Tech softball officially started the 2023 season last weekend. The Jackets hosted and played in the Buzz Classic at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field. During the weekend, the ladies went 2–2. On the first day of the tournament, the Jackets split with UConn and on the second day, they defeated Saint Francis but lost to North Texas. 

In their first game against UConn on Friday, Tech had loads of offensive production, shown by the five runs they scored. Heading into the top of the fourth inning, Tech had the lead, 3–1, but the inning slipped away from senior starting pitcher Chandler Dennis, who gave up five earned runs before being pulled two-thirds of the way into the inning. Dennis finished the day giving up seven hits, six earned runs, four walks and five strikeouts. She was replaced with sophomore pitcher Kinsey Norton, who finished the game without any additional runs. The final score was 6–5 in favor of UConn.

For the Jackets offensively, freshman right fielder Paige Vukadinovich had a stellar start to her collegiate career. Vukadinovich went two-for-three with three RBIs and a walk. Starting catcher Emma Kauf also had a productive day at the plate, drawing three walks. Junior third baseman Mallorie Black also started her season in a big way blasting her first home run of the season in the opener versus UConn. 

The Jackets won game two versus UConn with a final score of 2–1, but their approach looked very different. While game one was full of offensive production, the pitcher was the star of game two. Tech senior pitcher Blake Neleman had one of the best games of her career. Neleman pitched all seven innings and finished the game with two hits, one earned run, four walks and a casual thirteen strikeouts. Black batted in Vukadinovich and Kauf for the two runs that sealed the win for Tech. 

After inclement weather pushed the final two games in the tournament to Sunday, the Jackets combined their production from game one and pitching from game two to shut out the Red Flash 7–0. Dennis had quite the bounceback performance with eight strikeouts, one hit and three walks through seven innings. Tech’s offense jumped on Saint Francis starter Grace Vesco quickly in the first inning. Vesco left the first inning with one out and four earned runs awarded to her. 

The Jackets had offensive production from multiple athletes, but an important stat to remember throughout the season is that they drew 10 walks as a team. Tech’s last game of the Buzz Classic did not go their way with a 3–1 loss to North Texas. The Jackets could not find ways to get players on base with only three hits total. Neleman and Norton combined gave up seven hits and two walks to the Mean Green, and the Jackets could not overcome the lopsided numbers. 

If the Jackets continue to play like they did in their wins at the Buzz Classic, they will be a fun team to watch develop during the 2023 season. 

The Lady Jackets will play at home once again on Friday, Feb. 17 to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the ACC/B1G Challenge.

Tech softball officially started the 2023 season last weekend. The Jackets hosted and played in the Buzz Classic at Shirley Clements Mewborn Field. During the weekend, the ladies went 2–2. On the first day of the tournament, the Jackets split with UConn and on the second day, they defeated Saint Francis but lost to North Texas. 

In their first game against UConn on Friday, Tech had loads of offensive production, shown by the five runs they scored. Heading into the top of the fourth inning, Tech had the lead, 3–1, but the inning slipped away from senior starting pitcher Chandler Dennis, who gave up five earned runs before being pulled two-thirds of the way into the inning. Dennis finished the day giving up seven hits, six earned runs, four walks and five strikeouts. She was replaced with sophomore pitcher Kinsey Norton, who finished the game without any additional runs. The final score was 6–5 in favor of UConn.

For the Jackets offensively, freshman right fielder Paige Vukadinovich had a stellar start to her collegiate career. Vukadinovich went two-for-three with three RBIs and a walk. Starting catcher Emma Kauf also had a productive day at the plate, drawing three walks. Junior third baseman Mallorie Black also started her season in a big way blasting her first home run of the season in the opener versus UConn. 

The Jackets won game two versus UConn with a final score of 2–1, but their approach looked very different. While game one was full of offensive production, the pitcher was the star of game two. Tech senior pitcher Blake Neleman had one of the best games of her career. Neleman pitched all seven innings and finished the game with two hits, one earned run, four walks and a casual thirteen strikeouts. Black batted in Vukadinovich and Kauf for the two runs that sealed the win for Tech. 

After inclement weather pushed the final two games in the tournament to Sunday, the Jackets combined their production from game one and pitching from game two to shut out the Red Flash 7–0. Dennis had quite the bounceback performance with eight strikeouts, one hit and three walks through seven innings. Tech’s offense jumped on Saint Francis starter Grace Vesco quickly in the first inning. Vesco left the first inning with one out and four earned runs awarded to her. 

