With the Kalends of May upon us, and then passing us, so comes the hardest test of a Tech student-athlete (and, for that matter, a Tech student in general) - finals week. Without further studying-related delay, here is the latest from your Tech non-revenue sports from the waning days of April.
No. 4 Women’s Tennis
Tech handled Syracuse this past week, despite falling to them earlier in the season. Though Tech lost the doubles point, dropping two of the three 7-5 decisions, wins from Nami Otsuka, Johnnise Renaud, Ida Jarlskog, and Kenya Jones secured the match for Tech. Moving on to the semifinals, Tech faced no. 2 North Carolina. Though the Jackets won the doubles point thanks to wins by the national no. 1 doubles tandem, Paige Hourigan and Jones, and Victoria Flores and Jarlskog, Tech lost 4-3 to the Tar Heels. Jarlskog and Jones won their singles games, but it was not enough for the Jackets to advance to the finals.
Not all was lost for the Jackets, as Tech will host a NCAA regional May 11-12th as the first step on their road to the NCAA Championship. Notably, Tech is set up for a rematch with Pepperdine in the sweet sixteen, who knocked them out of the ITA Indoor bracket. Tech hosts Eastern Kentucky in the first round and potentially the winner of Winthrop/Auburn in the second.
This Week: Nothing until the opening games of the NCAA regionals at home on the Flats. Tech plays the 11th at 3:00pm, and admission is free.
No. 4 Men’s Golf
Tech added a third signee to its incoming class, Bartley Forrester, ranked no. 74 in the country and, according to coach Bruce Heppler, “a late bloomer.” The Jackets, who still await their postseason fate, look ahead to the NCAA season, where hopefully the team, led by three graduating seniors, can take their tremendous depth and strong play in the conference championship all the way to an NCAA title.
UPDATE: The NCAA men’s golf championship selection show was after this was written last night. Oops. The Jackets are the top seed in the Raleigh regional and the only auto-bid from a major conference. Sorry, Liberty. The low five finishers and the lowest individual not on those teams will head to Stillwater to play for the title May 25-30. Tech has not finished worst than fifth in any tournament so far this season.
- Georgia Tech
- California
- Texas
- Arizona State
- Duke
- North Carolina State
- Liberty
- Missouri
- Santa Clara
- Campbell
- Middle Tennessee State
- Augusta
- Davidson
- Iona
This week: Look for the Jackets to be back in action on the 14th of May in Raleigh.
Softball
Wednesday, April 24th: Jacksonville State (26-19) outlasts Georgia Tech (25-22), 2-1.
Friday, April 27th: Georgia Tech (26-22) edges VPISU (20-28), 3-2.
Saturday, April 21st: VPISU (21-28) defeats Georgia Tech (26-23), 5-1.
Saturday, April 21st: Georgia Tech (27-23) shut out VPISU (21-29), 3-0.
- On the road, the Jackets lost an excruciatingly long game to the Jacksonville State Gamecocks midweek last week. Jacksonville State got on the board first, taking a 1-0 lead in the fifth. Tech answered right back, however, scoring a run thanks to a single by Crosby Huckabay. Another single, this time by the home team, ended the game with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, and Tech fell 2-1.
- Though Tech trailed early, they took the lead right back thanks to a Malea Bell two run home run. VPISU had a home run of their own in the sixth, but Tech scored last thanks to a sacrifice fly from Lily Hooper, taking the first game of the series 3-2.
- Not much in terms of offense for the Jackets in this one, who managed just one run on three hits, with that lone run coming in the last half of the seventh inning, a Huckabay home run. Tech pitching couldn’t keep the ball in the park, allowing five runs on four home runs in the loss.
- A blow-by-blow breakdown of every half-inning with scoring from Sunday:
Bottom of the third: Walk, walk, wild pitch, wild pitch - Jackets 1, Hokies 0
Bottom of the fifth: Walk, walk, walk, single - Jackets 3, Hokies 0
Tech scored three runs on one Rebecca Prairie single to win the series. Though senior Emily Anderson scattered eight hits, she pitched another complete game, and another shutout, giving the Jackets their fifth ACC series win of the year, their most since 2012, when they last won the ACC tournament.
This Weekend: Tech heads to Chestnut Hill to square off against Boston College in the final ACC tilt of the season, before they host the ACC Championships here on the Flats at Mewborn Field May 9th-12th.
Track and Field
Tech’s distance runners set five personal bests on the opening night of the Penn Relays. Tanner Shaw was the best finisher for the Jackets, placing eighth in the 10K, while half a dozen other runners posted notable times, in relation to the rest of the conference. Tech’s 4x1500m women’s relay then broke the school record in the event the next day. Meanwhile, in Jacksonville, the Jackets had five event winners, with four coming on the first day in the women’s 4x100m relay, Maurice Simpson in the 200m, Daniel Pietsch in the 400m, and William Solomon in the long jump. The next day, Tech swept the 100m hurdles, led by Jeanine Williams’ 12.89 in the event, good for a tie for 11th fastest in the world this year.
Nice.
This Week: Tech heads back to Athens for the Torrin Lawrence Invitational on Saturday.
Men’s Tennis
For the second time in four days, Georgia Tech swept Boston College in the opening round of the ACC Men’s Tennis Championship. When play was stopped, the Jackets had secured four points off of winning doubles, thanks to 6-1 wins from Michael Kay/Carlos Divar and Phillip Gresk/Andrew Li. The Jackets lost just two sets on the way to the victory, and took three singles points on wins from Gresk, Li, and Chris Yun.
Tech followed up on their initial win by upsetting no. 31 VPISU in the next round, 4-3. The Hokies, who had won seven in a row coming into the match, won the doubles point, but singles wins from Divar, Kay, Li, and Yun spurred the Jackets on to victory. The match came down to court 6, where Li held serve to win the match for Tech.
The streak ended at the hands of Notre Dame the next day, however. Tech fell 4-1 to the Fighting Irish, scoring their lone point from doubles, where Elijah Melendez/Yun and Li/Gresk took their games. Tech, however, lost four singles courts and the match, ending their run for the ACC Championship.
This Week: Carlos Divar heads to the NCAA singles bracket, and will be joined by his doubles partner Michael Kay in the doubles draw. They will being play at the Wake Forest Tennis Complex May 23rd.
Baseball
For baseball coverage: Tech went two for four, with a loss to georgia, and a series win against Wake Forest.
This weekend: Tech comes out of the finals lull to host Radford for a three game set at the Rusty C.
This Week on the Flats:
BOLD for home, REGULAR for away, ITALIC for time and location
Monday: OFF
Tuesday: OFF
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: OFF
Friday:
Softball @ Boston College
6:00 PM, Chestnut Hill, MA, ACC Network Extra
Baseball vs. Radford
6:00 PM, The Rusty C, ACC Network Extra and WREK 91.1
Saturday:
Track and Field @ Torrin Lawrence Invitational
All day, Athens, GA
Softball @ Boston College
1:00 PM, Chestnut Hill, MA, ACC Network Extra
Baseball vs. Radford
4:00 PM, The Rusty C, ACC Network Extra and WREK 91.1
Sunday:
Softball @ Boston College
12:00 PM, Chestnut Hill, MA, ACC Network Extra
Baseball vs. Radford
1:00 PM, The Rusty C, ACC Network Extra and WREK 91.1