It would probably be overkill to call the Georgia Tech baseball team’s Tuesday ACC tournament play-in game with Wake Forest do-or-die, but it would benefit the Yellow Jackets and their NCAA tournament chances to opt for the former.
Win against the Demon Deacons (3 p.m. on Fox Sports South), and the Jackets get three pool play games against No. 1 seed Miami, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Clemson. Die, and the Jackets will have to throw themselves on the mercy of the selection committee with a good, but not airtight, case.
“I know a couple wins would definitely go a long way in cementing us getting in,” coach Danny Hall said. “I know that for sure. I don’t think anybody knows exactly what you have to do unless you win the tournament.”
While Tech would go into the pool as the No. 9 seed, the Jackets could still roll into the ACC championship game. Tech swept Duke and won two of three against Miami. The Jackets didn’t play Clemson, but the Tigers have hardly been world-beaters, nearly losing a home series to Boston College on the final weekend of the regular season.
The seedings are a bit deceptive this season. The top three teams, by virtue of conference record, are Miami (24-6), Florida State (21-9) and Virginia (22-8). After that, Duke is No. 4 at 16-14 and N.C. State is the No. 10 seed at 13-17. That’s a lot of teams with not much difference between them.
For the NCAA tournament, Tech would appear relatively safe at No. 39 in RPI with series wins over Florida State (No. 3), Miami (No. 12) and North Carolina (No. 43). And, with a pitching staff that has two solid relievers in Dusty Isaacs and Sam Clay and goes four deep in reliable starters, this would appear to be a team that could get out of a regional if the Jackets can hit the way they had been earlier in the season. It’s just a matter of actually getting into the tournament.
There are a number of teams bunched around Tech in RPI, according to boydsworld.com, which means either a loss Tuesday or a bad week in pool play (and wins by teams beneath the Jackets) could be more penalizing than it would if the rankings were more stratified. Further, the Jackets' sub-.500 conference record doesn't help. With 24 losses (against 32 wins), Tech is tied with Long Beach State for the most losses of any team in the top 50, though Tech's strength of schedule is robust.
Last Tuesday, starting pitcher Matthew Grimes earned a big win for the Jackets by shutting out Georgia over seven innings at Turner Field as Tech won 2-0 to take the series over the Bulldogs. A week later, he has another considerable task on his hands.
Tech places four on All-ACC team
Outfielder Matt Gonzalez, first baseman Thomas Smith, center fielder Daniel Spingola and second baseman Mott Hyde made the All-ACC team. Gonzalez, Smith and Spingola made second team, while Hyde made the third team.
Gonzalez has hit .307 and his nine outfield assists are fourth most in the country and most in the ACC. Smith, playing in a new position, has committed just two errors while leading the team in on-base percentage at .402. Spingola has a team-high batting average of .323 and leads the ACC in hits (73) and triples (seven). Hyde has hit a career-best .291 and has helped Tech turn 64 double plays in the regular season, most in the NCAA.
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