Wins against Va. Tech cap a productive week

At the start of each week throughout the regular season, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will take a closer look at the Georgia Tech baseball team. Here’s a breakdown of the Yellow Jackets (22-12, 7-8 ACC) going into the week:

Record: 22-12, 7-8 ACC. Streak: Won two. RPI: 66. Last Week (3-1): Tuesday, beat Georgia Southern 5-4; Friday, lost to Virginia Tech 11-1; Saturday, beat Virginia Tech 19-0; Sunday, beat Virginia Tech 11-7.

This week: Today at Auburn, 7 p.m.; Friday at Virginia, 6 p.m.; Saturday at Virginia, 4 p.m.; Sunday at Virginia, 1 p.m.

Week in review: Tech ended the weekend in emphatic fashion by taking the final two games of a three-game series from nationally-ranked Virginia Tech by a combined score of 30-7.

The Jackets won Saturday 19-0. They drew 19 walks, had only 11 hits and still left 12 runners on base in the rout. Cam Jones walked four times and scored a run at the plate while also pitching seven scoreless innings and striking out six batters.

Tech capped the series with an 11-7 victory Sunday, a game in which it trailed 6-0 after two innings. The Jackets scored six in the fifth and got a three-run homer from John Giesler in the sixth to take the lead for good.

On Tuesday, Tech scored four runs in the sixth and then held on in the ninth to top Georgia Southern 5-4 at Russ Chandler Stadium. On Friday, Virginia Tech eased to an 11-1 win, thanks to 20 hits.

Sunday’s win gave Tech coach Danny Hall his 1,400 career coaching victory, making him the 11th coach in Division I baseball history to reach that milestone.

Week ahead: It is a huge week for the Jackets as far as the push for the postseason is concerned.

Tech travels to Auburn today. The Tigers are just 18-17 and 2-13 in SEC play, but they have an RPI of 39, meaning a victory for the Jackets there would be a big boost to the resume.

The weekend schedule begins Friday in Charlottesville, Virginia, where Tech will face one of the ACC’s best teams.

Virginia (28-8, 11-7 ACC) has an RPI of 9 and leads the conference in batting average, doubles, hits, on-base percentage and runs.

Tech goes into the week in the ACC’s Coastal Division trailing three teams (Virginia, Duke, Virginia Tech) that are tied for second place, plus first-place North Carolina (29-7, 14-4).