GEORGIA TECH BASEBALL: EIGHT ACC CHAMPIONSHIPS, AND COUNTING... TABLE OF CONTENTS Media Information.... 2 Quick Facts......................3 Roster & Pronunciations.... 3 Season Preview.... 4-5 Radio/TV Roster.... 6 THE PLAYERS Player Bios.... 8-31 Player Personality Grid.... 32-33 Player Surveys.... 34 COACHES & STAFF Head Coach Danny Hall.... 36-38 Assistant Coaches & Staff.... 39-44 Administration.... 45-46 YEAR IN REVIEW 2013 Recap.... 48 2013 Game-by-Game Results.... 49 2013 Final Statistics.... 50-53 About the ACC.... 54 postseason HISTORY Georgia Tech in the ACC...........56 Tech s ACC Tourney Box Scores... 57-60 Tech s NCAA Tourney Box Scores. 61-65 Tech s CWS Teams.... 66-72 TEAM HISTORY Tech s Major Leaguers.... 74-75 Tech in the Pros.... 76-77 Tech in the Draft.... 78-79 All-Americans/Honors/Awards... 80-85 Hall of Fame/Retired Numbers.... 86 Coaches & Captains.... 87 Letterwinners.... 88-89 Tech s Top Players Stats.... 90-94 TEAM RECORDS Batting Records....96-103 Pitching Records....104-109 Fielding Records.... 110 the opponents Series History....112-118 Year-By-Year Results....119-128 MEDIA GUIDE Credits Editing & Design: Mike DeGeorge Cover Design: Aaron DeWall Contributors: Wiley Ballard, Eliot Beckham, Becca Lally, Nolan Alexander, Carlton French, Mike Stamus, Dean Buchan, Mike Huff, Cheryl Watts, Nick Scherer, Richard Musterer Photography: Head shots and team photo by Danny Karnik; Action photos by Rick Brozek, Pete Casabonne, Joe Cavanaugh, Scott Cunningham, David Gonzales, Mike Jula, Danny Karnik, Stanley Leary, Britt McAllister, Sam Morgan, Jerry Pillarelli, Jack Reimer, Brian Savage, Rob Skinner Printing: Bennett Graphics of Tucker, Ga. Thanks to Robert Worley 1
Media Services The 2014 Georgia Tech Baseball Yearbook is published primarily as a source of information for members of the media. Requests for additional information, interviews and photographs should be directed to Assistant Sports Information Director Mike DeGeorge. Baseball releases, which include updated statistics, are available on a bi-weekly basis throughout the season. Fast and easy access to this information can be achieved by accessing the official Georgia Tech Athletics website, www.ramblinwreck.com. The Georgia Tech Sports Information Office will email weekly releases to members of the media. Russ Chandler Stadium Georgia Tech s home field is located on the corner of Fowler Street and Ferst Drive, with the entrances to the stadium along Ferst Drive. Directions from the North (I-75): Follow I-75 South to Northside Drive/Howell Mill Road Exit. Follow exit to Northside Drive and turn right. Proceed to 10th Street (sixth light) and turn left. Follow 10th Street to Fowler Street (fifth light) and turn right. Stadium will be on the right. Directions from the North (I-85): Follow I-85 South to North Avenue exit and turn right. Proceed to Techwood Drive (first light) and turn right. Follow Techwood Drive to Fifth Street (second light) and turn left. Stadium will be on the right. Directions from the South: Follow I- 75/I-85 North to 10th Street exit and turn left. Proceed to Fowler Street (second light), and turn left. Stadium will be on the right. Media Credentials Media credentials will be issued only to working members of the media. Children and other non-workers are not allowed. Members of the media may claim credentials in the GT Ticket Office until four hours prior to each game (excluding weekends) before they are moved to media will-call at Russ Chandler Stadium. Requests: Contact Mike DeGeorge at least one day prior to home game or series. Media Will Call: Third base ticket booth, corner of Cherry Street and Ferst Drive. Media Parking: A limited number of media parking spaces at various locations around Russ Chandler Stadium are available. Please include parking requests along with credential requests. GEORGIA TECH ON THE AIR Television: A number of home games will be aired on television this season, including CSS and as part of the ACC television package on RSN and ESPN Networks. Georgia Tech s 2014 television schedule can be found at the bottom of this page, and up-to-date TV details can be found at www.ramblinwreck.com. Radio: All of Tech s baseball games will be aired on radio in 2014. WREK Radio (91.1 