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2025 Fall Road Trip: Georgia Tech

October 14, 2025
Ian Smith
Assistant Scouting Director

It’s October. Weather is starting to cool down finally here in the Peach State and that means Fall Ball is beginning to get underway at the collegiate level both here and across the country as well.

Over the last couple weeks I’ve had the opportunity to head down and spend time at Georgia Tech, who is riding a wave of massive momentum right now.

The 2025 ACC Regular Season Champions have a brand new, yet familiar head coach in James Ramsey, who steps in seamlessly to replace longtime head coach Danny Hall who retired following the end of last season. 

Coach Ramsey returns nearly 90% of his roster while adding some key pieces both via the portal and in a quality freshman class. Almost more importantly, the entire coaching staff returns as well, which is already paying huge dividends on the recruiting trail. 

Expectations are already high at this early stage in the fall. Omaha?

Freshman Focus

The 2025 Prep Baseball Georgia Player of the Year, LHP Cooper Underwood bypassed starting his pro career to make his way to the flats and brings some of the highest-upside from the left-side that we saw in the 2025 class. Underwood has a gangly, long-levered 6-foot-3 frame that is adding good weight quickly and already paying dividends, touching 95 in a scrimmage last week. Feel to spin on both breaking balls remains at a high level while starting to mix in the changeup more frequently. Iron sharpens iron in the fall and Underwood is showing he can hang with the immense power this Jackets lineup has throughout the lineup. Underwood has the stuff and potential to be a star in the ACC in due time. 

RHP Charlie Willcox was another huge win to get to campus and has instantly been one of the more impressive arms for the Jackets so far this fall. Fastball has been up to 95, holding velo in every outing. Showing two distinct breaking balls in the low-80s while starting to add in a cutter as well at 87-88. Changeup flashes as an out pitch at times and rounds it all out with a durable 6-foot-3 frame and easy repeatability. A real chance for early and often impact this upcoming spring. 

RHP Jamie Vicens has been pitching with intent this fall, living 90-93 in scrimmages with some ride and showing some ability to miss bats when elevated. Slider and curveball have flashed at times and showing feel to spin as well (2600+). Changeup has been the best offering for Vicens for some time now and continues to show well at the collegiate level in the low-80s. There’s plenty of clay in this profile to work with for Coach Taylor and pairs it well with a prototype starters frame at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds that’s only going to get stronger. 

Simply put, SS Michael Dee has the type of glove and speed to get him on the field early. Long, high-waisted 6-foot-2 frame moves effortlessly in the dirt with soft hands and ability to bend that really stands out. Arm strength plays from anywhere and plays up with consistent accuracy. There’s bat-to-ball skills and sneaky raw power at the plate for Dee as well, while causing real havoc on the base paths. Defensive replacement/pinch runner could be the early role with the depth this team has, but the chance for Dee to eventually grow into a starting ACC shortstop is very real.

Others of note, C Dom Stephenson has been showing well behind the plate, the frame has leaned out while remaining physical and OF Coleman Lewis is finally starting to take some on-field swings this past week after suffering a broken hamate back in August. 1B/OF Judson Hartwell continues to hit baseballs very hard while adjusting to collegiate pitching quickly. Very minimal chase in the profile and could be in-line for some opportunities earlier than later. 

New Additions

Junior 2B/SS Jarren Advincula makes the cross-country trip to the flats via the portal and the former Cal product really looks the part of an impact leadoff bat for the Jackets. Hit tool is one of the best you’ll see in the country with immense feel for the zone (92% in-zone contact in ‘25) backed by real bat speed and feel for the barrel. Uses the whole field with ease and has displayed one of the most advanced 2k approaches I’ve seen where he’s nearly impossible to beat in-zone. Sneaky plus runner that impacts the game regularly with an explosive first step that allows Advincula to reach top speed quickly. Actions and instincts are pure up the middle with quality footwork to put himself in position to make easy throws consistently despite an average arm. Replacing a player like Kyle Lodise is never easy, but Advincula has the profile and makeup to fill that role in a hurry with potential for an even higher ceiling and day one draft upside next summer. 

