Most likely, Georgia Tech’s season effectively ended with its pool-play loss to Pittsburgh in the opening game of the ACC tournament Tuesday in Durham, N.C.
The Yellow Jackets lost 2-1 to the Panthers, who were making their first-ever appearance in the tournament. Tech has one more game in pool play – Friday against top-seeded North Carolina – but cannot advance. The best that the Yellow Jackets can do is 1-1, and that would be in the event of a three-way tie with the Tar Heels and Panthers. In that scenario, North Carolina would win the tiebreaker as the highest seed and advance to the tournament semifinal.
At 31-26, Tech’s chances of making it into the NCAA tournament appear dim, even if they can upset North Carolina (No. 6 in RPI) on Friday. Should that be Tech’s fate, the Jackets will have missed the NCAA tournament for the third time in the past four seasons, an aberrant stretch for a team for which tournament berths were once a given.
On Tuesday, Xzavion Curry held Pitt to two earned runs over seven innings, giving up just three hits while striking out eight and walking none. The two runs, both allowed with two outs in the seventh, were enough for Pitt (28-25). Tech answered with one run in the bottom of the seventh, but did not advance a runner past first base in the final two innings.
Tech’s 1-2-3 hitters, Wade Bailey, Chase Murray and Joey Bart, were a combined 0-for-12.
The NCAA tournament field will be announced Monday.