April 2, 2012
ATLANTA – Georgia Tech junior RHP Buck Farmer was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday, being honored for his complete-game, 11-strikeout performance that helped lift No. 23 Georgia Tech to a series win over Duke this past weekend.
Farmer collected his second career ACC weekly honor and the first of the year for the Yellow Jackets, who improved to 18-11 overall and 6-6 in the conference following the series win over the Blue Devils. Tech is at Kennesaw State Tuesday at 6 p.m. and returns home this weekend for a key ACC versus No. 2 Florida State.
The junior preseason All-America was brilliant in the series opener, allowing just three hits and out-dueling Duke’s preseason All-America pitcher Marcus Stroman in a 1-0 victory. The Conyers, Ga. native fanned 11, with no walks and allowed just three hits as he improved to 5-2.
Farmer retired the final 12 batters in succession, after he pitched his way out of bases-loaded jams in both the fourth and fifth innings. The fourth inning saw Duke load the bases with no outs, but Farmer rolled a 1-2-3 double play, followed by a strikeout to keep the game tied at 0-0.
Junior Brandon Thomas’ RBI double gave Tech a 1-0 lead in the eighth inning and Farmer fired a three-up-three-down ninth and the ended the game with his 11th punchout. For Tech, it was the team’s first complete-game victory this season and marked the first complete-game shutout since former Jacket Mark Pope blanked Boston College, 2-0, April 22, 2011.
Tech followed up Farmer’s 1-0 shutout with an 8-0 win over the Blue Devils as Luke Bard and Alex Cruz combined for a two-hit shutout. Never before had the Jackets won consecutive ACC games via shutouts.