The power for junior 3B Ryan Zuckerman is well-known and showing extremely well this fall. Strength litters the 6-foot-4, 205-pound frame backed by huge bat speed in an uphill path that can carry balls to all-fields. Has produced some of the higher exit velocities of the fall for the Jackets including 112 pull-side at a scrimmage a few weeks back. The ability to abuse fastballs of all varieties is present, and if Zuckerman can continue to improve on breaking balls then this profile makes a massive jump in a hurry. 25 HR over his last two years at Pitt, and double-digit pumps on the flats next spring feels like a very likely scenario. 

An in-state addition in sophomore OF/CIF Cade Brown gives the Jackets even more power and more depth to this lineup. Brown has been flashing the all-fields juice in scrimmages including going backside at 104 MPH while also showing some positional value with earning some early looks in the corner outfield spots as well as first base. Brown had a strong showing in his 16 G stint in NECL this summer as well (.983 OPS) and will be motivated to compete for a quality role next spring.  

Juniors LHP Dylan Loy and RHP Justin Shadek were the major portal additions on the pitching side of things for Tech, and have shown stuff to make instant impacts for this staff. A Tennessee transfer, Loy has shown real pitchability in his outings this fall, limiting hard contact and showing advanced command of the full mix. Should slot into the bullpen nicely and be another high-leverage arm to deploy. Shadek, who makes his way to Atlanta from Rutgers brings high-octane fuel to this staff that can be valuable in multiple roles. Up to 98 this fall, living 93-96 with even more in the tank. Power curveball in the low-to-mid 80s plays to both sides of the plate and flashes the changeup as well. Harnessing the command will be the key for Shadek for taking that next step this upcoming spring, and this staff could be the group to unlock that upside. 

Returning Impact

What more is there to say about junior OF Drew Burress. One of the top outfielders in the country is back for his draft-eligible season and looks poised for yet another tremendous spring. Swing decisions remain elite, showing ability to do consistent damage both in and out of the zone thanks to a very accurate barrel. The power that Burress generates from the compact 5-foot-8 frame is well-regarded but still surprising at times, such as going 106 backside off elevated mid-90s is just not something you see often. It’s as high-level of a hit/power combo as you’ll see at the college level and not to mention being a 55+ grade defender in CF doesn’t hurt either. We’re 9 months away from Burress hearing his name get called in the MLB Draft but more importantly Burress is ready to lead this Jackets to even bigger heights than accomplished in 2025.

The reigning ACC Freshman of the Year is back for an even bigger sophomore campaign. 3B/OF Alex Hernandez has looked as good as anyone on the field for me this fall. The physical 6-foot-2 frame is only getting stronger while maintaining athleticism across the board. Balls have been coming off the bat different for Hernandez this fall with nearly every batted-ball touching triple digit exit velocities. There’s great barrel length in-zone with bat speed to catch up to velocity and showing ability to adjust more often to breaking and offspeed. The hit tool is quickly catching up to the power, and showing the signs towards a significant ceiling. Expect big things from the draft-eligible sophomore this upcoming spring with huge leverage for the 2026 MLB Draft as well. 

I spent some time last fall and early winter with tech and felt the Vahn Lackey breakout was imminent, and sure enough the talented backstop proceeded to slash .347/.421/.500 with 21 extra-base hits and 18 stolen bases as an everyday catcher for the first time in his career. This fall has been more of the same from Lackey, displaying excellent bat-to-ball skills due to great hands in-zone and keen eye. It’s a line-drive oriented approach with real barrel feel and impact as he’s hammered balls north of 110 in scrimmages already. One of the biggest things for me with Lackey is his vocal leadership behind the plate. Consistently working for his pitcher and the defense alike while also showing an absolute cannon out of the crouch. The floor is very high for the all-around profile for Lackey and has the chance to take an even bigger step as a junior. 


