If the name Schniederjans sounds familiar, that is for good reason. Ollie Schniederjans golfed at Tech and was a three-time All-American who is now on the PGA Tour. Ben Schniederjans is a redshirt junior who is a pitcher on the baseball team. Luke, a freshman on the golf team, is proving that he can carve out his own story.

The youngest of the three, Luke began playing golf at the age of 12, and by the time he was a senior in high school, he was ranked No. 51 nationally in the class of 2016 by the Junior Golf Scoreboard. Following his siblings, he signed with Tech.

It is easy to assume that the youngest Schniederjans’ motivation was solely his family connection, but Tech meant much more.

“This is such a great golf program with all the resources we have to practice. I really like the coach [Bruce Heppler] and what he prides his program on. And it’s close to where I’m from, and I like that,” Schniederjans said.

Coach Heppler has made Tech golf a destination for talented high school players. It is particularly interesting that Schniederjans chose to mention Tech’s practice facilities. Just a few weeks ago, Heppler hit the ceremonial first shot to officially open the Noonan Golf Facility. It became clear that a high level of golf will be played here at The Flats for a long time to come.

Regardless of where he ended up playing golf in college, Schniederjans says his brothers had been preparing him with regards to what it meant to be a student-athlete in general.

“They taught me a lot of time management being a student- athlete, especially here with the difficult academics. They’ve told me over the years to get ready for Tech in that it’s going to be a lot different than high school because you have to manage your time a lot better.”

With regards to his golf talent, Schniederjans is everything Coach Heppler could have imagined and more. He already has many of the finer skills that are immensely important for a golfer to develop.

Schniederjans describes his biggest strength as his “driver accuracy.” As for a part of his game that he’s looking to further develop, he would “like to become a more consistent putter.”

The Powder Springs, Ga., native has played in five tournaments in his young collegiate career, and he has traveled thousands of miles. Golf is a game in which players must always be prepared to adjust to different time zones, weather conditions and course styles. Schniederjans has already had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii and Puerto Rico for tournaments, and the benefit of doing so is not lost on him.

“It exposes you to different types of playing conditions and allows you to learn about that early in your college career,” Schniederjans said. “It will really pay off over the next few years.”

Schniederjans has proven himself to be precocious. And while he might prefer to avoid comparisons to his brother, he has outpaced him. Ollie had six career collegiate titles, but none came until his junior year. Meanwhile, Luke has already won two titles: one at the Carpet Capital Collegiate and the another at the Puerto Rico Classic. The latter was a finish that saw Luke shoot a sublime final round 65 en route to a comeback victory.

“I just tried to stay in the present. I was able to feed off my past experience from my first win, and I knew what the emotions felt like, … and I was able to keep making the putts fall.”

Schniederjans will likely keep doing just that.

Spring sports would not be complete without tennis. With the ACC slate looming, the men’s team will carry a five-match winning streak into bouts against top opponents.

The Jackets have managed to minimize any growing pains they might have had after losing Nathan Rakitt and Casey Kay to graduation. They swept the MLK Invitational at the beginning of January and already have ten victories under their belt. The Jackets have consistently moved up in conference standings over the last three years and show every sign of continuing an upward trend. The Jackets begin their ACC slate this weekend with matches against Clemson and Florida State.

As the ACC season begins for men’s tennis, Jackets fans remain hopeful for continued success. In order for Tech to have a full season of consistent victories, the Jackets will have to overcome a few difficult match-ups.

Clemson and Florida State will be the first tough match-ups that the Jackets will have to overcome this season. It has been three years since Tech has bested the Tigers and 10 since they have defeated the Seminoles. Tech will compete against Clemson Friday in South Carolina. They will welcome Florida State to Atlanta on Sunday. Much like the Jackets, Clemson has started this season strong. Florida State, on the other hand, has had a bit more of a rough go of things so far.

Head Coach Kenny Thorne will use any overconfidence that the Tigers might have and any doubts that may be haunting Florida State to his advantage, but Tech has a significant losing streak to amend. Defeating both teams in the span of a single weekend (or even just one) would send a strong message to the rest of the conference from a team ranked seventh in the ACC.

Tech will have some time to regroup before they travel south to compete against Miami on the March 12. With a 3-1 record over the past four years of match-ups with the Hurricanes, the Jackets likely have the same mental advantage over Miami that Clemson and Florida State enjoy against Tech. With that in mind, Miami might serve as a brief reprieve before the rest of a difficult conference schedule.

