Georgia Tech’s Charlie Willcox Waiting for Chance in Atlanta Regional

ATLANTA — The crowds will be packed into Russ Chandler Stadium this weekend, the pressure turned all the way up and Georgia Tech’s march toward Omaha officially underway.

Somewhere inside the Yellow Jackets’ deep pitching staff, Albany freshman Charlie Willcox is waiting for his opportunity.

The No. 2 national seed Yellow Jackets (48-9) open NCAA Regional play Friday as hosts of the Atlanta Regional, welcoming Oklahoma, Illinois-Chicago and The Citadel to a sold-out postseason atmosphere that feels much bigger than an ordinary weekend in May.

For Willcox, it is exactly the kind of stage he envisioned when he turned down professional baseball to come to Georgia Tech.

“I had been watching Tech since I was a junior in high school, and I knew they were only going to get stronger,” Willcox said. “I really liked the coaches and the guys at Georgia Tech. That’s the reason I felt Tech was the right place for me.”

The son of Jason and DeeDee Willcox, the former Deerfield-Windsor standout attended school in Albany from pre-kindergarten through the middle of his sophomore year before transferring to South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

By the end of his prep career, major college programs and professional scouts were calling. From a long list of scholarship offers — along with the possibility of signing an MLB contract — Willcox chose college baseball and a Georgia Tech program he believed was building toward something special.

Turns out, he was right.

The Yellow Jackets enter the postseason as one of the nation’s hottest teams, loaded with future draft picks and legitimate College World Series aspirations.

“We’ve got seven or eight guys that will be drafted this year,” Willcox said. “We have three semifinalists for the Golden Spikes Award.”

But Willcox insists Georgia Tech’s biggest strength isn’t just talent.

“There have been a lot of teams with great talent that didn’t make it because the team didn’t gel,” he said. “At Tech we are all friends. We click. We get along real well. Even when it’s not time for practice or a game, we’re hanging out together — playing cards or wiffle ball or something.”

That chemistry has helped fuel one of the best seasons in school history.

Still, Willcox knows the postseason can humble even elite teams.

“You can’t count anybody out,” he said. “You look at what happened with Murray State last year and you understand that. Oklahoma is really good. They have a great pitching staff and they are always strong.”

Personally, the transition to college baseball has been tougher than expected.

Willcox made 10 appearances during the regular season, pitching 13 innings without recording a decision. For a pitcher accustomed to dominating hitters throughout high school, the adjustment has tested him mentally as much as physically.

“I had a good fall, but this spring has been hard,” Willcox admitted. “There have been some ups and downs. Lots of downs. I’ve never had a season like I had this spring, but I’ve learned so much since I’ve been here.”

The freshman said veteran teammates have helped younger players navigate those struggles.

“One of the great things about being here is that we have older, more-experienced players helping us,” Willcox said. “They’re checking on us and trying to keep us positive.”

Now comes the postseason, where pitching depth suddenly becomes critical and opportunities can arrive without warning.

“The thing about the playoffs is that you’re playing a lot of games,” Willcox said. “It’s going to come down to the arms. Guys are going to have to step up and step into their roles.”

And if Georgia Tech needs another arm this weekend, the freshman from Albany who once turned down professional baseball might finally get the moment he came to Atlanta chasing.