Georgia Tech’s February 13th opener is merely days away so it’s time to start wrapping up the player preview series with arguably the three most valuable starters on the roster – first of which will be Jarren Advincula.
The Jackets did will in the transfer portal this past summer, adding a number of impact players while retaining their current talent. Their biggest addition in the portal was Jarren Advincula, junior second baseman who spent his first two seasons of college baseball with California. Advincula was no stranger to success with Cal. He stepped right into a starter’s role in his freshman year in which he was named to the All-Pac-12 first team as he posted an .862 OPS in 248 plate appearances.
He improved upon his breakout freshman campaign as a sophomore in 2025, earning a selection to the All-ACC second team. In 267 plate appearances, Advincula posted a .342/.410/.506 slash line, good for a .916 OPS along with 13 stolen bases and 25 extra-base hits (6 HR). He’s expected to do no different in 2026 as he’s D1 Baseball’s second highest ranked second baseman in preseason rankings and also finds himself on the preseason Golden Spikes watch list.
Headed into his junior year and first season with the Jackets, Advincula will bring one of the more advanced bats in college baseball to arguably the best lineup in the nation. He possesses some of the best contact skills in the game as he has struck out a total of 45 times in his career and owns a lifetime .334 batting average. His bat to ball skills paired with his speed slot him very nicely as the leadoff hitter and table setter for some of the bigger hitters that will follow him.
While Advincula is a contact hitter by trade, there is some power in his bat that he could tap into more this spring. He has great feel for the barrel and can get into some pull-side power at times. Head coach James Ramsey was also recently on the record discussing Advincula’s emphasis on getting the ball in the air to the pull-side during the fall and in preseason. With a refined approach, don’t be surprised if Advincula dips into double-digit home run totals this spring.
Defensively, Advincula will primarily play second base for the Jackets, but he could slide over to shortstop in a pinch. Him and current projected starting shortstop Carson Kerce were both getting reps at shortstop during the fall as the job was up in the air at the time but was ultimately given to Kerce as his arm plays on that side of the infield better than Advincula’s. However, Advincula does possess the athleticism to field the position, so he could get some time over there if needed.
As he is in his junior year, Advincula is draft eligible and is among the four Jackets that could realistically be first round picks this July – the other three being Drew Burress, Vahn Lackey, and Alex Hernandez. Improving his stock as a defender and adding some more power to his profile are the two factors that could solidify Advincula as a first round pick.
More on Georgia Tech baseball:
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Georgia Tech Baseball Player Preview: Drew Burress
Opening day for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets is just two days away so it’s time to wrap up the player preview series with one of the best players in the entire country – Drew Burress.
Georgia Tech Baseball Player Preview: Vahn Lackey
With the February 13th opener this Friday, it’s time to round out the player preview series, with Vahn Lackey being the second to last player we’ll be specifically taking a look at.
Georgia Tech Baseball Focus 
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