Likely Tech’s most challenging opponent, Virginia has been at the top of the ranks in the ACC for the last three years. The Jackets will compete against the Cavaliers towards the end of the season after three back to back to back conference match-ups.

Virginia was swift to defend their first place spot in the ACC, opening the season with a nine game winning streak and not a single loss. Two of those nine victories were ACC match ups. Over the last five years Virginia has dominated Tech in every match-up. That is no surprise; the Cavaliers have produced such performers as Indian national team member and former two-time NCAA singles champion Somdev Devarrman.

Coach Thorne has accumulated a talented lineup that is bearing fruit as many of its talented players have begun to write the final chapters of their Tech careers. Junior Christopher Eubanks has consistently been one of the most carefully watched men’s tennis players on the collegiate circuit. A blue chip prospect out of high school, Eubanks has been in the spotlight since his collegiate debut and plays a leadership role despite having one year remaining in Atlanta. This year, the Jackets have welcomed another blue chip prospect to Tech’s lineup, Chris Yun. A local from Lassiter High School, Yun may well represent the future of Tech tennis. And if Yun moves up the ranks as quickly as Eubanks did, the jackets could become one of the most formidable teams in the ACC.

However, the performances of two athletes will not suffice. Senior Carlos Benito and junior Michael Kay, regular fixtures in Tech’s lineup, are expected to consistently contribute to Tech’s continued upward trend in the ACC standings. Benito has been a fixture in national rankings every year since his debut at Tech. Kay has spent the last three years establishing himself as a member of one of the best doubles teams in nation along with his brother, who graduated last year. Though Kay has lost the other half of his doubles team, there’s no doubt that his consistency on the court will continue.

Tech’s ACC slate seems like no more than a long list of formidable opponents. Such is life for Jackets in many aspects, from the football stadium to the basketball arena to the tennis courts. But with the likes of Benito and Eubanks propelling the Jackets for the matches looming ahead, and players like Yun providing optimism for the years to follow, that slate is less a death knell than an invitation for the Jackets to show that they
indeed belong.

Bobby Dodd Stadium is, at least for a few games, going to be home to a Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise. And that is something to celebrate.

I say that because I know all too well the apathetic shrug we turn towards sports sometimes. And I agree that with senior design projects and group projects and capstone projects and, well, every other type of project, it can be hard to look much further than the next deadline.

This is a big deal. Not only because fans from around the city will flock to our stadium and take up our parking spaces and block our streets. But also because we are getting the chance to play a part in modern sports history.

Sure, MLS has yet to achieve real mainstream support in the United States. It certainly lags behind the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League in terms of mainstream popularity. Walk down a street and you are much more likely to see a Cowboys jersey than one for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Yet MLS has something those leagues just do not: real room for growth. Despite playing in smaller venues than football teams, only seven of the league’s twenty teams had average attendance at or over capacity in 2016, courtesy of MLSsoccer.com. Only one team, the Seattle Sounders, has an average attendance that rivals that of Europe’s three top leagues: Germany’s Bundesliga, Spain’s La Liga and the English
Premier League.

Soccer (or football, depending on whom you ask) is the world’s most passionately followed sport. Manchester United fans hail from all over the world, and you would be hard-pressed to find a major world city without a group of devoted fans discussing the virtues of Lionel Messi. The sport plays such a role in international relations that Tech professor Kirk Bowman teaches a course devoted to the relationship between soccer and global politics.

If recent years are any indication, those seeds may have finally taken hold in the United States. More and more European players near the end of their careers have found the appeal of living large in American cities. And while thirty-something Thierry Henry and equally old David Beckham did not exactly recreate the passion of soccer on the other side of the pond, it was a start.

So let us show the newly christened Atlanta United that our city is, indeed, united. Let us rally behind former Barcelona (and Argentina national team) manager Gerardo Martino and his gang of young players and veterans as they bring a new sport to our city and our stadium.

On Mar. 18, Vanessa  Carlton’s “Liberman” tour will bring her to City Winery in Ponce City Market. In anticipation of this event, the Technique spoke to the singer to learn more about her career and new music.

Carlton’s mother was a pianist, so she grew up with a musical influence. She studied at the School of American Ballet from the age of 14 with the intention of joining the New York City Ballet.

“For me it was either NYCB or nothing … It’s a narrow and ridiculous attitude.  Honestly, I think I just never wanted to leave New York City. It’s the best city in the world. When I was turning 17, I started really retreating into myself and re-thinking my career.  I knew I was going to quit dance and put college on hold to try and make it as a musician. I just knew I had to try.”