A pair of Pope High School products in juniors 1B Kent Schmidt and SS Carson Kerse return as two of the bonafide glue guys on this roster with real ceilings as well. In his first year with the Jackets after transferring from Georgia Southern, Schmidt proceeded to hit .397 while more than doubling his HR total despite missing over a month with an injury. Swing-and-miss is nearly non-existent for the 1B with legitimate power from the left-side that can be highlighted this spring in a lineup that will be impossible to pitch around. The Swiss Army knife that is Carson Kerce has been an invaluable piece the past two years, filling any roles necessary across the infield while showing above-average actions at all three spots. It’s a contact oriented approach for Kerce where he can use the whole field well, and has shown some added strength this fall that has allowed the infielder to tap into his raw power a bit more. Kerce has made improvements across the board over the first two years at Tech and I'd fully expect that trend to continue next spring.

Sophomore OF Caleb Daniel found his way onto this roster very late in the recruiting cycle in 2024, and proceeded to pay immediate dividends for the Jackets earning over 200 at-bats as a freshman with 24 extra-base hits and a .904 OPS. Now the outfielder returns to the flats with both the confidence of his freshman year as well as torching the Northwoods this past summer (1.020 OPS, 7 HR in 25 G) and will be looking for even more. the sweet left-handed swing allows Daniel to create easy loft from an uphill path that plays extremely well in the very lefty friendly Russ Chanlder stadium. 

If we are talking catalysts with this Jackets roster, two names to keep an eye on will be sophomores OF/IF Will Baker and C Drew Rogers, who come into their second-years following abbreviated roles and have looked fantastic this fall so far. Baker, the Australian native has shown some impressive power in intrasquads, showing the ability to create leverage to generate much easier carry to the pull-side and even doing so in tough L/L situations. Positional value is tremendous with the ability to profile across the outfield if needed as well multiple spots in the infield. Was one of the Jackets top pinch hitters last year, but feel that role has a chance to be much greater this spring. In just 67 AB last year, Rogers produced double-digit extra-base knocks while providing strong defensive tools that have polished up even more this fall. Showing sub-1.90 pops last Friday night against UAB in a pair of impressive catch and throws for CS. The type of power and defensive profile Rogers has is a premium as a backup catcher and should force his way into way more at-bats than he saw as a freshman. 

Pitching depth that returns will be significant, including SP1 in junior RHP Tate Mckee (who I haven't seen this fall, but all reports have been positive) as well as the top arm in the bullpen in six-year senior RHP Mason Patel, who looked outstanding this past week in a scrimmage against UAB. 6 up, 6 down for the RHP and in short order i’ll add. Fastball has barrel-missing life in-zone in the low-90s that’s paired with a present plus pitch in the changeup that creates in-zone misses at will while working out of the same tunnel as the fastball. All signs point to another huge year incoming for Patel. 

Sophomore RHP Jackson Blakely and junior RHP Porter Buursema have been extremely impressive this fall and look like potential demons in the bullpen for the Jackets this spring. The path from a high-school elbow surgery was a long one for Blakely, but the physical RHP looks finally full strength and showing real power in a potent three-pitch mix. Fastball sits 93-95 with heavy sink and run that’s paired with a true power curveball in the low-80s and newly developed splitter at 87-88 that flashes double-plus at times with disappearing tumble that can look unhittable. Attacks hitters with confidence and has real ability to create swing-and-miss with all three offerings. On that same topic, stuff has never been an issue for Porter Buursema, who looks absolutely lights out after a standout summer on the Northwoods (32.1 IP, 1.67 ERA, 42 K). Full kitchen sink mix has been on display this fall for the RHP, showing 5 pitches in a recent look. Fastball is holding mid-90s with carry while still showing the sinker and beginning to mix in the cutter more frequently while flashing plus or better at times at 90-92. Two distinct breaking balls with a power curve and sweeper shown and creating whiffs with both. If the command issues have taken a step like it appears, this addition to the pen could be as big as it gets for this pitching staff.