The Jackets had offensive production from multiple athletes, but an important stat to remember throughout the season is that they drew 10 walks as a team. Tech’s last game of the Buzz Classic did not go their way with a 3–1 loss to North Texas. The Jackets could not find ways to get players on base with only three hits total. Neleman and Norton combined gave up seven hits and two walks to the Mean Green, and the Jackets could not overcome the lopsided numbers. 

If the Jackets continue to play like they did in their wins at the Buzz Classic, they will be a fun team to watch develop during the 2023 season. 

The Lady Jackets will play at home once again on Friday, Feb. 17 to take on the Wisconsin Badgers in the ACC/B1G Challenge.

Tennis

Tech’s tennis teams are on fire, with both the men’s and women’s teams recording big wins just a few weeks into the 2023 season. 

The women’s team competed with the Georgia State Panthers on Friday, Jan. 20 and defeated them 7–0 for a dominating performance at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. The Lady Jackets traveled to Berkeley, Calif. for the ITA Kickoff Weekend where they were defeated on day one by the University of San Diego. Tech lost by a final score of 4–1. The doubles pair of sophomore Kylie Bilchev and freshman Alejandra Cruz won one of the matches versus USD, and No. 10 junior Carol Lee won her singles match. 

During the second day of the ITA Kickoff Weekend, the No. 25 Jackets had better success against Princeton, winning 4–0. Tech recorded two doubles wins — one from Lee and sophomore Kate Sharabura and one from senior Rosie Garcia Gross and junior Ava Hrastar — and three singles wins from Bilchev, junior Mahak Jain and Hrastar. The men’s team beat both Wofford College and Alabama State with a score of with a final score of 7–0 and 6–1 respectively on Sunday, Jan. 22 at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex. 

The men traveled to Stanford, Calif. for the ITA Kickoff that started on Sunday, Jan. 29 and ended on Monday, Jan. 30. Tech fell to Stanford on the first day of the event with a score of 4–3. Junior Keshav Chopra and sophomore Rohan Sachdev each won their singles matches, and juniors Andres Martin and Marcus McDaniel took the lead in their doubles match. Chopra and freshman Elias Shokry also won their doubles match, but it was not enough to take down No. 18 Stanford. The Jackets fell on day two to Pepperdine by a final score of 4–1. Martin won a lone singles match and Tech was swept in the doubles matches. 

Each of the teams will be back in action on Friday, Feb. 3. The women’s team will travel to Urbana, Ill. to compete with the University of Illinois, and the men’s team will stay in Atlanta to take on Georgia State. 

Track and Field

The men’s and women’s track teams competed in the Bob Pollock Invitational on Friday, Jan. 27 and Saturday, Jan. 28. The meet was hosted by Clemson University, making this the second time this year that the Jackets made the trip to South Carolina. The Institute’s teams did not fare as well in this meet as they did in their last because of tough competition across the board. For Tech, the best event was the distance medley. The women’s team finished second with a time of 11:34.03, and the men’s team also finished second with a time of 9:50.80. For the women’s distance medley team, the athletes competing were sophomore Riley Perlakowski, senior Ilene Soleyn, junior Kayla Rose and senior Helena Lindsay. Rose and Perlakowski also competed in the women’s 800m where they finished 11th and 12th, respectively, with only two tenths of a second separating them. Lindsay competed in the women’s 3000m and placed seventh. The runners for the men’s distance medley were senior Joshua Williams, sophomore Parker Buchheit, senior Jeremiah LaDuca and senior Nick Nyman. 

These four athletes were also Tech’s competitors in the men’s 800m, where Nyman had the best time of 1:52.00 and finished in 13th place. Senior Mikayla Williams, junior Shanty Papakosta and junior John Watkins recorded the best jumping events for Tech. Each placed in the top five of their respective events. Williams finished fourth in the women’s long jump, Papakosta finished third in the women’s high jump and Watkins finished second in the men’s triple jump. 

The Jackets have another opportunity to bring home hardware when they travel to Columbia, S.C. this weekend to compete in the South Carolina Invitational. The meet kicks off on Friday, Feb. 3 and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 4.

The Tech Women’s Basketball team played two ACC matchups last week and they came away with one victory and one loss. 

The Jackets defeated Syracuse 69–57 at home in McCamish Pavilion on Thursday, Jan. 19, but they lost on the road on Sunday, Jan. 22 to No. 17 North Carolina by a score of 70–57. 

In their win over Syracuse, the Jackets had production and longevity from a number of athletes. A standout performance of the night came from fifth-year points leader Cameron Swartz, who played nearly 33 minutes racking up 17 points and shooting 6–6 from the line. 

