Georgia Gwinnett College Athletics

The top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College softball team finds itself in familiar territory after advancing to the championship round of the 2026 Continental Athletic Conference Championship with a 4-0 victory against Florida National University on Thursday afternoon at the Grizzly Softball Complex.

The Grizzlies (28-22) await an opponent from the loser's bracket side of tournament play. The championship round begins with a game on Friday, May 1, at 2:30 p.m. Another GGC victory would give the program its ninth straight conference championship and a trip to the Opening Round of the NAIA national tournament.

CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

The team broke open a scoreless contest in the bottom of the fourth inning as a single, with two outs, from freshman catcher Brooke Rockhold brought home senior center fielder Enna Lackey from second base with the first run of the game. Lackey opened the scoring opportunity with a single and then stole second.

Two more runs were added in the fifth inning – once again coming with two outs. First, junior right fielder Sophie Sisk smashed a triple to right field that brought home freshman shortstop Reesie Burch, who started the productive frame with a double to left center field. Then, senior second baseman Sara Roussel followed with a key single up the middle of the field, scoring Sisk.

An insurance run came in the bottom of the sixth inning as a double from freshman designated player Molly Kemp scored Lackey, who had led off the frame with a single and advanced to second following a sacrifice bunt.

That's all the support that pitcher Tatum Helsom would need to collect her 11th victory of the season. The CAC's 2026 Freshman of the Year award winner allowed just three hits and had four strikeouts across a strong seven-inning performance.

Roussel paced the Grizzlies' 11-hit offensive attack with a perfect 3-for-3 day and one RBI. Meanwhile, Sisk and Lackey each collected two hits. Extra-base hits were recorded by Sisk (the important run-scoring triple), Kemp (double) and Burch (another double).
 
Coach's Corner
"I'm happy with Tatum's performance today. She has had this type of outing in her this entire season and it was nice to see our offense back her strong effort. We played championship softball, getting two-out hits in crucial situations. We're where we want to be: playing for a championship," said Head Coach Kat Ihlenburg.
 
Turning Point
The Grizzlies broke open a scoreless contest in the bottom of the fourth inning as a single, with two outs, from freshman catcher Brooke Rockhold brought home senior center fielder Enna Lackey from second base with the first run of the game. Lackey opened the scoring opportunity with a single and then stole second. The team added two runs in the fifth inning and score another run in the sixth frame.
 
Key Plays
Bottom of Fourth
Brooke Rockhold singled to right center field, scoring Enna Lackey to break a scoreless deadlock
 
Bottom of Fifth
Sophie Sisk smashed a triple to right field, bringing home Reesie Burch for a 2-0 lead
Sara Roussel with another run
 
Bottom of Sixth
Molly Kemp doubled to right center field and Enna Lackey scored an insurance run
 
Inside The Numbers

• GGC outhit FNU by a 11-3 margin
• Freshman pitcher Tatum Helsom, the CAC Freshman of the Year, allowed only three hits in seven strong innings in the circle for the Grizzlies; She won her 11th game of the season
• Senior second baseman Sara Roussel was 3-for-3 at the plate and had one RBI
• Junior right fielder Sophie Sisk and senior center fielder Enna Lackey both had two hits in the winner's bracket game; Lackey scored two of the team's four runs

News & Notes

• GGC now stands 28-22 on the season; Florida National is 25-16 in 2026
• The Grizzlies received votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 poll
• Georgia Gwinnett College has won eight straight conference championships
• GGC has now won its last nine CAC tournament games

Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College has advanced to the championship round of the CAC Championship and waits for an opponent coming from the tournament's loser's bracket. That contest is scheduled for Friday, May 1, at 2:30 p.m. at the Grizzly Softball Complex.