Georgia Tech is Playing in the Biggest Series of the Weekend for the Second Consecutive Week

As if Georgia Tech’s weekend series at home last week with Florida State wasn’t big enough, an even taller task awaits them this weekend as they hit the road for an even higher ranked match-up with North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Last week’s match-up with Florida State was a consensus top five series with the Jackets coming in ranked #3 and Florida State #5 before the Jackets came through with the series sweep. After #2 Texas dropped their series last weekend, both Georgia Tech and North Carolina were bumped up in the rankings, with Georgia Tech now ranked #2 and North Carolina moving up to #3.

The last time the Jackets played in Chapel Hill was actually the last time these two programs met. It was a three-game set in 2024, one in which the Tar Heels swept the Jackets, outscoring them 25-11 in the series. Fast forward to 2026 and the Jackets are currently working on their longest win streak since 2011 and hold on to the longest win streak in the nation as UCLA’s 27 game win streak was cut short on Tuesday.

Sitting at 31-6-1 and 13-5 in the ACC, North Carolina comes in two games behind Georgia Tech for first place in the ACC, with their only series loss on the season coming to Virginia in the first week of conference play. Since then, they have series sweeps over California and Notre Dame, as well as series wins over Louisville and Clemson.

The same strength that Florida State brought to the table last week against Georgia Tech is the same strength that North Carolina has and will look to lean on this weekend. That is the pitching. After the Jackets knocked around Florida State pitching last week, North Carolina can now say they are the best in the conference when it comes to run prevention as their 3.64 team ERA is the best in the ACC. The staff is led by junior Jason DeCaro and sophomore Ryan Lynch as the Friday and Saturday starters that the Jackets will see to open the series. Junior Folger Boaz will close out the series for the Tar Heels on Sunday. DeCaro owns a 2.58 ERA in 45.1 innings across nine starts while it’s a 4.41 ERA in 49 innings across nine starts for Lynch. Boaz has been more of a wild card on Sundays, posting a 6.10 ERA in 38.1 innings across nine starts while opposing offenses are hitting .304 off of him.

The bullpen has been the real strength for North Carolina’s pitching staff, headlined by freshman Caden Glauber and sophomore Walker McDuffie. The two right-handers lead all qualified ACC pitchers in conference play in ERA, with Glauber leading the conference with a 1.52 ERA, and McDuffie coming in right behind him with a 1.71 ERA. They’re both keeping hitters below the Mendoza line as well, as opposing offenses are only hitting .179 off Glauber and .188 off McDuffie. It’s important that the Jackets can get to North Carolina early, because it’s likely not in their best interest to have to face those two guys while they’re down late. They managed to get to Florida State’s best reliever in John Abraham in last week’s opener, so the Jackets have proven they can get it done against high-leverage arms.

As for the Jackets pitching, the Jackets have found some consistency with their weekend rotation as they will send the same three arms to the mound that they have for the last three weeks. Tate McKee will of course open the series on Friday while Porter Buursema will make his fourth start on Saturday and Jackson Blakely his seventh on Sunday. The pitching has been excellent for the Jackets during their 13-game win streak. Their 13-9 win over Georgia Southern on Tuesday was the only game during the win streak in which they’ve given up more than four runs. North Carolina’s offense isn’t a high-scoring operation by any means, so the Jackets pitching has another good shot at coming away with a successful performance. Their .285 batting average in conference play ranks fifth in the ACC, but their .442 slugging percentage and 19 home runs both rank 11th.

We of course know what Georgia Tech’s offense is capable of, so as long as the offense shows up and does what it has all year, there’s not much pressure on Jackets pitchers to perform at a high level. Their .325 batting average, .436 on-base percentage, .581 slugging percentage, and 36 in conference play all comfortably lead the ACC.

With each of these teams remaining schedules following this series, it almost feels like the team that comes out victorious this weekend secures a national seed in the field of 64. A series win for Georgia Tech certainly puts them in excellent position to win the ACC regular season title. A series win for North Carolina on the other hand will make the remainder of the season that much more important for the Jackets. Make sure to check back here following the conclusion of each game for a recap and subscribe below to be notified of new posts!

Georgia Tech Baseball Focus