The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team completed a dominant three-game performance to capture the inaugural Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship with a 5-2 victory against Fisher College (Massachusetts) on Monday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (42-14) outscored their three opponents by a 24-3 margin, struck out 25 opposing hitters, had 15 steals, and didn't have a defensive error in winning the program's sixth overall conference championship (formally the Association of Independent Institutions).

Now GGC, the defending NAIA national champion, awaits announcement of the Opening Round pairings for this year's NAIA championship tournament. The team will be hosting one of 10 first-round sites. Pairings will be made by the NAIA national office on Thursday, May 12, at 5 p.m.

In Monday's championship showdown, junior Myles McKisic led the team's early offensive production with a run-scoring double in the second inning and later hit a sacrifice fly to produce another run in the fourth inning. A pair of errors by Fisher (29-28) on the same play allowed senior J.D. Stubbs to score later in the fourth to give the tournament hosts a 3-0 advantage.

"Championship games have a different feel about them. It took us a couple of innings to settle in and remember it was just another baseball game and to get back to playing our style," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.

After Fisher scored its first run in the bottom of the fourth inning, the Grizzlies added some insurances in the seventh and eighth innings to pull away for the championship.

Freshman Braxton Meguiar added another sacrifice fly to bring home sophomore Joshua Holt Jr. in the seventh inning. A throwing error following a pop up in foul territory allowed senior Livingston Morris to score one inning later for the eventual 5-2 victory margin.

Sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Clayton tossed six strong innings to pick up the victory, improving to 5-1 on the season. Sophomore Gage Williams, senior Tuck Tucker and junior Jonathan Haab allowed just one hit as each threw one inning in relief. Haab registered his second save of the season by tossing a scoreless ninth inning.

Senior Austin Bates was named the CAC Baseball Championship's Most Outstanding Player after posting a .556 batting average for the three victories and helping manage a pitching staff that was on top of its game throughout the tournament.

"The key indicator for Austin (Bates) is games played and games started. It tells you everything you need to know about him as a player," said Sheetinger on his senior catcher. "Austin is a linchpin for everything that we've done this season. He's the ultimate Grizzly and ultimate tough guy. He's the guy you want behind the plate."

Senior pitcher Gavin Heltemes, outfielder Livingston Morris and first baseman Stubbs joined junior pitcher Rob Hamby on being named to the all-tournament team for their strong play throughout the championship tournament.

 

BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS: @GGCAthletics captures the inaugural CAC Baseball Championship. @FisherFalcons & GGC earned automatic bids to the NAIA Opening Round with the field announced Thursday, May 12, at 4pm CDT. Video courtesy the Grizzly Digital Network.#CAC_Baseball pic.twitter.com/oAAhjn6Sit

— Continental Athletics (@CAC_SportsNAIA) May 9, 2022

 
Coach's Corner
"Our guys have been through the battles this season and we leaned on our experience to carry us to this championship. It was a total team effort, with our offense providing runs and our quality pitching staff having strong performances. Winning a championship continues our program's proud winning tradition," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
Starting pitching led the Grizzlies to the inaugural CAC Baseball Championship title. Those starters allowed just one run in 20 innings over three games. Sophomore Tyler Clayton closed out the tournament Monday by tossing six strong innings as the Grizzlies led 3-1 when the left hander exited the contest.
 
Key Plays
Top of Second
Myles McKisic lined an RBI double to open the scoring
 
Top of Fourth
Myles McKisic hit a sacrifice fly to right field to score Ryan Hunt
Two defensive errors on the same play allowed J.D. Stubbs to score and gave the Grizzlies a 3-0 lead
 
Bottom of Fourth
Miguel Torres hit a run-scoring double to right-center field to put the Falcons on the scoreboard
 
Top of Seventh
Braxton Meguiar added a sacrifice fly to right field to bring home Joshua Holt Jr.
 
Bottom of Seventh
Victor Torres lined an RBI double to cut Fisher's deficit to two runs, 4-2
 
Inside The Numbers

• Both teams tallied seven hits in the contest
• Four of GGC's seven hits went for doubles
• The Grizzlies successfully stole six bases during Monday's championship game
• Sophomore starting pitcher Tyler Clayton recorded five strikeouts across six strong innings

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 42-14 on the season; Fisher falls to 29-28 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 11 in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• GGC is the top seed in the 2022 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament; Fisher was the No. 2 seed
• The Grizzlies have won 10 of the 11 meetings this season against the Falcons
• GGC has won three straight conference tournament titles and six conference championships in the program's 10 seasons of existence

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College will be hosting the Lawrenceville Bracket of the 2022 NAIA Opening Round from May 16-19 at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. The tournament field will be announced on Thursday, May 12, at 5 p.m.