Weekend Preview: Eagles’ Postseason Starts with No. 22 Georgia Tech

THE FACTS
MATCHUP: Boston College (29-18, 11-14 ACC) at No. 22 Georgia Tech (34-18, 12-14 ACC)
WHERE: Russ Chandler Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
WHEN: Thursday, May 19 at 7 p.m. | Friday, May 20 at 7 p.m. | Saturday, May 21 at 1 p.m.
RECORD vs. Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech leads the series, 16-10

HOW TO FOLLOW
(email version – story links for web)
Twitter: @BCBirdball
Live Stats: Thursday | Friday | Saturday
ESPN3 (Video): Thursday | Friday | Saturday

THE MATCHUP
Pitching Matchups
Thursday: RHP Mike King (7-3, 3.0 ERA) vs. RHP Brandon Gold (6-3, 2.66 ERA)
Friday: RHP Justin Dunn (2-1, 1.22 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Lee (3-1, 6.87 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Jacob Stevens (3-3, 1.99 ERA) | GT: TBA

Scouting the Yellow Jackets

The Ramblin' Wreck is 22-9 at home but seven of those losses are to ACC opponents.
Thursday starter Brandon Gold leads the Yellow Jackets with a 2.66 ERA and 13 starts. Last week, he threw 5.1 innings against Virginia, allowed 10 hits, six runs – all earned – two walks and struck out four. He shouldered the loss in a 6-3 game.
Friday starter Jake Lee started against the Cavs in the series, but only went 2.2 innings. He allowed four runs on five hits and struck out won before Matthew Gorst went the remainder of the game and picked up the win in a 5-4 ballgame.
Matt Gonzalez leads the Wreck with a .372 batting average and 74 hits. He also has nine of Tech's 58 home runs on the season and his 283 career hits and 20 sacrifice flies leads all active NCAA players.
In the last seven games, the Yellow Jackets have hit 17 home runs.
Georgia Tech leads the nation with 67 double plays.
Georgia Tech is 32-2, 11-1 in ACC play, when allowing fewer than eight runs in a game this season. Tech has allowed eight or more runs 18 times this season and is 2-16 in those games.

THE SERIES

BC is in the hunt for one of the six spots in the ACC Baseball Championship still up for grabs. The Eagles last appeared in the conference tournament in 2010 and have only made it twice ever: 2009 and 2010.
A total of three games in the loss column separate the fifth- and 12th-place teams in the current league standings.
The Jackets hold a 16-10 advantage in the all-time series between the two squads. They had won the previous four meetings before the Eagles swept the series in Chestnut Hill last year.
BC's lone win in Atlanta came in 2007 when the Maroon and Gold won the final game of the series, 9-2, after the Ramblin' Wreck took the first two contests.
The last time the Eagles made the trip to Atlanta was the second weekend of the ACC slate in 2013 and Georgia Tech earned the three-game sweep.
In last year's series opener, current junior RHP Mike King pitched a complete-game, one-hit shutout to lead BC to the 1-0 victory over then 24th-ranked GT. He struck out a career-high eight and did not walk a batter.

WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THE EAGLES

Boston College heads to Atlanta with a program-best five Atlantic Coast Conference series wins. The Eagles joined the league in 2006.
The Eagles have won 11 of their last 15 games. They are also on a four-game win streak, adding two non-conference victories against Niagara on May 14-15 during the conference bye week.
BC is 6-7 against top-25 teams and 4-3 against top-10 teams in 2016.
BC has also tallied 11 ACC victories and 29 overall wins, the most under sixth-year head coach Mike Gambino.
Junior RHP Justin Dunn has made five starts this season and recorded a 0.96 ERA with 23 strikeouts and just 12 walks in those outings. While he had nine appearances out of the bullpen, mainly as the Eagles' closer - racking up a win, two saves, 17 strikeouts and just three walks - has been stellar in a starting role. He threw a career-high seven innings against Wake Forest on May 7, allowing just one run on seven hits and three walks.
Junior Johnny Adams heats up midway through the season. In the last 22 games of 2015, he was 23-for-70 (.329) with 10 runs and 13 RBIs. In the last 21 games, Adams is 30-for-81 (.370) with 12 runs and 19 RBIs. He is currently riding a career-long, 12-game hit streak, which is tied for 10th in BC record books, and has reached base in the last 17 games.
Sophomore Jake Palomaki has reached base in 40 of the Eagles' 47 games to bring his two-year total to getting on base in 78 career contests. His 46 walks drawn in 2015 is a BC single-season record and his 82 career walks is just one shy of reaching BC's top-10 list. Palomaki has also stolen 19 bases on the season, tied for third in BC record books and his 34 career swipes is three away from the top 10.
Junior Nick Sciortino was moved to the second spot in the batting order for the Notre Dame series. It has paid off as he is 19-for-59 (.322) with 13 runs, eight RBIs, four doubles, two home runs, 11 walks and five HBPs. His career-long, 10-game hit streak came to an end on May 3 at Rhode Island but he has reached base in the last 16 straight. He has also caught an ACC-leading 16 baserunners stealing.
Junior Michael Strem has recorded at least one hit in 30 of the Eagles' 42 games this season. His 44 career doubles is tied for ninth in BC record books and he drove in a career-high six runs and tied a career high with four hits in the victory over Harvard on April 12.

OF NOTE

College baseball teams across the country have banded together to raise awareness for ALS in support of Pete Frates.
Frates and his family launched Band Together to Strike Out ALS that encourages teams to wear a special wristband during May, ALS Awareness Month, to raise awareness.
All ACC schools have committed to wearing the wristbands that read "Strike Out ALS" and feature Frates' initials and number (PF3) for this final weekend of the season.
Band Together to Strike Out ALS was formulated by the Frates family, BC coach Mike Gambino, Wake Forest coach Tom Walter and CollegeBaseballInsider.com cofounder Sean Ryan.
For more information about Pete and his story, visit www.petefrates.com.

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Players Mentioned

Johnny Adams

Justin Dunn

Mike King

Jake Palomaki

Nick Sciortino

Jacob Stevens

Michael Strem