Boston College Baseball's Toughest Challenge Yet: Previewing the Georgia Tech Series

No Atlantic Coast Conference team drew more preseason attention in college baseball than Georgia Tech, and for good reason.

The Yellow Jackets (42-8, 22-5 ACC), ranked No. 3 in D1Baseball’s latest Top-25 poll, have maintained a level of dominance this year that is not even attainable for most teams, and it goes without saying that very few of their opponents even stand a chance against them.

This weekend, No. 23 Boston College gets its shot to see what Tech is all about, and it has the potential to be a defining three-game series that could drastically change the postseason outlook for either squad.

While Tech’s home record of 30-3 stands out, it has only won 67 percent of road games (10-5) this year, which benefits the Eagles (36-17, 17-10 ACC) — who boast a 19-4 home record and have not dropped an ACC series at Harrington Athletics Village in 2026 — to some extent.

There are practically zero holes in the Yellow Jackets’ roster overall, but their lineup, above all, is the motor of their success. 

Tech ranks first in the nation in team batting average (.360), first in team on-base percentage (.470), first in slugging percentage (.630), and first in scoring (10.6 runs per game).

105 of the Jackets’ 624 total hits have been home runs, and they have 29 more runs than the team with the second-most runs in the country, Georgia — who has played two more games than Tech.

Here is a preview of BC’s final regular-season opponent.

Hitters to Watch

In terms of getting on base with hitting and hitting alone, there is nobody better in the Yellow Jackets’ lineup than junior infielder Jarren Advincula, who transferred to Atlanta, Ga., after spending his first two seasons at Cal.

Advincula was the first NCAA player to reach 90 hits this year, his .431 batting average ranks second in the nation, and he has only struck out 15 times. 

A 2025 Second Team All-ACC selection for the Golden Bears, the lefty has also manufactured eight homers and 59 RBIs, the latter of which ranks second on his team, and his 16 stolen bases in 17 attempts is a team-high as well.

Power is a major strength of Tech’s offense, and the trio of players who jump out in that category are Ryan Zuckerman, Vahn Lackey, and Drew Burress.

This past weekend, in a series sweep over Duke, Burress tied the school record for career home runs (57) with his 13th of the season and his fourth in just as many days.

The player he tied? Red Sox legend Jason Varitek, who played for the Yellow Jackets from 1991-94.

The righty’s 34 extra-base hits are tied for second on the roster with Zuckerman, and his total bases (141) are first.

Lackey also has 13 homers this year, including a team-first 40 walks and a team-second 57 RBIs, while Zuckerman’s 20 home runs and 65 RBIs are both the highest on the roster.

Pitchers to Watch

Unlike the Eagles, Georgia Tech does not have a set three-man weekend rotation, but sophomore righty Jackson Blakely and junior righty Tate McKee would certainly be considered regular starters.

In 12 appearances with 10 starts, Blakely’s 2.84 ERA is good for third on the staff, and his .230 opponent batting average sits in the top five. His strikeout-to-walk ratio is solid at 56:14, but he has hit 10 batters, which is five more than the pitcher with the second-most HP.

McKee leads the Jackets in innings pitched with 61.0, in which he has collected 70 strikeouts with 31 walks. McKee has given up 16 homers this season, however, which is the most of any pitcher on the roster by eight.

Graduate right-handed hurler Mason Patel, who has a team-high six saves to go along with a 2.40 ERA, is the go-to arm in closing situations.

BC’s team ERA of 4.35 tops Tech’s (4.68), but the Yellow Jackets’s WHIP (1.41) ranks slightly higher than the Eagles at 1.43.

Last Time Out

In BC’s last meeting with Georgia Tech, from March 28-30, 2024 — Todd Interdonato’s first season at the helm — the Eagles swept the Yellow Jackets on the road.

They won 10-3 in the first game, 5-3 in the second, and 16-7 in the third.

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