April 28, 2016
| GAMES 42-44: #25 GEORGIA TECH vs. #15 COASTAL CAROLINA FRIDAY, APRIL 29 – SUNDAY, MAY 1 // RUSS CHANDLER STADIUM // ATLANTA 7 p.m. (Fri), 4 p.m. (Sat), 1 p.m. (Sun) // TV: ESPN3 // Radio: WREK 91.1 FM | |
| GEORGIA TECH YELLOW JACKETS (27-14) Last Game: L, 5-13 at Georgia (April 26) Head Coach: Danny Hall (Miami – Ohio, 1977) Career Record: 1,158-583-1 (29th year) Record at GT: 950-466-1 (23rd year) Friday SP: RHP Brandon Gold (4-2, 2.52 ERA) Saturday SP: TBA Sunday SP: RHP Jake Lee (2-0, 5.33 ERA) | COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS (31-11) Last Game: W, 4-0 vs. High Point (April 25) Head Coach: Gary Gilmore (Coastal Carolina, 1980) Career Record: 1,076-533-2 (27th year) Record at CCU: 823-431 (21st year) Friday SP: RHP Alex Cunningham (6-2, 4.10 ERA) Saturday SP: RHP Bobby Holmes (4-1, 5.21 ERA) Sunday SP: TBA |
| Games Notes // 2016 Information Guide // @GTBaseball on Twitter // Listen Live |
LEADING OFF: STORYLINES TO KNOW
- Georgia Tech will face a top-20 opponent for third straight weekend as the Yellow Jackets welcome the 15th-ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers to Russ Chandler Stadium.
- Georgia Tech is 13-1 when it scores in the 1st inning, while the Yellow Jackets are 14-13 when they do not score in the 1st inning. In the month of April, Georgia Tech has scored in the 1st inning only five times in 17 games.
- Sophomore 3B Trevor Craport owns a team-best seven-game hitting streak. Over the last seven games, Craport is batting a team-high .517, going 15-of-29 with one home run and nine RBI.
- Junior Matthew Gorst is a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities this season, recording an ACC-best 10 saves in 2016. Gorst ranks eighth nationally in saves.
- Georgia Tech leads the ACC with 462 hits, 96 doubles, and 38 home runs, while ranking third in batting average (.312).
- While Georgia Tech leads the nation with 59 double plays, it’s been 2B Wade Bailey and SS Connor Justus involved in most of them. Bailey and Justus have combined to turn 35 of Tech’s 59 double plays. Either Bailey or Connor has been involved in 54 of Tech’s 59 double plays.
- Junior LHP Ben Parr has earned “the vulture” nickname from his teammates after picking up his seventh win of the season Saturday night at Clemson. Six of Parr’s seven wins have come in relief when the Jackets are tied or trailing in the game.
- When the Yellow Jackets score 5+ runs in an inning, Tech is 5-1 (4-1 at home). When opponents score 5+ runs in an inning, Tech is 2-10 (0-3 in nonconference games).
- Junior SS Connor Justus is enjoying his best season with the White and Gold. Justus leads all Georgia Tech hitters with a .381 average – 132 points higher than his .249 batting clip in 2015.
- Senior 3B/LF Matt Gonzalez is the NCAA Division I active leader in hits (264) and sacrifice flies (19). He leads UConn’s Bobby Melley (261) by three hits.
SERIES HISTORY: GEORGIA TECH LEADS 15-7
Streak: Coastal, 3 wins
GT in Atlanta: 13-5
Last Meeting: Feb. 21, 2015 (L, 5-7)
Danny Hall vs. CCU: 8-6
GT in Last 5 Meetings: 2-3
GT in Last 10 Meetings: 5-5
DOUBLES FOR DAYS
• Georgia Tech enters the weekend tied for the ACC lead with 96 doubles. Four Yellow Jackets – Tristin English (15), Connor Justus (14), Kel Johnson (10) and Matt Gonzalez (10) – have combined for more than half of Tech’s doubles production.
