The nationally ranked Georgia Gwinnett College softball team seeks to continue its strong play down the stretch of the regular season when it travels to Truett-McConnell University (Georgia) on Thursday, April 21, from Cleveland, Georgia, starting at 5 p.m. Then the team is scheduled to travel to No. 15 Lindsey Wilson College (Kentucky) on Saturday, April 23.

The Grizzlies (29-15) won three of their four games during a road trip last week against USC Beaufort and No. 10 College of Coastal Georgia. GGC is ranked No. 15 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll released by the NAIA national office on Wednesday.

GGC swept a doubleheader against Truett-McConnell by 8-1 and 7-1 scores on March 20 at the Grizzly Softball Complex.

Junior Lea McFadden earned the Continental Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week award after hitting .611 with 11 base hits, collecting seven runs batted in and scoring five runs in the four games. She tied two single-game program records in a 13-10 extra-inning victory against USC Beaufort on April 12.

The outfielder ranks second on the team with a .416 batting average, 32 runs batted in and 12 doubles. McFadden has hit two home runs and scored 35 runs in 2022.

Senior Piper Wagner leads the team with a .462 batting average, 10 home runs, 44 RBI, and 15 doubles. She holds the program career record with 22 home runs. Wagner is 13-for-13 in stolen base attempts this season.

Junior Sydney Pelaez has hit four homers and 11 doubles while hitting .388 on the season. Sophomore Josie Haulk is hitting at a .365 clip while freshman Angelica Gallegos has a .361 batting average in 43 starts this spring.

Freshman Kailyn Berry earned the CAC Pitcher of the Week award for the second time this season. She has an 8-6 record with a team-best 1.59 earned run average.

Junior Alexa Good has posted an 18-7 record and recorded 151 strikeouts this spring.

MEET THE COACHES
Georgia Gwinnett College: Kat Ihlenburg is in her 10th season leading the Grizzlies. She has guided the program to a 360-139-2 record, six trips to NAIA postseason play, and World Series appearances in 2019 and 2018.
Truett-McConnell: Jenni Shepard has posted a 296-288-1 record in 13 seasons leading the Bears.
 
SWEEP OF CONFERENCE AWARDS
Junior Lea McFadden and freshman Kailyn Berry earned the Continental Athletic Conference Hitter and Pitcher of the Week awards for their strong play in doubleheaders last week against USC Beaufort and Coastal Georgia. McFadden tied two single-game program records while Berry won both pitching decisions among her four appearances.
 
END OF THE ROAD
The games against Truett-McConnell and Lindsey Wilson mark the final road doubleheaders of the regular season. The team is 9-6 away from the Grizzly Softball Complex in 2022.
 
SCOUTING THE BEARS
Truett-McConnell (25-22) has won three straight games and is scheduled to play at Milligan University (Tennessee) on Wednesday. The Bears swept Union College (Kentucky) in a road doubleheader last Saturday. Mattie Brooks leads the team with a .364 batting average while Justine Kennington has 13 stolen bases and legged out four triples as part of a .364 average. Alicia Price follows with a .363 average and 23 runs scored. Karley Hobbs has a 13-8 record inside the pitching circle with a 1.97 earned run average.
 
SERIES HISTORY
The Grizzlies hold a 18-8 edge in the series with Truett-McConnell, including a doubleheader sweep in Lawrenceville by 8-1 and 7-1 scores on March 20 in Lawrenceville.
 
FOLLOW THE GRIZZLIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
GGCAthletics.com is the home for the latest news and information regarding the softball team. Download the GGC App to receive schedule updates. For the latest news and schedules follow GGC Athletics and GGC Softball through the following social media: Twitter (@GGCAthletics; @GGC_Softball), Facebook (GGCAthletics) and Instagram (GGCAthletics; @ggc_softball).