Northwestern Wildcats 3 at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 13 (7, NCAA Baseball) - February 28, 2026

When I first planned this trip, I expected to drive to Athens to see Georgia baseball and basketball on Saturday afternoon before flying home that evening. But after the foulfest the night before at Georgia State, another hoops game was not appealing. I decided to avoid the expense of renting a car and the three-hour round trip and stay in Atlanta, as Georgia Tech also had a baseball game. And as they were #2 in the nation, it would be a chance to see some top-ranked prospects.

The Yellow Jackets play out of Mac Nease Baseball Park at Russ Chandler Stadium; both Nease and Chandler are alumni who have supported the program over the years. The ballpark is located at the corner of 5th and Fowler, next to the Tech Square area in Midtown. If you are looking for somewhere to have a drink before or after the game, Cypress Street Pint and Plate is a good spot. Interestingly, 5th Street becomes Ferst Street at that corner and the ballpark's address is actually on Ferst. Certainly some Abbott and Costello potential with that. I entered via the first base gate on Ferst, which precluded the chance to get a good exterior shot. Above is a walkway behind first base.

I picked up a ticket on the secondary market for $4 which was a bargain as the game was sold out, with 3,720 on hand (capacity is listed at 3,718 but there is a lot of standing room here). It was the largest crowd here in 18 years, not surprising as it was a perfect day for baseball with clear skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, a welcome end to the dreary winter many of us have suffered through. The highlight of the stadium is the view of Atlanta's skyline, which stretches over several blocks.

There has been a stadium on this location since 1930, but the current iteration opened in 2002. The ballpark is asymmetrical in both the seating bowl and the field. There are 1,100 chairbacks here in five sections behind the plate; above the third base dugout that Georgia Tech uses are two sections of reserved benches, with two sections of general admission benches down the line. On the first base side, there is a single row of chairbacks above the dugout, while the other four sections are all GA. Face value for the cheapest seat is $17, though this might vary by opponent. The distances to the fence going from left field to right are 329, 391, 400, 353, and 334 feet, though the deepest point is actually 409 feet and lies just to the left of center field.

Along the third base side is a small standing area (next to the tents in the photo above) that was shaded for the entire game and I spent most of my time there. The Champions Club is the brick building just behind the tents; it has unlimited food and beverage for the add-on price of $100. Maybe next time.

In the left field corner is a picnic area with a standing drink rail that is open to all. If you get there early, you can pick up $3 hot dogs, water, and popcorn until thirty minutes before first pitch.

As you walk to this corner, you will see a small display on past baseball coaches, including John Heisman, who also helmed football and basketball here, as well as being the athletics director from 1904-17. He is more famous for his impact on the gridiron as he helped implement several changes to the game, including legalizing the forward pass. There is some sort of college football trophy named after him.

More recent players are also honoured here, including Jason Varitek and Nomar Garciaparra. They starred here in 1994 when the Yellow Jackets made it to the national championship game under first-year coach Danny Hall, losing to Oklahoma. Hall remained with the team until last season; during his tenure the school went to the CWSO twice more. The new coach is James Ramsey, who was a first-round pick by St. Louis in 2012 but never made The Show.

With spring in the air, the bugs were also out in force. This giant yellow jacket pestered fans for much of the afternoon. Where's a giant fly swatter when you need one?

Overall, I found MNBPaRCS to be an incredible spot for baseball, despite the unwieldy moniker. The team is stacked and should contend for a spot in Omaha this year, so if you are in Atlanta in the next few months, stop by and enjoy the buzz surrounding the Yellow Jackets.

The Game

Northwestern was visiting the southeast for a weekend set which saw them mercied 17-3 the day before. Georgia Tech boasts three top draft prospects: Drew Burress (below) in center at #5; Vahn Lackey, usually a catcher but DH'ing today at #12, and second baseman Jarren Advincula at #35. They were batting leadoff, cleanup, and third respectively, so it wasn't much of a surprise when they plated three runs in the first inning, with Burress singling, Advincula knocking him home, Lackey walking and then Will Baker driving both home with a single.



Surprisingly, the Wildcats matched that output in the second with a 2-run shot from leadoff man Jack Lausch the key blow off Dylan Loy. No worries though, as Advincula, Lackey, and Baker all singled in the second and Ryan Zuckerman doubled another run home, only for Baker to be thrown out at the plate to end the rally.

Northwestern starter Ryan Weaver continued in the third but loaded the bases on a double, single and a walk. He was replaced by Jake Rifenburg, who promptly plunked Burress. Nathaniel Coupet, who had replaced Alex Hernandez in the top of the inning, then mashed a line drive grand slam that made the score 10-3. The only question was whether the game would end in 7 innings due to the 10-run mercy rule. With the Rambling Wreck up 12-3 in the 7th, Burress and Advincula singled and Lackey was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Baker came up and flied deep to left for the walk-off mercy rule sacrifice fly. Loy was awarded the win despite pitching only 4 innings; if the game had gone to the 8th, he would not have been so lucky.

It wasn't a great game, but nobody seemed to mind in such spectacular weather. Those three prospects combined to go 8-12 with 7 runs and 3 RBIs. As of this writing, the Yellow Jackets are 14-1 and have scored 208 runs compared to 58 given up. Should be a fun season in Atlanta.

Notes

This was my fourth visit to Georgia Tech, each time for a different sport (tennis, football, and basketball are the others), and they have won each time. I guess soccer will be next.

Best,

Sean