Ryan Zuckerman gave Georgia Tech the jolt it needed on Saturday, blasting two home runs to lift the Yellow Jackets to a 6-4 win over Alabama in a fall ball exhibition game in Pensacola.
The result mattered, but so did everything around it. Georgia Tech head coach James Ramsey wanted a real test, and that’s exactly what the Crimson Tide provided in a nine-inning game that looked and felt like something closer to the regular season than a typical fall workout.
"Anytime you can play a quality opponent and put people in the stands, there's definitely something to it from just the adrenaline standpoint," Ramsey said. "You're trying to make it as game-like as you can. And so, really quality opponent, really evenly matched, nine innings for us."
Ramsey said the point wasn’t simply to leave with a victory. He wanted to see how his team handled a strong SEC opponent while the coaching staff continued sorting out starting jobs and pitching responsibilities.
Georgia Tech got the kind of balanced showing Ramsey was hoping for, starting on the mound. Jackson Blakely set the tone early, and Ramsey also singled out Shadek Gaines, McKelvey and Gaudette for helping the Jackets get through a competitive Alabama lineup.
"Jackson Blakely just set the tone right away with an ace performance," Ramsey said. "Shadek, great job.
Gaines, really good. You know, McKelvey came in and then Gaudette after the little fluky PFP play really settled himself and got a couple of big outs."
Ramsey said he liked how his pitchers worked the zone, challenged hitters and mixed pitches effectively across the strike zone.
The offense did its part too, grinding through at-bats and forcing Alabama’s pitchers to keep working. Ramsey said Georgia Tech made the Crimson Tide staff throw a lot of pitches against a lineup that stayed patient.
"For us offensively, it's all about grinding at-bats," Ramsey said. "I think we made them throw a lot of different pitches, a lot of really good pitchers over there. So, we felt good about our ability to work at-bats."
Zuckerman was the biggest name in the box score, and Ramsey made it clear he was the day’s standout. The two-homer performance only added to his value, especially with the role he now appears ready to take on.
"For me, obviously, Zuckerman, the big winner of the day for us, two big home runs," Ramsey said. "Just a fearless leader, a guy that was really in the mix being a leader a lot last year, but now he kind of has a chance to kind of be the leader of this team and really proud of him."
Ramsey also acknowledged that he did not expect Zuckerman back in the program this season.
"No, zero percent," Ramsey said when asked whether he anticipated Zuckerman returning. "At the end of the day, we're super fortunate.
I think that's the cool part about culturally what we've done and built here is that guys do. They say, 'Hey, if I don't get the right opportunity, I'm going to come back to school.'"
The coaching staff will keep using the fall schedule to learn what it has. Georgia Tech has purposely put three of its four fall exhibitions on the road, looking for tough settings and stronger opposition.
"I think we're intentionally going on the road three of our four games and just getting in as many good atmospheres against good opponents as we can," Ramsey said.
In Pensacola, that plan delivered. The game stayed tight deep into the ninth inning, giving Georgia Tech exactly the kind of competitive environment it wanted. The 6-4 final was nice, but the larger payoff came from how the Yellow Jackets handled Alabama.
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