She was always interested in music; the first time she wrote a song, she was nine. She even wrote the sheet music for the song. Carlton “called it the waterfall.  It was an instrumental piece.”

Being chased by a herd of cows, Carlton says, led to the weirdest songwriting experience so far in her musical career. Her coolest experience in this industry was touring with Stevie Nicks.

Her newest musical ventures “Liberman” and “Earlier Things Live” brought about a new tour.  Carlton’s explanation of inspiration behind “Liberman” creates a beautiful fantasy that draws one further into the lyrics.

She said the “themes are mostly about knowing your place in the network of the universe. We are part of something huge. Follow your instincts. Connect to your environment and to
nature. Heal.”

Carlton worked with Steve Osborne on the album but said that the challenges surrounding the album creation were related to achieving the perfect sound palette. Once that was settled, “it was about execution.”

Her favorite song in “Liberman” is “Blue Pool,” the fifth track on the album for which she has all the writing credit. Carlton was also able to give the story behind “House of Seven Swords.”

“It was a story, a message for my brother. He was about to graduate college, and I knew he wanted to take big risks and go out on his own, and that song and that tarot card is about knowing that you are a sword with many sides to your blade. All these sides make up your character. And we decide who we are.  We don’t have to be born into things.  Custom build your life,” Carlton said.

The release of “Liberman” was postponed due to the birth of Carlton’s daughter. This places Carlton in the category of a touring mom, so she schedules her tours around her family. Her husband is also a musician, so they are able to pick on and off weeks to tour and be with their daughter.

“There is no manual when it comes to being a touring mom. … Family is number one to me, and I’m lucky that I get to structure the tour like this. It’s more expensive this way, but we make it work,” Carlton said.

Carlton has been to Atlanta a number of times, but her favorite memory is related to her experience here with her daughter.

“I love Atlanta. … My favorite memory is pushing my new baby around through a park that had shooting fountains for the kids to play in.  It was during that thick heat of summer and everyone was happy and cooling off. Sid was five months old, sitting on my lap and taking it all in.”

The way contemporary music is made and then released to the public is changing rapidly. With the unprecedented ease with which artists can issue their music, it is becoming more and more common for artists to distribute their work in nontraditional ways.

Free streaming services like SoundCloud and DatPiff make it incredibly easy to discover brand new music from undiscovered artists, and the immense catalogs of paid services like Spotify, Apple Music and Tidal allow listeners access to millions of songs from all kinds of genres, artists and time periods.

Many even begin to change the current notion of what qualifies as recorded music. In 2016, both Frank Ocean and Beyoncé put out visual albums — not quite music videos, not quite short films — that challenged the idea of music being a solely auditory experience.

By adding and editing tracks on “The Life of Pablo” after the album’s official release date, Kanye West made many people question what does and what does not qualify as a complete work of art.

Now John Mayer has joined the ranks of visionary artists by opting to release his seventh studio album, “The Search for Everything,” as a series of three four-song extended plays. Technically, the album is currently in the process of being released: “Wave One” was released Jan. 20, and “Wave Two” was released Feb. 24.

The release of “Wave Two” approximately one month after “Wave One” provides a frame of reference for considering the direction that Mayer intends to take with “The Search for Everything.”

The songs of “Wave Two” are markedly similar to those of “Wave One,” and together they represent a holistic compilation of the various subgenres of rock that John Mayer has explored over the course of his near 20-year career.

Songs like “Still Feel Like Your Man” and “Helpless” signify a return to the highly enjoyable and skillfully crafted pop-rock of John Mayer’s music from the
“Continuum” era.

These songs are a welcome shift from the abundance of country-Americana music found on Mayer’s last two releases, 2012’s “Born and Raised” and 2013’s
“Paradise Valley.” However, the sound from those two albums is not abandoned completely and is incorporated adeptly on the album through “Emoji of a Wave” and “Roll it on Home.”

Lyrically, the songs on “Wave Two” tell of the different aspects of the life of a man who is searching for both something within himself and in someone else.

In “Helpless,” he pleads for his own sake, singing “if I’m helpless tell me now, tell me now/And I’ll stop tryna figure it out.” In “Roll it on Home,” he makes a plea to his love interest, singing “roll it on home/tomorrow’s another chance you won’t go it alone/if you roll it on home” over the soothing sound of a steel lap guitar and a folksy syncopated drum beat.

