Preview: Georgia Tech Baseball Enters 2024 Season With Plenty to Prove
In less than a week, baseball will finally return to the Flats.
The Jackets kick off their season with a home series against the Radford Highlanders at home on Friday, Feb. 16. However, there has been plenty of change since their 2023 season ended in a 15-1 drubbing against Virginia in the ACC Tournament.
Going into the off-season, the Jackets' most obvious needs were in the rotation. Per ACC Baseball, their 2023 rotation ranked second-to-last across the ACC in ERA, hits conceded and runs conceded. Since 2019, the Jackets have not finished higher than 10th in the ACC in ERA and change was desperately needed.
To shake things up, head coach Danny Hall brought in former Braves assistant pitching coordinator and Georgia State pitching coach Matt Taylor.
In contrast to former Jackets pitching coach Danny Borrell, Taylor brings experience directly from the collegiate ranks. He coached a 2022 Georgia State pitching staff that accumulated a program-record 505 strikeouts and 17 saves. The rotation also pitched to an overall ERA of 5.21, which dropped to 4.67 in Sun Belt games (all stats courtesy of GT Baseball).
If the Jackets had an ERA of 5.21 in 2023, they would have been exactly in the middle of the 2023 ACC rankings in ERA rather than second-to-last. While it remains to be seen if Taylor can fix the Jackets' rotation, it is certainly an interesting hire with plenty of potential.
Taylor won't be the only former Panther playing a role in the Jacket's success on the mound in 2024. The Jackets landed two-way outfielder/pitcher Cam Jones in the transfer portal, who profile as an interesting add to the Jackets rotation. He brings a career ERA of 4.02, which is the third lowest figure among eligible GSU pitchers, and career batting average of .341 across his three years at Georgia State, per GT Baseball. Jones was one of the best players in the Sun Belt last year and should help the Jackets this year.
Cam Jones should play a big role for the Jackets in 2024
Pitcher Mason Patel, who put up a 3.47 ERA in his 19 appearances per GSU Baseball, is also coming to the Flats after an injury-riddled career at GSU.
Redshirt junior pitcher Ben King, who led the team with a 3.73 ERA and threw 55 strikeouts per GT Baseball, returns to the rotation as the likely leader. However, look for junior Logan McGuire to rebound after a injury-shortened 2023 season. He impressed in his first outing, but barely pitched following an injury suffered in the first inning of his start against Tennessee Tech on Feb. 25th. However, in that first outing, he recorded six strikeouts in five innings while only surrendering two runs.
After pitching a team-high 64 innings and making four starts, there is talk of junior pitcher Aeden Finateri being used as a starter in 2024. He has been mostly a reliever, but Hall spoke about extending him out as more of a full-time starter this year at practice.
"It is possible we are stretching everyone out right now and I think you know that Coach Taylor is doing a really good job of stretching everybody out. I think we will probably go into that first weekend with a really good plan and here is our starting rotation and here are the guys that can help us in the bullpen....I do know that one of the things that we are looking for is to have starters that can go fairly deep into games and not have to go get somebody out of the game."
After the departure of two-way force Jackson Finley to the Oakland A's, sophomore pitcher Luke Schmolke will also be expected to step up. As a freshman, he recorded an 8.33 ERA in 12 starts and gave up a team-leading 50 runs per GT Baseball. However, his 55 strikeouts tied King's, hinting that he has the tools necessary to take another leap. Junior southpaw Camron Hill has also recieved praise from Hall for his performance during the off-season as he looks to rebound from a 7.98 ERA across 29.1 innings. It should be noted that he recorded solid performances against both Mercer and Pittsburgh and forced four strikeouts in both games - he is talented enough to be a part of the rotation.
It is also possible that GT might find rotation mainstays from unexpected places. In his practice comments, Hall mentioned that he has been particularly impressed with the redshirt freshman pitching duo of Caden Gaudette and Carson Ballard.
"We'll go out there today and there are a couple of guys that we redshirted last year that have a pretty good chance of making our roster, I think Caden Gaudette and Carson Ballard, I think both of those guys have made massive improvements.
Gaudette, the No. 21 right-handed pitcher in George, earned acclaim at Alpharetta High School as a three-time All-Region selection and five-time WWBA champion while racking up a 1.80 ERA on only 48 hits, courtesy of GT Baseball.
