Things could not have started out much better for GT baseball. Danny Hall and his staff could have had things written into a script by some local movie producer for the first chunk of the season.
The offense was producing, pitching looked improved, even dominant at times, and the coaching blunders that have defined the last handful of years had disappeared.
That was, until the final game of the Cornell series. Hall and GT, in that moment, had earned the benefit of the doubt and the phrase “that’s just baseball” permeated through the JOL message board.
Following a bounceback performance (in a big way) in a 10-0 shutout over local rival Georgia State, any worry about the loss to Cornell had quickly flown out the window.
Expectations were high. Then Friday night happened.
Getting out to the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first felt like a big win for Hall and GT, and then the second inning happened. Hill gave up seven runs (all earned) between the second and third inning, and the game had gotten away quickly from the Jackets.
To make matters worse, this is when the bats really cooled off as well. In the 4 1/2 innings played Friday night, GT was only able to get three hits, with the other four baserunners coming on walks and HBP. They struck out 8 times in 15 AB.
Those 15 AB are likely not to count officially, due to an inability to find time for UGA to travel to Atlanta to finish the suspended game. They counted in the eyes of the media, in the confidence levels of both teams, and I am sure they counted in the eyes of the remaining fans, too.
Finateri had a strong start (though he missed far less bats than he had in his previous starts) but the bats on Saturday again couldn’t even put up five hits.
Sunday’s debacle likely doesn’t need to be discussed too much, but anytime you blow a 9-3 lead in the late innings, it is going to make headlines. Do it against your rival after basically losing the first two games, and people are REALLY going to be talking.
Tuesday’s matchup with Northeastern didn’t do much in the way of instilling any level of confidence going into the Youngstown State mega-series (4 games in 3 days currently scheduled)
Northeastern is not a slouch by any means, but Georgia Tech didn’t look competitive from the first inning on.
To look at this season, so far, it is only fair to look at what could have been. The following players were set to play for the Yellow Jackets prior to being drafted and signing-
MIF Antonio Anderson (Red Sox)
MIF Tai Peete (Mariners)
OF Isaiah Drake (Braves)
OF Kyle Henley (Reds)
Had Peete and Anderson not left for the draft, the need for transfers Payton Green and Mike Becchetti.
Isaiah Drake would likely be starting somewhere, too.
The makeup of the team as well as the expectations changed when it became clear that Georgia Tech’s top recruiting class was going to be raided by agents and MLB.
Taking transfers at such a high quantity is good for plug-and-play, usually, but in terms of roster management, it doesn’t do much.
Regulars Mike Becchetti, Cam Jones, Bobby Zmarzlak, Trey Yunger, and Matthew Ellis are all seniors and out of eligibility after this season.
If the season goes sideways, what will fans have to look forward to seeing as a sign towards a better future in 2025 and beyond? Other than No. 8 in CF, of course. Though Burress in his last three games, the Freshman phenom is just 3-14 with 3 K and 1 2B.
That includes an 0-5 showing on Tuesday against Northeastern.
Back to the point, which is that as the season progresses, if the results don’t change, things could really ugly.
No offense to the veterans listed above, but GT fans are not going to pleased if there are meaningless games played in April and May. They will be even more (not) pleased if GT continues to trot out such a seasoned lineup.
Especially with freshmen like Vahn Lackey, Carson Kerce, Ryan Jaros, Michael Graziano, and several others waiting in the wings.
Sophomores Parker Brosius, Carsten Sabathia, Nico Senese, and Tyler Minnick also continue to wait for a consistent opportunity to contribute.
That’s without even mentioning the pitching situation.
2024 doesn’t have to be a lost season for Georgia Tech baseball, regardless of what happens in the win-loss column.
It is clear big changes are needed at the top, and it is becoming more and more likely that those come to fruition.
The Yellow Jackets open a four game series with Youngstown State today, and while many are ready to call this a must-sweep series, that is certainly a likely scenario if you want to be in the hosting discussion.