Freshman guard Tonie Morgan was the best all-around player, playing almost 32 minutes recording a double-double, with 16 points and 15 total rebounds. Sophomore forward Kayla Blackshear was on the court all night long, playing nearly 36 of the total 40. 

Swartz, Morgan and Blackshear were joined by fifth-year guard Bianca Jackson as the four athletes that recorded double digit points from Tech. 

From a statistical perspective, the Jackets are a well-rounded team as they had 39 points from the bench and outscored Syracuse 21–10 in the fourth quarter. 

Overall, the ladies had an above average 42.9% field goal percentage and high 76% free throw percentage. 

Sunday’s game against UNC was not a terrible performance for the Jackets. Once again, Morgan and Swartz scored the majority of the points while the former also led the team in total rebounds. 

One noticeable difference in the UNC game was that Swartz and Morgan were the only Tech players to score double digits. 

Tech’s team percentages dropped dramatically from one game to the next, recording a 35.5% field goal percentage and 50% from the line. 

The bench contributed 28 of the team’s points, but the Tar Heels attacked the Jackets inside with 28 of their points coming from inside the paint. 

With a current conference record of 1–8, Tech has had a rough start to conference play in the 2023 season. The win over Syracuse is the Jackets’ first conference win of the year. The early ACC record is disappointing for a team that went 11–7 in the conference just last season. The eight ACC losses so far have racked up from Virginia, Florida State, Louisville, Wake Forest, Miami, and nationally-ranked Duke and North Carolina.

In the ACC rankings, Tech is next to last, only ahead of a 0–8 Pitt that will come to McCamish Pavilion in February. The Jackets have nine regular season conference games left to turn their record around and finish closer to the top of the ACC for a higher seed in the conference tournament. Their current record of 10–10 is disappointing for a team who only lost 11 total games last season, but if the Jackets get hot at the right time and go on a run, they may be able to finish strong. 

Tech baseball has returned to Mac Nease Field at Russ Chandler Stadium in preparation for the 2023 season. The Jackets played two seven-inning exhibition games against Jacksonville State on Sunday, Oct. 23, 2022. The first game ended with the Jackets and Gamecocks tied at five, but the Jackets pulled out the win in the second game, downing the Gamecocks 5-2. 

Redshirt sophomore pitcher Jackson Finley started the first game for the Jackets. He looked sharp for the two innings he pitched, striking out three and only giving up one hit and one walk. Sophomore Logan McGuire was the next pitcher, and he left a few too many pitches in the strike zone. In two innings of work, he struck out four batters but gave up two hits, one earned run and one unearned run in the top of the fourth inning. JSU starter AJ Causey no-hit the Jackets through three innings. Jake Peppers came into the game for the Gamecocks in the fourth and gave up one run. After the fourth inning, Tech was down 2-1. 

Freshman pitcher Luke Schmolke took the mound for the next two innings and had a nice outing against the Gamecocks including four strikeouts. Peppers stayed in the game for the Gamecocks and left the game with one out in the sixth after giving up a total of five hits and five earned runs. Four of the runs were scored in the sixth inning, making the score lopsided in favor of the Jackets at 5-2. 

Dalton Smith, a junior pitcher for Tech, was tasked with closing the game. Smith gave up one hit, two walks and three runs in the top of the seventh where the Gamecocks tied the game at five. The Jackets did not answer in the bottom of the inning, ending the game in a tie. 

The positive news for the Jackets is that their veteran players proved why they were the veterans. Senior infielder Angelo Dispigna tallied two hits and an RBI, while junior infielder John Giesler and junior outfielder Stephen Reid each had one hit and two RBIs. Junior outfielders Drew Compton and Jake DeLeo also recorded hits in the first exhibition game. 

The second game lineup looked very different for Tech. Six of the players in the starting lineup were freshmen and the other three were sophomores. The young stars certainly proved why they were on the team with a combined eight hits and three walks. 

Sophomore infielder Nicholas Romano, Finley and freshman infielder Carsten Sabathia led the charge with two hits apiece. Romano and Sabathia each earned two RBI on the day. Possibly the most exciting sign for Tech fans was the monster solo home run to center field by Sabathia in his first collegiate at bat. Not only did the young Jackets produce at the plate, but they also dominated on the mound. The score was 4-0 in favor of the Jackets after six innings. 

Sophomore pitcher Terry Busse started the game for the Jackets and pitched two innings with five strikeouts, one hit and one walk. Freshman Noah Samol, redshirt sophomore Ben King and sophomores Aeden Finateri, Cody Carwile and Camron Hill each pitched one inning for the Jackets, giving up a combined three hits and recording six strikeouts against the Gamecocks. Hill gave up two earned runs in the seventh, but that was all Jacksonville State could manage. After the top of the seventh the score was 4-2, Tech, but the bottom of the inning was played because it was an exhibition game and the Jackets sent another run across the plate, making the final score 5-2. 

