT reached the College World Series) and the No. 5 ranking from D1 Baseball was the best Tech has received since the publication began doing preseason rankings in 2014.
2026 will be the first season for new Head Coach James Ramsey, who has been serving as an assistant coach for the past seven seasons. Since Ramsey took over coaching the offense in 2019, Georgia Tech leads the ACC in batting average (.308), OPS (.918), OBP (.408), hits (3,961), doubles (796) and SAC Flies (208) and is second in runs (2,937), triples (84), home runs (547), RBI (2,709) and slugging (.510) with more to come in 2026.
First pitch for the highly anticipated 2026 season is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 13 at 4 p.m. when the Yellow Jackets host Bowling Green for a three-game series at Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium.
2026 Season Tickets
Season tickets for Georgia Tech’s 2026 regular season home schedule, including five ACC home series and a collection of non-conference games, are on sale now. Visit ramblinwreck.com/tickets to purchase. For complete information on 2026 baseball tickets, including premium membership options, please visit the official Georgia Tech Baseball Tickets page.
2026 Single Game Tickets
Single game and mini plans for the 2026 regular season are on sale now featuring tickets for individual games and mini plans such as the Hattie B’s ACC Saturday Pack and the Midweek Pick ‘Em Plan. Purchase your tickets today to watch the defending ACC Regular Season Champions strive for more trophies in 2026!
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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
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.
For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on Twitter (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.
