For Atlanta United, 2021 came with much anticipation because of the return of striker Josef Martinez from injury, along with the debut of the Five Stripes’ new manager, Gabriel Heinze. Add in off-season signings Santiago Sosa and Alan Franco to shore up the defensive depth, and hopes were much higher than in the waning days of Frank De Boer’s reign.

In April, United got through their first round of the CONCACAF Champions League beating Alajuelense 2-0 on aggregate. They followed those wins by beating the Chicago Fire in their MLS home opener 3-1. Three days later, after playing what was one of the most technically proficient halves of soccer seen in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the Five Stripes couldn’t score on their eight shots at Philadelphia keeper Andre Blake. Their high press tactics continued in the 2nd half, but at the expense of three Philadelphia goals. This loss, the first leg of their CCL tie with the Union, all but eliminated them before the 2nd leg the following week in Philadelphia.

United similarly found a way to turn around mid-season, but with far greater drama. After the losses to the Union, Atlanta went on an AFC Richmond style run, drawing seven times before July to teams all over the MLS table from Seattle to Miami.

This stretch of draws had a range of causes. Starting midfielder Emerson Hyndman tore his ACL in practice, multiple standout players left on international duty in the summer (Copa America, Gold Cup, Olympics), and soon the to be revealed training mismanagement.

What truly catalyzed a change in the clubhouse was Heinze’s benching of Martinez and had him practicing solo once he returned from Copa America. News of this sent the fanbase alight, inspiring the supporters section to perform their Martinez chant during the 7th minute of the first home match he was eligible to return for while being benched.

What eventually came out in the following days was that Heinze, already notorious for running intense training sessions before coming to Atlanta, had violated multiple MLS rules regarding training, which resulted in the MLSPA filing multiple grievances (a repeating pattern in Atlanta from the Tata Martino days).

The sum of these problems, and the notable lack of success on the pitch, eventually led United to fire Heinze, who in the interim was replaced with Rob Valentino, one of the United assistants.

In matches under Valentino, United looked and played like a whole new team. After being one of the best possession under Heinze, but simultaneously of the worst goal scoring teams, United went 4-2-2 under Valentino.

Josef has returned much more to his form, scoring in four of their last six matches. Team chemistry immediately was better on the pitch, and ultimately they visibly looked like they were playing their own style again.

After sourcing multiple candidates, United hired Seattle Sounders assistant Gonzalo Pineda to succeed Valentino, one the prime coaching candidates within MLS. On top of that, United brought in a major transfer to finally fill the hole left by Hyndman, bringing in 25 year old Brazilian midfielder Luiz Araújo from Lille.

In the three appearances made by Luiz as of writing, he’s already brought incredible speed to the attack that hasn’t been seen since the departure of Miguel Almiron.

Pineda’s first match as manager against Nashville SC on the 28th left much to be desired in an 0-2 loss. United played far more reclusively than in their Valentino matches, to which Pineda said “This one is on me. I always say that I have big shoulders to take responsibility, and this one is on me.”

United next plays Friday, Sept. 10 at home against Florida rivals Orlando City SC. Atlanta currently sits ninth in the Eastern Conference with 27 points, 3 points away from the last playoff spot held by DC United. Their record stands at six wins, nine draws, and seven losses.

The 2021 calendar year for Atlanta professional sports has the potential to be one of the better ones in recent memory. After the Atlanta Hawks made a thrilling run into the Eastern Conference Finals, taking out New York and Philadelphia in the process, Atlanta baseball was not pointing towards the same height as basketball.

The Braves initially were the only team in the city expected to compete for a championship, after coming one game short last season of beating the Los Angeles Dodgers to make the World Series. With the entire core 2020 squad coming back, general manager Alex Anthopolous re-signed Marcell Ozuna over Adam Duvall to take the left field spot in the National League’s return to a non-designated hitter season.

Drew Smyly was added for starting pitching rotation depth. Additionally, all signs pointed to Cristian Pache becoming the spiritual successor to Braves legend Andruw Jones in center field, even getting permission from the man himself to wear his old #25.

The Braves’ April was meager at best, going 12-14. 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman was on a hitting slump by his standards. Ace Mike Soroka was still out with a lingering achilles injury, which will continue to sideline him for the rest of 2021 after a re-tear. Catcher Travis D’arnaud tore a ligament in his thumb that kept him on the injured list until August 11.

After being swept by the Phillies to start the season, the Braves reached a .500 record on seven different occasions, every time losing the next game until August 6th, when they climbed to a 55-54 record.

