An adjustment to his preparation routine may have shifted a gear in Georgia Tech pitcher Dusty Isaacs’ season, and with it, the Yellow Jackets’ prospects.
Isaacs, Tech’s junior righty and No. 2 starter, has pitched two of the best games of his career in the past two weeks. The Jackets would welcome a third in a row Saturday against Virginia at Russ Chandler Stadium. The Jackets face an important three-game series against the Cavaliers starting at 7 p.m. Friday.
“I’ve gotten in a little bit of a rhythm, a little bit of a groove, just feel really comfortable out there,” said Isaacs, from Lebanon, Ohio.
Isaacs follows ace Buck Farmer, who has been rolling with a .195 opponents batting average, a 1.47 ERA and a 6-1 record. At least until two weeks ago, Isaacs was a bit more of a wild card, capable of shutting down Boston College one weekend and then getting threshed by Florida State the next. Following that start against the Seminoles — four earned runs in four innings on six hits — he went with pitching coach Jason Howell’s suggestion to go from one bullpen session Wednesday to two lighter sessions, Tuesday and Thursday.
In his past two starts, Isaacs smoked Wake Forest (no runs, one hit in seven innings in an 8-1 win that earned Isaacs ACC pitcher-of-the-week honors) and repeated against Duke (one run, five hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 2-1 win). In those two games, opponents hit .146 in 41 at-bats with 12 strikeouts and three walks.
The added session, Isaacs said, helped him better stay in tune with his mechanics between starts while not putting more strain on his arm. Isaacs has taken to the coaching of Howell, whom Hall hired last summer to replace Tom Kinkelaar. Isaacs said he has put in more work than he did the past two years, which he attributes to maturity and Howell’s tutelage, doing things such as visualization drills and practicing his motion in front of a mirror.
“For every pitcher, he’ll customize his approach to each pitcher,” Isaacs said. “I’ve been really impressed at how he’s been able to go case by case and just kind of pick out things that he feels like are helping.”
While Tech is No. 5 in the country in batting average and No. 7 in runs, to make a serious run at defending their ACC title and have a shot at their goal of reaching the College World Series, the Jackets will need both Isaacs and No. 3 starter Cole Pitts to deliver consistent results.
“You look at any of the teams that are going well, they have three consistent weekend starters, and they probably have a good closer and they’ve probably got a couple guys in the bullpen that they can really count on,” coach Danny Hall said.
Against Virginia, which has averaged 8.1 runs per game (fifth in the country) and has a 2.72 ERA (19th in the country), the Jackets should again have All-American candidate Brandon Thomas in the lineup. Thomas served as designated hitter in Tuesday’s 7-5 win over Georgia after a nine-game absence because of mononucleosis. Typically the center fielder, Thomas may remain in the DH spot to help him conserve energy.
Without Thomas, the Jackets are 5-4 and average four runs per game. With Thomas, Tech is 19-5 and averages 9.2 runs per game. Against Georgia, Thomas was 2-for-5 and hit a game-tying double in the Jackets’ three-run rally in the fifth that put them ahead for good.
“It’s almost like order has been restored when he’s in there,” Hall said. “That was pretty evident, I think, (Tuesday) night.”
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