Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Baseball at Russ Chandler Stadium
Since 1895, the Georgia Tech has fielded one of the most successful programs in college baseball. Baseball has been played on the same site at Georgia Tech since 1930, when the field — called Rose Bowl Field at the time — was established with funds earned by the football team's appearance in the 1929 Rose Bowl game.
The stadium was renamed in honor of Georgia Tech alumnus A. Russell Chandler III after he paid for the construction of a grandstand in 1985. Its nickname, "The Rusty C," stuck even after the original aluminum stands were completely replaced in 2002. Russ Chandler Stadium seats 4,157 and has undergone a two-phase renovation which began in 2015 and was completed in 2018. Georgia Tech also plays one neutral-site game per year against the University of Georgia at SunTrust Park, as part of the two schools' passionate "Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate" rivalry.
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets Baseball History
Georgia Tech baseball has a proud lineage of playing and coaching excellence. Major League Baseball All-Stars who have played for Georgia Tech include pitcher Kevin Brown, shortstop Nomar Garciaparra, outfielder Charlie Blackmon, first baseman Mark Teixeira, and catcher Jason Varitek.
Varitek, who won both the Golden Spikes Award for best amateur baseball player and the Dick Howser Trophy for best college baseball player in 1994, also had his number 33 retired by Georgia Tech (the only jersey the team has retired). Both John Heisman and Bobby Dodd, who are known at Georgia Tech for coaching football, also managed Georgia Tech baseball in the first half of the 20th century.
Jim Morris began Georgia Tech's current period of sustained success in the 1980s, leading the Yellow Jackets to a 504-244-1 mark, four consecutive ACC Tournament championships (from 1985-88), and two regular-season championships before leaving to coach the University of Miami in 1993.
Danny Hall succeeded Morris and immediately had an impact, leading Georgia Tech to a second-place finish in the 1994 College World Series in his first season. He lead the Yellow Jackets to two more CWS appearances in 2002 and 2006. Since Georgia Tech joined the ACC in 1980, the Yellow Jackets have won nine conference tournament championships (most recently in 2014).