The only thing that kept the Braves remotely relevant in the first couple months of the season was the fact that the NL East was playing at an even level amongst the contenders.

If not for a flurry of trade deadline moves that bolstered the bullpen and outfield to replace the essentially dismissed Ozuna (albeit not officially yet by the club while investigations are still ongoing) and injured Acuña Jr., Atlanta would likely still be under .500.

Anthopolous made multiple deals that at worst gave up slumping pinch hitter Pablo Sandoval, acquiring Kansas City outfielder Jorge Soler, Pittsburgh reliever Richard Rodriguez, and Cleveland outfielder Eddie Rosario, and got Adam Duvall back from Miami. The existing roster largely stepped up their game as well.

Since the trade deadline, the Braves have set their franchise road win streak (12 games and counting). As of August 24, Atlanta is 16-4 in the month’s games and leads the NL East by 4.5 games.

Most importantly, the Braves are currently in a playoff position, and are only truly threatened by the Phillies. With how strong the NL West and Central are, Atlanta will need to win the East to truly guarantee a playoff spot, as the Wild Card game will likely feature any of San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, or Cincinnati.

The cheer squads of the Institute had an amazing year to remember. The cheerleading squad were ACC champs (which you can read about in Andy Borst’s lovely piece), and on top of that, the Goldrush squad were national champions for their hip hop routine.

By no means was it a normal year for Goldrush. The pandemic continually had its claws in how the team ran itself and performed compared to their normal methodology.

Their season still ran according to the same timeline as a normal season, since at the beginning it is largely dictated by the football and basketball seasons. It wasn’t until mid-August that they were practicing together in person.

  Auditions were held virtually for incoming freshmen early in the pandemic, a practice they had already been in place. All team members actually have to re-audition every year. No one’s spot is guaranteed year to year.

“I would not want to audition next year,” said graduating senior member of Goldrush, Thomas Russ. Both him and captain Lauren Piper were extremely enthusiastic about the incoming talent pool coming in for the 2021-2022 season.

What those freshmen are in for is no easy stretch. If you’ve been friends with a Goldrush member, it’s evident how much of a commitment it is, but equally evident to see that it’s an amazing time for those involved. 

Goldrush at a minimum practices three times a week for three hours each on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays in the early evening. The gym they use doesn’t have strong air conditioning to the point their coach doesn’t bother using it. In the beginning of the school year, they practice their choreography with the band at the SAC fields since they march together on multiple occasions during gamedays. Their call time before home football games usually is four to five hours before kickoff. 

Their social media apparatus is completely internally run, and throughout a normal year they have multiple community events they will dance at, or participate in volunteer work.

Unlike the other main athletic pursuits at Tech, Goldrush isn’t an organization financially backed by the Athletic Department. 

“Every team member pays $750 in dues, and we usually fundraise about another $1,000 per person through the year,” said Piper. This year, however, with travel and events being severely limited, the additional fundraising was not as needed.

As football season ends, the basketball season picks up, where they perform at both men’s and women’s games. Those dances are much closer to what they perform at National Championships, since they can use their own music and work closer together in both prep and actual physical spacing. 

This year, Goldrush was restricted to a small number of dancers performing in the stands next to the band, with no live on-court performance. Recordings of full performances by them would be played on the McCamish video board during in-game breaks. 

The whole year in a sense is a long buildup to their dance at National Championships, a competition usually held in Daytona Beach, FL, but was held virtually this year.

The fact it was held virtually lended an opportunity for every school submitting a video of their routines to do it as many times as possible. When doing the competition in person, each team just gets one shot. 

“Our coach only gave us three recordings max for Nationals,” noted Piper. 

And it clearly paid off, as the team are Division I champs for hip-hop, and third in jazz behind North Texas and West Virginia. 

Compared to other sports, it’s as tight a window to perform as there can be. Goldrush performs over and over again throughout the year at other competitions for other sports. There are hundreds of dances they do, and the first time they perform in a normal year is a do or die scenario to qualify for finals. 

For both Piper and Russ though, the competition is not what the whole Goldrush experience is about.

“If we could improve one person’s gameday experience, it’s all worth it,” said Piper. Both also noted that Goldrush will be the most memorable part of their Tech experience.

For Russ, the first and only male to ever be part of Goldrush, the cohesiveness and camaraderie was still extended to him just as much as all the girls. 

“I love being part of my family,” he said. “They’ll be 29 of my sisters forever.”

“It’s kinda cheesy, but it’s cool to see how the differences [in the team] bring us together.”