FM in Atlanta/www.wrek.org), the nation s first 100,000-watt college station, will serve as the flagship home for Georgia Tech baseball with Nolan Alexander (right), Wade Rogers (left) and Wiley Ballard calling the action. Press Box: The Russ Chandler Stadium Press Box is located atop the grandstand behind home plate. It includes space for working members of the press, official and visiting scorers, the public address announcer and the scoreboard operator. Also located on the press level are two radio booths, a television booth, and eight luxury suites (two indoor, six outdoor). The Press Box is on the same level as the third base entry gate. Media Interviews All interview requests for head coach Danny Hall or any Georgia Tech baseball player should be directed to Mike DeGeorge in the Sports Information Office. Players and coaches are available to the media before and after practice or by appointment (for mornings and early afternoons). Interviews with coaches or players while the team is on the road can be arranged by contacting Mike DeGeorge via cell phone or email. Postgame Interviews Head coach Danny Hall is available to meet any working members of the press immediately following the game on the field at Russ Chandler Stadium. Due to space limitations in the locker room, all player interviews are also conducted on the field; media members are not permitted in the clubhouse area. Mike DeGeorge will coordinate all postgame interview requests for Georgia Tech. Interviews with visiting team members can be done on the field, subject to the policy of the visiting team s sports information representative. Photographers Media credentials are required for all photographers and television media. All credentials can be claimed at Will Call, located at the third base entrance of the stadium. Photo wells are located at the far end of both dugouts, with space for both still and video cameras. Photographers are also permitted to shoot from the press level, but may not shoot from ground level between the two dugouts. Photographers are not permitted on the field at any time. Photographers may move from one photo well to the other by exiting the dugouts and walking along the concourse behind home plate. Press Box Services Updated cumulative statistics, game notes, scorecards and team rosters are available in the Press Box prior to each home game. An official scorer is assigned to all home games, and baseball SID Mike DeGeorge will keep the media informed of all scoring decisions, noteworthy facts and records. THE WEB AND SOCIAL MEDIA The official website of Georgia Tech athletics is updated daily with the latest on Yellow Jacket sports. It provides schedules, rosters, statistics and bios on every student-athlete and coach. In addition, fans are encouraged to follow the team on Twitter (@GT_Baseball) and Facebook. Georgia Tech will tweet live ingame updates during every game. 2014 Georgia Tech TV Schedule Mar. 4 at Georgia CSS 7 p.m. Mar. 7 Wake Forest ESPN3 4 p.m. Mar. 14 Miami ESPN3 7 p.m. Mar. 15 Miami CSS 7:30 p.m. Mar. 16 Miami ESPN3 1 p.m. Apr. 4 Duke ESPN3 7 p.m. Apr. 5 Duke ESPN3 6 p.m. Apr. 6 Duke ESPN3 1 p.m. Apr. 11 Florida State CSS 7:30 p.m. Apr. 12 Florida State RSN 2 p.m. Apr. 13 Florida State CSS 1 p.m. Apr. 15 Georgia CSS 7:30 p.m. Apr. 26 at NC State RSN 1 p.m. May 2 Virginia Tech ESPN3 7 p.m. May 3 Virginia Tech RSN 1 p.m. May 4 Virginia Tech ESPN3 1 p.m. May 6 North Florida ESPN3 4 p.m. May 13 vs. Georgia FS-South 7 p.m. May 15 South Florida ESPN3 7 p.m. May 16 South Florida ESPN3 7 p.m. May 17 South Florida ESPN3 1 p.m. Subject to change Media Information Georgia Tech Sports Information Phone: (404) 894-5445 Fax: (404) 894-1248 Web: Ramblinwreck.com Twitter: twitter.com/gtathletics Facebook: facebook.com/gtathletics Mailing: 150 Bobby Dodd Way, NW Atlanta, Ga., 30332-0455 Mike DeGeorge Baseball SID O: (404) 894-5467 C: (404) 263-9478 Twitter: @MikeDeGeorge Email: mdegeorge@athletics.gatech.edu Dean Buchan Assistant Athletic Director Sports: Football Cell: (404) 295-8703 Email: dbuchan@athletics.gatech.edu Mike Stamus Associate SID Sports: Men s Basketball, Men s Golf, Men s Tennis Cell: (404) 218-9723 Email: mstamus@athletics.gatech.edu Mike DeGeorge Assistant SID Sports: Football, Baseball,. Swimming & Diving Cell: (404) 263-9478 Email: mdegeorge@athletics.gatech.edu Brittany McCormick Assistant SID Sports: Women s Basketball, Women s Tennis Cell: (908) 839-7274 Email: bmccormick@athletics.gatech.edu Lauren Rupert Assistant SID Sports: Volleyball, Softball, Track & Field, Cross Country Cell: (724) 516-4577 Email: lrupert@athletics.gatech.edu 2
