Atlanta, GA

Jackets Fall to Sooners in Game 6 of Atlanta Regional

Published

1 month ago

June 1, 2026

Jackets Fall to Sooners in Game 6 of Atlanta Regional

THE FLATS – No. 2 Georgia Tech baseball (50-10) dropped its first game of the NCAA Atlanta Regional on Sunday night, falling 15-8 to Oklahoma. The Yellow Jackets saw four home runs in the outing and jumped out with the early lead, but the Sooners overcame the deficit to force game seven on Monday.

Georgia Tech plated its first two batters of the game as Carson Kerce drew a 4-0 leadoff walk and Drew Burress sent his at bat 397 feet deep to left field, putting Tech up 2-0 in the first and forcing Oklahoma to make a call to the bullpen early.

The Sooners tied the game at 2-2 off a two-run home run from Brendan Brock in the bottom of the second, but a five-spot from the Jackets in the fifth returned the lead to Tech. A bases loaded wild pitch scored Kerce and setup a two-run RBI single up the middle from Ryan Zuckerman for a 5-2 lead. Alex Hernandez found his fourth home run of the regional in the next at bat, clearing the bases and putting Tech in front, 8-2.

Jarren Advincula cushioned Tech’s lead with a sac fly in the fourth, scoring Kerce for a 9-2 lead, but Oklahoma erased its deficit and took the lead with an eight-run fourth inning for a 10-8 edge. The Sooners would add another five runs for the final score.

Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.

QUICK HITS: TEAM

GT will face Oklahoma again, tomorrow at 3 pm in a winner-take-all game seven of the Atlanta Regional.
This is the 5^th time in program history the Jackets will be playing in a 2-1 vs 2-1 game after starting the regional 2-0, GT is 2-2 in such games (wins in 1994 and 2005 / losses in 2008 and 2010).
The Jackets fall to 50-10, the best 60-game record in program history, two games better than the previous record (48-12 – 1987).
The Jackets will be looking to advance to the Super Regional round for the sixth time in program history and the first since 2006.
GT is now 3-2 against the SEC this season with wins over Auburn, Georgia and Oklahoma.
The Jackets are outscoring SEC opponents 46-35 this season.
Tech has scored 655 runs this season, the most runs scored through 60 games in program history and the most scored by any Power 4 team through 60 games in the BBCOR era.
GT’s 655 runs are the second-most in school history, seven behind the program record set back in 1987 (662). The Jackets are two runs away from setting a new NCAA record for runs in a single season in the BBCOR era – a record currently held by Tennessee (657 runs in 73 games in 2024).
The Jackets hit two home runs today, bringing the regional total to 12 and the season total of 137 – 15 more than the previous program record set back in 2010.
Tech has hit multiple home runs in all three regional games this season and 15 of their last 16 games dating back to April 28.
GT is outscoring its opponents 655-297 this season. The plus-358 margin is the largest in Division I this season and the largest in program history.
Tech’s offense is currently on pace to set program records in batting average (.357 – record is .347), on-base percentage (.468 – record is .434), slugging percentage (.640 – record is .575) and runs-per-game (10.9 – record is 10.3).
The offense has scored eight or more runs in each of the last 14 games dating back to May 3.
The Yellow Jackets are closing in on multiple NCAA records for a single season: two runs away from the BBCOR era record (Tennessee – 657 – 73 games in 2024), 19 hits away from the BBCOR era record (Vanderbilt – 770 – 71 games in 2019) and 18 doubles away from the BBCOR era record (Morehead St. / Virginia – 172 – 2015 / 2023) and 30 walks away from the BBCOR era record (Wake Forest – 424 – 66 games in 2023).
Tech’s .357 average would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .359 by Austin Peay in 2024).
Tech’s .468 OBP would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .469 by New Mexico State in 2019).
Tech’s .640 slugging percentage would be a new BBCOR era Power 4 record (NCAA record is .661 by Austin Peay in 2024).
GT pitching struck out 10 batters, marking the 26th game with at least 10 Ks this season.

