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 Dale Russell |
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| Derik Goffena is just one of Tech's fabulous freshmen class who helped rout Southeast Missouri State. |
After a two-game sweep over cross-state rival Georgia Bulldogs, the Yellow Jacket baseball team was set to face the mighty Indians of Southeast Missouri State at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Jackets and the Indians played one game on Friday and a doubleheader on Saturday. The Jackets came out with convincing victories in their first two meetings, winning the first game by a score of 13-2, and the second game, 14-4. Tech entered the series finale having a squad depleted with injuries. Nevertheless, the Jackets came out with a nail-biting 6-5 victory.
The Jackets had a two-day break before meeting up with the Georgia Bulldogs again in Athens, for their third of four meetings throughout the season. Sloppy baseball led to the demise of the Jackets on Tuesday night, as the Bulldogs walloped the Ramblin' Wreck by a 13-5 score.
The Jackets needed only the bottom half of the first inning to provide the needed offensive ammunition to defeat Southeast Missouri State. The Jackets' three top players, shortstop Jay Hood, second baseman Heath Honeycutt, and catcher Eric McQueen, provided the needed firepower to scalp the Indians. Hood, a junior, was three-for-three from the plate including two doubles and a solo home run. Honeycutt ended the game three-for-four from the plate, including three runs scored and an RBI. The junior currently leads the Jackets with a .388 batting average. McQueen also finished the game three-for-four with a single, a double, and a solo home run, just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.
Cory Vance picked up the victory for the Jackets, taking his record to 5-2 on the year.
Unfortunately for the Jackets, Hood, the Jackets' top defender, had to leave the ball game early with a pulled hamstring. Hood did not play again in the series or against Georgia and is probable to play Friday against Florida State. Tech head coach Danny Hall stated, "My biggest concern is Jay Hood. I am confident and hoping he will be able to play."
McQueen was also a little scratched up after the game, but was able to serve as a designated hitter for the rest of the series.
In the first of their two Saturday matchups, the Jackets relied on the freshmen class to defeat SE Missouri St., 14-4. The Jackets, with fifty percent of its roster consisting of freshmen, started five freshmen against the Indians. The rookie phenoms accounted for seven of the team's fourteen hits and runs. The most noted of the freshmen was leftfielder Jason Basil, who came off the bench to smash a seventh-inning grand slam over the left-field wall, his third homer of the season. Designated hitter McQueen continued his offensive surge, finishing with two home runs and four RBI's.
L.J. Yankosky continued his MVP season, picking up another victory for a 7-0 season record.
The Jackets struggled to victory in the final game, edging the Indians, 6-5. The Ramblin' Wreck seemed to have exhausted every bit of their offense in the first two games. The Jackets entered the final inning of the ball game with one run, three hits, three errors, and trailing the Indians by four runs. The Indians fumbled in the final inning, however, committing three errors and allowing the Jackets to score five runs, three unearned. With two outs and the bases loaded, freshman Bryan Prince became the hero of the game, smashing a single to right field, scoring Derik Goffena for the game's winning run. Simon Young picked up the victory.
 Dale Russell |
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| Tech senior starter L.J. Yankosky is putting together a remarkable season with an unbeaten 7-0 record. |
Georgia Tech took a bus to Athens on Tuesday in hopes of adding to their five-game winning streak. However, sloppy defense by the Jackets allowed the Bulldogs to cruise to a 13-5 victory. With the game tied 5-5 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs scored five unearned runs on four Georgia Tech errors. The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the next inning off Robby Hammock's three-run homer. Earlier in the game, Hammock hit a two-run homer.
For the Jackets, Scott Prather entered the ball game offensively for the first time since his recent injury and connected on three hits.
Senior Jase Wrigley picked up his first loss of the season for Tech, dropping to a 4-1 record.
The 22nd-ranked Jackets are currently fourth in the conference with a 28-12, 9-5 ACC record.
Head coach Danny Hall is now preparing his ball club for a very challenging upcoming schedule. The Jackets will travel to Tallahassee to square off this weekend against 13th-ranked Florida State, the first-place team in the conference.
After a game against Mercer on Wednesday, the Jackets will host the Miami Hurricanes for a three- game series. The Hurricanes, whom Tech played last year on the road and were swept in the three-game series, are number one in the country. Tech looks to exact revenge. Coach Hall is not intimidated by the challenging upcoming schedule.
"When people choose Georgia Tech to come to school and to play baseball, those are the kinds of games they look forward to playing."
Coach Hall's main goal is to get his ball club at the top of the ACC to insure post-season play.
"It is very important for us to finish in the top four spots in our league, because generally every year the ACC will get four teams into the NCAAs."