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With Georgia Tech’s victory against Maryland on Sunday, the Yellow Jackets won their ninth ACC baseball championship and their fifth under coach Danny Hall. The Jackets tied Clemson for the most championships in league history and became the first No. 9 seed to win a championship. The list:
Season; Opponent; Outcome
1985; Clemson; W, 7-5
1986; N.C. State. W, 9-6
1987; N.C.State; W, 6-0
1988; North Carolina; W, 6-2
2000; Clemson; W, 8-4
2003; N.C. State; W, 6-5 (10 inn.)
2005; Virginia; W, 4-3
2012; Miami; W, 8-5
2014; Maryland; W, 9-4
On Saturday, Georgia Tech became the first ninth-seeded team to reach the finals of the ACC baseball tournament.
On Sunday, the Yellow Jackets became the first No. 9 to win it.
Coming back from a run down in the seventh, Tech scored six times in the last three innings to defeat sixth-seeded Maryland 9-4 in Charlotte, N.C., and win the conference championship for the second time in three years and ninth time overall.
Uncertain just last week if they would make it into the ACC tournament, much less the NCAAs, the Jackets will be an automatic qualifier when NCAA bids are announced at noon Monday. If momentum factors into the selection committee’s seeding, Tech has the benefit of winning seven of its last nine games.
“It’s the first time we’ve ever had to play a play-in just to get into the tournament,” said Tech coach Danny Hall, referencing last Tuesday’s critical win over Wake Forest. “And winning that and then going all the way to win the tournament is a great accomplishment by our team.”
Hall improved to 5-1 in conference championship games. Tech’s ninth title also tied Clemson for most in tournament history.
The unranked Jackets had finished fifth in the ACC Coastal Division regular season with a 14-16 record. Tech was seeded ninth in the first year that the tournament was expanded from eight to 10 teams.
“We’ve had times during the season when we’ve played the game very well,” Hall said. “But our league was very competitive from top to bottom and you never want to finish the league schedule with an under-.500 record. We did that but that just put more of an emphasis on playing well this week and getting into the NCAAs.”
Maryland, headed for the Big Ten next year, leaves the ACC without having won a tournament championship. The Terps were playing in the title game for the first time since 1976.
The Jackets were powered by the middle of the order, its No 3, 4 and 5 hitters going a combined 10-for-13 with six RBIs and six runs scored. Left Fielder Matt Gonzalez had a pair of doubles with two RBIs while DH A.J. Murray went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs.
“They’ve all had their moments but the last couple games, I felt we got some really good ABs from most of our guys,” Hall said. “Gonzalez, (Thomas) Smith and Murray came up with guys in scoring position today and just did a great job of knocking them in.”
After Maryland scored twice in the sixth for a 4-3 lead, Tech answered right away, tying the game in the top of the seventh on Mitch Earnest’s sacrifice fly. The Jackets then seized control in the eighth, scoring three times on three hits and a Terps error.
Gonzalez attempted a sacrifice bunt after a Daniel Springola double, but Maryland reliever Kevin Mooney slipped as he made a throw to first, the ball sailing into the seats down the right field line, scoring Springola. Following a walk and a wild pitch that moved runners to second and third, freshman shortstop Connor Justus drove a 3-2 single up the middle, scoring both runners to break it open 7-4.
Tech tacked on two more in the ninth, both scoring with two outs on an RBI double by Gonzalez and a run-scoring single by Murray.
Once Tech tied it, Maryland was stone-walled by Tech’s bullpen. Jonathan Roberts, Ben Parr and Sam Clay threw three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit. Roberts was credited with the win.
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