QUICK HITS: THE BATS

Junior Drew Burress extended his on-base streak to 23 games with a 3-for-5 showing. He hit a two-run home run to open the scoring in the first inning, his program record 59^th career homer.
Burress becomes the first Power conference player of the 21^st century to deliver 40 extra base hits in three consecutive seasons (43 in 2024, 43 in 2025 and 40 in 2026). He is just the second Division I player to do so this century, also DJ Peterson (New Mexico) 2011-13.
Buress has hit 15 home runs this season, becoming just the second Yellow Jacket in program history to deliver three consecutive 15 HR seasons, along with Tony Plagman (2008-10).
He has now scored 231 runs in his career, the most of any active DI player and just one away from tying Darren Bragg (1988-91) for the fourth most in program history.
Burress holds the GT BBCOR era records for the most runs (231), RBI (187), doubles (61), home runs (59) and total bases (499). He is one base away from becoming just the fourth Jacket to ever collect 500 total bases – also Andy Bruce (506: 1988-91), Tony Plagman (513: 2007-10) and Jason Varitek (610: 1991-94).
His 187 RBI rank 12^th all-time at Georgia Tech, seven shy of cracking the Top 10.
Sophomore Alex Hernandez continued his exceptional regional, hitting a two-run home run as a part of Tech’s five-run third inning.
It was his fourth HR of the regional and 13^th of the season. Nearly two-thirds of his home runs this season (30.8 %) have come in the last three games of regional play.
Hernandez has recorded 19 RBI in his last six games, producing at least one in all six postseason games to this point.
He has now produced 21 RBI in six career NCAA tournament games – 3.5 per game.
He is up to 57 RBI this season and 126 over his career: the fourth highest RBI total by an undergraduate in GT history behind only Burress (129), Matt Weiters (139) and Mark Teixeira (program record – 145).
Junior Carson Kerce scored three runs in the leadoff spot, tying his season high for the fifth time. He has scored multiple runs in 18 games this season, the fifth most on the team.
Junior Ryan Zuckerman delivered a pair of RBI today, taking over the team lead with 79 RBI this season, the 11^th most in program history.
Zuckerman (79) and Vahn Lackey (78) are inching closer to becoming just the third duo in GT history to drive in 80 RBI in the same season, currently only accomplished by Jason Basil (83) and Mark Teixeira (80) in 2000 and Riccardo Ingram (99) and Mike Fowler (87) in 1987.
Lackey scored his team leading 85^th run of the season tonight, his 85 runs scored are the 6^th most in program history for a single season and the most recorded since Mark Teixeira set the program record (104) back in 2000.
Junior Jarren Advincula extended his hitting streak to a career best 28 games, tied with Carlton Fleming (1990) for the 2nd longest in program history and the longest since Victor Menocal set the record (30) in 2002.
He has delivered 108 hits this season, the fourth most in program history and the most since 2000 (Richard Lewis – 109).
He has gotten a hit in 43 of his last 44 games dating back to March 10 and 56 of 60 games overall this season.
His batting average now stands at .430, the highest in Power 4, the 2nd best in the nation and the 7th highest in program history. It’s the second highest batting average by a Yellow Jacket this century and the highest since Chandler Simpson hit .433 in 2022.

QUICK HITS: THE ARMS

Sophomore Jackson Blakely made his 13^th start of the season, pitching 3.0 innings before running into trouble in the fourth.
This loss snapped a 10-game winning streak in games started by Blakely this season, bringing the teams record to 10-3.
His ERA is now 3.36 over 64.1 innings of work with 69 strikeouts – all the 2^nd best on the team.
Freshman Cooper Underwood made his 13^th appearance of the season and his seventh out of the bullpen. He would give up one earned run on a solo home run. This was only the second time he has allowed a run in his seven relief appearances.
Senior Brett Barfield produced a scoreless fifth inning in his 23^rd appearance of the season. That lowered his ERA to 4.70 for the season over 23.0 innings of work.

Up Next

Georgia Tech and Oklahoma will meet in the rubbermatch on Monday for a spot in the NCAA Super Regional. First pitch is set for 3 pm and television designation will be announced soon.

