Game Preview: Georgia Tech at Mercer

Georgia Tech will look to build upon a 3-1 stretch against a combination of Georgia Southern and UVA this evening when they take on in-state rival Mercer in Macon.

The Jackets, now 13-7 on the season, have been much more consistent against midweek competition than they have been during weekend series this season, currently standing at 5-0 against KSU, Georgia State, and Georgia Southern. It’s a welcome change from years past, in which Tech has often struggled to take care of business against the state’s smaller baseball schools.

Junior pitcher Amos Willingham (3.92 ERA, 11 K’s in 20.2 innings) is slated to make the start for Tech, his fourth of the season. He has provided some much-needed stability to the Georgia Tech pitching rotation after joining the program as a transfer this season, holding down the midweek starting job along with freshman Cort Roedig.

Willingham will be opposed by Mercer’s Sawyer Gipson-Long, who served as the Friday starter for the Bears for the first month of the season before his struggles began to appear a bit more permanent (he owns a 6.53 ERA over 20.2 innings). Mercer has struggled in general with pitching, featuring a staff ERA of 5.69 for the season to even out its rather impressive .294 team batting average.

The best storyline for this game is that we get to see familiar face Kel Johnson again. After making well over 100 career starts for Georgia Tech over the past three seasons, Johnson transferred to Mercer to finish off his college career. He currently leads the Southern Conference in RBIs, total bases, and homers while riding a 20-game on-base streak, per Mercer’s game notes.

First pitch is scheduled for 6pm and the game will be streamed on ESPN+ in addition to radio coverage on WREK.