The No. 3-ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team tallied 28 runs on Saturday to pick up a pair of wins and cap a successful three-game season-opening weekend sweep.

The Grizzlies defeated Midway University (Kentucky) 15-4 in seven innings before collecting another seven-inning triumph 13-3 against Huntington University (Indiana) at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. The team scored 39 runs in winning all three games during the weekend.

GGC relied on a balanced offensive attack for the two victories, tallying 27 hits and scoring runs in 10 of its 13 innings. The hosts also pushed across five runs at least once in each contest.

Senior Kyle Norton lined an RBI double down the right field line to jumpstart a five-run second inning that provided a 6-2 lead against Midway. A couple of batters later, senior Braxton Meguiar perfectly placed a sacrifice bunt with the bases loaded to plate another run. Then, junior Tyler M. Martin hustled for an infield single that drove home two more runs during the productive frame.

A few innings later, senior Jon Ponder dashed to a run-scoring triple to extend GGC's lead to 7-3.

Junior Grant Pohlman connected on a two-run homer over the left field fence in the fifth inning – part of a 3-for-3 performance that also featured a triple and a double.

In the second game, GGC scored two runs in the second and third innings to build an early 4-0 advantage. Senior Zayd Brannigan lined a run-scoring double and later scored on an RBI ground out by classmate Paul Winland Jr. in the second inning.

Senior Matthew Lee smashed a two-run home run to left field in the fifth inning to give the Grizzlies a commanding 11-3 lead. Meguiar plated another run with a run-scoring single.

GGC's catching duo of Pohlman and Lee each went 3-for-3 with three RBI and scored a run for the day.

"I was so impressed with both of our catchers. We challenged them to be dialed in defensively, because defense is so important at that position. The fact that they both came up with big hits and RBIs is a huge benefit for us," said Sheetinger.

On the mound, senior right hander Austin Testerman scattered two hits and allowed one unearned run across four strong innings to pick up the victory against Huntington. Classmate Cade Carlson tossed three innings to register the win in his GGC starting debut during Saturday's opener.  


 
Coach's Corner
"There were so many great things on both sides that we did during this opening weekend set. We really love this group. They are a fun group to be around and want to get better. They love playing for each other and with each other and we're going to ride that chemistry the rest of the way this season. They play Grizzly baseball," said Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger.
 
Turning Point
The Grizzlies scored runs in 10 of their 13 offensive innings to collect two seven-inning wins on Saturday. This balanced offensive attack featured 27 hits that produced 28 runs. The team pushed across at least five runs in a single inning during each of the first three contests to start the 2025 campaign.
 
Key Plays
Midway Game
Bottom of First
A dropped fly ball in left-center field allowed Braxton Meguiar to score and cut an early deficit to 2-1
 
Bottom of Second
Kyle Norton lined an RBI double down the right field line to tie the contest at 2-2
Braxton Meguiar executed a sacrifice bunt with the bases loaded to give GGC its first lead of the game
Tyler M. Martin brought home a pair of runs with an infield single
Scott Seeker hit a run-scoring double to right field to cap the five-run frame
 
Bottom of Fourth
Jon Ponder legged out a triple to score Zayd Brannigan
Alex Harrell collected a single through the right side of the infield to give the Grizzlies a 10-3 advantage
 
Bottom of Fifth
Grant Pohlman connected on a two-run home run for his first round tripper as a Grizzly, growing the lead to 12-4
 
Huntington Game
Bottom of Second
Zayd Brannigan lined an RBI double to right-center field to open the scoring
Paul Winland Jr. followed with an RBI ground out to first base that plated Zayd Brannigan, giving GGC a 2-0 lead
 
Bottom of Fourth
Jon Ponder brought home Sam Seeker on an RBI double as the Grizzlies scored five runs in the frame
 
Bottom of Fifth
Matthew Lee hit a two-run homer to left field
Braxton Meguiar added a run-scoring single to extend the lead to 12-3
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC tallied 27 hits across Saturday's two games, with 14 hits coming against Midway in the day's opener
• Senior Jon Ponder went 5-for-9, with four runs scored, from the leadoff spot in the team's batting order
• The pitching staff tallied 13 strikeouts in Saturday's games
• GGC outscored the opposition by a 39-8 margin over the three-game weekend set

News & Notes

• GGC improves to 3-0 this spring; Midway stands 1-2 in 2024; Huntington is 1-3 on the season
• The Grizzlies were ranked No. 3 in the NAIA Preseason Top 25 poll
• The team successfully stole six bases after leading the NAIA with 315 during the 2024 campaign
• GGC has won all seven games in the series history against Midway; this weekend marked the first time Huntington has faced the Grizzlies

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College is scheduled to travel to Warner University (Florida) to begin a three-game weekend series on Friday, February 7, at Lake Wales, Florida, starting at 6 p.m.