Mayer is at his best with an impressive coupling of music and lyricism. The sincerity of the lyrics strikes a seamless balance with the wistful and reflective nature of the album’s instrumentation, ultimately allowing the listener both a poignant and entertaining listening experience. Although much of his audience may not have noticed, from 2011 until now John Mayer has been largely absent from the music-making community he once dominated.

After a tarnished public image resulting from a 2010 magazine interview, two lackluster albums that did not rival the success of Grammy Award-winner “Continuum” and a vocal cord sickness that did not allow him to sing publicly for almost two years, the pop icon recoiled into a state of reclusion and self-reflection.

Mayer began to re-enter the industry in 2015 by joining the remaining members of the Grateful Dead and embarking on two successful tours.

As for the future of his recorded music, fans did not quite know what was in store for the rest of Mayer’s career or if he would even continue his career at all.

With “Wave One” and “Wave Two” of “The Search for Everything,” listeners will be thrilled that John Mayer has done what all timeless artists have done: used his unfruitful and tumultuous years to fuel a major comeback release.

So far, the unfolding project that is “The Search for Everything” has proven to be a testament to the idea that the best things come in multiple, small packages.

Cameron Mackintosh’s new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “The Phantom of the Opera” opened at the fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta last Wednesday.

Barring some minor flaws, the show largely manages to live up to its legendary status. Much of the credit for the show’s distinction must be given to Derrick Davis (Broadway’s “The Lion King”), cast as the titular phantom.

His operatic range matches and even might surpass such feats of musicality as Rob Halford on the album “Sad Wings of Destiny.” Yet, unlike some other notable phantom actors, Davis’s voice lands precisely within that critical deep range that makes the character truly come to life.

Davis’s performance excellence is not limited to gracing the theatre with his voice. Indeed, the acting work on display whenever the phantom shows up on stage is tremendous. It would be difficult to find a more captivating portrayal of a tortured, heartbroken artist than the one made manifest by Davis’s prowess in his craft.

However, when it came time for the rest of the leading cast to step up to the plate, results varied. Katie Travis, who portrays Christine, possesses near-immaculate singing ability that she exhibited to great effect. However, her acting could be improved upon.

Instead of questioning whether Christine was in love with the phantom or Raoul, the audience might occasionally find themselves wondering if they cared at all about either character.

While Jordan Craig’s portrayal of Raoul was without fault, his singing could not compare to either Davis’ or Travis’. This contrast became most apparent during scenes such as that on the roof and also the return to the phantom’s lair, when all three characters were present and singing at nearly the same time.

As is necessary in any great production of “Phantom,”  the instrumentation and scoring throughout are nothing short of fantastic. The reveal of Lot 666 and the Phantom’s interruption of the masquerade — already worthy of gasps in their own right — become truly magical when married with the incredible musicality that punctuates them.

Classic and timeless songs like the main theme and “Point of No Return” hit sonically with the force of a wrecking ball. Elements of the main theme, especially the guitar and bass during the first descent to the phantom’s lair, stand out for their exceptionality.

The “mixing” deserves a mention as well; at no point was the music too oppressive or overpowering for the volume of the
characters’ singing.

Special effects were effortlessly blended into the fabric of the production. Instead of the usual slow raising of the chandelier from the stage — which occurs in many productions — the chandelier began hoisted and covered. The cloth was then ripped back by some unseen mechanism at the correct moment to reveal a spectacular light show.

Notably, this production drops the chandelier at the “traditional” moment rather than the point in the plot used by the film
adaptation. While this detail might not be of much consequence to some, traditionalists will be gratified to know of the orthodoxy of this particular iteration of the production.

While some of the sets designed by Paul Brown were excellent and made the audience feel like were a part of the opera, others lacked distinguishing quality. The most memorable set was the phantom’s under-opera house lair, the path to which was formed by stairs emerging from a giant section of wall.

The boat looked sinister and moved slickly, and the phantom’s organ looked like it had been dragged straight from Dracula’s mansion onto the ominous set.

Less impressive was the office of the two Monsieurs, which was painted a gaudy red with random knickknacks littered about. Though the cross-talk between characters that
occurred in the office was intended to inject some form of comedic undertone into the serious subject matter, much of the dialogue was lost, and
the scenes ended up being
confusing instead.

In addition to being bleak, rather uninteresting and ultimately lacking much in the way of detail, the scenes set on the roof as well as the graveyard tended to drag in comparison to much of the other offerings.

Even with the aforementioned minor defective details, Mackintosh’s production succeeds in continuing the tradition of quality for “Phantom,” and the show approaches perfection.