Full Steam Ahead

Full Steam Ahead is a $500 million fundraising initiative to achieve Georgia Tech athletics’ goal of competing for championships at the highest level in the next era of intercollegiate athletics. The initiative will fund transformative projects for Tech athletics, including renovations of Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field (the historic home of Georgia Tech football), the Zelnak Basketball Center (the practice and training facility for Tech basketball) and O’Keefe Gymnasium (the venerable home of Yellow Jackets volleyball), as well as additional projects and initiatives to further advance Georgia Tech athletics through program wide-operational support. All members of the Georgia Tech community are invited to visit atfund.org/FullSteamAhead for full details and renderings of the renovation projects, as well as to learn about opportunities to contribute online.

For the latest information on the Georgia Tech baseball team, follow us on X (@GTBaseball), Facebook, Instagram (@gt_baseball) or visit us at www.ramblinwreck.com.

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Atlanta, GA

Man Blames Diet Drug After Gunning Down Police Officer and New Dad at Point Blank Range | Oxygen

Published

3 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Man Blames Diet Drug After Gunning Down Police Officer and New Dad at Point Blank Range | Oxygen

Fulton County Police Officer Aaron Blount—a new father, fiancé and committed community volunteer—was nearing the end of his shift when he spotted a car driving erratically and decided to intervene.

How to Watch

Don’t miss new episodes of The Real Murders of Atlanta Saturdays at 8 p.m. on Oxygen. Catch up on the Oxygen App and Peacock.

Minutes later, the 26-year-old would be dead.

His tragic fate wouldn’t be discovered until just after 10 p.m. on April 22, 2003 when fellow Fulton County Police Officer Reginald McCain stumbled on an unsettling scene while patrolling his beat in Georgia’s South Fulton County.

“I’ll never forget what I saw that night and what I discovered when I approached that car,” McCain recalled in the season four premiere of Oxygen’s The Real Murders of Atlanta. “I saw a police car with the blue lights on in the distance. This car’s off the roadway into a brushy area near some railroad tracks.”

After discovering the car belonged to Blount—his adjacet beat partner and friend—McCain walked up to the vehicle and found the windows had been shot out and discovered Blount slumped over in the vehicle with his gun still clutched in his hand. The officer had been shot multiple times in the body and head.

In the days that would follow, investigators set out to recreate Blount’s final movements, ultimately leading them to a suspect with no prior criminal record who deployed an unconventional defense.

Who Was Aaron Blount?

Blount grew up less than a mile from where he died and was committed to giving back to his community, whether it was through his work as a police officer or coaching and mentoring younger kids on the basketball court.

“Aaron definitely was a community guy,” his fiancée Nicole Manns recalled, “and that was important to him to kind of give back to where he grew up.”

Blount—a one-time student at the Naval Academy—was also eager to make a difference in the life of his own 13-month-old son, A.J., whom he shared with Manns.

As she explained, “He was an amazing father.”

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What Happened to Aaron Blount?

On the evening of April 22, Manns was waiting for Blount to get off work.

“I knew he would be coming home soon and I called him and he said, ‘I’m on my way home,’” she recalled. “And he said, ‘Hey, this guy is driving crazy in front of me, I’m going to call you back.’”

It would be the last time she ever spoke with her fiancé.

Later that night, McCain made the grisly discovery along the roadway and called for backup. Former Fulton County Police Officer Charles Cook—the squad’s medic—was one of the first to arrive.

“Aaron was covered in blood on his head,” Cook recalled. “He had what appeared to be a bullet in the back of his shoulder and shirt. This is when I noticed Aaron had his gun out [and] had his finger on the trigger.”

Though he was rushed to Atlanta’s Grady Memorial Hospital, Blount did not survive.

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“I just broke down and I started crying,” former Fulton County Police homicide detective Glenn Kalish remembered of hearing the news. “Not just for Aaron and the rest of the Fulton County Police Department, but I felt a lot of personal pressure on me being assigned this case and the weight of the case.”

Investigators Piece Together Final Moments of Aaron Blount’s Life

As detectives began to their investigation, they learned that there had been multiple 911 calls that night about a silver vehicle driving erratically not far from the murder scene.