Although the two games were only exhibition games, it is a positive sign for Tech to see both the veterans and freshmen producing runs and getting outs. After eight Tech players were drafted in the 2022 MLB draft, there were big holes to fill in the Jackets roster. The 17 freshmen currently on the roster seem like they are adjusting just fine to collegiate baseball, but that is to be expected as they were the third ranked recruiting class in the country. 

Other notable news from the baseball team is the hiring of former Tech baseball catcher, Matt Wieters, as a student-assistant coach while he finishes his undergraduate degree. Wieters was the recipient of four All-Star selections and two Gold Glove awards during his over 10 years in the MLB. 

Most recently, Tech announced the full schedule for the 2023 season which will start at home on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023 as they kick off a three-game series versus Miami (OH). 

The Atlanta Braves were baseball’s hottest team in the second half of the regular season, but they made a quick exit in the postseason. After receiving a bye in the first round of the playoffs, the Braves fell to the Philadelphia Phillies, who were the sixth seed in the National League (NL). 

The Braves looked like the reigning world series champions at the end of the regular season after making a miraculous comeback against the Mets to secure their fifth-straight NL East title. However, the Braves looked run-down in the postseason, and they seemed to have run out of luck. 

As the second seed in the NL with a record of 101-61, it was a surprise to analysts and fans alike when the Braves were defeated by the sixth seed Phillies with a record of 87-75. All things considered, the Phillies’ postseason run is a familiar story for the Braves as they made their 2021 World Series run with a record of 88-73. 

Since Atlanta was the higher seed, they hosted the first two games of the series which should have given the Braves an advantage, but the Phillies came out strong whereas the Braves were lackluster. 

Game one of the best-of-five series was played at Truist Park, and the fans packed in for the first game of the postseason back in Atlanta. The Braves put their ace, Max Fried, on the mound for game one and the Phillies sent out Ranger Suárez to face the familiar NL East rival. The Phillies were ready for Fried, scoring six runs in four innings before he was relieved by Jesse Chavez. After the top of the fifth inning, the Phillies were leading the Braves 7-1, and it seemed as if Atlanta was out of the game altogether. The Braves managed to score two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and three runs in the bottom of the ninth on a Matt Olson home run. The push in the second half of the game was not enough for the Braves to overcome the early deficit created by the Phillies. Historically, the team who wins the first game in a best-of-five series tends to win the series, and the most recent team to defy this assumption was the Braves in the 2021 NLDS. 

Atlanta was hopeful for game two as they sent Kyle Wright to the mound. Wright is a Cy Young hopeful who led the NL in wins this year, and he performed when his team needed him most. Wright faced opposing pitcher Zack Wheeler, and both pitchers had near-perfect outings. Wright did secure the win with three consecutive two-out singles by Olson, Austin Riley and Travis d’Arnaud after Ronald Acuña Jr. was hit on the elbow by Wheeler. The Braves went on to win the game 3-0 after lights-out pitching by A.J. Minter, Raisel Iglesias and Kenley Jansen out of the bullpen secured the shutout. 

The Philadelphia fan base, who had not witnessed a postseason game since 2011, was ready for the Phillies to come back home. The atmosphere of game three was electric, and the Phillies showed out for their hometown crowd. Phillies star Aaron Nola was on the mound and dominated the Braves’ bats. Atlanta rookie of the year candidate, Spencer Strider, took the mound for the first time in about a month versus the Phillies and through the first two innings, he was near-perfect, however, disaster came fast and hard in the third inning. 

Brandon Marsh walked and Jean Segura struck out, which would have been manageable for the Braves, but an error on a pickoff attempt by Strider and double by Phillies rookie Bryson Stott led to a run by Marsh. Strider stayed in the game and intentionally walked Kyle Schwarber, the NL leader in home runs, but Rhys Hoskins homered in the next at-bat and the lopsided 4-0 score got the fans into the game. J.T. Realmuto singled and Strider was replaced by Dylan Lee, who gave up a two-run home run to Bryce Harper. The Braves scored one run in the sixth inning, but that was all they could come up with against the Phillies. Jesse Chavez gave up three more runs to Philadelphia in the seventh inning making the final score 9-1 and giving the Phillies a 2-1 series lead. 