2014 Roster & Quick Facts General Information School.... Georgia Institute of Technology Location.... Atlanta, Ga. 30332 Enrollment / Founded.... 21,000 / 1885 Nickname..... Yellow Jackets, Rambling Wreck Mascot.... Buzz the Yellow Jacket Official Colors....Old Gold and White Conference.... Atlantic Coast (since 1980) Website.... www.ramblinwreck.com Twitter....@GT_Baseball Institute INFORMATION President.... Dr. G.P. Bud Peterson Faculty Representative.. Dr. Sue Ann Bidstrup Allen Director of Athletics.... Mike Bobinski Athletic Department Phone.... (404) 894-5400 Ticket Office Phone.... (888) TECH-TIX Baseball Staff Head Coach...Danny Hall Alma Mater, Year... Miami, Ohio 77 Overall Record.. 1,062-519-1 (.672), 26 years Record at School..854-402-1 (.680), 20 years Office Phone... (404) 894-5471 Asst. Coach/Recruiting. Bryan Prince (7th year) Alma Mater...Georgia Tech 05 Assistant Coach...Jason Howell (2nd year) Alma Mater...North Carolina 02 Volunteer Coach...Tony Plagman Graduate Assistant Coach...Eddie Prasch Director of Baseball Operations..Nick Scherer Strength and Conditioning...Steve Tamborra Trainer...Walter Smith Sports Information Asst. Director (Baseball SID).... Mike DeGeorge Email.... mdegeorge@athletics.gatech.edu Office.... (404) 894-5445 Cell.... (404) 263-9478 Twitter.... @MikeDeGeorge Mailing Address... 150 Bobby Dodd Way, N.W.................... Atlanta, Ga. 30332-0455 Historical Information Record Since 1895...2291-1448-27 (.612) At Russ Chandler Stadium...805-230 (.778) ACC Championships.... 8.1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2012 ACC Tournament Record...72-55 (.567) NCAA Appearances.... 29....1959, 1971, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989,....1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996,....1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004,....2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012,.................................. 2013 NCAA Tournament Record...66-57 (.537) NCAA Super Regionals.... 5.............. 2000, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2006 College World Series Appearances.... 3........ 1994 (2nd), 2002 (T-5th), 2006 (T-7th) College World Series Record....4-5 STADIUM INFORMATION Name...Russ Chandler Stadium Year Opened (Renovated)....... 1985 (2001) Capacity.... 4,157 Dimensions.... 329-382-390-350-334 Press Box Number....(404) 894-3167 Address.... Fowler Street & Fifth Street.........................Atlanta, Ga. 30332 2014 Information Lettermen Return..23 (11 position, 12 pitchers) Lettermen Lost.... 12 (10 position, 2 pitchers) Starting Position Players Returning/Lost... 4/5 Starting Pitchers Returning/Lost.... 3/1 Newcomers.... 14 Captains. Mott Hyde, Dusty Isaacs, Devin Stanton 2013 Year in Review Overall Record....37-27 Home: 23-11; Away: 10-12; Neutral: 4-4 ACC Record....15-15 Home: 9-6; Away: 6-9 ACC Finish.... 4th, Coastal ACC Tournament (1-2) Postseason Play.. NCAA Nashville Regional (3-2) Final Ranking..................29 (NCBWA) Georgia Tech Baseball Roster No. Name Pos. B-T Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown (High School/College) 2 Grant Wruble * C/OF R/R 6-1 190 So. Johns Creek, Ga./Chattahoochee 3 Mott Hyde *** SS/2B R/R 5-11 184 Sr. Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun 4 Zac Ryan RHP/IF R/R 6-1 180 Fr. Valparaiso, Ind./Andrean 5 Keenan Innis OF/RHP L/R 5-11 171 Fr. Cumming, Ga./Blessed Trinity 6 Ryan Peurifoy OF R/R 6-2 185 Fr. Peachtree City, Ga./Starr s Mill 7 Arden Pabst C/1B R/R 6-1 212 Fr. Sherman Oaks, Calif./Harvard Westlake 8 Syd Hopkins RHP R/R 6-2 166 Fr. Roswell, Ga./Roswell 9 A.J. Murray ** 1B R/R 6-1 212 Jr. Westfield, N.J./Westfield 10 Brandon Gold 3B/RHP R/R 6-3 188 Fr. Alpharetta, Ga/Johns Creek 11 Sam Clay * LHP L/L 6-3 202 So. Buford, Ga./Buford 13 Thomas Smith ** 2B/SS R/R 6-1 175 Jr. Fort Pierce, Fla./John Carroll 14 Matt Gonzalez * SS/3B R/R 5-11 188 So. Acworth, Ga./Harrison 15 Connor Justus IF R/R 5-11 198 Fr. Cartersville, Ga./Cartersville 16 Elliott Barzilli IF R/R 5-11 158 Fr. Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter 20 Matt Phillips RHP R/R 6-2 179 Fr. Milton, Ga./Milton 21 DeAndre Smelter *** RHP/OF R/R 6-3 220 Sr. Macon, Ga./Tattnall Square Academy 22 Alex Cruz *** RHP/3B R/R 6-1 219 Sr. Woodstock, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic 23 Ben Parr LHP L/L 6-3 171 Fr. Social Circle, Ga./George Walton Academy 24 Joe Wiseman * RHP R/R 6-4 222 So. Roswell, Ga./Pope 25 Matthew Grimes *** RHP R/R 6-6 211 Sr. Hoschton, Ga./Mill Creek 26 Matthew Gorst RHP R/R 6-0 214 Fr. Alpharetta, Ga./Johns Creek 27 Jonathan Roberts *** RHP R/R 6-3 205 Sr. Fayetteville, Ga./Landmark Christian 28 Dusty Isaacs *** RHP R/R 6-0 204 Sr. Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon 29 Mitch Earnest *** C R/R 6-2 214 Sr. Atlanta, Ga./Lakeside 30 Ben Schniederjans RHP R/R 6-2 178 Fr. Powder Springs, Ga./Harrison 31 Tanner Shelton LHP L/L 6-2 227 Fr. Woodstock, Ga./Etowah 32 Eric Knox OF R/R 6-3 206 Fr. Guyton, Ga./Effingham County 35 Daniel Spingola ** OF L/L 6-1 179 Jr. Roswell, Ga./Marist 36 Cole Pitts ** RHP R/R 6-5 226 Jr. Moultrie, Ga./Colquitt County 37 Josh Heddinger ** RHP R/R 6-4 222 Jr. Suwanee, Ga./Buford 38 Jared Jillson * RHP R/R 6-1 211 So. Vero Beach, Fla./St. Edwards 39 Jonathan King * LHP L/L 5-11 200 So. Murfreesboro, Tenn./Riverdale 41 Devin Stanton *** LHP R/L 6-0 198 Sr. Lilburn, Ga./Wesleyan 42 Kyle Leach * RHP R/R 6-1 179 So. Monroe, Ga./George Walton Academy * Years on the roster Coaching Staff Head Coach: 17 Danny Hall (Miami, Ohio 77), 21st year at Georgia Tech Assistant Coach/Hitting: 18 Bryan Prince (Georgia Tech 05), 7th year Assistant Coach/Pitching: 34 Jason Howell (North Carolina 02), 2nd year Volunteer Assistant Coach: 19 Tony Plagman (Georgia Tech 10), 1st year Graduate Assistant Coach: 1 Eddie Prasch, 2nd year Support Staff Director of Baseball Operations: Nick Scherer (Georgia Tech, 07), 7th year Trainer: Walter Smith (Morris Brown, 72), 29th year Strength & Conditioning: Steve Tamborra (Florida State 94), 15th year Managers: Nick Roth, Soma Yamaoka, Steven Tinsley Bullpen Catcher: Greg Feinberg ROSTER BREAKDOWNS by STATE Georgia (26) Sam Clay....Buford Alex Cruz.... Woodstock Mitch Earnest.... Atlanta Brandon Gold....Alpharetta Matt Gonzalez....Acworth Matthew Gorst....Alpharetta Matthew Grimes....Hoschton Josh Heddinger....Suwanee Syd Hopkins....Roswell Mott Hyde.... Calhoun Keenan Innis.... Cumming Connor Justus....Cartersville Eric Knox....Guyon Kyle Leach....Monroe Ben Parr....Social Circle Ryan Peurifoy.... Peachtree City Matt Phillips....Milton Cole Pitts.... Moultrie Jonathan Roberts.... Fayetteville Ben Schniederjans....Powder Springs Tanner Shelton.... Woodstock DeAndre Smelter.... Macon Daniel Spingola....Roswell Devin Stanton....Lilburn Joe Wiseman....Roswell Grant Wruble.... Johns Creek California (2) Elliott Barzilli.... Los Angeles Arden Pabst.... Sherman Oaks Florida (2) Jared Jillson....Vero Beach Thomas Smith.... Ft. Pierce Tennessee (1) Jonathan King.... Mufreesboro New Jersey (1) A.J. Murray.... Westfield Ohio (1) Dusty Isaacs.... Lebanon Indiana (1) Zac Ryan.... Valparaiso ALPHABETICAL No. Name 16 Elliott Barzilli 11 Sam Clay 22 Alex Cruz 29 Mitch Earnest 12 Gregory Feinberg 10 Brandon Gold 14 Matt Gonzalez 26 Matthew Gorst 25 Matthew Grimes 37 Josh Heddinger 8 Syd Hopkins 3 Mott Hyde 5 Keenan Innis 28 Dusty Isaacs 38 Jared Jillson 15 Connor Justus 39 Jonathan King 32 Eric Knox 42 Kyle Leach 9 A.J. Murray 7 Arden Pabst 23 Ben Parr 6 Ryan Peurifoy 20 Matt Phillips 36 Cole Pitts 27 Jonathan Roberts 4 Zac Ryan 30 Ben Schniederjans 31 Tanner Shelton 21 DeAndre Smelter 13 Thomas Smith 35 Daniel Spingola 41 Devin Stanton 24 Joe Wiseman 2 Grant Wruble Pronunciation guide Mott Hyde hide Keenan Innis Inn-is Ryan Peurifoy Pure-a-foy Ben Schniederjans Shh-nyder-jans Grant Wruble Ruh-ble by Class Seniors (8) Cruz, Earnest, Grimes, Hyde, Isaacs, Roberts, Smelter, Stanton Juniors (5) Heddinger, Murray, Pitts, Smith, Spingola Sophomores (7) Clay, Gonzalez, Jillson, King, Leah, Wiseman, Wruble Freshmen (14) Barzilli, Gold, Gorst, Hopkins, Innis, Justus, Knox, Pabst, Parr, Peurifoy, Phillips, Ryan, Schniederjans, Shelton 3
