Georgia Tech Sweeps ACC Baseball in Historic First Season

Georgia Tech's baseball team just proved that new leadership and hungry players can rewrite the record books in a single season.

The Yellow Jackets claimed their 10th ACC Tournament championship Sunday with a commanding 13-6 victory over North Carolina at Truist Field in Charlotte. The win caps off an extraordinary season under first-year head coach James Ramsey, who became the first ACC coach ever to win both the regular season and tournament titles in his debut season.

Junior Drew Burress stole the spotlight with a two-run homer in the third inning that gave Georgia Tech the lead for good. That blast was his 58th career home run, breaking a school record held by Boston Red Sox legend Jason Varitek since 1994.

What makes Burress's achievement even more remarkable is the timeline. He shattered Varitek's mark in less than three seasons, while the Hall of Famer took four years to set it.

Georgia Tech's offensive firepower has been unstoppable all season. The team has scored 616 runs through 57 games, the most in program history and the most by any Power 4 conference team in the modern BBCOR era.

Their 48-9 record is the best 57-game start in Yellow Jackets history. They've outscored opponents by a staggering 342 runs this season, the largest margin in school history.

The championship game showcased the team's resilience. After jumping to a 6-1 lead, North Carolina fought back to make it 6-5 in the fifth inning. Georgia Tech responded with seven unanswered runs over the final four innings to put the game away.

Ryan Zuckerman earned ACC Tournament MVP honors while blasting his 23rd homer of the season. Alex Hernandez went 3-for-4 with four RBIs, and the pitching staff shut down the Tar Heels over the final five innings.

The Ripple Effect

This victory means more than just a trophy. Georgia Tech became only the second team in ACC history to win 10 tournament championships, joining Clemson at the top of the record books.

The sweep of both regular season and tournament titles puts them in elite company. Each of the last three ACC teams to accomplish this feat went on to reach the College World Series, giving the Yellow Jackets serious momentum heading into the NCAA Tournament.

They've now won 13 straight games against ACC opponents, with their last eight victories coming by a combined score of 110-25. The team is on pace to shatter school records in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and runs per game.

Georgia Tech will host an NCAA Tournament regional next weekend, and they've made a strong case to be the No. 1 overall seed when the field is announced Monday. After 12 years without an ACC Tournament title, the Yellow Jackets are peaking at exactly the right time.