Game four was an elimination game for the Braves and a series-winning game for the Phillies. Charlie Morton pitched for the Braves, but after being hit by a line drive, he was replaced by Collin McHugh before the third inning started. Noah Syndergaard made it through three innings before being replaced by a number of Phillies relievers in a bullpen game for the Phillies. The Phillies outscored the Braves 8-3 in the final game of the series with the only Braves runs coming from solo home runs from Olson, d’Arnaud and Orlando Arcia. 

The Braves struggled offensively as a whole. d’Arnaud, Olson and Acuña Jr. had the best batting averages through the four games, all batting above .300, but the rest of the crew, which was hot coming out of the regular season, cooled off significantly. Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley shined defensively for the Braves while Acuña Jr. struggled in right field. All things considered, the Braves fell significantly short of their expectations for the 2022 season, but things are trending in a positive direction for the franchise as they have secured most of their talents for the foreseeable future. 

Atlanta has a lot to look forward to in the future as they have a relatively young roster and some of the best players in the league. Four Braves players are finalists for Gold Glove awards. Swanson, who has always been a great defender for the Braves, is the favorite to win at the NL shortstop position. Olson is a candidate for NL first base and d’Arnaud is a candidate for NL catcher. Fried is in position to win his third Gold Glove in three years. 

Wright and Fried are both expected to receive votes for the NL Cy Young award with Wright being the NL leader in wins and Fried putting together another dominant season. Riley’s name has been in the conversation for NL MVP. 

Perhaps the most intriguing award amongst the Braves staff is the NL Rookie of the Year. Both Strider and Michael Harris II have dominated the Rookie of the Year conversation all season with each athlete being the favorite at some point. 

Harris cooled off considerably at the end of the season and Strider missed the end of the season with an oblique injury, so only time will tell which athlete performed better throughout the season.

As a result of the jaw-dropping performances from this season, the Braves signed Strider to a six-year deal and Harris to an eight-year deal, keeping each with the team until the 2030 and 2033 seasons, respectively. 

Harris and Strider were not the only Braves signed to long-term contracts. Riley signed a ten-year deal with the Braves, staying with the team until 2034. Morton signed a one-year deal. Other notable players who will return to the Braves in 2023 are: d’Arnaud, Olson, Ozzie Albies, Wright, Fried and Iglesias. 

While the Braves made an impressive amount of moves during the season, Swanson has yet to be signed. Swanson has played his entire career for the Braves starting in 2016. Since his appearance in the league, he has been one of the best defensive players and one of the most hardworking players, only missing two games in 2021 and playing in every game in 2022. 

Swanson makes the team better when he is on the field and during the course of 2022 he put up great offensive numbers beside his great defensive stats. 

If the Braves choose to forgo a contract extension for Swanson, they will return rookie Vaughn Grissom, who had quality at bats this year. 

Regardless of the outcome of the offseason and the disappointing exit from the playoffs, the Braves and their fans should be excited to see where the franchise will go over the course of the next few years. 

The beginning of October signals the start of the Major League Baseball playoffs. October baseball is notorious for pushing teams to put on some of their best performances of the year, and for the city of Atlanta, that statement has proven to be true as the Atlanta Braves have just accomplished what may be considered the greatest comeback in the history of the MLB.

In 2021, the Braves had an 88-73 record, which secured their fourth consecutive National League East title. Atlanta then proceeded to go on a dominating run through the postseason, winning the 2021 World Series. After the season was over, however, there were concerns about the team’s production in 2022 after young All-Star Ronald Acuña Jr. tore his ACL earlier that season and longtime Brave Freddie Freeman signed with the Dodgers. 

Fans were worried early in the 2022 season, and they had every right to be. The reigning World Series champions finished the month of April with a 10-12 record and May with a 13-15 record. Meanwhile their division rival, the New York Mets, were playing the best baseball in the MLB with 15-7 and 19-10 records in April and May, respectively. At one point, the Braves were trailing the Mets by 10.5 games. The story quickly changed as the season progressed.

The Atlanta Braves and manager Brian Snitker were not going down without a fight. After a few key changes, the Braves had a record-breaking month in June, going 21-6 with a 14-game win streak. Once they stepped on the gas, they never slowed down. It rapidly became clear that the Braves were going to make a run for a fifth-straight NL East title. 

The Braves had production from every position. Austin Riley made a campaign for MVP during the summer months. Spencer Strider and Michael Harris II both stayed at the top of the NL Rookie of the Year rankings. Kyle Wright won 21 games for the Braves, the first to achieve the milestone since 2003. Travis d’Arnaud and William Contreras combined had the best catching stats in the league. Dansby Swanson made a campaign for another Gold Glove, and he was arguably the most dependable hitter for the Braves this year. Max Fried had another All-Star season, making himself a Cy Young candidate. On top of all that, Matt Olson and Acuña Jr. had strong years themselves, rounding out one of the best lineups in the MLB.

