On an Alumni Day that recognized the 2021 NAIA championship Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team for showcasing dominance on the diamond, the 2022 team shut out Fisher College (Massachusetts) twice Saturday in a doubleheader sweep at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The coaching staff and team members received special championship rings in a pregame ceremony for winning the program's first national championship, the Office of Athletics' 14th overall national title.

"It was a fun day to see so many familiar faces. The 2021 team and what it accomplished will always go down in program history. They were a special team with very special people who did special things. Our alumni are the fabric of our program. For them to come into the dugout and put arms around current team members is what our program is all about," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.

GGC swept the doubleheader by 15-0 and 9-0 scores against Fisher in a matchup of Continental Athletic Conference opponents.

In the first game, the top-ranked Grizzlies (16-2) wasted little time in jumping on top of the Falcons by scoring five runs in the first inning. Freshman Braxton Meguiar brought home the first of those runs with a double inside the left field line. Junior Blaze O'Saben followed with a run-scoring single before sophomore Joshua Holt Jr. cleared the bases with a single to right field.

Senior Livingston Morris led off the third inning with his 21st career home run. Junior Myles McKisic drove in O'Saben with an RBI single to center field for a 7-0 lead.

The hosts added two more runs before a six-run fifth inning concluded the scoring.

Senior starting pitcher Kevin Kyle scattered five hits across six shutout innings to improve to 5-0 on the season. The right hander lowered his season earned run average to a dazzling 0.32. Junior reliever Sam Hunt pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the Grizzlies.

In the nightcap, senior left hander Tuck Tucker struck out a career-high 11 batters in six scoreless innings to pick up his second victory of the season. Sophomore Gage Williams tossed three scoreless innings, with four strikeouts, to pick up his third save of 2022.

Offensively, the Grizzlies took a 2-0 lead following a two-run single by O'Saben in the third inning. Junior Jake Defries legged out an RBI double in the fifth inning to score Meguiar from first base.

One inning later, GGC pushed four runs across to stretch its lead to 8-0. Meguiar and Defries added back-to-back run-scoring singles before a passed ball allowed Meguiar to touch home plate in the frame. Sophomore Chase Evans collected an RBI single during the big sixth inning.

Defries went 4-for-4 and scored four times in the nightcap while Meguiar scored three of the team's nine runs. Senior Austin Bates and O'Saben each collected three hits among GGC's 15 hits in the opener.


 
"We were very distinct with our players that the ring ceremony was a pregame activity for the 2021 team. Then, we had a game to play. I was very happy with the level of maturity that we showed in separating the two events. We're on a journey to see how good this team can be," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
After taking photos and receiving 2021 national championship rings, members of the 2022 GGC team quickly turned the page and started fast in the opener. They scored five runs in the opening inning. Senior Kevin Kyle tossed a scoreless top of the first inning before senior Austin Bates led off the game with a single. Senior Livingston Morris connected on his 21st career home run in the third inning before junior Myles McKisic recorded an RBI single later in the frame.
 
First Game
Bottom of First
Braxton Meguiar lined an RBI double down the left field line to score Adam Alicea-Brooks
Blaze O'Saben added a run-scoring single to score the team's second run of the frame
Joshua Holt Jr. cleared the bases with a single to right field and score three runs
 
Bottom of Third
Livingston Morris led off the inning with a home run to left field
Myles McKisic hit an RBI single to center field to extend GGC's lead to 7-0
 
Second Game
Bottom of Third
Blaze O'Saben opened the scoring with a two-run single through the right side
 
Bottom of Fifth
Jake Defries lined an RBI double to left-center field to score Braxton Meguiar from first base
 
Bottom of Sixth
Braxton Meguiar brought home Joshua Holt Jr. with a run-scoring single
Jake Defries hit an RBI single to give the Grizzlies a 6-0 lead
Chase Evans capped GGC's four-run inning with a run-scoring single to left field
 

• The Grizzlies tallied 15 in the first game and followed with nine in the second game
• Junior Jake Defries recorded five stolen bases in the opener
• GGC pitchers combined for 20 strikeouts across 16 innings of work Saturday

• GGC improves to 16-2 on the season; Fisher falls to 8-5 in 2022
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 1 in the 2022 NAIA Top 25 preseason poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won all 17 meetings with fellow Continental Athletic Conference-member Fisher

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to conclude the four-game weekend series against Fisher College (Massachusetts) with a doubleheader on Sunday, March 6, from the Grizzly Baseball Complex, starting at 1 p.m.