Good morning.
Before taking a look ahead at tonight's matchup with Georgia Southern, I'd first like to take a look back at last weekend's series against Radford, including Busse's adventurous start and Finateri's gem of a start among a few other topics.
SAME OLE SAME OLE... WAIT MAYBE NOT?
While driving down to Atlanta on Opening Day, I thought I left in plenty of time. 4pm first pitch on a Friday, leave Cherokee County around 2:30 and get there no later than 3:30 to be able to get everything set up in the box, pick up my parking pass, and maybe grab a bite to eat.
NOPE. Atlanta traffic wasn't having it. A rather large accident took place on I-75, and the result was an extended amount of time in stop-and-go traffic, though it was certainly more stop than go.
Upon arriving at the ballpark and picking up my parking pass/credential for the season, my phone kept going off and I kept hearing ooh's and ahh's as I was walking toward the concourse.
Upon putting my bag down, I had 45 email notifications from JacketsOnline, 19 text messages, and I looked up and Georgia Tech was down 6-0.
I won't make fans relive that moment too much, as I am sure it is still too soon. Busse just simply didn't have it on Friday, as head coach Danny Hall said in the post-game media appearance.
Leaving the game after 1 IP was a nightmare scenario for both Busse and new pitching coach Matthew Taylor.
Returning assistants and players had to have in the back of their minds the horror story that was the 2023 season on the mound, worrying that it may simply be the same ole, same ole.
In the remaining 26 innings, Taylor's revamped pitching staff gave up just 7 ER, struck out 29, and walked just 16. Those numbers equate to a 2.42 ERA. They allowed just 15 hits.
Among the impressive 2024 debuts were true Freshman Tate McKee, Aeden Finateri, Carson Ballard, Dawson Brown, and two-way OF/P Cam Jones.
The rotation as it was last week (Busse, Finateri, Patel) may need some work, but the performance of the bullpen had to be encouraging for everyone involved.
The first inning had fans of GT baseball with PTSD re-thinking their plans for the season, and ready to bring the pitchforks out for the entire program.
The college baseball season is a long one, and
while there were moments Sunday that were worrisome, the performance as a whole was encouraging.
SAY HELLO TO DREW BURRESS, PAYTON GREEN
There were numerous instances throughout the recruitment of OF Drew Burress where he seemed destined for the MLB Draft.
Burress was one of the first baseball recruits I ever talked to extensively, and I had gotten pretty close with both Drew and those around him.
As the draft got closer, and it became apparent that the likes of Tai Peete and Antonio Anderson were destined for MLB, Burress began trending the other way.
Burress had a tough start, but bounced back in a big way both on Friday night and the rest of the weekend.
The Freshman finished the weekend with the team lead in total bases (18) with 3 HR to go along with it.
Over the next three years, Burress is going to grow a lot. His nearly struggles with plate discipline (tied for team high with 4 K) is not expected to be an issue as he matures.
After losing his job as the starting SS at NC State and being moved to 2B, Payton Green bet on himself by entering the transfer portal.
Georgia Tech was making his long list of options, and the opportunity at SS was clear knowing that Campbell, Peete, and Anderson were all likely to not be in the picture.
Green jumped on the opportunity, and got right to work with the coaching staff at Georgia Tech.
With his bat never really being the issue (his glove was) I’m still not sure anyone could have expected the line Green put up on opening weekend- 7 hits in 11 AB’s, 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 4 BB with 0 K.
Those numbers were good enough for agreed to walk away with ACC Player of the Week. As the season progresses and the competition gets to be more and more talented in the coming months, look for Green to be a lynchpin on the offensive side of the ball. His defense should continue to improve.
W2W4 AS GT HEADS TO STATESBORO
While Georgia Tech is coming off a convincing series sweep over Radford, the Eagles from Georgia Southern are coming off a tough series loss to Maryland.
The Terps lost a ton from their team last season, including their head coach who is now in Tuscaloosa.
The Eagles struggled at the plate, going just 17-92 at the plate, numbers good enough for a… .185 batting average.
They also scored just 12 runs in the 27 innings, an output not many would have expected going into the season for a team projected by some to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament later this spring.
The one hitter that GT will need to make sure does not beat them both on Tuesday and when they match up again later in the season is Sam Blancato.
Blancato’s advanced approach at the plate led to 5 walks in 13 plate appearances over the weekend.
Other names to watch closely will be the likes of Luke Odden and Josh Tate.
The start on Tuesday night for P Logan McGuire could be a bit of a debut for a bigger role as the season progresses.
Showing that he’s fully healthy, can throw strikes, and command the zone would go a long way in being considered for upcoming weekend rotation opportunities.
Both he and Cam Hill are two I am watching closely to see what they can show between now and the start of conference play. Especially with the depth of the bullpen and guys like Tate McKee, Mason Patel, and Carson Ballard all capable of starting in a mid-week matchup.
First pitch on Tuesday is at 6pm, and the game can be seen exclusively on ESPN+.
