Bringing It Home

Every player on the 2021 Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team has a good story. And, junior Rhian Mann may have one of the best.

It’s a tale speckled with tragedy, a homecoming, triumphs, and a wicked fastball.

“Rhian is a great kid with a really special story,” admits GGC Head Baseball Coach Jeremy Sheetinger. 

Mann’s story begins in 2011 when his mother, Sandra, died after a second diagnosis with breast cancer. She was his No. 1 fan.

“She beat it the first time, but it came back and you could tell it was way worse the second time around. I didn’t see it coming,” the son reflects. “After her passing I really didn’t want to do anything and had no emotion.”

Baseball helped him through the grieving process. He became a star pitcher at Lawrenceville’s Archer High School, setting school records for career strikeouts and victories. The Perfect Game scouting service selected Mann as one of the nation’s top 1,000 high school seniors in 2016. That attracted the attention of recruiters and scholarship offers from NCAA Division I baseball teams.

And, GGC’s budding NAIA program, started in 2013, wasn’t in his plans – yet.

“I wanted to be a Division 1 baseball player so badly,” he stated. 

That’s why he accepted a baseball scholarship to Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia, which was close to his father, Felton; a sister, Alesha, a former softball shortstop at Georgia Southern University; and brother, Zachary.

“[Kennesaw State] looked good because they were coming off a regional, but once I got there, I could tell that I was missing out on something. I don’t think I would have realized that missing part if I hadn’t gone there first.”

The 6-foot-7 right-handed pitcher helped the Grizzlies post a 23-2 record and win their last 22 games during a shortened 2020 season. He came out of the bullpen to have a 3-0 record and two saves in eight appearances. Victories came against No. 7 University of the Cumberlands (Kentucky), West Virginia University Tech and Reinhardt University (Georgia). 

“With his height, his ability to throw the ball downhill can be very intimating to opposing hitters,” said Sheetinger. “He has a ‘quick’ arm that makes it hard to pick up which pitch he is throwing with how fast his arm moves through his motion. His stuff always moves. His fastball has heavy movement and his slider is one of the better pitches in our program.”

The junior used a strong mental approach to enjoy success in his first season at GGC.

“This is a failure-free environment. We believe that if you give it your best and are constantly working, then there’s no way you can fail. That environment takes the pressure off the players,” said Mann. “Before I arrived here, I was always thinking that I had to perform for my family and my mom. I put a lot of unnecessary pressure on myself. That messes with you mentally and physically.”

He adds: “The body can’t go where the mind has never been. Just breathe, visualize and be in the moment.” 

Mann’s prior experiences and travels have helped realize what makes the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball program so special.

Making the transition even smoother has been the off-the-field support provided by Steve and Nancy Bradshaw, a couple who befriended Mann at Kennesaw State. They now make journeys to Gwinnett County to watch Mann play.

Sheetinger is happy to hand the ball to Mann in pressure-packed relief pitching situations and appreciates the junior’s leadership role on the 2021 team.

Yes, there’s no place like home . . . and a good story.