With how enthusiastically they talked about each other and the team as a whole, in a sense there’s no surprise they perform as well as they do. The family bond is there. 

“[Our] connections will never go away. We go through so much together,” Russ said. 

If the incoming class is any predictor of what future success looks like, pair that with the chemistry this team has, and Goldrush will undoubtedly remain one of Tech’s treasures regardless of where or why they are performing.

What was supposed to be a piece about how Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game should be moved from Atlanta, but very likely won’t, is very surprisingly now one about the fact that it was. The oldest and arguably least socially progressive of the big five American men’s professional sports leagues made a bold and necessary move to rebuke the Georgia legislature for passing SB 202, a bill that severely limits voting accessibility, particularly modes of voting that Democratic-leaning areas in the state use.

As to why I didn’t think the game would be moved: it never seemed like something the MLB or Commissioner Rob Manfred had the guts to do. The last time the league had a major controversy on their hands, the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox cheating scandals, they dealt with it timidly and with a lack of punishment to fit the crime. While that was an issue within baseball and not an external political problem, it still was a glaring example of how MLB tackles a situation with moral issues at the forefront.

However, to Rob Manfred and MLB’s credit, they intently listened to the players’ and Major League Baseball Players Association president Tony Clark’s concerns and very quickly came to the conclusion that having the game in Atlanta was not a reasonable option any longer.

The law passed unequivocally was made in bad faith, and in response to a problem of voting integrity that doesn’t exist and showed no signs of remotely being a cause for concern.

It’s the largest current example of the Big Lie told by Republicans that has actually wound its way into a law code. Imagine losing a baseball game three days after it started, but only because there was rain interrupting the game. Image this situation to the 2020 election and Georgia runoffs, and Republicans would say the rain was intentional.

As formal and intellectually considerate the statement released by MLB was, the Braves followed up with a statement that was tone deaf at best. They did mention that Atlanta businesses would lose possible income, which is true, but the influx of business was never guaranteed, and in fact Cobb County has passed a resolution committing tax dollars to cover some of the cost of hosting the game. It’s hard to throw a pity party for a private team that got handed a gift they never needed.

The Braves also put in a line mentioning that Atlanta is a place of unity. Yes, this is also true and one of the key sources of life making Atlanta what it is right now. But, the whole statement was very much a message distancing themselves from the decision of MLB, effectively doing the opposite of showing unity instead of acknowledging that MLB was entirely within their rights and opinion to make a decision they saw would advance social progress.

Just while we’re on the topic, the statement Governor Kemp also released was inadequate. He signed this law into existence so it shouldn’t be a surprise.

All of this to say, I am so greatly surprised and delighted with Rob Manfred and his approach to seeing where his league was and what they thought would be best. Baseball never got a chance to make a public display during the summer’s Black Lives Matter protests because they weren’t playing games. That said, the NFL also wasn’t playing games then, and made it a point during their season to have anti-racism messaging throughout the league.

MLB importantly noted that all of the community involvement and investments they were planning on making in Atlanta around the game will still take place.

If they hadn’t done this, I would’ve probably said the state would be better off with the game not moved.

Instead, we have a major public rebuke of a backwards law, while at the same time parts of the city that need help are going to get that.

The All-Star Game now is reportedly going to be played in Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. It brings notable subtext to the game, as Colorado’s voting laws are starkly more open than the current Georgia laws.

Baseball will finally be getting its 162 game season back, and the National League will return to its traditional form without the designated hitter. In Atlanta, the Braves were one win away from making their first World Series since 1999 before a home run by Cody Bellinger in game 7 of the NLCS put the dagger in Atlanta’s 2020 season. The Braves kept most of their key players from the shortened season, and have what might be one of the tougher paths to the playoffs of any team, but could use the challenge to round into shape.

Atlanta hasn’t won the World Series since 1995, now a full quarter century since their win over Cleveland in an also shortened season. The Indians currently hold the longest championship drought at 72 years.

Atlanta has gone to multiple World Series since the ‘95 win, but arguably haven’t had a team as ready to do so until now. Beyond just the roster, the Braves and greater baseball community lost Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro over the offseason, motivating them to win in their memory. If there was ever a season to win for the Braves, it’s this season. After Aaron died, there were multiple calls for Truist to give up, or at least alter their naming rights to Truist Park so that it could be renamed in his honor, but no such move has been officially recognized or talked about publicly.

