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As the calendar turns to March and the weather outside gets warmer, the Jackets should (hopefully) get hot as well. Let’s take a look at their March schedule.
Here’s a high-level look at how March shakes out:
March 2019 Series
| Dates | Team | Conference | 2018 Final RPI Rank | 2018 Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | Team | Conference | 2018 Final RPI Rank | 2018 Record |
| 3/1 to 3/3 | vs Northwestern | B1G | 232 | 17-32 |
| 3/5 & 3/6 | at/vs Kennesaw St | Atlantic Sun | 125 | 25-30 |
| 3/8 to 3/10 | at Miami | ACC | 65 | 28-26 |
| 3/12 | vs GA Southern | Sun Belt | 81 | 30-26 |
| 3/15 to 3/17 | vs Virginia | ACC | 83 | 29-25 |
| 3/19 | at Mercer | Southern | 141 | 38-22 |
| 3/22 to 3/24 | at #4 Louisville | ACC | 21 | 45-19 |
| 3/26 | vs #9 Athens CC | $EC | 10 | 39-21 |
| 3/29 to 3/31 | vs Notre Dame | ACC | 102 | 24-30 |
For comparison, Georgia Tech finished 2018 in #3rd in the ACC Coastal at 31-27 and ranked #56 in RPI.
Looking at this table, there seem to be two very large red elephants in the room, but let’s talk about the other fauna + human groups + weather phenomena first.
An Array of Meh Opposition...
Look, there’s not a much better way to put this: about half of these teams are just bad and the other half are solidly meh. Northwestern, Kennesaw State, Mercer, and Notre Dame should be relatively easy outs for the Jackets, while Miami, Georgia Southern, and Virginia are poised to be tougher competition (relatively). Specifically, Miami and Virginia will most likely make up part of the ACC mid-to-upper-tier (traditionally-strong Miami lost a lot of talent and their coach this offseason, while UVA has bolstered its pitching staff with freshman aces and healthy veterans), so if Tech wants to make the NCAA tournament, these ACC series and the game with Southern make up a must-win portion of the schedule.
But One Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Week
- 3/22-24 at #4 Louisville
- 3/26 vs #9 Athens CC
Oof. That is some rough scheduling luck. Both Athens and Louisville made the NCAA tournament (with Athens hosting a regional) last year, and Louisville, despite finishing 3rd in the Atlantic, brings back almost everyone and is poised to be a conference and national championship contender. While Athens remains a tournament contender in an extremely competitive SEC, its hitting corps took a serious hit this offseason and it lacks a solid weekday starter. The school out east’s fate in the March matchup on the Flats entirely depends on who on its staff emerges as a weekday specialist and how it replaces two pro-level players’ worth of run production.
Prediction
With 2019 poised to see a more consistent rotation and continued solid run production for the Jackets, it’s hard not to see Tech manhandle the majority of March’s opponents. However, Tech fans should beware the ides of March (well, about a week after them, to be precise) — games against the Cardinals and the school out east will test Danny Hall’s men, giving them a preview of the uphill battle they face on their way back to the NCAA tournament. I’ve been pretty high on the 2019 Baseball Jackets so far, and looking at the tail-end of March doesn't faze me (well, faze me a lot). I’m thinking the Jackets blow through most of their opponents (maybe dropping a game somewhere in there, probably to Miami) until the trip to Kentucky, drop two games to the Cardinals, defend home turf versus Athens Community College, and sail into April with a sweep of Notre Dame, putting them at 17-3 on the month and (taking Ethan’s prediction yesterday into account) 24-5 on the season. Pretty good start, huh?
Got any thoughts on Tech’s schedule in March? Let us know in the comments below!