How to Watch: Georgia Tech Baseball vs UNC Wilmington In Athens Regional Matchup

Can Georgia Tech get a win vs UNC Wilmingtonto start off regional play?

Clemson senior Alden Mathes (17) dives back to first as Georgia Tech senior Brett Thomas (30) tries to pick him off during the second game at Doug Kingsmore Stadium in Clemson Friday, May 3, 2024. / Ken Ruinard / staff / USA TODAY NETWORK

Today marks the beginning of the 2024 NCAA Baseball Tournament and Georgia Tech is going to get a tough matchup right out of the gate to open up play in the Athens regional.

The Yellow Jackets are going to face UNC Wilmington, the No. 2 seed in the Athens regional at 7:00 p.m. and they will hope to start off regional play with a win. Assuming that Georgia takes care of business with Army this afternoon, a win vs the Seahawks tonight would set up a huge matchup between the Yellow Jackets and the Bulldogs.

First things first though, Georgia Tech has to get past UNC Wilmington tonight. Here is how you can watch the matchup tonight.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (31-23) vs UNC Wilmington Seahawks (39-19)

DATE/TIME
• Friday, May 31 at 7:00 p.m. EST (ESPN+)
STADIUM
• Foley Field – Athens, GA
TV/ONLINE
• Friday’s game will be on ESPN+ and the Georgia Tech Gameday App.

Georgia Tech will head to Athens in the postseason for the first time since 2008 when it was runner-up. Tech is 2-4 all-time at Foley Field in the NCAA Tournament.

All-time against the field, Georgia Tech holds a 168-219-2 record against Georgia, a 2-2 record against UNC Wilmington (last played in 1987) and a 2-1-1 record against Army (last played in 1961).

Here is a little preview of tonight's matchup, courtesy of our own Rohan Roman:

"As their losses to Cornell, Pitt, and Miami prove, Georgia Tech cannot overlook UNC-Wilmington. While the Coastal Athletic Association is not an especially strong conference, the Seahawks have the highest RPI in their conference at 34 per D1 Baseball. They also won the CAA over talented teams like Northeastern and College of Charleston. Offensively, their statistical profile is not especially impressive. They rank outside the top 100 in every metric except home runs. Still, their home run numbers are somewhat mitigated by a 21% strikeout rate, which ranks 225th-best in the country. Georgia Tech's pitchers should be able to readily throw strikes against this lineup and control the zone.

The two hitters Georgia Tech really needs to watch out for are first baseman Tanner Thach and centerfielder Trevor Marsh. One of the best players in the CAA, Thach's power is his calling card. He hit a team-leading 27 home runs and 74 RBIs while slugging .714 in 2024. Marsh is more of a contact hitter, indicated by his team-best .372 batting average and on-base percentage of .442. If one or both of Thach and Marsh get going early, the game could easily get away from the Yellow Jackets. Since head coach Randy Hood often deploys Thach and Marsh in the three and four hole, getting through the top of the lineup will be critical for Georgia Tech.

UNC-Wilmington's pitching staff has strong numbers, but it is fair to question how they will translate against a lineup like Georgia Tech's.RJ Sales is the team's ace, sporting a ERA of 3.70 and 87 strikeouts. The depth cannot be underestimated, either. Fellow starters like Jacob Shafer and Zane Taylor all threw more than 50 strikeouts and do not really walk batters. Some of those numbers are inflated by playing in the CAA, but this is still a talented rotation.

Georgia Tech can put itself in a position to beat UNCW by limiting the Thach-Marsh duo. If they force the other hitters in the lineup to generate offense, it becomes much easier to pitch to them. The Yellow Jackets have been great at getting on-base (sixth-best OBP in the country per Friday Starters) and there is no reason they cannot continue to do so against the Seahawks. It all comes down to whether they can muster the power to turn baserunners into runs."