On the roster side, the most significant move Atlanta made was resigning 30 year old left fielder/designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. After torching Atlanta in the 2019 NLDS as a Cardinal, his move to Atlanta as a free agent was a tremendous key to making Atlanta a title contender last year. He led the NL in plate appearances, home runs, RBIs, and total bases. He was only signed to a one year deal, and whether he would return was in question since he largely filled the designated hitter role implemented in the NL for the first time last season as a single season adjustment. Without the DH, Ozuna will likely have to play more left field than the Braves were hoping, considering he is often a defensive liability despite winning a Gold Glove
in 2017.

The starting rotation will eventually be headlined by Mike Soroka, who is still healing from a torn Achilles he suffered early last season. Max Fried is set to become the second lefty to start on Opening Day for Atlanta, Hall of Famer Tom Glavine being the only other. The Braves signed Charlie Morton and Drew Smyly in free agency, who will join Fried and Ian Anderson as the starting rotation for the first two times through. The fifth starter while Soroka is out is still to be determined, but will likely be a rotating cast or filled by bullpen games.

That bullpen was one of the best in the Majors last year, reliably led by Mark Melancon, Chris Martin, A.J. Minter, and Shane Greene. Melancon signed in free agency with the San Diego Padres, while Martin and Minter remain under contract. Greene as of writing is still unsigned by any team.

Offensively, Atlanta should stay one of the best, if not the best in the NL. 2020 NL MVP Freddie Freeman anchors a lineup that includes a load of power in Ronald Acuña Jr., Austin Riley, and Ozuna. The only notable loss was Adam Duvall, who signed with Miami. In nearly every offensive metric, Freeman or Ozuna was in the top ten last season for the entire league. Atlanta hit the second most home runs, drove in the most runs, had the most hits, and were the only team to break 1,000 total bases in the 60 game season. While they did only play 37% of a normal full season, this same lineup boasts the ability to be the best.

In fact, this lineup does hold the best runs per inning in a single game in the live ball era, scoring 29 runs in a September 9 win against Miami, but only hitting eight times in the game. The Texas Rangers are the only team to score 30 runs in a single game back in 2007, but they were the road team in that game, scoring six of their runs in the 9th inning.

The NL East will be possibly the toughest division in baseball, as everyone has a team that theoretically could make the playoffs. The Mets have a great starting rotation and signed Francisco Lindor in the offseason. Washington per usual has the pitching duo in Steven Strasburg and Max Scherzer, and will continually have a match for Acuña while Juan Soto still plays for them. Philadelphia by all expectations will finish third in the division. Miami, despite having a fantastic young core of players, might be overpowered with how much talent everyone else in the division has, but are in a great spot to be the dark horse of the 2021 season.

I crossed off a bucket list item quite unexpectedly last week: I went to a March Madness game. March Madness has always been a thing I’m only partially interested in when it happens because I can’t avoid conversations about it. It consumes American sports for three consecutive weekends before The Masters and Opening Day. Games are all over the country, and the upsets usually happen by such small schools that only a tiny percentage of the college sports fandom gets to enjoy it. The Tournament just never hit that close to me.

Things have changed though. I am now actually in college and have a valid rooting interest that isn’t whoever will win me my bracket. Tech managed to win the ACC Championship (albeit in unorthodox fashion), and after realizing there is absolutely no guarantee that the Jackets will qualify for the NCAA Tournament again next year, it was an obvious decision that I had to go to Indianapolis to see Tech play.

We left the early morning of Tech’s first round game on March 19. The drive to Indianapolis from Atlanta is only 8 hours and the game was scheduled to tip-off at 4 p.m. Going to this game was a big landmark for me because one of my self-imposed rules was to not go to indoor sporting events that didn’t require testing. This has been why I’ve gone to Tech basketball games, since the student section is regularly tested. But, with cases continually on the decline and vaccine shots increasing in number each day, I felt okay enough going with close friends while primarily resorting to outdoor activities while there.

Tech played at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Butler University’s campus, the arena where the famous basketball movie Hoosiers was filmed. As soon as we got there, the effects of COVID-19 on a sporting event impacted us. For one, going as a media member, I was not allowed to enter the arena for a game that I wasn’t designated to cover. The Florida vs. Virginia Tech game that was played before the Tech game went into overtime, delaying when the various media people waiting outside could go into the arena.

Masks were required, and seating inside was allocated in pods of no greater than four. Hand sanitizing stations were all over the concourses and at every entrance. The entire lower section of Hinkle was empty save for cameramen and other necessary staff. The most crowded section by far was the Tech section, where as big a crowd as the NCAA would’ve allowed by the looks of it was jammed into the top corner section adjacent to Loyola Chicago’s. Seating in the media section was pretty well spaced out, but it did not seem that there was a full six feet of separation between seats.

