Rehashing The Lost Regional- Why Tech Is Done

Five days later, it's still hard to believe. Georgia Tech and their other-worldly offense are out of the NCAA playoffs, sitting home while Oklahoma plays on.

The reasons are many and varied...and of course, debatable.

One factor that seems obvious is the untimely offensive downturn by Tech's All ACC catcher Vahn Lackey. Lackey has been a powerful presence in tbe middle of the Javkets lineup all year. He hit for average and for power, with an OPS above 1.300.

But Oklahoma shut him down over the final two games, including an 0-5 in the finale.

More puzzling is the second factor. The bullpen choices of HC James Ramsey over the final two games did not meet with immediate understanding. It ssemed as though Ramsey made his choice of Tate McKee in the final game in an effort to minimize second- guessing if things didn't go well.

Of course, things did not go well, as Tech's "Friday night starter" was not nearly as effective Monday evening as he had been in the 9-3 win over the Sooners two days earlier.

Ramsey spoke of his decision by explaining "It's the old adage of, if we're going to lose this game ,with this guy pitching, you're okay with it".

He had been asked about the possibility of bringing in lefty Dylan Loy in the 10th.

The mystery and the occasional frustration of baseball is that only one pitcher can pitch, and there's no way of knowing what would have happened had a different choice been made.

But another question nagged from the Sunday evening loss. Namely, where was long- reliever Mason Patel? Tech held a six run lead heading into the bottom of the 4th. The Sooners then dropped eight runs on the Jackets, earning a lead they would not relinquish.

We don't know of any compelling reason that Mason Patel was not brought in to try to stem the tide as that big inning unfolded for OU. He had not pitched over the previous two games, and he certainly did well a day later until he ran up onto his season- high pitch count in his sixth inning of pitching in relief.

Could Ramsey have been hanging on to him as an option for "tomorrow's game"?

Casey Stengel once said of managing, " You can't win tomorrow's game today, but you can lose it".

Leo Durocher said it differently. " Don't save players for tomorrow. Tomorrow it might rain".

Both quotes speak to the logic of using all available assets to win the game yju are playing today.

Sounds easy...but it's not.

What is clear is that Georgia Tech's electrifying season is over, and we may never see the likes of this type of offensive production from one team again. Certainly Tech's line-up will be quite different in 2027, and no doubt there will be great talent and commensurate high expectations.

But 2026 will live on as a season about what might have been, instead of what was.

Longtime Tech fans may recall that in 1994, the Jackets made it out to Omaha and through their side of the bracket without a loss, where they faced...Oklahoma. Tech lost 13-5 and that was it. They were runners-up, as the mysterious end to a double elimination tournament was a single loss to the team emerging from the other side of the bracket.

Still seems weird.

This time of course, Tech did not survive the Regional. And even if they had, there's was no guarantee they would make it any further.

But there was, and is, the unmistakable feeling that in the far- off future, the 2026 Georgia Tech baseball team will represent what might have been.

Patrick Conarro RamblinSports