Thanks to 15-game winning streak, Tech softball ranked 25th this week

That streak will be on the line tonight at archrival UGA.

Georgia Tech softball coach Aileen Morales knows about the streak. Just don’t talk to her about it.

“I have a thing in my head how sports info and com- munication love to try to jinx us out of ’em. So I don’t say it. We don’t talk about it with the team,” Morales said about Georgia Tech’s 15 wins in a row. “We just mention great things we’ve done, and we keep on rolling.

“It’s like when someone is throwing a no-hitter: You don’t say they’re throwing a no-hitter. We leave that to the communications depart- ment to try to jinx us, and we’ll just worry about win- ning each inning.”

Tonight, Morales and her Yellow Jackets (18-7), win- ners of 15 in a row, head to Athens for a showdown with archrival Georgia. The Bull- dogs (20-3), as expected, are ranked as high as sixth in the national polls. Tech, some- what unexpectedly, entered the Softball America Top 25 this week at No. 25.

It’s the first time the Jackets have been ranked in 12 years.

“Do I think that they’re performing and playing at a very high level right now? Absolutely. I think the way we’re swinging it and pitch- ing and playing right now is pretty solid,” Morales said. “Do I think that the skill and the players that we have (that being ranked) is something we were capable of? Yes. Did I think they would be on such a hot streak that we’re on right now? Maybe not necessarily.

“It’s cool to see them play- ing well together and just playing really great team softball. That’s been fun, and it’s been fun to coach when you’re on the right side of a lot of those games.”

Morales, in her seventh season at Tech, brought in three assistants in the offseason (including Buford High grad Kelsey Bennett) to try to help push her team to another level. Tech made an NCAA regional appearance in 2022, but injuries and inconsisten- cies left Tech out of the post- season in 2023.

But a good core of Tech’s team returned, and that’s why Morales loaded the early part of Tech’s schedule, a tactic Morales said was done on purpose to challenge her team ahead of an always- tough ACC slate. The Jackets lost to Alabama (twice), Stanford, LSU and North- western while limping to a 3-7 start.

On Feb. 21 though, Tech broke a four-game losing streak with a win over Geor- gia State at home. The Jack- ets haven’t lost since. The 15-game winning streak includes conference sweeps of Pitt at home and North Carolina State on the road.

Morales attributed much of the success to chemistry and her players’ acceptance of doing whatever is best for the team.

“I think that they’ve just done such a great job of being bought in to whatever the role is for that day and being supportive and great team- mates. I think that’s been huge,” she said. “It’s not any one person. It’s a collec- tive team effort, and they’ve really bought into that team identity with that.

“It’s been a lot of fun just seeing different people show up and stand up and be great at different times.”

In the circle, Tech has relied on a quartet of arms who all have at least 10 appearances and at least four wins. Junior Kinsey Nor- ton (Etowah High) has a 2.12 ERA. Junior Sophia Voyles is holding opponents to a .215 average. Senior Blake Neleman (Lassiter High) has struck out a team-high 38 hit- ters. Senior Chandler Den- nis (North Gwinnett High) has three saves.

Tech’s offense is led by senior Mallorie Black’s .434 average, junior Madison Dobbins’ 34 RBIs and senior Sara Beth Allen’s .910 slugging percentage. Black (North Forsyth High), Dobbins (Mill Creek High) and Allen have nine home runs each. Morales said the team’s unsung offensive hero might be leadoff hitter Ella

Edgemon, a junior who has an on-base percentage of .521 and eight steals.

It all has led to the pro- gram’s second-longest winning streak in history (the Jackets won 19 in a row in 2007). Whether that streak continues tonight, Tech’s main goal is down the line.

“Our goal is to be compet- ing for a conference championship. At the end of the day, that’s the No. 1 goal,” Morales said. “As we get into these six more weeks of con- ference play, can we continue to find different ways to win? Can we continue to be successful when we face different offenses, differ- ent arms?

“Obviously, the goal is always to make it to post- season and further. But right now we’re so early in the season, it’s just about get- ting better each time.”

After tonight’s contest against Georgia, Tech hosts Notre Dame for a three-game series this weekend, then has a nine-game road stretch to end March with matchups at Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, North Carolina, Kennesaw State and Syracuse.

But first the Jackets have a rivalry to tend to, a rivalry with perhaps a bit more oomph than in seasons past.

“How cool to have a top- 25 matchup going down in our state?” Morales said. “And how big is that for our state to have a matchup of that caliber?”

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