Georgia Tech suffers stunning elimination against Oklahoma in regionals

“We weren’t good enough today,” outfielder Drew Burress said. “This place hasn’t gotten out of a regional in a long time. We thought we had the team to do it. And we did have the team to do it. We just didn’t get it done today.”

After appearing as though the team would roll through its regional, the Jackets blew an 8-2 lead Sunday in the span of one out, ultimately losing 15-8 to Oklahoma. Tech then opened Monday’s elimination game in a three-run hole, overcame it to earn a 7-3 advantage, then relinquished it over the final few innings. Oklahoma scored in each of the final four frames.

The Sooners’ Dayton Tockey walked it off in the 10th against Tech ace Tate McKee, who was making his first relief appearance in two years — after throwing a season-high 104 pitches on Saturday.

Tech led 7-6 entering the ninth. Camden Johnson drew a lead-off walk off McKee and scored on Deiten Lachance’s RBI single. Lachance became a memorable Tech nemesis this weekend, launching a grand slam Sunday, homering Monday and lacing the game-tying hit.

McKee escaped the ninth, but his offense sputtered in the 10th inning. Then came Tockey, who became an indelible figure in Oklahoma lore when he smashed a walk-off home run off McKee to center field.

“It’s a beautiful game, we love to play it, and sometimes it breaks your heart,” coach James Ramsey said. “These guys deserved better than to get knocked out in a regional. Take accountability for that and continue to fuel the next wave of things this program is going to do. These guys have done incredible things for us and I’m super thankful for them.”

Ramsey acknowledged turning to McKee was a “big ask.” Tech had just received an admirable effort from reliever Mason Patel, who covered a season-high 6-1/3 innings but had lost steam as he approached 100 pitches.

Tech replaced Patel with Dylan Loy, who escaped an eighth-inning jam with a double play, but Ramsey opted to use McKee for the ninth. The second guessing around when Loy should’ve entered and exited dominated the stands at Russ Chandler Stadium.

Just like that, this amazing Tech season was done. The Jackets team that was supposed to exorcise the ghosts of program’s past instead succumbed to them. And a chilling fact that everyone on the Flats is sick of hearing remains: Tech hasn’t advanced past the regional since 2006.

“It’s frustrating just knowing the past teams that wanted to get out of a regional,” catcher Vahn Lackey said. “Especially me and Drew. Freshman year, (we lost to) UGA, heartbreak. Ole Miss last year, heartbreak. This was the one year we thought we could finally break through.

“It’s just frustrating. Just the performances we could’ve had. ... We were so much of a better team than that. It sucks it didn’t show (Monday). That’s baseball, sometimes it doesn’t go your way. I just wish we could’ve controlled some things better.”

Tech’s mighty offense was subdued after the fourth inning Sunday, leading to a seven-inning scoring drought that included the beginning of Monday’s elimination game. Tech scored seven runs between the third and sixth innings, but it was held scoreless from the seventh inning through the end of the game.

And that’s a heartbreaking way for this team to see its year conclude. Tech faithful will attest that their team should’ve produced more than seven runs against an exhausted Oklahoma pitching staff.

“This wasn’t just an Omaha team; this was a national-championship-level team,” Ramsey said. “It just was. That doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed anything in this game.”

In the greater picture, considering the circumstances, this is one of the worst upset losses in Atlanta sports history. Tech was the top overall seed remaining after No. 1 UCLA was upset in its own regional. This team set myriad program records with one of the finest offenses the sport had seen. Tech entered the regional a co-favorite in betting odds for the College World Series title.

Instead, this group suffered an all-too-familiar fate. Tech will hope to turn this disgust into a marvelous rebound — think Virginia basketball losing to a No. 16 seed only to achieve the highest high a year later — but that’ll take over a year to play out. Right now, there’s no healing this wound.

Tech now bids farewell to multiple All-ACC players and a couple of program icons. Lackey and Burress will be early first-round draftees next month. Ramsey’s program will reassess and prepare to avenge itself in 2027.