This team doesn’t appear to be at that level. There will likely be a TON of fireworks around the program this weekend, though, as the Penguins are arguably the worst team in all of Division 1.
The results of this weekend may begin to generate some level of excitement around the team and some newfound hope, but it just does not feel like this is a team that can capitalize on that.
My expectations for the team have been lowered, and I am not sure that any results against a team with a combined staff ERA of over 12 and 20 HR given up in 78.2 IP. Teams are batting over .300 against them! As a team, they are batting just over .200 in 10 games.
That’s not going to get the job done.
My prediction is a 3-1 weekend for GT, if they find a way to get the four games in.
UPCOMING VISITORS
The quiet period is alive and well, as Georgia Tech is set to host several visitors throughout the month of March and beyond.
There are some big names heading to campus. Some of them had previously eliminated Georgia Tech by not including them on their top schools lists. It becomes clearer by the day that for many, those lists don’t mean much.
For Brent Key and his revamped coaching staff, they will be looking to re-establish some relationships they may have had at their previous jobs, while also creating a foundation for relationships they may not have had previously.
The number one priority moving forward for Georgia Tech is recruiting the Atlanta-area, followed by the state of Georgia, and from there moving over into the out-of-state targets in places like Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and others.
These visits are going to be different than they have been in the past. There won’t be fancy photoshoots, and the areas where recruits normally file in is currently under construction.
Visitors instead will spend time with the coaches, watch film from Georgia Tech’s 7-6 season, as well as clips from places such as Duke, Georgia State, and Memphis, among others.
New recruiting staffers will have the chance to re-connect with recruits they have spent significant time with at places like Tennessee and UGA, among others.
The expectation is that the program adds at least one commitment in the next few weeks.
They will certainly have a significant amount of their top targets on campus. Here’s a look at the next few days-
3/8
https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/kamren-flowers-309158?view=pv
3/9
Cali Power 5v5 (OL/DL team) will be among the group.
3/11
The offense was producing, pitching looked improved, even dominant at times, and the coaching blunders that have defined the last handful of years had disappeared.
That was, until the final game of the Cornell series. Hall and GT, in that moment, had earned the benefit of the doubt and the phrase “that’s just baseball” permeated through the JOL message board.
Following a bounceback performance (in a big way) in a 10-0 shutout over local rival Georgia State, any worry about the loss to Cornell had quickly flown out the window.
Expectations were high. Then Friday night happened.
Getting out to the 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first felt like a big win for Hall and GT, and then the second inning happened. Hill gave up seven runs (all earned) between the second and third inning, and the game had gotten away quickly from the Jackets.
To make matters worse, this is when the bats really cooled off as well. In the 4 1/2 innings played Friday night, GT was only able to get three hits, with the other four baserunners coming on walks and HBP. They struck out 8 times in 15 AB.
Those 15 AB are likely not to count officially, due to an inability to find time for UGA to travel to Atlanta to finish the suspended game. They counted in the eyes of the media, in the confidence levels of both teams, and I am sure they counted in the eyes of the remaining fans, too.
Finateri had a strong start (though he missed far less bats than he had in his previous starts) but the bats on Saturday again couldn’t even put up five hits.
Sunday’s debacle likely doesn’t need to be discussed too much, but anytime you blow a 9-3 lead in the late innings, it is going to make headlines. Do it against your rival after basically losing the first two games, and people are REALLY going to be talking.
Tuesday’s matchup with Northeastern didn’t do much in the way of instilling any level of confidence going into the Youngstown State mega-series (4 games in 3 days currently scheduled)
Northeastern is not a slouch by any means, but Georgia Tech didn’t look competitive from the first inning on.
To look at this season, so far, it is only fair to look at what could have been. The following players were set to play for the Yellow Jackets prior to being drafted and signing-
MIF Antonio Anderson (Red Sox)
MIF Tai Peete (Mariners)
OF Isaiah Drake (Braves)
OF Kyle Henley (Reds)
Had Peete and Anderson not left for the draft, the need for transfers Payton Green and Mike Becchetti.