1. You welcome in a big rookie class, do you adjust goals or make them more manageable knowing that you have such a young team? Danny Hall: Our goals are always the same. We want to win the ACC. We want to be in a NCAA Regional. We d love to host a regional. So I don t think those change, but with such a young team you have to realize that there are some growing pains there. They re not going to play great every time they go out there. But you keep giving those guys chances and keep working with them to try and get them better day by day. The one thing I ve been impressed with is that they are all hard workers and they care a lot. And the all want to get better and with that attitude they re going to get better. 2. After losing Buck Farmer, how do you see the weekend rotation unfolding? DH: Buck Farmer is a tough guy to replace because he has been a Friday night guy in this league for a long time. He s been a big-game pitcher not only in this league, but in postseason play for a long time. Our hope is that we start the year with Jonathan King in that role. I think he pitched very consistently when we put him in the starting rotation last year. But saying that, we have a lot of guys who had starting jobs and I really like our freshman Zac Ryan and also Matthew Grimes has proven to be a very, very good pitcher (when healthy). I feel like we have a lot of options in our starting rotation. But do we have a Buck Farmer? I couldn t tell you right now that we have a Buck Farmer in that group. We certainly hope that as a collective group they can give us four solid games every week in our starting rotation. 3. Offensively the make-up of this team is different from teams you ve had in the past. Hoe do you adjust your offensive approach? DH: Well we have. When you lose the home run power of (Daniel) Palka and (Zane) Evans, I m not sure we have KING FIVE PRESEASON QUESTIONS WITH COACH HALL 2014 Team Photo Row 4 (Back): Brandon Gold, DeAndre Smelter, Jonathan Roberts, Joe Wiseman, Cole Pitts, Matt Grimes, Josh Heddinger, Eric Knox, Ben Parr, Sam Clay, Tanner Shelton. Row 3: Thomas Smith, Daniel Spingola, Kyle Leach, Syd Hopkins, Mitch Earnest, Matt Phillips, Ryan Peurifoy, Jared Jillson, Alex Cruz, A.J. Murray, Arden Pabst. Row 2: Steve Tamborra (strength coach), Nick Scherer (director of baseball operations), Tony Plagman (volunteer assistant coach), Dusty Isaacs (captain), Bryan Prince (assistant coach), Danny Hall (head coach), Jason Howell (assistant coach), Mott Hyde (captain), Devin Stanton (captain), Walter Smith (trainer), Eddie Prasch (graduate assistant coach), Nick Roth (manager). Row 1: Greg Feinberg (bullpen catcher), Keenan Innis, Connor Justus, Jonathan King, Grant Wruble, Matt Gorst, Zac Ryan, Matt Gonzalez, Ben Schniederjans, Steven Tinsley (manager). anyone who s going to be in double figures in home runs. But I do think collectively we can get close to the amount of home runs we hit last season. We may have more than just a few guys that can hit them. One of the valuable parts of our program here is Steve Tambora (strength & conditioning coach) and he works these guys extremely hard. We take the strength part of it very seriously and strength plays a big part in guys being able to hit home runs. Part of it is, if we play a bunch of freshmen, it takes them a while to get their strength, but I kiddingly tell the freshmen that if they hit a ball that ends up on the warning track in the fall, it may end up as a home run in the spring due to the Tambora effect. We pride ourselves on being able to hit home runs and we try to recruit guys that can do that, but we do believe that we can develop power. But we ll see as the season plays out, what we need to do to score runs. 4. There s going to a be a lot of turnover in the outfield this year, what did you see in the Fall? DH: It s a big question mark just because we lost Kyle Wren who was a major table-setter for us for his entire time here. Losing Palka and losing Brandon Thomas as well. They were three really good players not just for us, but three really good players in college baseball. Daniel Spingola is back and he had a great fall. He s working really hard. Then we re really looking at some freshmen. We