Softball
The Georgia Tech softball team's season ended all too quickly yesterday afternoon as they ran in to a feisty Oregon Ducks squad. The Jackets seemed to have plateaued at the wrong point in the season this year as all visiting teams (Jacksonville State, Auburn and Oregon) brought trouble to Atlanta. The Jackets simply could not capitalize on opportunities against the Ducks on Sunday where many of these chances involved bases loaded with less than 2 outs.
Tech ends the season with a 51-11 and some very highly lauded individuals. Coach Sharon Perkins was awarded ACC Coach of the Year. Hope Rush was named ACC Rookie of the Year, and of course, Jen Yee was named ACC Player of the Year. This season Yee led the NCAA both in home runs and in walks.
Baseball
While Boston College took the regular season finale against Georgia Tech, Sunday still ended in a positive for the Jackets. It was announced yesterday that Tech clinched the overall #3 seed within the ACC Tournament. The #1 and #2 seeds are awarded to the division winners Virginia and Clemson respectively.
Tech will begin conference tournament play on Thursday, May 26 at 8pm against Virginia Tech. Earlier this year the Hokies won 2 of 3 games by convincing margins.
The ACC Tournament format is a unique one. Instead of single or double elimination formats, the ACC follows more of a group play format. Each squad is guaranteed to play 3 games against teams within its group. The team with the best record will play a fourth game, the championship. Personally, I find this format boring and at times, useless because of the possibility of a game that doesn't mean anything.
Here is Georgia Tech's ACC Tournament Schedule:
Thursday, 8 p.m. - #3 Georgia Tech vs. #6 Virginia Tech
Friday, 8 p.m. - #3 Georgia Tech vs. #7 NC State
Saturday, 4 p.m. - #3 Georgia Tech vs. #2 Clemson
*Should Georgia Tech advance to the final, it will be played on Sunday at 1pm. All games are in Greensboro, NC and should be televised on some version of Fox Sports/ Raycom. The other side of the baseball brackets contains #1 Virginia, #4 Miami, #5 Florida State, and #8 Boston College.
Tech seems to sit on the border of a National Top 8 Seed and a simple regional host. A strong showing in the tournament can position the Jackets for a guaranteed home field advantage through the Super Regional round.