For Georgia Tech, the rest of the Athens Regional tournament is win-or-lose.
The Yellow Jackets were shut out 9-0 by UNC Wilmington last night in the opening game of the NCAA Baseball Tournament and are currently in danger of elimination. The Yellow Jackets will face Army today in the first elimination game of the Athens Regional Tournament.
Georgia Tech will be the favorite to win today's matchup, but Army gave Georgia their all yesterday. They are sure to win this game, especially considering the poor performance of Georgia Tech's pitchers. Georgia Tech's pitchers have not been good all season, but they didn't allow a single run last night. Today's game in Athens will be an interesting challenge for Danny Hall's team. If the Yellow Jackets win today, they will play the loser of the Georgia/University of North Carolina Wilmington matchup later tonight. The game starts at noon.
Here's how to watch today's match:
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (31-24) vs. Army Black Knights (31-22)
Date Time
• Saturday, June 1 at 12pm ET (ACC Network and ESPN+)
Stadium
• Foley Field – Athens, Georgia
Online TV
• Saturday's game will be broadcast on the ACC Network, ESPN+ and the Georgia Tech Gameday app.
Below is a preview of what to expect from Army from our own Rohan Roman.
“In theory, Army's strength lies entirely in their rotation. They're issuing a fair share of walks, but have few other strengths offensively. They've struggled to score runs and have very little power in their lineup, which, combined with the 178th-best batting average in the country by their starters on Friday, isn't a great combination. This is a matchup that Georgia Tech's rotation should be able to handle.”
If the Black Knights have any chance to do well in the regionals, it will have to come from a starting pitching staff that limits runs allowed. Looking at their SOS, some could argue that they are giving up more runs against weak batting lineups. However, the starting duo of Matthew Ronnenbaum and Justin Lehman have performed well. Both starters have sub-4.00 ERAs and decent strikeout numbers. Outside of those, Andrew Berg is probably the team's best high-leverage reliever with a 2.00 ERA in 20 games. However, neither the starting nor relief pitching staff will be particularly tough for Georgia Tech to deal with.
“The Yellow Jackets have the offensive firepower to score against Army's starters. There are big questions about Georgia Tech's pitching staff, but the question is whether Army's batting lineup will be able to take advantage.”