ve got a guy in Keenan Innis that reminds me a lot of Kyle, not as fast as Kyle, but he plays the game hard and plays the game the right way. He had a good fall. Ryan Peurifoy is certainly a freshman outfielder that I think has a lot of talent. He reminds me a lot of a young Brandon Thomas. Then Eric Knox is kind of the under-theradar guy. He s a big strong guy and a guy who is eventually going to hit some home runs for us. He just needs to keep working hard defensively. But all of those guys will get some at bats and some playing time. They give us a pretty solid unit out there. HYDE 5. You seem to have a lot of depth and options in the infield? DH: Options are a good thing. I think if you ran just the upperclassmen out there you would put (Matt) Gonzalez at third. The two games that stick out in my mind are the games he played at Vanderbilt when we stuck him in there when Sam Dove went out. He came in and made some great plays. Mott Hyde, a senior shortstop and co-captain, had a good fall and is working extremely hard. Then we d put Thomas Smith at second and A.J. Murray at first. So that s the upperclassmen infield, but in saying that we have three freshmen that are very talented defensively: Brandon Gold at third, Elliot Barzilli and Connor Justus are both shortstops but can both play second base. We ve got some sorting out to do there, but it does give us a lot of flexibility on possibly just putting our best defensive guys there. But if we played today, I d probably stick all of the upperclassmen out there. I wouldn t rule out that you could see a Murray in the outfield a little bit. You could see Gonzalez in the outfield a little bit as well. That would allow us to play some of those freshman. TOP POSITION PLAYERS RETURNING ------------------------------2013 Stats---------------------------- --------------------------------Career Stats -------------------------------- Player B-T Year GP GS.AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI GP GS.AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Mott Hyde R-R Sr. 64 64.260 223 32 58 18 1 6 32 189 189.267 666 107 178 42 2 17 112 A.J. Murray R-R Jr. 64 64.271 236 41 64 10 2 5 35 76 66.262 248 42 65 10 2 5 36 Thomas Smith R-R Jr. 45 30.286 112 16 32 5 2 3 13 84 69.294 238 34 70 11 2 3 25 Matt Gonzalez R-R So. 61 58.291 227 37 66 9 2 3 37 61 58.291 227 37 66 9 2 3 37 TOP POSITION PLAYERS LOST ------------------------------2013 Stats---------------------------- --------------------------------Career Stats -------------------------------- Player B-T Status GP GS.AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI GP GS.AVG AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI Daniel Palka L-L Draft 62 62.342 237 55 81 13 3 17 66 189 186.314 707 140 222 50 8 41 165 Zane Evans R-R Draft 64 64.361 244 47 88 12 1 14 66 181 181.310 694 115 215 43 2 23 163 Kyle Wren L-L Draft 64 64.360 272 50 98 11 6 2 28 189 189.319 795 163 254 32 19 5 82 Brandon Thomas S-R Draft 53 53.321 209 49 67 15 4 1 30 204 193.322 709 153 228 46 14 9 116 Sam Dove R-R Draft 61 61.288 233 47 67 14 3 3 34 193 173.313 667 135 209 36 5 6 82 4
2014 preseason notebook A MODEL OF SUCCESS >> The Yellow Jackets have played in the NCAA Tournament every year since 1985, with the exception of the 1999 and 2007 seasons, and made its 29th all-time postseason appearance last year. >> Since 2002, Tech has appeared in 11 Regionals, three Super Regionals and two College World Series (2002 and 2006). >> Prior to its recent streak, Georgia Tech had participated in the NCAA playoffs just twice, in 1959 and 1971, with an additional play-in tournament appearance in 1948. >> Georgia Tech made its first trip to the College World Series in 1994, advancing to the championship game before falling to Oklahoma, 13-5. H-All HE DOES IS WIN >> Having spent his entire coaching career involved with winning programs, Danny Hall s tenure at Georgia Tech has been his most successful, as he is the all-time winningest baseball coach in Tech history with a school-record 854 wins. >> Now in his 21st season on the Flats, Hall entered the year ranked 12th among active Division-I coaches in winning percentage (.672), and 14th among active coaches in number of victories (1,062). >> His first win of the 2014 season will be his 1,500th over 36 years in the coaching profession (as both an assistant and head coach). 