Sept. 30-Oct. 2 would be the three most important games of the year. The Braves were coming home to Atlanta to face the Mets for the last games of the season series. The Braves were trailing the Mets by a single game, and the series would most likely determine the postseason ranking.

Atlanta showed up and showed out at Truist Park, sweeping the Mets and taking over first place in the East. Although the Braves only led the NL East for eight days all season, a win versus the Miami Marlins secured their spot as the NL East Champions for the fifth year in a row. 

While the Braves would have still made the playoffs without winning the division, the NL East crown was more important than ever. The 2022 playoffs host a new format with six teams from both the American League and National League advancing to the postseason. The 1-3 seeds will be the three division winners from each league, and the 4-6 seeds will be the wild card teams with the best records outside of the division winners. The two division winners with the best records get a bye into the AL/NL division series. 

For the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves received the automatic bid to the division series with the best records at 111-51 and 101-61, respectively. The St. Louis Cardinals took the NL Central, while the Mets along with the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies took the wild card slots.

For the American League, the Houston Astros and New York Yankees received the automatic bid to the division series with the best records at 106-56 and 99-63, respectively. The Cleveland Guardians earned the third seed with an AL Central win while the Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays made it as wild card teams.

This year’s postseason will host a few of the best storylines in recent history. The Dodgers broke the franchise record with most wins in a season moving from 106 to 111. In any other season, that would be the top headline. Aaron Judge broke the AL single-season home run record with 62, and his teammate Giancarlo Stanton was the recipient of the All-Star Game MVP award after hitting the longest All-Star Game homer in the Statcast era. Albert Pujols also made history with the Cardinals, hitting his 703rd home run this season to move to fourth on the all-time list. In a victory lap year with St. Louis, he had his first ever appearance on the mound, played his 3,000th game and joined Cardinals great Yadier Molina in a final ride.

Each wild card series is played as a best of three series. The Phillies traveled to St. Louis where they won the first two games (6-3, 2-0), ending the Cardinals’ season and advancing to the NLDS. The Padres traveled to New York to face the Mets where they split the first two games with San Diego, winning the first 7-1 and New York winning the second 7-3. The deciding game went to the Padres in a 6-0 game behind a one-hit pitching performance by Joe Musgrove. 

The American League wild-card matchups saw the Guardians versus the Rays and the Mariners versus the Blue Jays. Tampa Bay traveled to Cleveland and was defeated in the first two games (2-1, 1-0). Cleveland’s second win was by way of a 15th inning walk-off home run. Seattle traveled to Toronto and beat the Blue Jays in  two-straight games (4-0, 10-9), winning their first series since 2001 after ending a 21-year playoff drought.

Starting Oct. 11, 2022, the Phillies travel to Atlanta to face the Braves and the Padres travel to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers in the best of five NLDS series. Also on Oct. 11, the Mariners travel to Houston to face the Astros and the Guardians travel to New York to face the Yankees in the best of five ALDS series.

For the American League, the best of seven Championship Series will start on Oct. 19. In the National League, the best of seven Championship Series will start on Oct. 18. The World Series will start on Oct. 28. 

Article current through Oct. 11, 2022.

Tech football set out for Orlando, Fla. this weekend to face the University of Central Florida (UCF). The team took on the UCF Knights at FBC Mortgage Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 24. Despite a hard fought game, the Jackets fell to the Knights 27-10. 

The Jackets got off to a slow start in the first quarter. The offense only had 36 yards total, and the defense gave up 102 yards and a field goal. Tech recorded an interception during the first quarter. The Jackets were down 3-0 after one quarter.

From a statistics perspective, the team fared better in the second quarter totaling 175 yards on offense and only gave up 58 yards to UCF, but they gave up another field goal and touchdown to UCF. Tech did score their only touchdown of the day during the second quarter. At halftime, the score was 13-7 in favor of the Knights. 

The Jackets had more than two times the offensive production of the Knights in the third quarter. Tech had 63 yards on the ground and 101 yards in the air for a total of 164 yards while UCF only had 59 yards total. Each team kicked a field goal and the score was 16-10 heading into the fourth quarter. 

UCF gained momentum and would not be denied on their home field, scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter. The Knights had 108 offensive yards to the Jackets’ 22. Tech defense stopped the passing game — only giving up eight yards — but they folded under the running game giving up 108 yards on the ground. 

