THE FLATS – Georgia Tech softball (21-19, 4-11 ACC) will venture to Pitt (18-17, 2-9 ACC) to resume ACC play over the weekend. The Yellow Jackets will open their next conference series against the Panthers on Friday at 6 p.m., play game two on Saturday at 1 p.m. and wrap up the series on Sunday at noon, all at Vartabedian Field in Pittsburgh.
Series Information
Friday, April 14 @ 6 p.m. ET vs. Pitt
Tuesday, April 15 @ 1 p.m. ET vs. Pitt
Tuesday, April 16 @ Noon ET vs. Pitt
TV
Each game of the series will be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
Storylines
- Georgia Tech most recently downed Jacksonville State in a midweek tilt, 9-6.
- The victory marked coach Aileen Morales’ 150th win as head coach at Georgia Tech, remaining the fourth-winningest coach in softball history on The Flats.
- Senior catcher Emma Kauf laced another double in the contest, tying fourth in program history in career doubles with 45 alongside Tara Knudsen (2001-04).
- Junior designated player Sara Beth Allen barreled a three-run blast against the Gamecocks, marking her team-leading 10th round tripper of the season and 11th of her career. She topped the squad with her 2-for-3 day.
- The 12 hits as a team against JSU tied the second most for the Yellow Jackets in a single game this season.
- Five different Yellow Jackets came away with two hits in the contest in Kauf, Allen, junior first baseman Abby Hughes, sophomore outfielder Ella Edgmon and sophomore outfielder Madison Dobbins.
- Four of those five batted .500 or better in Allen (2-for-3), Dobbins (2-for-4), Edgmon (2-for-4) and Hughes (2-for-3).
- Edgmon and Connelly each came away with RBI doubles while Hughes cleared a loaded base path on a single. Kauf also picked up an RBI on the day.
- Senior hurler Blake Neleman evened her record in the circle this season, moving to 8-8 with the win.
- In conference play, the White and Gold won their second ACC series of the season last time out, taking two of three games from Boston College. Tech did the same to Virginia to open league play earlier in the year.
- With a 10-2 (6) victory over Boston College in the series finale on Sunday, the mercy-rule triumph marked the Yellow Jackets’ fifth of the season and first over an ACC opponent on the year.
- The outing also became the fifth game this season the Jackets have scored double-digit runs.
- Through the series, Neleman locked the Eagles down from the circle in her two appearances in the series, earning a 1.11 ERA and a 2-0 record through her nearly two complete games. The Marietta, Ga., native racked up 16 strikeouts and surrendered just two earned runs on three hits through 12.2 innings pitched.
- Neleman came within two outs of a no-no in her one-hitter with nine strikeouts against Boston College for a series-opening, 5-1 win. She exited an out shy of another complete game in the series finale victory.
- Hughes caught fire at the dish in the series as she finished 4-for-6 with a double, a home run and six RBI. Batting .500 or better in each game, the Leesburg, Ga., native’s highlights over the weekend included her fourth career home run in game one and a 2-for-3 outing in the series finale as she came away with a pair of two-RBI knocks, the latter of which was a run-rule walk-off double.
- Two more donning the White and Gold went yard in the series finale as Kauf barreled her fifth of the season and 27th on The Flats while junior third baseman Mallorie Black launched her seventh of the year and 10th of her career. Kauf led the squad in game one of the series, going 2-for-3, while Black mirrored that line in game two.
- The Yellow Jackets have reached double-digit triples on the season for the first time since 2014, improving 10 total on the year.
- Neleman has moved into second all-time in career strikeouts, also becoming the second Yellow Jacket ever to surpass 500 career strikeouts with 531 to date.
- On top of marching through Tech’s record books in strikeouts, Neleman has picked up a pair of saves this season, moving up to six in her career as she’s now in an eight-way tie for third in program history in career saves.
- Neleman owns five complete games this year and one shutout this season.
- On the season, Neleman (123) and fellow senior right hander Chandler Dennis (86) have combined for 209 strikeouts.
- Defense has gone hand-in-hand with work from the circle this season as the Jackets are third in the ACC and 20th in the NCAA in fielding percentage (.976).
- Amongst the conference this season, Neleman is third in the ACC in strikeouts as she’s surpassed the century mark with 123 punchouts.
- Swatting a career-high third triple on the season against Georgia Southern, Kauf is currently fourth in the conference in triples per game.
- Complementing her renowned defensive acumen, junior shortstop Jin Sileo is the most proficient in the league in sacrifice bunts, averaging 0.18 per contest.
Series Notes
- Georgia Tech trails Pitt, 14-12, in the all-time series.
- The Yellow Jackets took the most recent contest against the Panthers in 2021, 11-4.
- The White and Gold tied their last series against Pitt, 2-2, resulting in a 9-7 advantage for the Jackets in games played on The Flats.
- Tech won four straight meetings from 2019-21 for its hottest streak of the series.
Alexander-Tharpe Fund
The Alexander-Tharpe Fund is the fundraising arm of Georgia Tech athletics, providing scholarship, operations and facilities support for Georgia Tech’s 400-plus student-athletes. Be a part of developing Georgia Tech’s Everyday Champions and helping the Yellow Jackets compete for championships at the highest levels of college athletics by supporting the Annual Athletic Scholarship Fund, which directly provides scholarships for Georgia Tech student-athletes. To learn more about supporting the Yellow Jackets, visit atfund.org.
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