Top-10 Showdown Opens ACC Play as Georgia Tech Visits Clemson

CLEMSON, S.C. (Interstat) — A marquee Atlantic Coast Conference series opens Thursday at Doug Kingsmore Stadium as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets visit the Clemson Tigers in a matchup of top-10 teams with nearly identical sterling records.

Georgia Tech (13-2) arrives riding a wave of offensive dominance, having outscored opponents 58-1 in its last four victories, including a 14-0 rout of Georgia on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets’ lineup is anchored by slugger Vahn Lackey, who is 8 for 18 with three home runs and 10 RBIs over his last six games. In Tuesday’s win, he went 3 for 4 with a homer and two RBIs.

Clemson (15-2), whose only losses are to rival South Carolina and Georgia Southern, boasts a deep pitching staff. A key arm is Noah Samol, who provided 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief in Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to Georgia Southern. The Tigers’ offense is powered by shortstop Tyler Lichtenberger, who homered in that contest.

The Tigers’ last home loss was Feb. 27 to South Carolina. Since then, they have won six straight at Doug Kingsmore Stadium.

This series marks the conference opener for both teams. According to Interstat’s game simulator, Thursday’s opener is projected to be a high-scoring affair, with Georgia Tech edging Clemson 8-7.

The forecast for first pitch calls for clear skies. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. EDT.

The series continues Friday and Saturday. Georgia Tech travels to Auburn next Tuesday, while Clemson faces a road test at the College of Charleston next Tuesday.