The top-seeded and No. 2 nationally ranked Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team is preparing to begin postseason play Wednesday, April 29, while hosting the 2026 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Championship at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

At 7 p.m., the Grizzlies (43-6) are scheduled to face the winner of the game between Simpson University (California), the tournament's No. 4 seed, and No. 5 seed Carolina University (North Carolina) from earlier in the day.

The five-team double-elimination tournament is scheduled to continue through Saturday, May 2. The champion receives the league's automatic bid to the Opening Round of the NAIA tournament.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

The CAC tournament schedule is:

Wednesday, April 29
Game 1: No. 4 seed Simpson University (California) vs. No. 5 seed Carolina University (North Carolina), 11 a.m.
Game 2: No. 2 seed Westcliff University (California) vs. No. 3 seed Florida National University, 3 p.m.
Game 3: No. 1 seed Georgia Gwinnett College vs. Winner of Game 1, 7 p.m.

Thursday, April 30
Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Winner of Game 2 vs. Winner of Game 3, 3 p.m.
Game 6: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 7 p.m.

Friday, May 1
Game 7: Loser of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 11 a.m.
Game 8: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 7, 3 p.m.

Saturday, May 2
Game 9: If necessary game between same two teams as Game 8, 11 a.m.

GGC is seeking to win its seventh straight conference tournament title and ninth overall league championship.

The Grizzlies are coming off a three-game series sweep against fellow CAC member Fisher College (Massachusetts) last weekend. GGC is 23-3 in home games this spring.

Junior shortstop Peyton Watts leads the team with a .442 batting average and junior second baseman Payton Fort has hit seven homers and collected 58 runs batted in.

Junior outfielder Trey Smith is tops on the team with nine home runs and 60 RBI. Freshman outfielder Vick Gann is hitting at a .404 clip and is 16-of-17 in stolen base attempts in 2026.

Junior third baseman JJ Garcia has had 18 doubles and scored 50 runs. Senior catcher Grant Pohlman has a .336 batting average and started 48 games.

GGC ranks third nationally with a .356 team batting average, is second with 578 hits and is third with 203 stolen bases.  

On the mound, junior Peyton Castellow has a 6-0 record, 2.64 earned run average and 80 strikeouts. Senior Shane Anderson also is 6-0 and has 63 strikeouts across 47.2 innings. Senior Carson Judd has won five games in 13 appearances, including four starts. Senior Gavin LeBlanc has a 2.20 ERA and has started eight games.

The Grizzlies' 3.82 team ERA ranks fifth nationally and the pitching staff's 471 strikeouts are second nationally among NAIA peers.

Simpson (24-24) swept a doubleheader against Nelson University (Arizona) on April 18. The Red Hawks went 3-4 against league members in their first season in the CAC. JJ Torrente anchors the offensive attack with a .382 batting average and scored 36 runs. Owen Hayes has 11 homers and 15 doubles. Cayden Lee is tops on the team with 43 RBI and has connected on nine home runs. Bo Valladao is 3-3 with 48 strikeouts across 10 pitching starts. He also hits at a .336 clip and had 14 doubles. Chandler Jones has five saves and 18 strikeouts in 14.2 innings.

Carolina (22-25) closed out the regular season by winning seven of its last 11 games. The team went 6-4 against CAC opposition this spring. Chandler Smithart leads the Bruins with a .430 batting average, 48 RBI and 54 runs scored. Danny Gonzalez has hit 14 home runs and driven in 40 runs. Nathan Wesley has collected 42 RBI and is batting at a .396 clip. Pitcher Cameron Gribble is 5-2 with 50 strikeouts in 51.2 innings across seven starts. Jesean Brown has recorded 56 strikeouts and stands 4-4 in 11 appearances.

Future GGC opponents in this week's tournament could include Westcliff (25-20), which went 4-3 against fellow CAC competition during its first season in the conference. The Warriors are coming off a 5-2 loss to nationally ranked Hope International University (California) on April 14 and a 10-9 setback to University of La Sierra (California) last Wednesday. Ryan Duron paces the offensive attack with a .426 batting average, nine home runs and 57 RBI. Patrick Morgan has 17 doubles and eight homers. Jack Varney is hitting at a .354 clip, with seven home runs and 10 doubles. Pitcher Cameron Witte has a 4-5 record, 4.19 ERA and 84 strikeouts. Daniel Vendl has two saves across 18 relief appearances.

Meanwhile, Florida National (22-23) enters the postseason on a seven-game losing streak. Alejandro De Armas leads the Conquistadors with eight home runs and a .359 batting average. Christopher Rivera has driven in 34 runs and had 15 doubles. Abel Gutierrez is batting .314 and started 41 games this spring. Pitcher Antonio Guzman stands 4-2 with 41 strikeouts in eight starting mound assignments. Evan Dalmau has four saves in 14 relief appearances.