Jackets fall in two games at World Series

The Tech baseball team began a mission dating back to June 2005, after they lost a heartbreaking super regional in Atlanta for the second consecutive year.

That mission: to reach the pinnacle of Collegiate Baseball and land themselves at the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. With four seniors and eight juniors, the veteran-laden squad was determined, more than ever, to reach baseball heaven as they ran off 16 consecutive wins to open the season, the second greatest start in school history.

Ranked as the top team in the country, the Jackets, fans and the country knew that this was the year that Tech would break through.

However, halfway through the season, injuries started to pile on. Tech's ace pitcher, Blake Wood, battled with shin splints throughout most of the season, which caused him to have an off year after excelling in 2005.

Closer-turned-starter Tim Gustafson, who was named Most Outstanding Player in the 2005 Atlanta Regional, was out for the season with arm trouble.

Sophomore leader and table-setter Danny Payne, who led the team in batting, hits, runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, steals and home runs, was out for the season with a shoulder injury.

Second-round draft pick Wes Hodges was limited in his role down the stretch of the season with a stress fracture in his leg.

Starting left fielder Jeff Kindel, who was forced to make the move from right when Payne was injured, was slowed with a partially torn posterior cruciate ligament in his knee.

Even with an assortment of players injured, both veterans and newcomers to the team stepped up and gave the team a second wind, leading the Jackets to 19-11 in the ACC and deep into the conference tournament, earning the No. 8 overall seed, the fourth consecutive year Tech had accomplished that feat.

With wins over Stetson and Vanderbilt in the Atlanta Regional, and a two-game sweep of College of Charleston in the Atlanta Super Regional, the Jackets were poised to make a run as they advanced to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time in five years. Tech was the first team to punch their ticket to Omaha in 2006.

"Our guys are special and that's a good reason we are here at the College World Series," said Head Coach Danny Hall in an NCAA press conference.

Unfortunately, the trip was cut short as Tech lost each of their first two games, both heartbreakers, and was the first team to punch their ticket out of Omaha.

In game one, Tech opened the CWS against the top seed and familiar ACC rival, Clemson. The Jackets got off to a sizzling start, as sophomore catcher Matt Wieters delivered an RBI single to right field and scored on a Kindel blast to centerfield to stake Tech to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. After maintaining a 4-0 lead through seven and a half innings, the Jackets were in the drivers' seat, and poised to advance to the winner's bracket until an eighth inning meltdown flushed away all hope.

Clemson scored eight runs in the eighth inning and went on to win 8-4. Starter Lee Hyde went seven plus innings and allowed two runs, but Brad Rulon, Ryan Turner, Jared Hyatt and Tim Ladd could not hold the Tigers in the eighth.

Andy D'Alessio's three-run homer off of Turner staked the Tigers to a 6-4 and they never looked back. Tech had previously been 45-0 when leading after the seventh inning.

"It was a good game for us for about seven innings, and I thought Lee Hyde pitched magnificently. Now we have to regroup and do the best job we can to stay in this thing," Hall said.

With the win, Clemson moved on to the winners bracket against North Carolina, and Tech went to the losers bracket to face Fullerton.

Tech's second game in the CWS was an elimination game against Cal State Fullerton. The game started off very similar to Tech's first game as they scored three runs in the first inning for the second straight game.

A Kindel RBI single, a Whit Robbins sacrifice Fly and a Hodges RBI single spotted starter Wood to a 3-0 lead and later, a fielding error gave him a 4-0 lead. However, the Titans would not go quietly as they scratched across a run in each of the fourth and fifth innings and two in the sixth to tie the game at four.

Part of a dramatic finish, Wieters led off the seventh inning with a controversial solo home run to left-center field and gave the Jackets a 5-4 lead. The sophomore sensation then came on to close out the game and got out of a jam in the eighth inning unscathed.

But then in the ninth, with two outs and two strikes against Brett Pill, the right-hander gave up a double to put runners at second and third with two outs.

After an intentional walk, pinch-hitter Cory Vanderhook, hit a slow chopper over the mound which took an odd bounce and went out of the reach of shortstop Michael Fisher and into shallow center to allow two runs to score. This gave Fullerton an eventual 7-5 victory over Tech, eliminating the Jackets from national title contention. Fullerton stayed alive in the CWS and advanced to face Clemson in an elimination game.

"[Those were] probably two of the toughest losses that I have been a part of. [For us] to lead both games most of the way and not be able to close them out is tough," Hall said.

"The ball just didn't bounce the Yellow Jacket way."

Wieters, despite taking the loss, became the first player to both catch and pitch in a College World Series game since 1990, when Gettys Glaze did it for The Citadel, which also was a game played against Cal State Fullerton. The Jackets finished the season with a 50-18 record.

There are four seniors from this year's team who played their last two games of their careers in Omaha. Many underclassmen may also declare early for the draft making the trip to Omaha the last time they wear a Jacket jersey.