Barring any chaos down the stretch, Georgia Tech will host an NCAA Tournament regional. After another successful weekend of conference play, the Yellow Jackets sit atop the ACC standings with a 36-7 record that includes just two losses at home this season.
The Yellow Jackets’ success this season is not very surprising, especially to Major League Baseball scouts. When the 2026 MLB Draft rolls around, Georgia Tech will likely lose a good portion of its starting lineup. This makes them a team that baseball fans should be paying attention to, as a current Yellow Jacket could soon become a premier prospect in their favorite team’s farm system.
Tech’s Offensive Draft Prospects
Unsurprisingly, a lineup filled with potential MLB draft picks has been one of the best offenses in the country this season. According to PEARatings, the Yellow Jackets lead D1 baseball in runs per game, OPS, SLG, wOBA, and batting average. In turn, PerfectGame has six members of the Georgia Tech lineup ranked inside their updated Top 400 draft prospects.
At the top of that list, and the Yellow Jackets lineup are Vahn Lackey and Drew Burress. Nearly all reputable publications that cover the MLB Draft have Lackey rated as the top catcher in this class, and someone who is likely to be off the board within the first eight picks. The 6’2″ junior had an impressive 2025 season, but he has taken it to another level in 2026, boasting a 1.155 OPS with ten doubles, 12 home runs, and 49 RBIs through 43 games.
Burress burst onto the scene as a freshman, winning ACC Freshman of the Year after launching 25 home runs. While he is still considered a surefire first-round pick, if the season ended today, the junior outfielder would finish with a career low in OPS and rank 5th on the team in wRC+. For as highly rated as Lackey and Burress are, the Yellow Jackets’ current leading hitter is Jarren Advincula, who is hitting .428 on the year and is ranked 46th on Perfect Games Top 400.
The next tier of Yellow Jacket prospects includes Carson Kerce, Alex Hernandez, and Ryan Zuckerman. Of the three, Zuckerman is the pure power hitter, leading the team in home runs (15) and strikeouts (62). Kerce has some of the best bat-to-ball skills of the bunch, leading the team in doubles (22) and sitting with the second-lowest strikeout percentage (12.9%).
Yellow Jacket Pitching Prospects
Georgia Tech’s pitching staff also deserves credit for the team’s success this season, and that staff is led by Tate McKee. The Yellow Jackets ace is 215th on Perfect Games Top 400, as he is 7-1 on the year with a 4.24 ERA, 4.01 SIERA, and 56 strikeouts in 51 innings. McKee has improved each season he’s been on campus and will run his fastball up to 94 on most nights while mixing in a strong slider and a change-up.
The last two prospects ranked in the Top 400 by Perfect Game are Porter Buursema and Justin Shadek. The two right-handers have primarily been bullpen arms, but they have flashed strong strikeout numbers that have piqued the interest of scouts across the league.
In 20.1 innings, Buursema has a 3.99 xFIP and 3.94 SIERA, and is one of two pitchers on the staff with more than 15 innings to have a strikeout percentage of 30% or better. The only other Yellow Jacket with a higher strikeout percentage is Shadek at 30.7%. On top of his strikeout numbers, the 6’6″ right-hander has also managed a 3.47 SIERA, making him another Yellow Jacket that scouts can see developing into an asset within their organization.
Main Photo Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