With Tech softball off to a slow 3-8 start (although two of its wins have come in the last three games), it is easy to superficially write the team off. But there are explanations for the outcomes so far and optimism moving forward.

The Value of Experience

The Jackets return seven position starters that accounted for 68.5 percent of Tech’s run production and 65.9 percent of Tech’s hits from a season ago. Tech will also have the same two starting pitchers they did in 2016.

Having this sort of consistency for position players as well as pitching will no doubt be a big boon to the Jackets. Although this consistency is coveted, Tech will have to prepare for some turnover following this season. Three of the current starters in the lineup are seniors, and among them are Jessica Kowalewicz and Sam Pierannunzi, who have been outstanding on offense to start the season.

Risks Pay Off

In the first 10 games of 2017, the Jackets have a HR/SO ratio of 0.26. In the first six games of 2016, their HR/SO ratio was 0.06. That’s a 333 percent improvement year over year.

In baseball and softball, power is a coveted tool among hitters. Home runs can be monumental in determining win probability, and they are devastating for pitchers to give up. On the other hand, swinging for the fences often means that strikeouts are inevitable. Even for professional baseball and softball players, high home run numbers often are accompanied by higher strike out numbers.

By improving their HR/SO ratio by over four times what it was at this time last year, the Jackets are proving that they are being more disciplined at the plate, while taking their chances when they present themselves. This will be a key statistic to maintain for the Jackets to continue to improve. It means that the team can generate big plays while simultaneously avoiding demoralizing outcomes at the plate.

Seeing Double

The Jackets have turned six double plays this season through six games to rank 22nd in the nation and first in the ACC in double plays turned per game. The six double plays are already more than 25 percent of the total double plays turned a season ago (20).

The high frequency of double plays for the Jackets’ speaks to their ability to strong pitching and strong work in the field. The majority of these double plays have come on ground balls or line drives to second that also got the hitter out at first. These double plays demonstrate the quick and decisive fielding of players like Katie Krzus and Jessie Kowalewicz.

Better Than Average

Four players are hitting above 0.300: senior Sam Pierannunzi (0.419), freshman Karissa Arnold (.0412), senior Jessica Kowalewicz (0.360) and sophomore Katie Krzus (0.333), per ramblinwreck.com.

Three of these players (Pierannunzi, Kowalewicz and Krzus) are everyday starters in the lineup, and for them to maintain these incredible batting averages 10 games into the season is no easy feat. Pierannunzi, in particular, has been on an absolute tear to open the season with 13 HR, 8 RBI and a 0.806 slugging percentage.

Krzus Control

Katie Krzus had a six-game reached base streak and Sam Pierannunzi had a nine-game reached base streak heading the Jackets’ game against Jacksonville State on Wednesday. Her ability to consistently reach base has kept innings alive for the Jackets and that has been crucial.

I was listening to Josh Pastner’s radio show earlier this week when I heard a comment from the head coach that piqued my attention.

After Tech narrowly defeated the Syracuse, the head coach got a voicemail from a fan of the Orange. The fan was angry that Jackets fans had taunted Syracuse guard John Gillon with chants of “Airball!” after the graduate student missed a three-pointer by a wide margin early in the game.

These voicemails are probably a staple of every coach’s inbox, likely accompanied by drunken and vague threats and pleas to shift from zone to man defense more often. Most coaches would ignore the message; after all, there are prospects to recruit, film to watch and players to manage.

So Pastner did the opposite. He didn’t just listen to the voicemail and delegate responsibilities to one of the countless staff members at the Georgia Tech Athletic Association whose duty it might be to handle fan interactions.

Pastner called the fan back. In a conversation, he apparently discussed the merits of fandom and collegiate athletics, and the duties of a fan to cheer on his team in his own arena.

“He was definitely surprised that the head coach of Georgia Tech called him back,” said Pastner to the slightly bemused announcer, Andy Demetra. “But I call everyone back.”

Surprised? I’m willing to bet that’s the understatement of the week. Because although Pastner has a lot in common with other coaches, such as his longstanding and intense commitment to the craft, it is plainly obvious that his stint in The Flats will be different from those of their predecessors.

This isn’t to say that Paul Hewitt and Brian Gregory weren’t nice guys, because by all accounts, they were. Hewitt’s success precedes him and Gregory was rarely pictured without a smile on his face. But there is a lot to like about Josh Pastner’s approach.

This is the man who encouraged fans to email him during his homecoming keynote speech. This is the man who has reportedly never cursed in seven years of coaching, and it shows.

