
ACC.com
CHARLOTTE – No. 1 seed Georgia Tech completed the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball regular-season and championship sweep with a 13-6 win over No. 2 seed North Carolina in the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship title game on Sunday at Truist Field.
The championship game marked the first-ever meeting between two top three teams in the country in an ACC Baseball Championship final. The tournament also produced a championship-record 255 runs, surpassing the previous mark of 236 set in 2004.
Georgia Tech third baseman Ryan Zuckerman was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and led the 11-member All-Tournament Team.
Making its first title-game appearance since 2019, Georgia Tech captured its first ACC Championship since 2014 and the 10th conference tournament title in program history, second-most in ACC history behind Clemson’s 11. The Yellow Jackets also became the first ACC program in 13 years to win both the regular-season and tournament titles, joining North Carolina (2013) as the only teams to accomplish the feat since 2008.
Georgia Tech’s explosive offense was paced by Alex Hernandez, who went 3-for-5 with two doubles and a game-high four RBIs. Drew Burress finished 3-for-4 with a home run, double, two RBIs and two runs scored while also setting Georgia Tech’s career home run record. Zuckerman added a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored.
North Carolina totaled six runs on eight hits, led by Owen Hull, who went 2-for-4 with a home run, three RBIs and two runs scored. Rom Kellis V added two RBIs for the Tar Heels.
After North Carolina grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning, Georgia Tech answered with six runs over the next two frames, highlighted by Burress’ two-run homer and Hernandez’s three-run double in the third inning. The Tar Heels rallied to cut the deficit to 6-5 by the fifth, but the Yellow Jackets responded with two runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh to pull away. Georgia Tech added two insurance runs in the eighth before closing out the victory.
Reliever Caden Gaudette earned the win for the Yellow Jackets, improving to 6-1 on the season.
The 64-team field for the 2026 NCAA Baseball Championship will be announced Monday, May 25, at noon ET on ESPN2. Regional play begins next weekend, with the Men’s College World Series set to start June 12 at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska.
All-Tournament Team
1B – Kent Schmidt, Georgia Tech
2B – Trey Fenderson, Pitt
SS – Jake Schaffner, North Carolina
3B – Ryan Zuckerman, Georgia Tech (MVP)
C – Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech
DH – Kaden Smith, Duke
OF – Drew Burress, Georgia Tech
OF – Owen Hull, North Carolina
OF – Rom Kellis V, North Carolina
P – David Leslie, Pitt
P – Jack Radel, Notre Dame
ACC Tournament scores
Tuesday, May 19
(16) Duke 21, (9) NC State 12
(12) Stanford 11, (13) California 4
(10) Notre Dame 5, (15) Clemson 4
(14) Pittsburgh 16, (11) Louisville 8
Wednesday, May 20
(8) Virginia 6, (16) Duke 4
(5) Miami 11, (12) Stanford 2
(7) Virginia Tech 17, (10) Notre Dame 10
(14) Pittsburgh 7, (6) Wake Forest 4
Thursday, May 21
(1) Georgia Tech 16, (8) Virginia 10
(5) Miami 8, (4) Boston College 2
Friday, May 22
(2) North Carolina 10, (7) Virginia Tech 4
(14) Pittsburgh 8, No. 3 Florida State 6
Saturday, May 23
Semifinal- (1) Georgia Tech 9, (5) Miami 3
Semifinal- (2) North Carolina 13, (14) Pittsburgh 5
Sunday, May 24
Championship- (1) Georgia Tech 13, (2) North Carolina 6
Georgia Tech wins tournament