GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall’s strategy worked as planned, and the Yellow Jackets will have their ace for their second game of NCAA regional play.
Hall pitched No. 2 starter Cole Pitts against College of Charleston on Friday with the hope that Tech would beat the Cougars without the aid of ace Buck Farmer, the two-time All-ACC selection. Pitts was off his game, but Tech won regardless. Farmer called it “a bold move.”
“It turned out to be a good decision, but if we would have lost, I would have done [the same thing] 100 times over,” Hall said.
Farmer will be ready for Florida, the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed. After Tech’s win Friday afternoon, before Florida’s victory against Bethune-Cookman on Friday night, Farmer said he hoped Florida would beat the Wildcats to set up a Jackets-Gators matchup Saturday.
“Absolutely. There’s nothing like going up against the No. 1 team in the nation,” Farmer said. “Your adrenaline’s going to be running. I’m going to hopefully go out there and shut ’em down.”
Farmer has experience with No. 1. Last week at the ACC tournament, he beat Florida State, ranked No. 1 in some polls, going six innings in the 5-4 win. Farmer said he didn’t know much about the Gators, but that he would go over the lineup with pitching coach Tom Kinkelaar.
Farmer’s teammates shared his enthusiasm.
“They’re a good team, but we play in a very strong conference and we played Florida State and beat them last week, and they’re as good a team as anybody in the country,” third baseman Sam Dove said.
“We’re not going to lay down for ’em just because they’re No. 1,” first baseman Jake Davies said. “We’re not intimidated.”
Hudson Randall will start for the Gators against Tech. Florida’s ace is a Dunwoody High grad and told Florida Today that he grew up a Jackets fan and that his father, Michael, attended Tech. Randall has a 7-2 record, a 2.91 ERA and an opponent batting average of .232.
Praising the enemy
Hall had gracious words for College of Charleston center fielder Marty Gantt, who hit a two-run home run off Pitts. Gantt, the Southern Conference player of the year and a third-team Louisville Slugger All-America, was born without fully developed fingers on his right hand.
Hall compared him with former pitcher Jim Abbott, who played 10 years in the major leagues despite being born without a right hand. Hall coached Abbott as an assistant at Michigan.
“In [Gantt’s] mind, he doesn’t have a handicap but as a baseball player, when you don’t have all your fingers, that’s something to overcome,” Hall said. “I tip my cap to that guy. He’s a great player.”
Etc.
Not a bad day for Brandon Thomas. The Tech left fielder hit a three-run homer in the second inning and also was named to the Capital One Academic All-America second team. Thomas, a Pace Academy graduate, carries a 3.66 GPA in management and was also a first-team All-ACC pick. Baseball America magazine ranks him No. 89 among draft prospects in next week’s major league draft. ... Tech will have all day to wait for its 7 p.m. game. After the game, pitcher Dusty Isaacs, who threw 73 pitches in the afternoon sun Friday, was all for it. “I’m going to love it,” he said. “Sleep in a little bit.” ... The game will be streamed online by ESPN3. Tech’s student radio station WREK-FM (91.1) will have game coverage. ... Tech will be the home team against Florida, having won a coin flip after the Gators’ win over Bethune-Cookman.
