Jackets' bats enter 2026 with even higher expectations

Is it possible for an offense that was top five in every major category in the ACC in 2025 to have even higher expectations or more potential going into the 2026 season?

Georgia Tech’s lineup is out to prove that it certainly is.

The Jackets, under first-year head coach James Ramsey, will open the season this weekend, and their bats are more than ready to get things going with a bang. After the offense was a strength last year, Ramsey and company went out and added even more firepower through the transfer portal and 2026 recruiting class to go with the already-potent, experienced hitters in the fold on The Flats.

The confidence has even gotten so high this offseason that junior catcher Vahn Lackey said Ramsey has made sure to try to keep his players humble at times.

“I’m a little bit too confident to be honest. I’m tryin to bring it down a little bit,” Lackey said with a smile during a recent preseason media availability. “But, I mean, this lineup is exactly what we wanted. We can do anything we really want to as long as we just stay grinding throughout this preseason. And just knowing that it is a baseball game, and just because we have a stacked lineup doesn’t mean that the game’s going to be easy. Ramsey reminds us of that all the time. He’s like, ‘we’re going to have to work for it no matter what.'”

Among the big-time returnees are 2025 All-ACC First Team selections Drew Burress (OF, Jr.) and Alex Hernandez (Util., Soph.), who are also the last two ACC Freshman of the Year Award winners. The duo was first and tied for second in home runs for the Jackets last season and top two in RBIs as well.

Also back is the All-ACC Second Team pick from last year, Lackey (C, Jr.) and All-ACC Freshman Team member Caleb Daniel (OF, Soph.).

Adding to that production in the lineup is returning starters Kent Schmidt (1B, Jr.) and Carson Kerce (3B/SS, Jr.) and the two big transfer portal additions Jarren Advincula (2B/SS, Jr.) and Ryan Zuckerman (IF, Jr.). Kerce, who started at third base last season, is expected to play shortstop to take the place of Kyle Lodise in 2025 after his All-ACC season that led to his third-round selection by the Chicago White Sox last July. Advincula, who was an All-ACC Second Team selection last season at Cal, will likely start at second base, and Zuckerman, the Pitt transfer, will hold down the hot corner.

Backup catcher/utility player Drew Rogers (Soph.) will get plenty of at-bats at designated hitter while others with experience, including Will Baker (Soph.) and Nathanael Coupet (RS-Soph.) should get a chance in that role as well. Transfer Cade Brown (Soph.) is a versatile piece that could be used in the lineup or in the field in multiple roles.

Burress, who is looking to take his game to an even higher level in 2026 after two huge seasons to start his college career, said he isn’t all that concerned with where he hits in the lineup with the top part possibly being shifted around so Advincula can take the leadoff spot and it’s a group that has very high expectations.

“I mean, at the end of the day, I don’t really think it matters (where I hit) with how deep the lineup is going to be this year,” said Burress at preseason media availability in January. “I think, honestly, the plan going into the season is that Jarren will be leading off and I’ll be hitting the 2-hole. And that’s obviously very subject to change, but I like where we’re at with that.

“One thing we’ve talked about a lot in our team meetings and what not, we get it that the expectations are high,” added Burress. “I mean that’s exactly where you want to be. The expectations should be high for a place like this, and they’ve definitely been high since I’ve been here. And at the end of the day, it doesn’t mean anything. You’ve got to go out there and put it on the field. We’ve seen plenty of teams in the past that have very high expectations and don’t get it done. I think we are confident about our skill set on the field against any other team in the country. And I think, obviously, you have to take that a game at a time. You can’t win 40 games in one day. So just kind of taking it one day at a time and playing the full season…I think that is where our heads are at right now.”

Georgia Tech, coming off an ACC regular season title and trip to the Oxford Regional in 2025, will open the season this weekend with a three-game set vs. Bowling Green at Mac Nease Park at Russ Chandler Stadium, starting with a 4 p.m. scheduled first pitch on Friday and wrapping up with 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. starts on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Ramsey said his team knows the expectations are high, but he has confidence they can handle them the right way and live up to those lofty goals.

“I’m really not worried about them handling, you know, the upcoming praise they’re going to get because these guys are just winners,” said Ramsey, who took over the program following the retirement of longtime head coach Danny Hall last summer. “They’re hungry to get going. And they got a little taste of it last year, winning the ACC championship…no small feat. But this group has obviously set their sights on a lot higher things than that.”