Once the game actually started, it was a normal basketball game as you’d expect, minus the ruckus of a student section behind the baskets. The game and atmosphere had everything one could hope to have in a postseason game of any kind. Both crowds were very loud after good moments for either team. I still in the back of my head knew this wasn’t a full return to sports by any means, but it was so good for my soul to finally feel the energy only a close, high energy sporting event can provide.

Press conferences now happen over Zoom instead of in a packed press room. While I didn’t attend, the media section for the most part all stayed in place to join the Zoom call from their seats. The video board as soon as the game ended displayed a message urging fans to exit the arena so that they could get the fans in for the next game. As a whole, for an event attracting fans from all over the country, it was extremely well run and only would’ve been a safety hazard if people attending made poor decisions. Plenty of security was around though to make sure it was a safe environment for everyone attending.

I spent all of Election Day 2020 driving. Like, the whole entire 24 hour meaning of a day. My housemate, Hannah, needed to complete an absentee ballot for the state of Pennsylvania.

Except, long story short, the secrecy envelope her ballot goes inside was physically compromised, and we weren’t sure her ballot would be counted if we mailed it back to Montgomery County in that condition.

On the night of Monday, November 2nd, we did as much research as we could to try and figure out if her ballot was acceptable to send or not. Pennsylvania law required an absentee ballot be postmarked by Election Day, and received by 7 p.m. that Friday.

I called the Vote Save America hotline and spent half an hour talking with a sweet guy who, bless his heart, had to check with multiple more experienced people than him to try and discern the kind of situation we were in and what our options were. We called the Montgomery County elections office multiple times, but they were closed that evening (a questionable decision at best). We sent them an email with a picture of what the envelope looked like, in the hopes they would respond to us soon enough to avoid having to drive to Pennsylvania.

As the headline may have hinted at, we realized our safest and likely best option was to get in the car right then at 10:30pm and drive overnight to Montgomery County. I drove the first shift for the first three hours before my roommate Gavin took over until we stopped for breakfast.

I wrote a quick Facebook post in part to have something for my parents to see that morning what our update was, but also for people to see just what it was taking for a college student to vote from four states away. When I woke up around 7 a.m., I had received a text from a friend who works at HLN who wanted to get Hannah live on the air before she went to vote. We set up a time when she would be on air and set up her phone with a specific app she needed to connect to the studio. By the time we rolled into a Chick-Fil-A to get breakfast, friends had sent us enough money on their own volition so that the costs of the entire trip would be covered.

Hannah’s interview started great. A few minutes in, the signal cut out right as we got into the middle of Amish country, not far from Montgomery County.

I took a call not long after from Rick Clark, Tech’s Undergraduate Admissions Director, who got me in touch with Tech’s Institute Communications (they are the ones that control the Institute’s social media feed).

The picture we took at the polling place is what would be used by multiple media outlets and Tech themselves once coverage of our trip started to spread. Hannah got to vote with her family while the rest of us frolicked at a nearby park.

We went to Hannah’s parents house nearby for a very quick lunch after. At that point in my head, I knew that while the mission was complete, delaying our return trip home would wreak havoc on the mental toll of the rest of the week, so getting back with urgency was of utmost importance. After a quick side quest to drop a letter off at a friends house in DC, it was a straight shot home for us, finishing the 26.5 hour adventure. Hannah and I had phone interviews with the AJC and CNN in the mid-afternoon.

In hindsight it would have been so much easier to say, “it’s just one vote, what does it matter?”

Thankfully, we never took that question into consideration. What hits hard most about that day isn’t the amount of money so many gracious friends gave us, not that it is an epic story we will have forever, it is the fact it took such an immense effort to make one singular vote count.

It gave me a new perspective as to how fundamentally flawed the access to voting is in the United States. The night before Election Day, we couldn’t get answers about a problem we had from someone official.

Even a basic email we sent wasn’t responded to, which would’ve saved us possibly 15 hours of driving if we received an answer. Our best option was someone I wasn’t legally allowed to send a picture to when that would’ve saved 25 minutes of phone time.

The fact we had the resources and enormous external support to make the trip happen absolutely was in part due to white privilege.

We left not anticipating getting help, but I knew before we left that once word got out of what we were doing in a swing state, people were going to latch onto this story and we would have more money than we needed. I didn’t ask to be in that position, but I was and it’s a huge factor as to why I’m even writing this story.

Did we make this vote happen because we thought there was a world Pennsylvania would come down to one vote? In all honesty, it crossed our minds.