• Tech’s ACC-leading output is one double shy of matching its doubles total for the entire 2015 season. Georgia Tech has 97 doubles as a team in 55 games (A.J. Murray led the team with 16 doubles).
LEADING THE WAY
• Georgia Tech is one of the nation’s top offenses as the Yellow Jackets rank third in the ACC and 19th nationally with a .312 batting average.
• Tech leads the ACC in total hits (462), doubles (96) and home runs (39). The Jackets also lead the ACC in total saves (14).
HOLY CRA-PORT
• Sophomore 3B Trevor Craport owns a team-best seven-game hitting streak. Over the last seven games, Craport is batting a team-high .517, going 15-of-29 with one home run and nine RBI.
• During that stretch, Craport recorded a career-best four hits – not once, but twice. Craport went 4-for-4 with 3 RBI in Tech’s 9-8 loss to Mercer on April 19. Three games later, Craport went 4-for-6 with a home run and 3 RBI in the Jackets’ 16-1 rout at Clemson on April 23.
IN THE BIG INNING
• Innings with five or more runs scored have been a key indicator for Georgia Tech in 2016. When the Yellow Jackets score 5+ runs in an inning, Tech is 5-1 (4-1 at home).
• When opponents score 5+ runs in an inning, Tech is 2-10 (0-3 in nonconference games).
CONNOR’S CAREER YEAR
• Junior SS Connor Justus is enjoying his best season with the White and Gold. Justus leads all Georgia Tech hitters with a .381 average – 132 points higher than his .249 batting clip in 2015.
• Justus’ 14 doubles, which are a career high, rank second on the team and match his combined doubles total from his first two seasons.
• Through 41 games, Justus has a career-best 61 hits, surpassing his freshman season total (53) which he accumulated in 56 games.
A TOUGH ONE TO CRACK
• Sophomore Wade Bailey is toughest Yellow Jacket to strikeout in 2016 as the second baseman strikes out once every 10.5 at bats. In 94 career games, Bailey has struck out only 33 times in 379 at bats.
• Bailey’s career at bat-to-strikeout ratio of 11.5 would rank him eighth all-time in Georgia Tech history, but he currently does not qualify (needs 400 at bats).
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
• This season, Georgia Tech is 13-1 when it scores in the 1st inning, while the Yellow Jackets are 14-13 when they do not score in the 1st inning.
• In the month of April, Georgia Tech has scored in the 1st inning only five times in 17 games. Tech is 5-0 when it scores in the 1st inning in April, while posting a 3-9 mark when it doesn’t.
• The Jackets have scored first in only 18 of 41 games this season, posting a 15-3 mark (7-2 in ACC) in those games. Tech is 12-11 when it does not score first.
THE VULTURE
• Junior LHP Ben Parr has earned “the vulture” nickname from his teammates after picking up his seventh win of the season Saturday night at Clemson. Six of Parr’s seven wins have come in relief when the Jackets are tied or trailing in the game.
• Parr is the sixth different Yellow Jacket pitcher to start the season with a 7-0 record and the first since Mark Pope in 2011.
• Since 2002, a Yellow Jacket pitcher has started the season 7-0 on nine different occasions.
#DOUBLETROUBLE
• While Georgia Tech leads the nation with 59 double plays, it’s been 2B Wade Bailey and SS Connor Justus involved in most of them. Bailey and Justus have combined to turn 35 of Tech’s 59 double plays. Either Bailey or Connor has been involved in 54 of Tech’s 59 double plays.
SHUT THE DOOR
• Junior Matthew Gorst is a perfect 10-for-10 in save opportunities this season, recording an ACC-best 10 saves in 2016. Gorst ranks eighth nationally.
• While he does have one loss on his resume, Gorst (0-1) has struck out 34 batters and allowed only two earned runs in 26.2 innings. Gorst’s 0.68 ERA would rank second nationally and tops in the ACC if he qualified (must have 1 IP / team game).
• Gorst’s streak of 18.2 scoreless innings was snapped in Tech’s 8-7 10-inning loss at Clemson.
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