Overall, the Jackets did not produce up to their standard, but they had a few high points that should be recognized. The team totaled 138 yards in the run game and 314 yards in the passing game. The run game was the second-best seen all year from the Jackets, only totaling fewer yards than in the game versus Western Carolina. 

The 314 passing yards were the result of a productive day from sophomore quarterback Jeff Sims. This was a season-high for Sims who went 21-32 with one touchdown and no interceptions. This production from Sims is all the more impressive when considering the four sacks by the UCF defense. 

The rushing leader for the game was senior running back Hassan Hall who ran for 54 yards. Sims and redshirt junior Dontae Smith followed with 38 yards and 37 yards, respectively. Senior receiver Malachi Carter tallied a touchdown and led the team in receiving yards with 89 yards. Sophomore wideout Nate McCollum also had a productive night, producing 51 yards on six receptions. 

On the defensive front, a couple of familiar names led the team in tackles. Senior linebackers Charlie Thomas and Ayinde Eley each counted 10 tackles on the night. 

The Jackets went 1-3 on field goals. Jude Kelley made a 42-yard field goal, but missed from 32 and 37 yards. 

Overall, when the Jackets could hold onto the ball and control the clock, they were solid, but when UCF controlled the clock with their dominant run game, Tech folded under the pressure. With this loss, the Jackets move to 1-3 on their season, which is not the start that the Institute expected from the 2022-2023 team, giving rise to questions about the team’s future. 

The Tech-faithful are concerned about the direction their football team is going in. What was once considered a Division-I powerhouse has turned into a team that is questionable on a weekly basis. 

The Jackets have seen ample support from their home crowd despite their less than stellar record up to this point. Hopefully, when the Jackets return home to Bobby Dodd Stadium on Oct. 8 for Homecoming, they will have better production for the Atlanta crowd. The Jackets could definitely use a big game to clear some of the woes surrounding their current performance. 

The Tech Athletics Department had a full schedule this past weekend. While the football team played their first home game of the season and the volleyball team hosted the Georgia Tech Classic, arguably the most important event was happening at the Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons on Friday night, Sept. 9. The Institute hosted a reception for the 50th anniversary of Title IX, followed by a discussion panel with women either formerly or currently involved in Tech athletics. 

Title IX prevents educational institutions with federal funding from discriminating against anyone on the basis of sex. As one of the Education Amendments, Title IX was passed in June 1972 and the effects were soon felt across the country, specifically in women’s college athletics. The 50th anniversary of Title IX was in June 2022, but the Athletics Department wanted to wait until female athletes were back on campus and in season before having the celebration. 

On Sept. 9,  Tech Athletics, the Tech Library and Adidas hosted their very own celebration. The event was open to faculty, staff, students, athletes and the general public. There was a great turnout at the event from all groups invited. The reception, held from 5-6 p.m., saw female and male athletes, coaches, professors, students and professionals. The panel, which started at 6 p.m., hosted a wide variety of women from Tech Athletics. 

The panelists included Dianna Shelander, the first female letter winner at Tech who swam on the men’s swimming and diving team, Bernadette McGlade, the first full-time female coach (women’s basketball) at Tech who later went on to become an associate athletics director, Kristi Miller-North, a member of the women’s tennis team who won the 2007 NCAA Championship and became the first NCAA Champion at Tech, Aileen Morales, a former Tech softball player who now serves as the head coach of Tech softball, Monique Mead, a former four-time All-American volleyball player at Tech who led the team to a 2009 NCAA Tournament appearance, and Chaunté Lowe, a track and field athlete who was a six-time All American, three-time NCAA Champion and four-time Olympian. Lowe could not attend the event because of unforeseen circumstances. Jenny Lentz Moore served as the moderator for the event. She was a track and field athlete and was on the inaugural women’s swimming and diving team during her time at Tech. 

The panel started with a couple of ice-breaker questions to warm up the panelists. They were asked what their favorite place on campus was during their time here and what they do now. The women seemed to come to a consensus about the answer to the former question: the locker room or field for their respective sport. 

The latter had a diverse range of answers, as each of the panelists have taken different career paths after their time at the Institute. Shelander had a 37-year career as a geophysicist. McGlade has served as the Atlantic 10 Commissioner since 2008. Miller-North and Mead are both attorneys. Miller-North is the manager of legal services at Northside Hospital, and Mead practices on the trademark and copyright team at Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton LLP. Morales has served as the head coach of Yellow Jacket softball since 2017. Lowe travels as an inspirational speaker. Lentz Moore is the first woman to be a trained F-35 civilian instructor pilot, and she works for Lockheed Martin in F-35 Training and Operations. 