I speak for everyone on the trip that we were committed to getting Biden as many votes as possible. We also were convinced that no vote was worth being forgotten about that we had the ability to make happen. We still are.

The drive was absolutely exhausting. It took 26.5 hours to complete. My head was in so much pain that by the end I thought I may have contracted COVID-19.

But, that mild inconvenience would be insulting to those who fought and died to make sure everyone had a fair chance to vote. Living in John Lewis’ district for the first time during a Presidential election, not doing everything I could within my immediate power to get a vote counted would’ve been sacrilege and un-American. Many Republican controlled states have introduced legislation to indeed make life harder for anyone who wants to vote absentee. Hopefully this story shows that can’t happen.

INDIANAPOLIS – The first full round of the Men’s NCAA Tournament began March 19th all around Indianapolis and surrounding Indiana colleges. The tournament that usually takes place all over the country was moved to Indianapolis for COVID-19 concerns. Tech made their first appearance for the first time since 2010. 

Tech received a #9 seed on Selection Sunday in the Midwest Region, drawing Loyola Chicago for the first round. On paper, it was very evenly matched as both teams had defensive standouts and centers that held the crux of their offensive and defensive outputs together. In Tech’s case, senior Moses Wright became ineligible to play after testing positive for COVID-19 in between the Jackets winning the ACC Championship and travelling to Indianapolis. This loss is what likely caused the Jackets to fall short of Loyola.

Tech was fast out of the gate, scoring an 11-0 run and forcing three turnovers in just over three minutes that forced Loyola to call a very early timeout not even five minutes into the first half. The zone defense that head coach Josh Paster implements for the most part held stout throughout the first half, but it was nothing stellar compared to past performances this season. Moses’ absence wasn’t showing, especially in the middle of the half when Loyola had a hard time defending and Tech got easy layups. After a jumper by junior Khalid Moore, Tech was up 17-11. 

After that, Loyola came much more into shape and made life rough for Tech, especially around the bucket. The Ramblers went on an 8-2 run led by Missouri Valley player of the year Cameron Krutwig, who would finish with only ten points, but all crucial buckets. A Krutwig layup at the 2:47 mark gave Loyola their first lead since early in the game. Tech only made two baskets in the last five minutes of the first half, and their body language was clearly showing they needed to reset. At half, Loyola led by five, 30-25.

Tech was far calmer starting the second half, getting a couple quick buckets by seniors Jose Alvarado and Jordan Usher. 

The tightest battle of the whole game came between the 18 minute and 11 minute marks in the second half. It was back and forth after Lucas Williams hit a three to expand the lead back to five for Loyola. Krutwig on plays he wasn’t double teamed was getting easy layups to keep the Jackets slightly at bay. Usher made two buckets, but junior Khalid Moore had to be subbed out at the 17:26 mark for sophomore Rodney Howard after committing his third foul. Tech went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the second half 39-37. After a Loyola turnover and a missed layup by Moore, Braden Norris hit a three to reclaim the lead for Loyola. Alvarado quickly followed with a layup to take a one point lead, which was followed by an easy dunk by Moore. The next Loyola possession, Keith Clemons made a three to tie the game, and Tech would no longer see the lead. 

The Ramblers went on a 13-4 run highlighted by five Lucas Williamson points, who lead 

Loyola with 21 points on four of seven shooting from three. Sturdivant commited the Jacket’s sixth foul of the half very early at the 9:55 mark, which in a way spelled the end of the game for Tech. The Ramblers only had two fouls at that point.

Loyola rode lots of momentum from Tech slipping on defense and not being able to get points in the paint. While Tech was trying, it was evident that they knew where this game was headed, and nothing could stop it minus a miracle that didn’t come. A Devoe foul at 5:22 left in the 2nd half put the Loyola bench in a frenzy that looked like they knew the win was coming for them. Loyola won 71-60.

In the postgame interview, Alvarado was on the verge of tears, saying “It didn’t end the way we wanted it to, but I’m so happy that I get to call [my teammates] my brothers. And the worst pain is that I was trying to win it for Mo.”

The lack of Moses Wright was clear in rebounding. Loyola outrebounded Tech 30-17, including multiple second chance buckets. Devoe, Usher, and Alvarado all had 13+ points, but the foul trouble early in the second half stung the Jacket’s ability to be as aggressive as they wanted to be on defense. Senior Bubba Parham, who started in Wright’s place, Alvarado, and Moore all ended with four fouls. Alvarado was the only Jacket to play all 40 minutes.

