While it wasn't a crushing win for the Yellow Jackets today, they got the job done against Army and avoided elimination, and they'll be looking to avoid elimination again when they face their opponent tomorrow at 12pm ET.
After a 9-0 loss in their season opener against the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the Yellow Jackets' pitchers, especially the bullpen, settled in and got the job done, and while the offense wasn't stellar, they did enough, especially early on, to pull out the win.
So what are the key lessons to take from today's victory?
1. Aiden Finateri pitched a solid game.
Finatell can be Georgia Tech's best pitcher when he's in good form, and he had a solid performance today against the Black Knights, pitching six innings, allowing eight hits, two runs and striking out five. Though he gave up a two-run homer in the sixth inning, he held Georgia Tech scoreless through five scoreless innings to keep the lead. After the game, when asked about mentally preparing for a win-or-lose scenario like the one Georgia Tech faced today, Finatell replied:
“I think as a team motto, we didn't intend for this to be our last game of the season. We were going to do whatever it took to get a win, extend our season and have a chance to keep playing some more. I think that mindset from the beginning, even though we gave up two home runs in the first inning and were held scoreless in the first inning, validates our mindset today.”
Finateli got his job done today, and Georgia Tech is thriving because of it.
2. The bullpen closed out the game well…
Georgia Tech's bullpen isn't always the most reliable (most college bullpens aren't), but they closed out the final three innings today against Army. Riley Stanford had to get through a pinch in the eighth and after walking the leadoff batter in the ninth, Tate McKee got the final three outs of the game and Georgia Tech got the win. The bullpen has to continue to pitch well, especially against an offensive line like UGA's, but they did their job today.
3. The offense will need to do better in the upcoming games…
Georgia Tech has one of the best offenses in the country, but they have to figure out some things if they want to win the region. Going back to the ACC Tournament, Georgia Tech has scored a total of four runs in their last three games, one of which came on a walk with the bases loaded today. Their pitching was able to carry them to a win today, but Georgia Tech is going to need their offense to wake up if they want to continue winning this season.
The Yellow Jackets' offense looked to be on a roll in the first inning when Drew Burress and John Giesler each hit solo home runs. After the game, Burress had this to say about the home runs:
“I knew the pitcher was going to throw some solid pitches, a cutter, a changeup, a curveball. I was going to throw something in the zone. I got the batter in the count and he threw a fastball in the zone. I got some good hits and hit the pitches I expected to hit.”
Giesler gave a lot of credit to Burress for giving him the confidence to go out there and make the shot.
“I'm so grateful that Drew did that before he stepped up to bat, which is something that doesn't happen often for me, especially since I've been shut out the last two games. I saw him hit the ball with a cutter, and I was trying to hang it up the middle. I hit a curveball that was hanging, and I think I finally got through the ball.”