Each panelist was asked different questions about their time as athletes, coaches and their experiences in the Athletics Department at Tech. Their responses reveal the influence of Title IX and how critical it was for women’s rights and athletics. 

The first question went to Morales, who was asked, “How has Title IX impacted softball?” 

Morales went on to describe the different conditions of the facilities from the time she was an athlete and again when she was a coach. She described her gameday experience as an athlete as having to walk to McCamish Pavilion to get to the locker room and then hoping a teammate with a car would drive her to the field, but if they did not pick her up, she ran to the softball field on 14th Street because, “you couldn’t be late.”

She expressed her joy that her athletes have state of the art facilities and Shirley Clements Mewborn Field to play on today. Additionally, Morales explained that the bonds between the athletes is what really makes it worth it. 

Morales spoke about her philosophy on coaching female athletes, saying, “The players that come into my program, I want them to leave more confident, maybe a little more trusting in themselves, and my hope is that once they step out into the real world and they are in corporate America or whatever that job is or whatever they choose for their lives they can stand on their own two feet.” 

Shelander was asked about her time as an athlete participating on the men’s swimming and diving team. She mentioned that her older brother was the captain of the team and he told her she should just talk to the coach and see what she could do, so she did. Shelander said the coaches did not really mention anything other than her being the first woman on the team and to show up to practice the next day. Shelander told a story about one of her diving opponents, saying, “One time this guy was upset I won. He said, ‘It’s just not fair that I have to dive against a girl!’”

Miller-North acquired a multitude of awards, medals and honors during her time at Tech. She has one award that gets overshadowed by her athletic career — she was a three-time Academic All-American. She was asked how she managed that and where her mentality came from. Miller-North said that she has always “been a bit of a perfectionist,” but the way she was raised also contributed to her great achievements. 

She said her parents always supported her in anything she tried and made sure that she had everything she needed in order to succeed, but they also told her to, “put academics first because … anything can happen. You can get injured at any age, … you can’t just put all your eggs in one basket.” Miller-North included that she has always pushed herself and being around the right coaches that bought into her personality and highlighted her strengths certainly helped. 

Mead was the youngest of the bunch and being an athlete certainly helped her along her journey to her professional career. She explained that she was certain she would be finished with volleyball once she graduated, but her coach told her to aim higher and she ended up playing in Puerto Rico after graduation. However, Mead said she had an identity crisis once she was finished with volleyball, because she had done the same singular thing for so long she was not sure how to move forward. Mead told the story of how she reached out to her contacts at Tech so they could help guide her into a career path. 

“I reached out and ended up getting a job at a collegiate licensing company which got me interested in IP and it was just kind of a snowball effect,” Mead said. “Then my brother-in-law, he played football here, he went to law school and I was like ‘I don’t know what I want to do’ and he was like, ‘You like to read, just go to law school.’” 

Mead eventually did go to law school, and she said it was really great how many people from Tech supported her and helped her along the way. 

Lentz Moore was asked a couple of questions at the conclusion of the panel. She said that she wanted to be a fighter pilot for most of her life, but women were not able to fly in combat until she was in middle school. She expressed that being a collegiate athlete taught her many critical skills that she later applied in the military and in life. 

“I’ll never know if I would have made it through flight school, would’ve made it through my military training, would’ve made it through combat operations, without having been an athlete in college and having those experiences,” Moore said. 

One notable response of the night came in the form of a story from McGlade. When she first came to Tech, she was hired the same week as men’s basketball coach, Bobby Cremins. She was barred entrance from the locker rooms one time, with an assistant telling her it was the men’s locker room and the women’s one was accessible via a walk outside. She asked for a door to be added from the women’s locker room into the stadium, but the Institute declined to do so. Faced later with a decision between taking a recruit into a rainstorm or showing her the men’s locker room, she chose the latter, leading to an awkward situation where they encountered the men’s assistant coaches just after a workout. According to McGlade, “The next day I just went home I said, ‘I’m sure I’m fired. There was no guaranteed contract but I’m sure I’m fired.’ So the next morning I go into the office about 8 o’clock and I hear all this noise, they were jackhammering the brick walls to make an entrance to the women’s locker room.” 

The Title IX event was a hit for all generations of women in athletics at the Institute. The 50th anniversary of Title IX is an event for all women to celebrate. Title IX gives women equality not only in athletics, but also in life. Each panelist could recall the positive effect that college athletics had on their life, whether it was by way of job, competition, life skills or connections. Title IX has forever altered the number of women who get a chance to pursue their dreams.