The nationally ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team completed a dominating clean sweep of the 2023 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship tournament with a 27-4 victory over Fisher College (Massachusetts) in Monday's championship game at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (47-5; ranked No. 4 nationally) scored 60 runs across three straight victories to capture their fourth straight conference tournament championship and seventh title overall.

GGC once again didn't waste much time setting the tempo in the game, tallying eight hits to score 11 runs after sending 16 batters to the plate in the top of the second inning.

Junior Devin Warner played a key role in the frame with a run-scoring single from each side of the plate. He opened the scoring with an RBI single from the right side before switching to the left side of the batter's box for another RBI single, this time to right field.

Warner's second base hit in the inning gave the top-seeded team a 9-0 advantage.

Juniors Jesus Pacheco and Jon Ponder joined sophomore Kyle Norton in drawing bases-loaded walks on consecutive at-bats. Sophomore Joe Quelch followed with a run-scoring single to left field that plated another run, and two were added to the scoreboard on a base hit by sophomore Braxton Meguiar.

Sophomore Cohen Wilbanks capped the productive inning with a two-run double to score Meguiar and Warner with GGC's 10th and 11th runs, respectively.

The Grizzlies kept up the pace in each of the following seven innings, finishing with 24 hits for the game. Ponder hit a solo home run in the fourth inning while going 2-for-4, with three runs scored. The center fielder was named the 2023 CAC Baseball Championship's Most Outstanding Player.

"My teammates push me hard every day to keep grinding. I was excited to begin the postseason and get back to contributing for the team. It was great to support my teammates over the final stretch of games," said Ponder.

It was a total team championship performance with seven of GGC's nine starting players collecting at least two hits. Meguiar and Warner each went 4-for-4 at the plate, while Meguair drove in five runs and Warner followed by a four-RBI effort.

Meanwhile, five pitchers combined to register 13 strikeouts. Sophomore reliever Ben Weber struck out three batters across two scoreless innings to pick up his second win of the season.

Joining Ponder on the CAC's all-tournament team were junior outfielder Ajay Sczepkowski, junior pitcher Gage Williams and Warner.


  "Jon (Ponder) is an exceptional talent and an even better person. He stirs the pot for us offensively. He did a great job announcing his presence back into our lineup during this tournament. We certainly marched to the beat of his drum. I'm proud of how our guys stayed focus on the goal (winning the CAC championship) by winning every pitch and every inning – ultimately leading us to win every game," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
  Collecting eight hits from 16 batters, GGC scored 11 runs during the second inning. Junior Devin Warner collected a pair of run-scoring singles in the frame. He opened the productive inning with a single to left field that brought home sophomore Joe Quelch. Later, Warner added an RBI single to right field that once again scored Quelch, this time for the ninth run of the frame. The team would add runs for the next seven innings to pull away for the title.
  Top of Second
Devin Warner lined a run-scoring single to left field to open the productive inning
Jesus Pacheco, Jon Ponder and Kyle Norton drew walks on three consecutive at-bats with the bases loaded
Ajay Sczepkowski was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to give GGC a 5-0 lead
Joe Quelch hit an RBI single to left field
Braxon Meguiar brought home a pair of runs with a single through the right side of the infield
Devin Warner collected his second RBI single of the frame as the Grizzlies extended the lead to 9-0
Cohen Wilbanks lined a two-run double to left-center field that capped the team's 11-run inning
 
Top of Fourth
Jon Ponder connected on a solo home run for his 15th round tripper of the season
 
Top of Fifth
Devin Warner lined a two-run double to right field that gave the Grizzlies a commanding 17-3 lead
 

• The Grizzlies outhit Fisher by a 24-5 margin
• GGC scored 60 runs in sweeping its three games during the 2023 CAC Baseball Championship, with the last two victories coming against Fisher by a 46-5 margin
• Junior Devin Warner went 4-for-4 with four RBI and three runs scored Monday
• Five GGC pitchers combined for 13 strikeouts in the game

• GGC improves to 47-5 on the season, while Fisher drops to 29-23 this spring
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 4 in the final regular-season NAIA Top 25 poll
• The team was the No. 1 seed in the Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship; Fisher stood as the No. 2 seed
• GGC has won four straight conference tournament titles

Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to host the NAIA Opening Round Lawrenceville Bracket from May 15-18 at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. Tournament pairings will be announced by the NAIA national office later this week.