Georgia Gwinnett College Athletics

The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball program will be making its annual trip to the Avista NAIA World Series after defeating Louisiana Christian University 12-4 to win the Lawrenceville Bracket of the NAIA Opening Round on Wednesday afternoon at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.

The Grizzlies (49-6; No. 1 seed) have advanced to the World Series for the ninth time in program history, including eight straight seasons. The program has achieved back-to-back semifinal finishes after winning the 2021 title.

GGC captured three straight games to win one of the 10 Opening Round tournaments, defeating Louisiana Christian twice by a 24-10 run differential.

In Wednesday's championship round, Georgia Gwinnett scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead.

Freshman center fielder Vick Gann was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to jump-start the rally. Junior second baseman Payton Fort drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the contest at 3-3. A passed ball allowed junior first baseman Jackson Legg to give the tournament hosts its first lead of the contest.

Junior left fielder Trey Smith added an RBI ground out before junior right fielder Jay O'Neill collected an infield run-scoring single.

"We started taking advantage of the free opportunities that we had. We put together good at-bat after good at-bat. We made good adjustments and eventually got the starter out of the game. That was a huge advantage for us," said Smith.

Meanwhile, GGC freshman reliever Kyle Haag tossed three scoreless innings to pick up the victory, improving his record to 3-0 on the season. The right-hander benefited from his defense turning double plays in the seventh and eighth innings to maintain the lead.

"I just wanted to toss up as many zeros (scoreless frames) as I could. Trey (Smith) came up to me after we took the lead and told me to make it (top of seventh) a quick one in order to keep the momentum on our side. The (late-inning) double plays were huge," said Haag.

Louisiana Christian (37-15) threatened in the top of the eighth inning after a leadoff single from Drake Aldridge and a walk to Brady Huffman put two runners on base with no outs. However, Haag got Harrison Waxley to hit a sharp ground ball down the third base line. That's when GGC junior third baseman JJ Garcia made a diving stop near the third base bag to start the double play.

"I didn't want the ball to get by me. I was going to do everything I could to get a piece of the ball. Getting the first out (of the inning) was nice, but two was extra special," said Garcia on his eighth-inning double play.

GGC turned that momentum-shifting play into run production in the bottom half of the frame. Smith hit an RBI single to center field before Garcia lined a two-run single to center field. Junior designated hitter Lance Bratlien added a run-scoring single before two more runs were scored on a single from senior catcher Grant Pohlman. That stretched the lead to 12-3.

Louisiana Christian built a 3-0 lead through the first five innings as Gavin Vordick hit an RBI single to center field in the second inning. Matthew Cody connected on a solo home run one inning later. Aldrige pushed across a run-scoring single in the top of the fifth inning.

GGC starting pitcher Carson Judd tossed five productive innings, marking his longest outing since tossing 5.2 innings against Montreat College (North Carolina) on March 14 – his second to last start before Wednesday.

"We did have a decision to make on who was going to start today. Caiden (Johnson) has started more recently than Carson, but the stuff that Carson has makes him effective. I wanted him to get one start before possibly being thrown in that situation at the World Series," said Head Coach Tommy Goodale on the starting pitching decision in Wednesday's championship round game.

Judd admitted there was a lot of emotion getting the starting assignment with so much at stake.

"There was a lot of emotion going into the day. My family flew down from Spokane (Washington) and I got to play one more time with this team and on this field. I wanted to do everything I possibly could do today," said Judd, whose hometown is 105 miles from the NAIA World Series site in Lewiston, Idaho.

Bratlien paced the Grizzlies' 14-hit offensive attack by going 4-for-5 and scoring a pair of runs. Smith drove in two runs and tallied two hits. Fort scored twice and registered two hits from the top of the batting order. Garcia and Pohlman rounded out the team's multiple-hit efforts, each tallying two hits.


           
Coach's Corner
"Thinking back to January 13 and our first practice, we knew we had the pieces to do special things this season. The players put in the work that it requires to make this (World Series appearance) possible. I am so proud of this group and their toughness," said Head Coach Tommy Goodale.
 
Turning Point
GGC took a 6-3 lead behind a five-run sixth inning. However, freshman reliever Kyle Haag tossed a scoreless seventh and eighth innings and was the beneficiary of a double play in each of those frames to keep the tournament hosts out in front. Junior third baseman JJ Garcia started each pivotal defensive play. His diving stop down the third base line started a double play when Louisiana Christian had baserunners at first and second base with no outs in the eighth inning.
 
Key Plays
Top of Second
Gavin Vordick hit an RBI single to center field to open the scoring
 
Top of Third
Matthew Cody connected on a solo home run to left field
 
Top of Fifth
Drake Aldridge added an infield run-scoring single, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead
 
Bottom of Fifth
Peyton Watts hit a sacrifice fly to center field to put the Grizzles on the scoreboard
 
Bottom of Sixth
Vick Gann was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded
Payton Fort drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game at 3-3
Jackson Legg scored following a passed ball
Trey Smith hit an RBI ground out to second base, extending GGC's lead to 5-3
Jay O'Neill followed with an infield RBI single
 
Bottom of Eighth
Trey Smith added an RBI single to center field to jumpstart a six-run frame
JJ Garcia lined a two-run single to center field
Lance Bratlien collected a run-scoring single to plate the team's 10th run of the game
Grant Pohlman drove in two runs with a single up the middle
 
Inside The Numbers 

• Georgia Gwinnett outhit Louisiana Christian by a 14-9 margin
• Five Grizzlies registered multiple hits
• Junior designated hitter Lance Bratlien went 4-for-5 and scored twice in the triumph
• GGC's defense turned two double plays in the later innings on Wednesday

News & Notes 

• GGC improves to 49-6 this spring; Louisiana Christian ends the 2026 season with a 37-15 record
• Georgia Gwinnett were ranked No. 3 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll; Louisiana Christian was tied for No. 24 in the same poll
• The Grizzlies were the top seed in the Lawrenceville Bracket; Louisiana Christian was the No. 2 seed
• Georgia Gwinnett College has advanced to the Avista NAIA World Series for the eighth straight season and ninth time overall in program history

Up Next 
Georgia Gwinnett College will be one of 10 Opening Round winners advancing to the Avista NAIA World Series, with play scheduled from May 22-30 at Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.