As Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress walked into Russ Chandler Stadium for Tuesday’s home game, a cool breeze swept through the ballpark, filling him with the anticipation of playing in front of family and friends. At that moment, Burress sensed the day would be special
Little did he know, it ended up being historic.
Burress, Pipeline's No. 104 Draft prospect in 2023, smashed not one, not two, not three but four home runs in the Yellow Jackets' 10-0 win over Georgia State on Tuesday evening in Atlanta. At just 19 years old and only eight games into his freshman year, he shattered the program’s record for most long balls in a single game.
Even more impressive was that he only swung the bat four times the entire game. According to Baseball America, Burress was the first player to hit four home runs in a game this season after two did it last season: Mississippi’s Calvin Harris and Texas State’s Chase Mora.
“I think it was just one of those nights,” Burress said. “Some days you have it, some days you don't. I was in a good spot and I got some good pitches to hit and the ball left my bat how I wanted it to. It was just one of those things that just worked out.”
Burress is the 14th player -- and third freshman -- to accomplish the feat since single-game stat tracking in the NCAA began in 2012. Only two D1 players have ever hit more than four homers in a game. Florida State's Marshall McDougal hit six vs. Maryland on May 9, 1999, and Campbell's Henry Rochelle had five vs. Radford on March 30, 1985.
Even before his four-home run performance, it didn’t take long for Burress to make a strong first impression on the college baseball world. The Houston County, Ga., product slugged five homers in his first seven games before his outburst on Tuesday. His nine roundtrippers lead all Division I players.
Tommy White, currently the No. 7 prospect in this year’s Draft class, hit nine homers in his first eight games in 2022 on his way to breaking the NCAA freshman record, which had stood for 32 years, with 27.
“I expect to go out there and hit a home run every time,” Burress said. “It sounds over the top, but when I go out there, that is what I'm expected to do. It very rarely works out, but today it did.”
Aware of the challenges his freshman year would bring, Burress spent the offseason working in the weight room and collaborating with associate head coach James Ramsey on how to elevate his hitting.
As the season got underway, Burress noticed that the pitchers he faced consistently pumped 90+ mph fastballs. That would intimidate some young hitters, but the freshman embraced the new challenge.
“It is special being at such a prestigious baseball school like Georgia Tech,” Burress said about his record-breaking performance. “That’s what you come to do is set records and win a lot of baseball games. I've been fortunate enough that we're already doing business.”
Georgia Tech boasts an illustrious lineage of hitters to have stepped on campus: Mark Teixeira, Nomar Garciaparra, Charlie Blackmon, Matt Wieters and Jason Varitek among them. But none ever went deep four times in one contest like Burress.
Burress’ high school career was impressive enough that he was considered a possible pick within the first four rounds of last year's Draft, but he had a strong commitment to the Yellow Jackets. Known for his aggressive approach and power to his pullside, Burress has also begun to showcase his ability to hit with pop to the opposite field. While one scout likened his style to Michael Chavis, Burress believes his swing more closely resembles that of MLB Pipeline's No. 7 overall prospect and last year's second overall pick, Dylan Crews.
And if he continues to crush the ball at anything mirroring his current rate, he could follow in Crews’ footsteps and reach his high ceiling when he’s eligible for the 2026 Draft.