Isaiah Drake would likely be starting somewhere, too.
The makeup of the team as well as the expectations changed when it became clear that Georgia Tech’s top recruiting class was going to be raided by agents and MLB.
Taking transfers at such a high quantity is good for plug-and-play, usually, but in terms of roster management, it doesn’t do much.
Regulars Mike Becchetti, Cam Jones, Bobby Zmarzlak, Trey Yunger, and Matthew Ellis are all seniors and out of eligibility after this season.
If the season goes sideways, what will fans have to look forward to seeing as a sign towards a better future in 2025 and beyond? Other than No. 8 in CF, of course. Though Burress in his last three games, the Freshman phenom is just 3-14 with 3 K and 1 2B.
That includes an 0-5 showing on Tuesday against Northeastern.
Back to the point, which is that as the season progresses, if the results don’t change, things could really ugly.
No offense to the veterans listed above, but GT fans are not going to pleased if there are meaningless games played in April and May. They will be even more (not) pleased if GT continues to trot out such a seasoned lineup.
Especially with freshmen like Vahn Lackey, Carson Kerce, Ryan Jaros, Michael Graziano, and several others waiting in the wings.
Sophomores Parker Brosius, Carsten Sabathia, Nico Senese, and Tyler Minnick also continue to wait for a consistent opportunity to contribute.
That’s without even mentioning the pitching situation.
2024 doesn’t have to be a lost season for Georgia Tech baseball, regardless of what happens in the win-loss column.
It is clear big changes are needed at the top, and it is becoming more and more likely that those come to fruition.
The Yellow Jackets open a four game series with Youngstown State today, and while many are ready to call this a must-sweep series, that is certainly a likely scenario if you want to be in the hosting discussion.
This team doesn’t appear to be at that level. There will likely be a TON of fireworks around the program this weekend, though, as the Penguins are arguably the worst team in all of Division 1.
The results of this weekend may begin to generate some level of excitement around the team and some newfound hope, but it just does not feel like this is a team that can capitalize on that.
My expectations for the team have been lowered, and I am not sure that any results against a team with a combined staff ERA of over 12 and 20 HR given up in 78.2 IP. Teams are batting over .300 against them! As a team, they are batting just over .200 in 10 games.
That’s not going to get the job done.
My prediction is a 3-1 weekend for GT, if they find a way to get the four games in.
UPCOMING VISITORS
The quiet period is alive and well, as Georgia Tech is set to host several visitors throughout the month of March and beyond.
There are some big names heading to campus. Some of them had previously eliminated Georgia Tech by not including them on their top schools lists. It becomes clearer by the day that for many, those lists don’t mean much.
For Brent Key and his revamped coaching staff, they will be looking to re-establish some relationships they may have had at their previous jobs, while also creating a foundation for relationships they may not have had previously.
The number one priority moving forward for Georgia Tech is recruiting the Atlanta-area, followed by the state of Georgia, and from there moving over into the out-of-state targets in places like Alabama, South Carolina, Florida, and others.
These visits are going to be different than they have been in the past. There won’t be fancy photoshoots, and the areas where recruits normally file in is currently under construction.
Visitors instead will spend time with the coaches, watch film from Georgia Tech’s 7-6 season, as well as clips from places such as Duke, Georgia State, and Memphis, among others.
New recruiting staffers will have the chance to re-connect with recruits they have spent significant time with at places like Tennessee and UGA, among others.
The expectation is that the program adds at least one commitment in the next few weeks.
They will certainly have a significant amount of their top targets on campus. Here’s a look at the next few days-
3/8
https://n.rivals.com/content/athletes/kamren-flowers-309158?view=pv
3/9
Cali Power 5v5 (OL/DL team) will be among the group.
3/11