This marked Tech’s 17th NCAA Tournament appearance, and first loss in the first round since 2007 against UNLV. Loyola will go on to play number one seed Illinois in the second round on Sunday.

The second weekend of February was a dreary one in Atlanta. Rain came in and out with never ending cloudy skies and cold temperatures in the 40s. While it was as bad as weather can get in Atlanta, Tech’s softball season began as good as it could.

The Jackets hosted the 22nd Buzz Classic, which included Boise State, Radford, and neighboring Georgia State. Tech played Boise State in a doubleheader on Feb. 12, Radford in a doubleheader on the Feb. 13 and concluded with a single game against State on Feb. 14.

Since the 2020 season was shortened as the COVID-19 pandemic began during last softball season, every player was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA, which helped Tech retain depth in their lineup going into the 2021 season.

Tech won all five games they played over the weekend, allowing only three runs and scoring 44. Tech hit for .421 over the five games, led by freshman catcher and right fielder Emma Kauf and junior first baseman Patricia Awald. Both hit over .500 combining for four home runs, six doubles, 12 runs batted in and seven walks. Junior center fielder Kennedy Cowden hit for 14 of Tech’s runs batted in by way of only six hits, three of which were home runs. Junior second baseman Breanna Roper walked six times, recorded three hits and scored seven times in 16 plate appearances all while starting every game.

The first game against Boise State began the late morning of Feb. 12 to escape possible inclement weather. Second-year freshman Blake Neleman pitched a complete game for the Jackets in a 5-1 win, which was also the only game of the weekend that required a full seven innings to be played. She struck out 10 batters and allowed her only earned run in her three weekend starts, a solo home run. Roper actually started in right field for this game, making it the first time in two years she played a non-second base position. Freshmen Mallorie Black and Jin Sileo got their first college hits, both singles.

Game two against Boise State was a literal doubling of the score, with Tech winning 10-2 via the run ahead rule in the sixth inning. UGA transfer Madison McPherson made her Tech debut in the circle, pitching three innings of two hit ball, allowing the last of the runs Tech would face for the weekend. Roper scored three times and had three walks. Kauf continued her weekend tear going 2-3 with a walk. Cowden had four runs batted in via a three-run home run, her first collegiate homer.

Fifth-year senior Crosby Huckabay got her first start in right field in the five games going 2-2 and scoring once. Jin Sileo, who played exceptional defense every game, hit her first college home run in the third inning, which may not have come about had the first base umpire not mistakenly called a foul ball down the line earlier in the at bat. Fifth-year senior Morgan Bruce pitched the last three innings of the game, striking out four.

Saturday’s games against Radford featured Blake Neleman’s second complete game of the weekend in the first game. She struck out nine batters, walked two, and only allowed two hits even with a shaky fourth inning by her standards. Kauf absolutely bashed Radford’s pitching, scoring twice, homering in the third inning and driving in three. Cowden hit a bomb in her second at bat on a 3-2 count for her second home run of the weekend, driving in five of the 11 Tech runs in game one. Huckabay’s first inning single scored her 100th career RBI. Eight of the ten batters that hit for Tech in this game got at least one hit. The 11-0 win gave the Jackets their first 3-0 start in eight years.

Game two against Radford was a continuation of the first game’s bashing. Kauf hit another home run, Cowden’s third home run was a grand slam, which she deftly followed up with in her next at-bat with a bunt single. This was Tech’s most efficient game, needing to only hit four times and not even hit through the lineup a full three times. Eight of the first nine runs were scored with two outs. Roper walked twice and hit a single, scoring twice. Third-year sophomore Lexi Ray pitched all five innings of this game, allowing one hit, striking out three, and throwing 40 strikes on 57 pitches. She had a no-hitter that was broken up with one out in the fifth inning. In terms of complete domination, this game was as good as it got all weekend.

Georgia State was 3-1 coming into Sunday’s game, losing only to Boise State in the latter half of their own Saturday doubleheader. Kauf came into the game hitting .750, and was 0-1 in this game, but walked three times and stole two bases.

Awald hit her second home run and drove in two. Neleman pitched another complete game shutout, striking out ten again. Third-year sophomore Bailee Zeitler, who had been switched to second base to make room for Sileo at shortstop, got her first hit of the weekend on a two run home run in the second inning. Tech showed incredible plate discipline the whole game as every hitter reached at least one three-ball count. Fourth-year junior Cameron Stanford drove in the game ending run with a bases loaded single in the fifth inning, enforcing the run ahead rule to clinch Tech’s undefeated weekend.