2014 CAPTAINS NAMED >> The Yellow Jackets have selected their captains for the 2014 season - shortstop Mott Hyde, pitcher Dusty Isaacs and pitcher Devin Stanton. YOUTH MOVEMENT >> Georgia Tech s 2014 roster of 34 student-athletes includes 21 that are either freshmen or sophomores. The 2014 roster will include eight seniors and five juniors. >> Tech s freshman class was ranked ninth-best nationally by Perfect Game, marking the fifth time in the past seven years that its incoming freshmen class has been ranked in the top 35 nationally. ISAACS HALL PLAGMAN JOINS STAFF >> Former Tech All-American Tony Plagman was introduced as the volunteer assistant coach in October. Plagman played first base from 2007-10 and hit.329 in his career with 219 RBI in 223 games. >> He replaced Wally Crancer, who was named a full-time assistant coach at Purdue. HEDDINGER HELPS PENINSULA TO CPL TITLE >> Junior RHP Josh Heddinger was the Game 1 starter for the Peninsula Pilots in their three-game Coastal Plain League championship series match-up versus the Columbia Blowfish. Heddinger was strong, allowing just one run on five hits with six strikeouts in 5.2 innings and turned a 3-1 lead over to the bullpen, only to see Columbia rally late to force extras, but Peninsula win 5-4 in the 10th. The Pilots claimed the title two days later with a 2-1 win. >> Heddinger, who capped his sophomore season at Tech with a complete-game two-hit shutout of No. 2 Vanderbilt in the NCAA Regional, finished the summer with a 3.19 ERA and 3-1 record and three saves in 11 appearances (four starts). TECH S SUMMER LEAGUE ALL-STAR SELECTIONS >> Alaska Baseball League: Devin Stanton >> Coastal Plain League: Josh Heddinger >> Florida Collegiate Summer League: Grant Wruble >> NECBL: Alex Cruz & Daniel Spingola >> Southeast Collegiate Prospect Showcase: Mitch Earnest >> Valley League: Thomas Smith STRONG 2013 RESUME >> Tech went 7-6 last year versus four teams that earned top-eight national seeds -- No. 1 North Carolina (2-1), No. 2 Vanderbilt (1-1), No. 6 Virginia (2-2), No. 7 Florida State (2-2). >> The Jackets played 19 regular-season games versus ranked teams this season -- it was the most for Tech in at least the last seven seasons. >> Georgia Tech claimed series wins over teams ranked first (North Carolina), third (Virginia) and 11th (Virginia Tech) in the RPI -- those three teams finished ahead of Tech in the Coastal standings. >> The series win over No. 1-North Carolina marked the Yellow Jackets first series win over a top-ranked team since taking two from Clemson in 2002. 2014 SCHEDULE Date Opponent TV Time Feb. 14 Old Dominion $ 4 p.m. Feb. 15 Radford $ 4 p.m. Feb. 16 VCU $ 2 p.m. Feb. 19 at Georgia Southern 6 p.m. Feb. 21 UNC Greensboro 4 p.m. Feb. 22 UNC Greensboro 2 p.m. Feb. 23 UNC Greensboro 1 p.m. Feb. 25 Kennesaw State 4 p.m. Feb. 28 Bowling Green 4 p.m. Mar. 1 Bowling Green 2 p.m. Mar. 2 Bowling Green 1 p.m. Mar. 4 at Georgia CSS 7 p.m. Mar. 7 Wake Forest * ESPN3 4 p.m. Mar. 8 Wake Forest * 4 p.m. Mar. 9 Wake Forest * 1 p.m. Mar. 11 Western Carolina 6 p.m. Mar. 14 Miami * ESPN3 7 p.m. Mar. 15 Miami * CSS 7:30 p.m. Mar. 16 Miami * ESPN3 1 p.m. Mar. 18 at Kennesaw State 6 p.m. Mar. 19 at Georgia State 6 p.m. Mar. 21 at North Carolina * ESPN3 6 p.m. Mar. 22 at North Carolina * ESPN3 4 p.m. Mar. 23 at North Carolina * ESPN3 1 p.m. Mar. 25 Mercer 6 p.m. Mar. 28 at Pittsburgh * 3 p.m. Mar. 29 at Pittsburgh * 3 p.m. Mar. 30 at Pittsburgh * 1 p.m. Apr. 2 Georgia State 6 p.m. Apr. 4 Duke * ESPN3 7 p.m. Apr. 5 Duke * ESPN3 6 p.m. Apr. 6 Duke * ESPN3 1 p.m. Apr. 8 Georgia Southern 6 p.m. Apr. 9 Savannah State 6 p.m. Apr. 11 Florida State * CSS 7:30 p.m. Apr. 12 Florida State * RSN 2 p.m. Apr. 13 Florida State * CSS 1 p.m. Apr. 15 Georgia CSS 7:30 p.m. Apr. 18 at Maryland * 6:30 p.m. Apr. 19 at Maryland * 2 p.m. Apr. 20 at Maryland * 1 p.m. Apr. 22 at Mercer 6 p.m. Apr. 25 at NC State * ESPN3 6:30 p.m. Apr. 26 at NC State * RSN 1 p.m. Apr. 27 at NC State * ESPN3 1 p.m. May 2 Virginia Tech * ESPN3 7 p.m. May 3 Virginia Tech * RSN 1 p.m. May 4 Virginia Tech * ESPN3 1 p.m. May 6 North Florida ESPN3 4 p.m. May 9 at Virginia * 6 p.m. May 10 at