Before taking a look ahead at tonight's matchup with Georgia Southern, I'd first like to take a look back at last weekend's series against Radford, including Busse's adventurous start and Finateri's gem of a start among a few other topics.
SAME OLE SAME OLE... WAIT MAYBE NOT?
While driving down to Atlanta on Opening Day, I thought I left in plenty of time. 4pm first pitch on a Friday, leave Cherokee County around 2:30 and get there no later than 3:30 to be able to get everything set up in the box, pick up my parking pass, and maybe grab a bite to eat.
NOPE. Atlanta traffic wasn't having it. A rather large accident took place on I-75, and the result was an extended amount of time in stop-and-go traffic, though it was certainly more stop than go.
Upon arriving at the ballpark and picking up my parking pass/credential for the season, my phone kept going off and I kept hearing ooh's and ahh's as I was walking toward the concourse.
Upon putting my bag down, I had 45 email notifications from JacketsOnline, 19 text messages, and I looked up and Georgia Tech was down 6-0.
I won't make fans relive that moment too much, as I am sure it is still too soon. Busse just simply didn't have it on Friday, as head coach Danny Hall said in the post-game media appearance.
Leaving the game after 1 IP was a nightmare scenario for both Busse and new pitching coach Matthew Taylor.
Returning assistants and players had to have in the back of their minds the horror story that was the 2023 season on the mound, worrying that it may simply be the same ole, same ole.
In the remaining 26 innings, Taylor's revamped pitching staff gave up just 7 ER, struck out 29, and walked just 16. Those numbers equate to a 2.42 ERA. They allowed just 15 hits.
Among the impressive 2024 debuts were true Freshman Tate McKee, Aeden Finateri, Carson Ballard, Dawson Brown, and two-way OF/P Cam Jones.
The rotation as it was last week (Busse, Finateri, Patel) may need some work, but the performance of the bullpen had to be encouraging for everyone involved.
The first inning had fans of GT baseball with PTSD re-thinking their plans for the season, and ready to bring the pitchforks out for the entire program.
The college baseball season is a long one, and
while there were moments Sunday that were worrisome, the performance as a whole was encouraging.
SAY HELLO TO DREW BURRESS, PAYTON GREEN
There were numerous instances throughout the recruitment of OF Drew Burress where he seemed destined for the MLB Draft.
Burress was one of the first baseball recruits I ever talked to extensively, and I had gotten pretty close with both Drew and those around him.
As the draft got closer, and it became apparent that the likes of Tai Peete and Antonio Anderson were destined for MLB, Burress began trending the other way.
Burress had a tough start, but bounced back in a big way both on Friday night and the rest of the weekend.
The Freshman finished the weekend with the team lead in total bases (18) with 3 HR to go along with it.
Over the next three years, Burress is going to grow a lot. His nearly struggles with plate discipline (tied for team high with 4 K) is not expected to be an issue as he matures.
After losing his job as the starting SS at NC State and being moved to 2B, Payton Green bet on himself by entering the transfer portal.
Georgia Tech was making his long list of options, and the opportunity at SS was clear knowing that Campbell, Peete, and Anderson were all likely to not be in the picture.
Green jumped on the opportunity, and got right to work with the coaching staff at Georgia Tech.
With his bat never really being the issue (his glove was) I’m still not sure anyone could have expected the line Green put up on opening weekend- 7 hits in 11 AB’s, 3 HR, 7 RBI, and 4 BB with 0 K.
Those numbers were good enough for agreed to walk away with ACC Player of the Week. As the season progresses and the competition gets to be more and more talented in the coming months, look for Green to be a lynchpin on the offensive side of the ball. His defense should continue to improve.
W2W4 AS GT HEADS TO STATESBORO
While Georgia Tech is coming off a convincing series sweep over Radford, the Eagles from Georgia Southern are coming off a tough series loss to Maryland.
The Terps lost a ton from their team last season, including their head coach who is now in Tuscaloosa.
The Eagles struggled at the plate, going just 17-92 at the plate, numbers good enough for a… .185 batting average.
They also scored just 12 runs in the 27 innings, an output not many would have expected going into the season for a team projected by some to make a deep run into the NCAA Tournament later this spring.
The one hitter that GT will need to make sure does not beat them both on Tuesday and when they match up again later in the season is Sam Blancato.
Blancato’s advanced approach at the plate led to 5 walks in 13 plate appearances over the weekend.
Other names to watch closely will be the likes of Luke Odden and Josh Tate.
The start on Tuesday night for P Logan McGuire could be a bit of a debut for a bigger role as the season progresses.
Showing that he’s fully healthy, can throw strikes, and command the zone would go a long way in being considered for upcoming weekend rotation opportunities.
Both he and Cam Hill are two I am watching closely to see what they can show between now and the start of conference play. Especially with the depth of the bullpen and guys like Tate McKee, Mason Patel, and Carson Ballard all capable of starting in a mid-week matchup.
First pitch on Tuesday is at 6pm, and the game can be seen exclusively on ESPN+.