They were also surprised to discover a handgun laying on the ground in the parking lot of a gas station, just across the road from where Blount’s vehicle had come to rest.

They came to believe that Blount had been following a car down the roadway when the driver hopped out at the gas station and waited for Blount to come around the corner, then fired directly into his vehicle, before setting the weapon down and fleeing the scene.

Injured, Blount likely took his foot off the brake, causing the patrol car to roll across Roosevelt Highway into the grassy area by the train tracks.

An eyewitness who had been driving by the gas station also came forward to share what he knew about the fatal shooting.

“We see the police got his lights on at the gas station,” the witness told police. “And as I was approaching the light, I heard a gunshot. And I saw a guy standing…at point blank range shooting through the window.”

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According to his account, the shooter then turned and calmly walked away before getting into a silver Ford Focus.

He described the shooter as a larger Black male, around 6’2” tall and around 250 pounds or more.

Though the medical examiner was able to connect the weapon found at the scene to the bullets in Blount’s patrol car and body, a second gun had been used to deliver the shots to his head, leading investigators to believe the cold-blooded killer had used two separate weapons.

Kenneth G. Reese Emerges As Suspect in Aaron Blount’s Death

Investigators caught another break in the case when they learned the weapon that had been recovered at the scene was registered to Kenneth Reese.

Though authorities initially believed the weapon was linked to a fire department captain and arson investigator with a stellar reputation—sending shockwaves through the law enforcement community—they learned after speaking with Kenneth that he had a younger nephew with the same name, who often went by the nickname “Little Kenny.”

Little Kenny had no criminal record, but did own at least one firearm. Even more telling, investigators were able to link him to a silver Ford Focus rental car. Yet, according to Little Kenny’s family, he had gone to Florida and now appeared to be on the run.

“He came from a good family,” former homicide detective Melvin Dean said. “A real solid family in the community.”

His 2nd Wife’s Murder Exposed the Truth Behind an Unsolved Double Homicide

Little Kenny’s grandmother was the first Black woman to own a gospel television network and his father was a professional wrestler turned celebrated minister. But when Little Kenny lost his father just one year before Blount’s death, those close to him say his life began to fall apart.

“His father’s death was such an impact on him,” a family spokesperson shared. “He was grieving so bad that he could not handle coming to his father’s funeral.”

According to the spokesperson, Little Kenny started carrying a gun and began showing signs of paranoia, believing that someone may be following him.

Who Killed Police Officer Aaron Blount?

Five days after Blount’s murder, Little Kenny was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals at a bus station in Miami and was charged with first-degree murder.

The district attorney announced that he was planning to seek the death penalty, but before the case could go to trial, his defense team came forward with evidence that he had been taking the diet drug ephedra—later banned by the FDA—which they argued had impaired his mental state.

After state psychiatrists also concluded that Little Kenny may have been suffering from drug-related psychosis at the time of the shooting, prosecutors decided to offer him a plea deal.

In exchange for removing the death penalty, Little Kenny agreed to plead guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Scuba Diver Disappears During Underwater Excursion, Now Dive Instructor Faces Potential Charges

Blount’s family—including Manns and his now adult-son A.J.—continue to keep his memory alive.

“I want the people in Atlanta to remember that he protected his community. He protected his family,” Manns said. “He was just…a really good guy, a great dad, a great partner, a great friend, and I think they would be proud and should continue to be proud of him.”

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Atlanta, GA

Atlanta Starting Lineup: July 2026 (NASCAR O’Reilly Series) – Racing News

Published

13 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta Starting Lineup: July 2026 (NASCAR O’Reilly Series) – Racing News

NASCAR O’Reilly Series qualifying results from EchoPark Speedway

Later today, NASCAR O’Reilly Series drivers take the green flag. Now, teams are rolling to the track for qualifying at EchoPark Speedway in Atlanta.

View the Atlanta starting lineup for the NASCAR O’Reilly Series below.

Atlanta/Lime Rock Menu
ARCA: Race
Truck: Prac/Qual
O’Reilly: Qual

Atlanta/Lime Rock TV Schedule

The fields makes one lap in the opening round of qualifying. The top 10 from round one advance into round 2 and make another run for the pole position.

