BLACKSBURG - The Virginia Tech baseball team starts a short four-game homestand with a three-game ACC series against No. 11 Georgia Tech. The series with the Yellow Jackets begins on Thursday at English Field at Union Park with a scheduled 6 p.m. first pitch and continues through Saturday. Georgia Tech enters the weekend with a 25-12 overall record and are 11-7 in the ACC, while the Hokies are 21-16, 6-12 in league play.
The Yellow Jackets, unranked just a few weeks ago, have vaulted in the polls over the last two weeks after winning five straight ACC series, including at No. 4 Louisville and No. 9 North Carolina. Since the Hokies only ACC series win at Pittsburgh, they've lost four straight ACC weekends, which includes being swept in their last home weekend versus No. 15 Clemson. Links for this weekend's games, which includes broadcast, audio, stats and game notes, are below.
A reminder to fans looking to attend any of this weekend's games against the Yellow Jackets (or any other ACC weekend contests in 2019), tickets are required for ACC home games this season. CLICK HERE to purchase in advance. For those attending this weekend's games, please visit our GAMEDAY CENTRAL PAGE for more information about parking, prohibited items and an A to Z Guide on English Field at Union Park.
Virginia Tech vs. #11 Georgia Tech
April 18-20, 2019
English Field at Union Park
Blacksburg, Virginia
Gameday Links
Broadcast: ACC Network Extra
Game 1 - Thursday, 6 p.m.
Game 2 - Friday, 6 p.m.
Game 3 - Saturday, 1 p.m.
Audio (all three games): VT/IMG Radio Network
Stats (all three games): VT Sidearm Stats
Virginia Tech Game Notes (PDF)
Georgia Tech Game Notes (PDF)
Home for the weekend: During the month of April, Tech was scheduled for 19 games with just five of those set to be played at English Field at Union Park, including just one ACC series - this weekend against No. 11 Georgia Tech. In contrast, Tech will close out the regular season in May without having to leave Blacksburg, finishing with a seven-game homestand, its third seven-gamer of the year.
The road-tested Hokies have gone 4-4 away from Blacksburg in the month (their game at High Point Tuesday was cancelled), while winning their only home contest. Their four-game homestand will end this upcoming Tuesday against VMI, before closing the month with five straight on the road.
Winning in the non-conference: Last week, the Hokies won a pair of midweek games, pushing their season total to 15 which is the most in a single season at the school since the 2013 team won 20 during the regular season. From 2003 through 2013 (11 years), Tech won at least 16 non-conference regular season games, while the team won a high of 14, twice, during the past five years.
Also, their previous seven-game winning streak over non-conference foes which started the 2019 season was the longest streak since the 2012 team won 18 in a row during the year, who went on to win 23 during the regular season.
Multiple grand slams: In the win over Marshall (April 9), Nick Biddison hit his second grand slam of the season in the second inning, marking a couple noteworthy accomplishments. Since Tech joined the ACC in 2005, the program has hit 26 grand slams, with the most being four by the 2010 squad, which the 2019 team has now matched. Also, Biddison became just the third Hokie in that time frame to hit multiple grand slams, joining Ronnie Shaban (3) and Rahiem Cooper (2). Shaban hit one in 2009, 2010 and 2011, while Cooper is the only other Hokie to hit two in the same season (he actually did it in the same game - Feb. 26, 2017 at Nevada).
Winning big, playing close: Twelve of Tech's 21 wins have been decided by five or more runs, the team is 12-3 in such games, opposed to 8-14 last year. Meanwhile, of Tech's 16 losses, eight have been decided by one or two runs. The Hokies are 5-4 in one-run games and 2-4 in two-run games - they were 5-11 and 5-4 last year. And until March 30, Tech pitching had not allowed an opponent to reach double figures in scoring - Clemson did it twice, the only two times this season. Opponents reach double figures in runs scored 12 times last year. Lastly, Tech is 3-2 in shutouts this seasons, while they went 0-3 in 2018.
An early lead is the difference: Almost 40 games into the season, it appears that most Tech games are been decided by the fifth inning, when the game has become "official". In games when leading after the fifth inning, Tech is 19-2, while they are 0-8 in games when its opponent have already claimed the lead. In games tied after the fifth inning, the Hokies are 2-6.