As we continue previewing one of, if not, the best lineup in college baseball, we take a look at one of Georgia Tech’s big adds in the transfer portal, Ryan Zuckerman.
Among a few others, junior Ryan Zuckerman was a big part of what was a solid group of transfer portal additions over the off-season as he comes down to Atlanta to join the Jackets following two seasons with Pitt. The Pennsylvania native will take over at the hot corner where he spent nearly his entire time at Pitt as the full time starter in each of his first two seasons.
Zuckerman has probably left some meat on the bone when it comes to his true potential as a hitter, but head coach James Ramsey and the Georgia Tech staff believe he’s going to be a big part of their success in 2026. The calling card for the big third baseman is the power at the plate. He has left the yard a total of 22 times in his college career thus far, with 13 of his home runs coming a year ago.
He often gets tagged with “plus” raw power but has had a hard time truly tapping into it due to some of his strikeout concerns. He was fanned 33.7% of the time a year ago, up from 31.0% in his freshman year. Big time power hitters at the college level are typically able to mitigate the strikeout risk with high walk numbers, but Zuckerman had a hard time doing that as well. It was a 15.2% walk rate in 2024, but he saw that number trend in the opposite direction in 2025 as it dipped to 9.4%. However, Zuckerman did produce more overall in 2025 as it was a .936 OPS and a 117 wRC+ across 255 plate appearances in his sophomore year compared to an .852 OPS and a 106 wRC+ across 197 plate appearances in his freshman year.
The power is going to show up in some form regardless as it has flashed to all fields, but there is confidence in Zuckerman’s improved contact skills and plate discipline to unlock more headed into 2026 after solid fall and pre-season performances thus far. A refined approach as well as hitting in the middle of a loaded lineup might be the recipe for Hernandez turning into one of the best third basemen in the game.
While his offensive profile has been a bit of a wild card, the Jackets knew exactly what they were going to get from him as a defender when they added him out of the transfer portal. Although he stands in at 6’4″ and 210 pounds, Zuckerman can move more like a shortstop over at the hot corner with quick feet and smooth actions along with a strong arm to round out the defensive profile. Paired with Carson Kerce who will man shortstop for the Jackets, the best defensive left side of an infield in the ACC and beyond might reside in Atlanta.
A true slugging third baseman with perhaps the best power in the lineup along with an advanced glove on the dirt, Ryan Zuckerman is expected to play a big role for the Omaha-hopeful Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in 2026.
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