Atlanta Qualifying Results (Top 10 – Round 1) : 1. Carson Kvapil 31.987 2. Sam Mayer 32.035 3. Sammy Smith 32.117 4. Jesse Love 32.128 5. William Sawalich 32.171 6. Taylor Gray 32.218 7. Sheldon Creed 32.224 8. Rajah Caruth 32.238 9. Patrick Staropoli 32.224 10. Brent Crews 32.279

Sam Mayer will start from the pole position. He turned a laptime at 31.994 seconds in the second round of qualifying.

EchoPark Speedway
Starting Lineup
July 11, 2026
NASCAR O’Reilly Series

Pos | Driver

1. Sam Mayer
31.994

2. Carson Kvapil
31.978

3. Jesse Love
32.020

4. William Sawalich
32.106

5. Sammy Smith
32.119

6. Sheldon Creed
32.136

7. Brent Crews
32.155

8. Rajah Caruth
32.194

9. Taylor Gray
32.200

10. Patrick Staropoli
32.302

— Failed to advance into Round 2 —

11. Austin Hill
32.286

12. Brandon Jones
32.315

13. Corey Day
32.327

14. Jeremy Clements
32.335

15. Jake Finch
32.336

16. Justin Allgaier
32.379

17. Anthony Alfredo
32.393

18. Nick Sanchez
32.400

19. Ryan Sieg
32.429

20. Kyle Sieg
32.459

21. Jeb Burton
32.545

22. Parker Retzlaff
32.547

23. Dean Thompson
32.573

24. Leland Honeyman Jr
32.583

25. Harrison Burton
32.619

26. Garrett Smithley
32.709

27. Ryan Ellis
32.778

28. Mason Maggio
32.783

29. Nick Leitz
32.857

30. Brennan Poole
32.862

31. Glen Reen
32.884

32. Lavar Scott
32.942

33. Joey Gase
32.946

34. Josh Bilicki
33.035

35. Logan Bearden
33.619

36. Carson Ware
36.110

37. Blaine Perkins
46.808

38. Jordan Anderson
No Time

Links

Atlanta Motor Speedway | Lime Rock Park | NASCAR

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Atlanta mentoring program brings ‘Save Our Sons Tour’ to Jacksonville’s Duval Day

Published

23 hours ago

July 11, 2026

Press Room

Atlanta mentoring program brings ‘Save Our Sons Tour’ to Jacksonville’s Duval Day

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – An Atlanta-based mentoring program is making a stop in Jacksonville this weekend — and its leader says the city could be next on the map.

Next Level Boys Academy will set up at Clanzel T. Brown Park in the Moncrief area Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. as part of the “Save Our Sons Tour.” The free, family-friendly event runs alongside Duval Day, the annual block party hosted by Jacksonville-born comedian Lil Duval, which follows from 3 to 8 p.m.

From a Little League Sideline to a National Movement

Gary Davis, CEO and Executive Director of Next Level Boys Academy, says it all started on a baseball field. While coaching little league in 2009, he decided mentoring had to go deeper than sports.

“I built this organization from that group of young men that I coached back in 2009,” Davis said.

What began with 11 young men has grown to serve between 200 and 300 youth each year. The program has drawn national media attention and support from high-profile names, including rappers T.I. and Killer Mike.

What the Program Does

Next Level Boys Academy mentors teens on Saturdays, working with youth ages 5 to 10. It also runs an alternative-to-incarceration program for first-time offenders ages 12 to 25.

Davis says the impact goes beyond mentorship.

“On average we’ve probably diverted about 100 years of prison time a week,” he said.

Former NFL player Will Sweet is also part of the Jacksonville visit. Sweet leads the entrepreneurship and professional development component of the academy’s Atlanta program.

A Vision for Duval County

Davis, a former educator and social worker, says this weekend is about more than one event. He wants Jacksonville’s leaders to take notice.

“The ultimate reason why we are coming to Jacksonville this weekend is because we want the city officials and local government to see there is an innovative mentoring organization that is working in Atlanta — and we have people that are in place there that could start this and move it,” Davis said. “There is no need in re-inventing the wheel.”