Virginia * 4 p.m. May 11 at Virginia * 1 p.m. May 13 vs. Georgia (Turner Field) FS-South 7 p.m. May 15 South Florida ESPN3 7 p.m. May 16 South Florida ESPN3 7 p.m. May 17 South Florida ESPN3 1 p.m. May 20-25 May 30-June 2 June 6-9 June 14-25 ACC Tournament (Greensboro, N.C.) NCAA Regionals (Campus Sites) NCAA Super Regionals (Campus Sites) College World Series (Omaha, Neb.) NOTES Times/TV subject to change; All times Eastern $ Battle in Midtown (Russ Chandler Stadium, Atlanta) * ACC game TOP PITCHERS RETURNING ------------------------------------2013 Stats------------------------------------ --------------------------------Career Stats -------------------------------- Player Pos Year ERA W-L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB K ERA W-L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB K Dusty Isaacs (SP/RP) RHP Sr. 4.90 4-8 17 16 0 0 0 82.2 81 45 33 67 5.06 11-13 60 28 0 0 0 185.0 181 104 84 153 Jonathan Roberts (RP) RHP Sr. 3.29 2-0 21 0 0 0 2 27.1 24 10 17 20 5.33 2-0 41 1 0 0 2 52.1 55 31 34 31 Alex Cruz (RP) RHP Sr. 5.93 2-2 26 0 0 0 1 54.2 64 36 27 42 3.58 10-5 56 1 0 0 3 128.1 110 51 50 89 Cole Pitts (SP) RHP Jr. 4.71 5-3 19 13 0 0 0 65.0 60 34 36 43 4.59 11-7 38 26 0 0 1 143.0 158 73 71 103 Josh Heddinger (SP) RHP Jr. 4.60 3-0 16 6 1 1 0 45.0 37 23 18 26 5.55 6-4 39 13 1 1 0 95.2 92 59 50 65 Jonathan King (SP) LHP So. 4.04 6-5 24 10 0 0 2 69.0 78 31 25 52 4.04 6-5 24 10 0 0 2 69.0 78 31 25 52 TOP PITCHERS LOST ------------------------------------2013 Stats------------------------------------ --------------------------------Career Stats -------------------------------- Player Pos Status ERA W-L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB K ERA W-L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H ER BB K Buck Farmer (SP) RHP Draft 2.78 9-5 17 17 2 0 0 113.1 100 35 35 122 3.12 33-13 68 52 5 1 0 380.1 334 132 121 387 5
Radio/TV Roster #2 Grant Wruble C/OF R/R 6-1 183 So. Johns Creek, Ga./Chattahoochee #3 Mott Hyde SS/2B R-R 5-11 186 Sr. Calhoun, Ga./Calhoun #4 Zac Ryan RHP/IF R-R 6-1 198 Fr. Valparaiso, Ind./Andrean #5 Keenan Innis OF/RHP L-R 5-11 175 Fr. Cumming, Ga./Blessed Trinity #6 Ryan Peurifoy OF R-R 6-2 189 Fr. Peachtree City, Ga./Starr s Mill #7 Arden Pabst C/IF R-R 6-1 219 Fr. Sherman Oaks, Calif./Harvard-Westlake #8 Syd Hopkins RHP R-R 6-2 179 Fr. Roswell, Ga./Roswell #9 A.J. Murray 1B R-R 6-1 209 Jr. Westfield, N.J./Westfield #10 Brandon Gold 3B/RHP R-R 6-3 192 Fr. Alpharetta, Ga./Johns Creek #11 Sam Clay LHP L-L 6-3 205 So. Buford, Ga./Buford #13 Thomas Smith 2B/SS R-R 6-1 177 Jr. Ft. Pierce, Fla./John Carroll #14 Matt Gonzalez 3B/SS R-R 5-11 192 So. Acworth, Ga./Harrison #15 Connor Justus IF R-R 5-11 185 Fr. Cartersville, Ga./Cartersville #16 Elliott Barzilli IF R-R 5-11 169 Fr. Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades Charter #20 Matt Phillips RHP R-R 6-2 193 Fr. Milton, Ga./Milton #21 DeAndre Smelter RHP/OF R-R 6-3 221 Sr. Macon, Ga./Tattnall Square Acad. #22 Alex Cruz RHP/3B R-R 6-1 215 Sr. Woodstock, Ga./Blessed Trinity #23 Ben Parr LHP L-L 6-3 178 Fr. Social Circle, Ga./George Walton Acad. #24 Joe Wiseman RHP R-R 6-4 231 So. Roswell, Ga./Pope #25 Matthew Grimes RHP R-R 6-6 208 Sr. Hoschton, Ga./Mill Creek #26 Matthew Gorst RHP R-R 6-0 205 Fr. Alpharetta, Ga./Johns Creek #27 Jonathan Roberts RHP R-R 6-3 203 Sr. Fayetteville, Ga./Landmark Christian #28 Dusty Issacs RHP R-R 6-0 206 Sr. Lebanon, Ohio/Lebanon #29 Mitch Earnest C R-R 6-1 216 Sr. Atlanta, Ga./Lakeside #30 Ben Schniederjans RHP R-R 6-2 193 Fr. Powder Springs, Ga./Harrison #31 Tanner Shelton LHP L-L 6-2 228 Fr. Woodstock, Ga./Etowah #32 Eric Knox OF R-R 6-3 213 Fr. Guyton, Ga./Effingham County #35 Daniel Spingola OF L-L 6-1 182 Jr. Roswell, Ga./Marist #36 Cole Pitts RHP R-R 6-5 223 Jr. Molutrie, Ga./Colquitt County #37 Josh Heddinger RHP R-R 6-4 221 Jr. Suwanee, Ga./Buford #38 Jared Jillson RHP R-R 6-1 207 So. Vero Beach, Fla./St. Edwards #39 Jonathan King LHP L-L 5-11 199 So. Murfreesboro, Tenn./Riverdale #41 Devin Stanton LHP R-L 6-0 203 Sr. Lilburn, Ga./Wesleyan #42 Kyle Leach RHP R-R 6-1 176 So. Monroe, Ga./George Walton Acad. #17 head coach Danny Hall 21st Season at Georgia Tech 27th Overall (Miami, Ohio 77) 6
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