Caden Gaudette pitches in pre-season practice prior to his likely debut in 2024
Ballard, another Alpharetta pitcher, put up a 1.40 ERA across his 88 innings at Wesleyan High School without losing a start, courtesy of GT Baseball.
Carsen Ballard steps up to the mound during pre-season practice
It will be exciting to see what the young pitchers can do as they profile as likely bullpen options for the upcoming season. However, junior closer Terry Busse has staked his claim on that spot after an impressive 2023 season, so there will likely be no competition for that high-leverage role in the bullpen.
In the lineup, there are major questions for the Jackets' bats to answer. The 2023 offense ranked top-three in the ACC in batting average, slugging percentage and on-base percentage per ACC Baseball. However, their success is far from guaranteed in 2024.
Shortstop Kristian Campbell, outfielder Jake DeLeo and infielder/pitcher Jackson Finley were all drafted by MLB teams. Campbell and DeLeo respectively had the second and third highest batting averages on the team while Finley led the team in home runs with 17 and RBIs with 61 on a team-best .672 slugging percentage. To make matters more difficult, reliable outfielder Stephen Reid entered the transfer portal and senior Angelo Dispigna signed an non-drafted deal with the Miami Marlins. Reid's 15 homers on a .344 batting average made him a dependable bat in a potent Jackets lineup while Dispigna led the Jackets in batting average with a .393 average (all stats courtesy of Georgia Tech Baseball).
That type of production - five of the 2023 team's top six bats - will be difficult to replace in a single off-season. Fortunately, the team retained senior first baseman John Giesler, who accumulated 34 runs and 8 home runs on a .333 batting average. With the number of high-impact departures, Giesler's presence as a leader and lineup fixture will play a key role in 2024. D1 Baseball feels similarly as they have ranked him as a top-50 first baseman in the nation, per D1 Baseball Rankings.
John Giesler takes at-bat during the fall exhibition game against KSU
To fill the roster departures, the Jackets were incredibly active in the transfer portal. They brought in Fairfield transfer Mike Becchetti to man second base. Becchetti had a career-best season in 2023, making the All-MAAC First Team and put up 13 home runs and 54 RBIs on a .329 batting average (Courtesy of Fairfield Baseball). He has gotten significantly better during every year of his Fairfield career and there is hope he can reach another level on the Flats.
Mike Becchetti runs a ball in during pre-season practice
At shortstop, Tech poached junior Payton Green from an ACC rival in NC State to slot into Campbell's role. Although Tech fans should not expect immediate production on par with Campbell's, Green was a useful player for the Wolfpack in 2023 - he hit for 10 homers and 45 RBIs while leading the team in stolen bases (stats courtesy of NC State Baseball).
Payton Green will fill a crucial role at shortstop for the 2024 Jackets
Behind the plate, senior catcher Matthew Ellis should bolster the backstop rotation after transferring from Indiana. He dealt with injuries in 2023, but hit 18 home runs in 2022. He serves as another option beyond senior Tyler Minnick, who started 24 games for the Jackets in a rotation with catcher Jack Rubenstein (courtesy of Georgia Tech Baseball).
Matthew Ellis could establish himself as the primary backstop option for Tech
In the outfield, all eyes will be on freshman outfielder Drew Burress. Ranked as the 4th outfielder in the nation and the best outfielder in the state of Georgia per Georgia Tech Baseball, he hit for a .430 batting average en route to a state title in his senior season after hitting 31 home runs as a junior.
Drew Burress mans the outfield during pre-season practice
The Jackets also added outfielder Bobby Zmarzlak from Maryland after a slightly disappointing 2023 season where he put up 22 RBIs on a .271 batting average. However, he posted an excellent .291 batting average and 15 homers in conjunction with 43 RBIs in 2022 (stats courtesy of Maryland Baseball). The combination of Zmarzlak returning to his 2022 form and a breakout season from Burress could allow for a smooth transition from Dispigna, DeLeo and Reid in the outfield.
While the Jackets certainly face a lot of questions in their lineup, there are viable answers on the roster. It remains to be seen if the offense can meet 2023's standards, but the improvements made to the pitching rotation should also ease the offense's burden. Ultimately, the team's goal in 2024 is clear - compete in the NCAA tournament and make it out of the regional tournament for the first time since 2006.
Here's hoping the Jackets can begin to do so against Radford on Feb. 16.
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