Kauf’s .692 average for the weekend earned her ACC Player of the Week honors, and Neleman’s 17 innings of 0.41 ERA pitching earned her co-ACC Pitcher of the Week.

As of writing, Kauf is leading the ACC in hits, doubles, total bases, and walks. Neleman leads the ACC in wins and starts. She never allowed more than one hit per inning the whole weekend.

After the Thanksgiving break in the Fall 2020 semester, the CRC debuted its newest gadget: a multi-sport simulator where one could play golf, baseball, hockey, soccer golf or soccer. The simulator fills in the space where racquetball court #1 currently sits. The floor of the court is now covered in artificial turf, with the simulator pushed against the back wall. It spans nearly the entire width of the room, with just enough space to put equipment between the walls and simulator.

In case you haven’t heard of or used a golf simulator, it is a very impressive replication of playing golf outside. A standard simulator has a camera and or sensor that can spot where the golf ball is on the ground, where the player is standing, and what club they have in hand.

In front of the player is a thick plastic screen that can easily withstand a full golf shot, where an animated golf course or driving range is projected.

The sensor then tracks your swing pattern, how hard the ball was hit, where on the club the ball was hit, and how much spin was generated. As the ball is hit against the screen, the animation shows the ball flight and where it lands.

The simulator at the CRC is made by TruGolf, who makes a variety of golf and multi-sport simulators. The CRC’s model is aptly called the TruGolf MultiSport. Technically, the simulator is built with golf in mind, and you buy an add-on to support the other sports. The listed price of the add-on is $7,495. This model also supports a bonus pack that would include dodgeball, disc golf, and bowling. The base simulators are priced anywhere from $10,495 to $18,995 on TruGolf’s website.

For anyone with a CRC membership, having this available makes the price tag of the membership even sweeter. Playing golf is notoriously expensive, regardless of if one is just hitting the driving range or playing actual holes. Usually, the cheapest way to play a lot is to be on a school golf team that subsidizes most, if not all, of the costs, whether in college or high school.

At Tech, golf usually hasn’t been an accessible option for students unless they were on the golf club, golf team, or had transportation to a course somewhere in Atlanta. It’s very unlike most other sports here that you can find very easily (pickup soccer, basketball, ultimate frisbee, badminton, etc.). The introduction of the simulator changes that.

Currently, the CRC opens up the simulator for 45-minute time slots where the user can do whatever sport they want.

Golf clubs (both righty and lefty), hockey sticks (righty only), baseball bats, and the various balls needed for each sport are provided. For golf, rubber tees are also provided.

Upon entry, a student employee sets up the simulator for the user with their choice of sport, and the user logs into a TruSport account that allows them to pause games for later. The time slots are only 45 minutes to allow time to sanitize and clean all the equipment in between uses.

Golf is by far the most comprehensive option available. It has multiple formats of golf arcade games, several driving ranges and a large plethora of real life courses that can be played.

Courses include Royal Liverpool (previous hosts of the British Open), Torrey Pines, and Georgia’s own Sea Island Golf Club.

For baseball, the user watches a pitcher on the screen throw the ball and has to time their swing hitting a ball off a tee. There are various zones on the field display that correspond to types of hits, or an out.

Soccer golf is essentially golf, but just using a soccer ball. The game has four different courses that can be played at different skill levels.

A full powered kick goes further than one can actually kick it, but it still has the sensitivity of power and speed down like it does for golf. The hole is bigger for soccer than for normal golf to adjust for the size of a soccer ball.

Hockey has three modes. Two of them are shootout style where the player tries to shoot it past the goalie, and the other mode is target practice.

The third mode has the player trying to shoot a long shot toward the goal without hitting skaters in between the player and the goal.

Soccer has the same game modes as hockey, except the long kick game is a mode where the player is trying to pass it to a teammate on the screen as they run.

One of the best benefits to using the simulator is the cost for a student to use it.

The CRC fee per student is $105 per semester. With how fast the simulator moves through shots, one could hit anywhere from 70-100 shots in the 45 minute time slot given they only play golf.

If one were to go to a driving range at a local course such as Charlie Yates for this example, a bucket of 100 balls would cost $13.

That means if one were to use the simulator at least nine times in a semester, it becomes cheaper than going to a driving range. That is before using the CRC for any of its other amenities.

It is an incredible deal for the price students pay, and will likely be the most affordable way for Tech students to get better at golf or learn how to play.

The simulator is for single person use only at the time. However, it seems as if the simulator definitely has the potential to allow for multiple people to use it at a time as once COVID-19 restrictions start to ease.