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Georgia Tech Baseball: What should expectations be in the ACC Tournament?

By Dylan Callaghan-Croley

MIAMI, FL - MARCH 29: A detailed view of the Wilson glove of Martin Prado #14 of the Miami Marlins before Opening Day between the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park on March 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 29: A detailed view of the Wilson glove of Martin Prado #14 of the Miami Marlins before Opening Day between the Miami Marlins and the Chicago Cubs at Marlins Park on March 29, 2018 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Georgia Tech baseball enters the 2019 ACC Tournament as the No.2 seed in the conference but what should the expectations be for the Jackets in this year’s tournament.

Georgia Tech baseball in the eyes of most has overachieved for most of this season. The program was picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the ACC Coastal but instead, the Jackets won the ACC Coastal regular season division title and enter the ACC Tournament as the No.2 seed.

With that being said, what are fair expectations for the Jackets in the tournament?  What would be considered a disappointment?

Fair Expectations:

The Jackets this week have two games scheduled so far as they will take on Notre Dame on Wednesday afternoon before taking on Duke late Thursday morning. The Jackets took on both programs in the regular season, going 2-1 in both series. The most recent of those two series was the Jackets series against Duke two weeks ago. The Jackets 29 runs in the first two games of the series before scoring just four in the series finale. Against Notre Dame, the Jackets played two close games, losing one 6-9 and winning one 8-7. The other game was an 11-2 blowout win for the Jackets.

It’s fair to say that the Jackets in both series were the much better team. With that, it should be considered fair expectations that the Jackets win both of those games even if Xzavion Curry cannot pitch in either game. The Jackets offense is capable of punishing any pitching staff and showed that during the regular season. Even if the pitching struggles,  the offense should carry the team.

After group play, the expectations for the Jackets at the very least should be to place within in the top three teams, if not playing in the ACC Championship. The wildcard of the tournament for the Jackets in our opinion is the NC State Wolfpack. The Wolfpack started incredibly hot at the beginning of the season but didn’t see the same success in conference play. That being said, the Wolfpack are still extremely dangerous and should be treated as such.

Though, if someone wants to make an argument that the Jackets winning the ACC Tournament should be considered a fair expectation. I would certainly agree. But at the very least, a top three finish is “mandatory.”

What will be a disappointment:

If the Jackets are going to be a disappointment in the ACC Tournament, failing to get out of group play would pretty much do that. After having a fantastic season and winning the ACC Coastal regular season title, they must get past these first two games of the tournament. Anything less would be a failure for the Yellow Jackets and would definitely halt any momentum they may have or want to have heading into the NCAA Tournament.