Ramsey, Lackey lead Jackets' numerous All-ACC selections

Georgia Tech went on a tear this season to earn a second straight ACC regular-season title thanks to a 25-5 record in conference play, and when the league’s awards were announced on Monday, that impressive feat was reflected in a major way.

The Jackets took home two of the individual awards, including James Ramsey winning ACC Coach of the Year honors and junior catcher Vahn Lackey being selected as ACC Defensive Player of the Year. It is the first time ever that a first-year head coach has taken home the award.

Along with those two top honors, Tech tied a program record with five players named to the All-ACC First Team, including Lackey, center fielder Drew Burress, shortstop Carson Kerce, second baseman Jarren Advincula and third baseman Ryan Zuckerman.

Starting pitcher Tate McKee was the lone Jackets’ representative on the All-ACC Second Team.

Lackey and fellow junior standout Burress both had high praise for their skipper and his Coach of the Year accolade, which is the second straight for the program after Danny Hall won the award last season before retiring.

“Yeah, it’s just really well-deserved for Coach Ramsey. I mean he’s just the guy,” said Lackey during a press conference on Monday. “He knows he’s going to put the hours in after we play. And if we have a bad game, he’s going to be the guy who just doesn’t sleep at night. Honestly, it feels like he really wants it even more than us in that aspect. But he’s just a guy that’s just such a baseball first guy and just loves his players before anything. And I think that’s all you can really ask for from us.”

“I think it obviously goes back a long way for me,” added Burress. “Coach Ramsey coming to watch me play in the middle of Atlanta in 110 degree heat in WWBA or Lakepoint or wherever it might’ve been back in the day. And I think when we heard that Coach (Danny) Hall was going to be retiring, I think everybody in the clubhouse kind of had the same idea that we thought Ramsey should get the job. And whether the administration listened to us or not, I’m not sure, but he ended up getting the job. We’re definitely all really happy that that happened. And I think there was never a doubt in the clubhouse when he took over. It was like, ‘hey, this is our guy. We have 100 percent faith. We have our head coach. We have our staff. It’s as good as any staff in the country.’ I think that’s something that it’s just another thing that can help a team play with more confidence when you really believe that your head coach has your back and your assistant coaches have your back and everybody on your team has your back. It just makes life that much easier.”

Lackey, who is the second Jacket to win the Defensive Player of the Year Award after Joey Bart in 2018, is in the midst of his breakout junior season that has seen him skyrocket up MLB Draft Boards and projections. He has played in (and started) 54 games and is batting .402 with 15 homers, 69 RBIs, 16 doubles, three triples, 43 walks and 72 runs scored while having an OPS of 1.265 and slugging percentage of .747. Defensively, primarily at catcher, he has been a weapon for Tech with a .992 fielding percentage and only three errors while throwing out seven potential base-stealers.

“I guess I threw some guys out,” Lackey said with his patented smile after being asked about the award. “But, yeah, I mean, it’s definitely an honor with the past guys who’ve been here. We’re ‘Catcher U.’ To bring that kind of award home, I feel like I’m definitely filling a little bit of the shoes that (those previous guys) kind of laid out for me. So it’s kind of just cool to see that on paper.”

The junior Burress was named All-ACC First Team for the third straight season as he continues to make his mark in the record books at Georgia Tech. This season he is hitting .363 with an on-base percentage of .473 and slugging percentage of .650 along with 20 doubles, three triples, 54 RBIs and 82 runs scored. He has 13 homers on the season as he has tied Jason Varitek atop the all-time Jackets’ home run list with 57 in his career

Advincula, the junior transfer from Cal, leads the nation in hits with 100, giving Tech its first 100-hit individual season since Wes Hodges and Tyler Green in 2005. Advincula is currently hitting .441 with a 1.141 OPS, nine homers, 11 doubles, two triples, 62 RBIs, 65 runs scored and 28 walks.

Kerce broke the Jackets’ single-season doubles record recently with his 28th to pass Jay Payton’s mark of 27 in 1994. He has taken another step this year as a junior with incredible production at the plate and defensively at shortstop as he’s currently batting .380 with eight homers, 28 doubles, three triples, 43 RBIs and 60 runs scored.

Zuckerman, another transfer addition from Pitt, leads the Jackets in home runs with 20 this season as well as RBIs with 70. The junior also has 15 doubles, 67 runs scored, 34 walks and is batting .335 with a 1.156 OPS and .720 slugging percentage.

McKee was Tech’s ace on the mound this season, finishing the regular season with an 8-1 record in 14 starts with a career-best 4.10 ERA and a career-best 84 strikeouts. He had a career-high 14 strikeouts in his most recent outing this past Thursday at Boston College over seven innings.

“Any time you make any of the all conference, first team, second team, third team, whatever it is, it’s an extremely great accomplishment,” said Ramsey. “I think if you look at building a team, you want to build it through the middle of the field. And so, to be able to say that your catcher, your shortstop, your second baseman, your center fielder, all are the best in the conference, are deemed that by the head coaches, I think is a big deal. And then you talk about bringing Zuck in and just what Zuckerman’s meant. We have great leaders on this team. And I say this, you want to build it from within, but when you have a guy that comes from outside the program, a lot of times they can bring just a spirit of gratitude and just being super thankful for every opportunity, just reaffirming to the guys that have been here how good they have been. So, man, we have too many heart and soul guys on this team to mention. But at any time, once again, you’re deemed to be the best at your position in the best conference in America, it’s a big deal. And so these guys will remember this.”

“We keep telling them, ‘hey, you have all-conference tournament team. You have an all-regional team. You have an all-super-regional team. And at the end of the day, when you continue to win, guys are going to get those individual accolades. And you just ask every general manager and scouting director in town, every single one of these guys’ rounds and ranges are continuing to rise together. Because every time someone may say, ‘hey, I’m primarily coming to see Burress or Lackey, all of a sudden Kerce does something to elevate himself. You come to see Advincula, and all of a sudden, you see Brett Barfield step on the mound. Or you see what Porter Buursema has done to people. You come to see Tate McKee, and then all of a sudden, (Mason) Patel comes in behind. And you may not believe the numbers you see until you see the way he carries himself in a tie game in a sold-out crowd and is on the front end of a double play to end the game against Florida State. Just the way that these guys continue to carry themselves, I think speaks to all of this.”

Georgia Tech enters the ACC Tournament this week at Truist Field in Charlotte, N.C. as the No. 1 seed and will play at 3 p.m. on Thursday in the quarterfinals against either 8-seed Virginia, 9-seed NC State or 16-seed Duke.