NCAA baseball tournament 2026: Georgia Tech’s bats thunder against UIC

UIC took a 2-0 lead over Georgia Tech in the top of the first inning, when first baseman Will Flanigan homered to right field to bring Alexander Wright around the bases.

From there, however, the Yellow Jackets did what they have done all year long.

Absolutely mash the baseball.

Georgia Tech, the No. 2 seed in the men’s NCAA baseball tournament, erupted for 17 runs over its next three at-bats en route to a dominant 22-5 win in its opening game in the Atlanta regional.

The first big blow came off the bat of Alex Hernandez, who launched his tenth home run of the season to deep left to tie the game at 2-2:

Georgia Tech took the lead a few batters later when Parker Brosius — yes Scott’s son — lofted a home run to right center, giving the Yellow Jackets a 3-2 lead:

They would not look back.

Georgia Tech broke the game open the following inning, putting a five-spot on the board. The big blow came off the bat of catcher Vahn Lackey, a likely top-five pick in July’s MLB Draft:

This blast finally came to a rest on the football team’s practice facility, likely more than the estimated 456 feet from home plate:

Georgia Tech tacked on another nine runs in the bottom of the fourth, and the rout was on. That inning included this grand slam from Hernandez:

Lackey finished the day having gone 2-for-3, as he was lifted early in the contest and replaced by Drew Rodgers. Brosius went 2-for-3 as well. Jarren Advincula went 3-for-5 at the dish, hitting his tenth home run of the season as well. Drew Burress, who became the program’s single-season home run leader earlier in the year, did not get a hit but drew a pair of walks before he was lifted.

As for Hernandez, the grand slam he hit in the fourth was not his last blast of the day, as he added a three-run shot in the sixth.

All told, the Georgia Tech lineup combined for 22 hits, seven home runs, and those 22 runs.

It was just the third time in program history that the Yellow Jackets scored 20 runs or more in an NCAA tournament game.

For UIC, Flanigan was not done, as he homered again in the fifth, a solo shot that cut Georgia Tech’s lead at the time to 17-3. Jake Busson added a two-run shot in the top of the eighth to tack on two more runs for the Flames.

Looking ahead, Georgia Tech will face the winner of No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 The Citadel tomorrow, while UIC will face the loser of that game in an elimination contest.