Had Georgia Tech not lost two starting pitchers to arm injuries, the Yellow Jackets might be in a little different position going into the final two weeks of the regular season.
Still, coach Danny Hall is OK with where the team stands. The team’s goals — to make the ACC tournament and the NCAA tournament — are in play.
“I think we’re in position to accomplish what we had set out to accomplish, and that being said, it’s all sitting right in front of us in the next two or three weeks,” Hall said.
Tech is 32-16 going into a weekend series at Virginia, ranked No. 15 by Baseball America. The Jackets conclude the regular season the following week with the annual game against Georgia at Turner Field on Tuesday and then a home series with Boston College.
Hall has an estimable task at hand — finding two trustworthy starting pitchers. No. 1 starter Brandon Gold has been excellent with a 6-2 record and a 2.16 ERA. However, injuries to starters Jonathan King (shoulder) and Jonathan Hughes (elbow) limited them to a total of six starts. Freshman Tristin English, who had been expected to start, has not been able to pitch at all this season because of bone spurs in his elbow.
Ten pitchers have started games for Tech this season, compared with seven last season. Hall will give Ben Parr his second start of the season and Jake Lee his fifth Saturday and Sunday against the Cavaliers. Lee, a freshman, has started three weekends in a row. Parr is 7-0 in 19 appearances with a 4.01 ERA and a .201 opponent batting average.
To have any chance at success in the postseason, the Jackets will need dependable starters to follow Gold.
“(Parr has) been really good in relief, and so we’re going to make that move (to start him) and see if we can find a little lightning in the bottle with him,” Hall said.
Tech is in good shape to get into the NCAA tournament after missing out last year for only the third time in Hall’s 22 seasons with the team. The Jackets were projected as a No. 2 seed in the Gainesville, Fla., NCAA regional by Baseball America on Wednesday. Florida is No. 1 in the country.
Tech was No. 19 in RPI as of Thursday. The website Boyd's World projects that for Tech to get into the top 16 in RPI and improve its chances of hosting its own regional, it would have to win six of the final seven regular-season games.
The Jackets still have work to do to ensure their spot in the 10-team field for the ACC tournament. Tech goes into the weekend at 11-12 in the conference, the seventh best record. Pitt is No. 11 at 10-13.
“We need to play well these next two series, and we need to play well in the ACC tournament,” Hall said. “Let’s just make sure we’re in a regional. That would be the first step. If we play really good, then maybe we’d have a chance to host.”
About the Author
