Tech to pitch Pitts on Friday, hold back Farmer
Georgia Tech pitcher Cole Pitts will get the start Friday in the Jackets’ opening NCAA tournament game against College of Charleston in Gainesville, Fla. Coach Danny Hall will hold back staff ace Buck Farmer on the reasoning that Tech will almost certainly have to beat Florida, the tournament’s overall No. 1 seed, to get out of the four-team, double-elimination regional, and he wanted to save Farmer for the Gators.
“If things work out the way I think they might work out, I think that we’re going to need Buck to beat Florida,” Hall said.
Either decision is a calculated risk. Starting Farmer, a two-time All-ACC pick who has a 9-3 record with a 3.43 ERA, against College of Charleston gives the Jackets a better chance of winning that game and moving into the winner’s bracket, but then gives Tech a lesser chance against Florida. Starting Pitts against College of Charleston increases the risk of losing and falling into the loser’s bracket. Hall said the coaching staff had a “pretty heated debate” on the matter before Hall made his choice.
“Your whole goal is not just to have a good showing,” he said. “Your goal is to win the tournament.”
Hall said that, before telling the team, he spoke with strength coach Steve Tamborra, who typically has a good read on the team.
“[Tamborra] goes, ‘The players have already talked about it. They want to pitch Pitts on Friday,’” Hall said. “I said, ‘Well, I guess I made the right decision.’”
Pitts, a freshman, has been in good form of late. In his last four starts, he is 2-0 with a 2.97 ERA. He has given up 23 hits over 21 2/3 innings, 21 of them singles.
“We’re counting on him to pitch well in this game against College of Charleston and then we’ll proceed from there,” he said.
Jake Davies and Josh Heddinger are options in third and fourth games, should Tech advance past the first two games. Hall said he would want Davies, a lefty, to pitch against Florida, which has a lineup heavy with left-handed hitters.
Pitts could face the Cougars’ Christian Powell, the pitcher of the year in the Southern Conference who is reportedly projected to be selected in the fifth or sixth round of the major league draft next week.
Ken Sugiura, Georgia Tech blog
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86 comments Add your comment
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
8:09 pm
Ask my imposter, bubba. I don’t play games
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
9:05 pm
Looks like GT will be picking up OLB/DE Mustaffa tomorrow, good get guys.
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
9:10 pm
Supper sizes does not play, heck he quit school because of recess.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:11 pm
48, do you know that as a fact about Mustafaa? Where did you see or hear it?
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:14 pm
SS, just a lot of chatter about it. Georgia is probably about to get a commitment from a LB from Indiana that is a little higher on there list. He alas did not visit UGA Tuesday either.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:16 pm
Thanks, 48. I hope the chatter you hear is accurate.
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:19 pm
SS, look out for Niegel Bowden also very soon.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:20 pm
48….I don’t recognize that name. who is he?
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:21 pm
I just Googled him, and it said he has already committed to Vandy. Is there a change?
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:23 pm
GT thinks there is a strong chance to flip him.
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:26 pm
Eric Thompson on Swarm247 has a thread about him, but I don’t have there VIP.
Leather helmet blog has some talk about it also.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:26 pm
hmmm. interesting
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:30 pm
Mustaffa is a beast, I would love to see him in Athens, but with the 2 OLB UGA picked up last year with Jenkins and JHC I think Mustaffa is looking at playing time. Mustaffa is at that weight range he could play with his hand in the dirt as a DE or line up at OLB.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:32 pm
Since he’s a legacy, he BELONGS at Tech. lol
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:33 pm
SS, I hope this prediction does not work out as well as the prediction of the half back pass at the UGA, GT game last year. Lol
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:34 pm
That’s right his dad did play at GT.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:34 pm
yep, back when he was Reginald Rutland
Dawg48
May 31st, 2012
10:39 pm
SS, if I hear anything else on them I will drop by and let you know. Have a good night.
Supersize that order, mutt
May 31st, 2012
10:42 pm
ok, 48. have a good one
Todd
May 31st, 2012
11:10 pm
My girl is asleep so no more tonight fellas.
bulldog steve
June 1st, 2012
9:43 am
We will see how Tech does against a real team from a real conference this weekend. UGA lost one gmae to FL in 16 innings, beat them on Saturday and lost 5-3 on Sunday. I admit, UGA blew it at the end of the year and did not make the tournament. Hat’s off to Tech for getting hot during the A She She tournament. Heck maybe one day a team from the conference will win the college world series. Oops, I just made myself laugh out loud.
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
9:52 am
@ bulldog steve……thanks for admitting what we have all known for ages……that being that UGA is not a real team. Seems like I remember Tech beating that nobody team from Athens 2 out of 3 times this year and something like 7 out of the past 9 times we have played. Yep, sure doesn’t sound like a real team to me, regardless of the conference.
5150 UOAD
June 1st, 2012
11:19 am
KEN where is the LIVE GAME BLOG?
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
11:25 am
UOAD……let this one be it. I’ll be here for a short time
Todd
June 1st, 2012
11:26 am
Mornin fellas! My girl is very sensitive today so please be nice!
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
11:27 am
or maybe Ken will get one open by game time
5150 UOAD
June 1st, 2012
11:41 am
SUPER….either WAY we need some of KEN’s pregame post. LOL
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
11:48 am
I’ll be in and out a lot, so I probably won’t get to watch much of the game or the blog either
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
11:50 am
oh, the game doesn’t even start till 1PM. I thought it was at noon. I may see even less of it then
5150 UOAD
June 1st, 2012
11:59 am
The game was listed as NOON on the TECH site yes..rday now I see you are right it moved back to 1pm
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
12:06 pm
I hope Todd and my imposter had a good night together. They deserve each other
Burdell
June 1st, 2012
12:10 pm
I’ll give steve credit where it is do….at least he can spell bulldog correctly.
Let’s go Jackets.
5150 UOAD
June 1st, 2012
12:10 pm
Super I would hate to be their mom that has to clean the Sheets after those boys come out of the basement.
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
12:11 pm
LOL @ UOAD
Supersize that order, mutt
June 1st, 2012
12:12 pm
@ Burdell ,,,, I DID read steve’s comments right, didn’t I? He DID admit that UGA is not a real team, correct?
5150 UOAD
June 1st, 2012
12:22 pm
Super KEN did a NEW game blog