This may well be the man who, should the Jackets run the table, leads Tech back to the Big Dance for the first time in more than a decade. Get in touch with him to let him know how you feel. He’ll respond shortly.

The days are getting longer, ambitious flowers have begun to bloom, and Tech baseball is in season. Hopes for a memorable season were bolstered by a victorious opening weekend. Tech kicked the season off with a three game sweep at the Atlanta Challenge last weekend that landed them in a four way tie for the number one slot in the ACC.

The Jackets have improved on the field over their last two seasons participating in the Atlanta Challenge. Their three wins over the weekend carried Tech to its 22nd consecutive out of conference weekend tournament victories.

Holding their ground in the first couple of innings in all their games last weekend gave the team the edge they needed for solid wins. Tech scored first in every game throughout the weekend and did not let in any runs for at least the first five innings during all three games.

If they continue to start out strong through every game this year, there is a significant possibility that the Jackets could remain in the first slot in ACC rankings as the season progresses and the games tighten.

The Jackets will likely find themselves in closest competition with Duke and North Carolina. The three teams, together, frequently occupy the middle portion of the ACC rankings. This means that any edge the jackets may have over their opponents could make a large difference to the outcome of the standings.

The three teams have met each other on the field frequently and consistently traded victories and losses over the last four years. Familiarity with their opponents is no reason for Tech to lull itself into a false sense of security; the nature of collegiate athletics means that teams cycle through entirely every four or five years. Just as this year’s Jackets team is different from those of years past, so are its opponents.

However, Tech’s biggest chance of edging out the Blue Devils and the Tar Heels may be to focus on defeating the ACC teams that frequently occupy the top portion of the rankings.

Miami, Tech’s first conference opponent, has ranked first in the Coastal Division of the ACC for the last three years. The Hurricanes will likely be the most difficult competition of the season as Miami has proven to consistently be a challenge for the jackets. To exacerbate things, Tech will meet the Hurricanes away from home, after playing a number of more easily managed, out of conference match-ups to boost their confidence entering the stretch.

However, after three years of Miami winning more than half of their games against Tech, the jackets are not likely to underestimate the Hurricanes. Miami has been top dog in the Coastal Division for a few years now and the Jackets will look to knock the Hurricanes off their pedestal the first chance they get. This season Tech may find themselves flashing back to 2014 and itching to defeat the Hurricanes in the ACC Championships for the third time in five years.

Not a regular conference match up for the Jackets, Louisville will be another team that might give the Jackets grief on the field.

The Cardinals have only made it onto Tech’s slate one time in the last five years and they won all three games of the match up. Louisville has earned a reputation as a top ACC competitor with consistent high rankings in the competitive Atlantic Division.

The Jackets will compete against the Cardinals midseason, on home turf, which should give them enough time to work out any growing pains on the field.

Most of the growing pains for Tech baseball will occur on the mound. With three pitchers lost to graduation and one to injury, Tech’s pitching lineup is in serious need of reinforcements.

It’s not all bad news though, pitching coach Jason Howell rotated in a number of pitchers over the weekend that proved to be instrumental to the start off strong strategy that earned the jackets three victories.

Freshman Xzavion Curry led the jackets through five scoreless innings against BYU at their first game of the Atlanta Challenge. With four solid innings of no runs against Marshall, redshirt freshman Jonathan Hughes proved to be an asset to Coach Howell’s pitching lineup, at least in the early goings of the campaign.

Confirming opinions of his talent on the mound, senior Ben Parr pitched a perfect fifth inning against Marshall. Eleven runs up, Coach Howell gave a number of new pitchers the chance to hone their skill on the mound during the final innings against Marshall. In the third and final game of the weekend, sophomore Keyton Gibson pitched for five innings against Western Michigan and only let in a single run on
two hits.

It seems that any worries about growing pains in Tech’s pitching lineup were misguided. However, Tech’s ability to replicate its success against conference match-ups is yet to be proven.

Kel Johnson, Trevor Craport, Wade Bailey and a long list of talented freshmen used this weekend to prove how easily the team has slid back into its pattern of growing success at the plate.

It is one thing to win convincingly against weak non-conference opponents, and another altogether to do so when the games matter the most, during the conference schedule. Tech’s unproven pitching staff lacks consistency, let alone a proven ace, and that flaw could be exposed against quality matchups. But the early returns are strong.

This year is Head Coach Danny Hall’s 22nd at the helm of Jackets baseball, and like each before, it brings its own set of challenges. They are well-equipped to handle that adversity.