Georgia Tech’s Drew Burress put together one of the most impressive freshman campaigns in recent college baseball history during the 2024 season. Now, as he prepares for his sophomore year, the 5-foot-9, 182-pound outfielder is focused on elevating his already formidable game and leading the Yellow Jackets deep into postseason play.
Burress turned heads last spring by earning Freshman of the Year honors from D1 Baseball and Perfect Game, while being dubbed the top freshman hitter by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. With these accolades, he joined elite company as just the third Georgia Tech player to garner such recognition from major publications, following in the footsteps of legendary Yellow Jackets Mark Teixeira (1999) and Derek Dietrich (2008).
He capped off his debut season with an All-Atlantic Coast Conference First-Team nod, an ACC Freshman of the Year title, multiple All-America distinctions and semifinalist honors for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. Even so, Burress admitted none of those accolades came close to falling one run shy of the freshman home run record.
“The one [accolade] that probably stuck out the most for me was actually missing the freshman home run record by one, and I actually hit the home run. I don’t know if you remember, against Georgia last year when we played on Friday,” Burress said in an interview with Baseball Prospect Journal on Tuesday. “So that, that would have been the one that tied the freshman home run record last year but the game got canceled, obviously, and it didn’t count. I get a chance to go after the Georgia Tech home run record and other stuff this year, but I’m not gonna get another chance at that.”
Burress’ numbers speak for themselves. He led Georgia Tech in batting average (.381), home runs (25) and RBIs (67) — taking home the program’s triple crown for just the 12th time in school history. His 25 homers set a new freshman mark with the Yellow Jackets and fell a single blast short of matching the program’s single-season record.
Perhaps even more impressive, though, was Burress’ plate discipline. He recorded 58 walks compared to just 37 strikeouts, fueling a .512 on-base percentage and a 1.333 OPS. Throw in the 15 doubles, three triples, eight stolen bases and a program-best 10 outfield assists, and you’ve got a player who can truly influence every aspect of the game.
“I think I’m one of the more complete players in college baseball. You don’t see a lot of guys that can hit the ball out of the park, hit for average, get on base and play defense all at the same time,” Burress said. “I kind of try to prioritize everything the same.”
Burress also topped D-I freshmen charts in home runs, home runs per game, slugging percentage and walks while ranking in the top three nationally in 11 different categories. His ability to handle college baseball’s best arms was on full display all year, especially when he drilled a program-record four home runs in a single game in a 10-0 win over Georgia State early last year.
“I think it’s kind of one thing that, since I’ve gotten here at Georgia Tech, Coach Ram (James Ramsey) just really helped me out with, is having an approach for every guy. I mean, obviously, not all pitchers are the same. Actually, they’re all pretty different, and we go through and we’ll watch film before games, and just kind of build approaches on different guys,” Burress said about his approach at the plate.
“So, it’s not always the same. Something for me, and obviously, if a guy is going breaking balls at an 80% clip, I mean, you’re probably not going to be the most successful if you’re looking for a fastball, but I’m always trying to do damage at the end of the day. Very rarely is there a situation where I’m just trying to hit a single or trying to hit a sac fly —- you’re trying to hit the ball in the gap.”
Unsurprisingly, MLB scouts have already taken note of Burress’ advanced hand-eye coordination, patience at the plate and overwhelming power with the bat. Still, the sophomore outfielder remains primed for improvement — focused on refining his base running, OBP and helping the Yellow Jackets chase an ACC crown en route to a College World Series run.
With a generational first year in the books, Burress’ stage is now set for an even bigger encore in his second season — one that he hopes will leave a lasting mark on Georgia Tech baseball — and he is well on his way toward becoming a probable first-round pick in the 2026 MLB draft, when he becomes eligible.
“I mean, you see guys kind of looking to you to make decisions, and that’s something I’ve definitely noticed, and I’m taking into account. I want to lead by example and show guys the right way to do things,” Burress said about his leadership approach this season. “If you work hard, it’s gonna pay off.”
