ORLANDO, Fla. – Former Georgia Tech baseball standout and two-time MLB World Series champion Jason Varitek will be inducted into the Florida Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 12, it was announced this week.
Varitek will join the 11-member 2019 class, which includes Daunte Culpepper, Pat Williams and Annika Sorenstam, that will be honored at the 58th annual induction ceremony at the Amway Center in downtown Orlando. The three-time MLB All-Star helped lead the Altamonte Springs team to the 1984 Little League World Series.
A three-time first-team All-American at Georgia Tech, Varitek began his illustrious collegiate career by earning the Atlantic Coast Conference’s Rookie of the Year Award in 1991. He would go on to win the ACC Player of the Year award in 1993, when he led the conference in hitting (.404) and home runs (22). En route to a Golden Spikes Award in 1994, Varitek helped the Yellow Jackets swarm all the way to the College World Series where they were runner-up.
The only player in Georgia Tech baseball history to have his number retired, Varitek is still atop many of the program’s annals, leading in most career games played (253), runs scored (261), base hits (351), home runs (57), RBIs (251), total bases (610), doubles (82), batting average (.384) and slugging percentage (.667).
After completing his degree in management, Varitek went on to play 15 seasons professionally with the Boston Red Sox. While in Boston, he would help the Red Sox to two World Series championships, as well as garnering American League All-Star honors three times. In 2005, he captured both the Rawlings Gold Glove Award and the Silver Slugger Award. He holds the Red Sox record for most postseason games played in team history and also the most opening-day starts for a Red Sox catcher. After retiring from the field, Varitek served as special assistant to the general manager for the Red Sox and is now the special assistant to the team’s president of baseball operations.
Off the field, Varitek has worked just as hard to give back to the communities he’s played in. One of his largest charity events is the Tek & Friends Charity Golf Classic, which benefits Pitching in for Kids – a nonprofit organization that provides grants designed to improve the lives of children across New England. He’s also held ‘Jason Varitek Charity Putt-Putt’ for seven years with proceeds benefitting the Boston’s Children Hospital and Journey Forward – an organization that focuses on helping patients with severe spinal cord injuries.
ACC Network – Coming Aug. 22
The ACC Network is a linear and digital platform dedicated to 24/7 coverage of ACC sports. It will exclusively televise approximately 450 live events each year, including approximately 40 football games (beginning with Georgia Tech’s 2019 season opener at Clemson on Aug. 29), as well as 150 men’s and women’s basketball contests.
Don’t get shut out! For more information and to learn if your cable/satellite/digital provider is committed to carrying the ACC Network, visit GetACCN.com. Georgia Tech fans whose cable/satellite/digital providers aren’t already committed to carrying the ACC Network are urged to contact their providers and ask for the ACC Network to be a part of their subscription.
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