When Drew Burress wasn’t drafted in the first round coming out of high school, he immediately knew his next steps.
“He said ‘I want to be a first rounder,’” Burress’ dad, Andy Burress, said. “And I said, ‘OK.’ And he did; he walked off and he called coach (James) Ramsey and coach (Danny) Hall. It was in the middle of the draft. And I was like, ‘All right, well, I guess I need to find some tickets to Georgia Tech.’”
Ramsey, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Yellow Jackets at the time, had maintained a relationship with Burress for years. He’s now head coach after the legendary Hall retired last year.
“Coach Ramsey was probably 75% of the reason why I ended up coming here in the first place, but I mean, also, Georgia Tech has such a good history of producing big time MLB players,” Burress said. “And there’s just been such a long history of Georgia Tech being good, especially on the offensive side of the ball.”
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
At Florida State, Ramsey, who played center field, helped the Seminoles to the College World Series semifinals in Omaha, won 2012 ACC Player of the Year and was drafted in the first round by St. Louis. He’s the ideal coach for Burress, the Jackets’ All-American junior center fielder who enters 2026 primed for one of the biggest seasons in college baseball.
The Yellow Jackets begin the season Feb. 13 vs. Bowling Green.
“I want to go to Omaha,” Burress said. “I want to lead this team to a national championship. I want to be the best version of Georgia Tech that it’s been in a long time. And I think, obviously, we have such a talented team in so many aspects this year.”
Tech, whose last trip to Omaha came in 2006, has raked in preseason accolades. The Jackets are ranked preseason No. 2 by Perfect Game, No. 4 by Baseball America and No. 5 by D1 Baseball, with four players, including Burress, named Perfect Game preseason all-Americans.
The Jackets and their loaded lineup have high hopes for this season, and Burress is a big part of that.
As both a freshman and sophomore, he has been a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, given to the best amateur baseball player in the country. Last season, Burress started all 60 games in center field and slashed .333/.469/.693 (1.162 OPS), leading the team in runs (77), doubles (23) and home runs (19), to name a few, leading the ACC in extra-base hits (43).
You’d run out of breath listing all his accomplishments so far, but the hype is quite real, Ramsey thinks.
“I’ve coached couple first rounders now; you always have this (thought), OK, how good are these guys?” said Ramsey, who is from Alpharetta. “Physically, he’s better than I was. Mentally, he’s as good or better than I was, as a leader, he’s as good (as I was). … He’s not afraid to be the leader on a team that’s not afraid to say ‘We want to be the best team in the country.’ …
“And I think (the team has) seen me not flinch at those expectations, because that’s the program you want to be a part of, and you want to build. He’s the same way.”
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
At the same time, Ramsey said, Burress doesn’t think he can shirk the small, daily tasks just because he’s in the spotlight.
“Our program has changed since the day (Burress) stepped on campus,” Ramsey said. “It’s always great. There’s always tradition. But he really is a magnet. People love him. There’s no job that is beneath him. I mean, he’s here for the tarp pulls, he’s here for cleaning up the bus rides. He’s here for doing all the things it takes.”
Burress, from Houston County, is another local product.
He is set to earn his degree from Tech in just three years, and is “the favorite to be the first outfielder selected in 2026 and could crack the top five choices” in this year’s MLB Draft, according to MLB.com.
Two other Yellow Jackets — catcher Vahn Lackey and second baseman Jarren Advincula — could hear their names called early in the draft, with Lackey being projected No. 12 and Advincula at No. 35.
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Burress’ dad owns 5 Star National, so he grew up around the sport. He embraces the high expectations facing Tech this season — it’s the exact position they want to be in, Burress said.
“I think I expect the most out of myself, (more) than anybody else does,” Burress said. “And I think when I put that pressure on myself every day versus when other people are, it doesn’t bother me. So I think it’s just kind of one of those things, and we’re saying the same thing teamwise. … Whether these polls or whatnot say we’re the best team in the country or the worst team in the country, at the end of the day, it don’t matter. What happens on the field is all that matters.”
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