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baseball Edit

Russell's Ramblings: A final look back at the Pitt series, more

This past weekend was a busy one for Georgia Tech Athletics. While the men's basketball program was winning their first conference championship in nearly 30 years, the baseball program was on the other side of the spectrum.

After completely falling apart in the final part of the game on Friday night, the Jackets were able to come from behind on Saturday, winning 5-3 to set up a rubber match with the series streak on the line.

The stage was set for a dramatic ending. The result ended up being far less dramatic, though there were a few big moments.

The Panthers of Pitt, now ranked in numerous polls, put up 18 runs on 19 hits, including the first 11 of the game.

Combined in the three games, Pitt had a total of 43 hits, leading to 32 runs. Contributing to the cause were a total of 7 Georgia Tech errors.

Where do the Jackets go from here? Let's take a look, starting with three questions the JacketsOnline staff is looking for answers on in the next four games.

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Question #1: What can Danny Hall and staff do to correct the countless errors taking place in the field?

The question speaks for itself- there have been times this season where Georgia Tech have flat-out looked juvenile on the field. Whether it be players playing out of position to give others a day off, the first game under the lights at the re-done baseball facility, or just a mis-step here or there, things have not gone well.

If the Yellow Jackets are going to get back on track, an improved level of defensive play is going to be imperative.

SS Luke Waddell, a player many thought going into last season would be in a major league organization right now, is leading the team in errors with six. Every regular (including Jake Holland) has at least one error, other than Kevin Parada.

There's no going back and correcting the mistakes that were made, the fly balls that were dropped, or the throws that were off. Instead, this team is going to need to dig deep, play their primary positions, and limit the mistakes.

Pitt scored 15 unearned runs over the weekend, That simply cannot happen again.

Question #2: What is Luke Bartnicki's role moving forward? If he doesn't close, who does? 

Following his performance on Friday night, and the subsequent performance from Zach Maxwell the following night in the Jackets' only win in the series, head coach Danny Hall was very supportive of the idea that Maxwell had become the new closer, and that Bartnicki was going to be dropped to a bit more of a setup role.

Jackson Finley, despite being unavailable on Sunday due to what Hall called "forearm tightness" impressed also in his inning of work on Saturday.

Finley impressed so much, in fact, that Hall was ready to have him pitch the 9th before the tightness started in his forearm. Finley comes in with a fastball that touches between 97-98, and has a K/BB ratio of 14/0. He actually has more K than starter Sam Crawford, who has struggled in recent starts with locating his pitches, by a 14-12 count. Crawford has thrown 17 innings, Finley has thrown just 8.

If Maxwell is going to be the closer, with a primary setup man of Bartnicki, where does that leave Finley? Bartnicki being a lefty gives him a chance to have multiple roles within the bullpen, even if he does not ever regain his spot as the closer.

Question #3: Will Kevin Parada ever be able to have a day off? 

When freshman sensation Kevin Parada made his first start in a Georgia Tech uniform, he did so at the No. 7 spot in the lineup in what was a platoon between him and Jake Holland. Coming into the season, Holland was thought of by Hall as the most improved player on the team, both coming out of the fall and into pre-season work.

Holland has struggled thus far this season, coming into this week with a .182/.280/.364 slash line to go along with 8 K in 22 at bats.

Parada has taken the reins as the starter, having played in all but one game so far this season, including starting all three behind the plate last weekend against Pitt.

His slash line? .510/.569/.804with 13 K in 51 at bats.

Parada and Holland were thought to be a 1-2 tandem similar to the one Joey Bart an Arden Pabst had back when Bart was a freshman.

Holland still has plenty of time to turn his season around, but with Parada batting in the No. 3 spot in the lineup, what games on the schedule is Hall able to feel like he can take that weapon out of his arsenal, at least in the early innings?

After not playing a senior season in California, fatigue could be a factor for Parada as the season progresses, especially if he continues to play the amount he has so far this season. Finding a rotation, of any sort, between he and Holland will be key over these next couple of weeks.

THREE QUICK NOTES ON GEORGIA SOUTHERN

- Georgia Southern's offense starts with Mason McWhorter, who going into the matchup with the Yellow Jackets has an 1.368 OPS, 6 HR and 20 RBI.

- The likely starter for the Eagles on Wednesday, Jordan Jackson, has struggled so far this season, throwing 13.1 IP in four starts, with a 6.75 ERA and 12 K. No one will say that he struggles with control, as his K/BB ratio is 12/4. He's faced ECU, Tennessee, and UGA among others, so he's used to pitching up in competition

- If the Yellow Jackets take a similar approach, in any way, to the mid-week against Georgia State, this one could spiral out of control. The Eagles feel they are starting to come into their own, having scored 35 runs this past weekend in a sweep over UAB. They've also taken a game from ECU so far.

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