LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team opens play in the 2019 Avista NAIA World Series against a familiar opponent, Faulkner University (Ala.), on Friday, May 24, at 11:30 a.m. Pacific time in Lewiston, Idaho.
The winner of the game will relish two days to rest before playing on Monday, May 27. Meanwhile, the losing team will return to the diamond Saturday, May 25, for an elimination-round contest.
GGC (46-11) won the Lawrenceville Bracket, defeating Georgetown College (Ky.) 2-1 in the championship game on May 15 at the Grizzly Baseball Complex. The team has won all six of its postseason games this spring after also winning the Association of Independent Institutions championship on its home field.
The Grizzlies are making their second straight appearance at the Avista NAIA World Series. They had a 2-2 record and advanced to the semifinals in the 2018 tournament after defeating Faulkner 20-9. The two teams have played 15 times across the regular and post season.
Georgia Gwinnett College also reached the World Series in Lewiston during the 2014 season.
Sophomore Cam Coursey anchors GGC’s offensive attack with a .462 batting average, 96 hits, nine triples and 61 RBI. The preseason All-American and Golden Spikes Preseason List nominee also has scored 62 runs and been successful on 19 stolen base attempts.
Senior C.J. Ballard is batting .367, and leads the team with 67 runs and 33 stolen bases. Junior Gabe Austin and sophomore Cord Johnson are both hitting at a .360 clip. Senior Brody Wofford and sophomore Nick Barnes have each hit 10 homers this season.
Junior pitcher Pedro Garcia stands 6-1 with a 3.05 earned run average. He went into the ninth inning in his last starting assignment, leading the team to a victory against Union College (Ky.) in the first game of the NAIA Opening Round’s Lawrenceville Bracket. Garcia has recorded 78 strikeouts in 65 innings on the mound this spring.
Other strong arms on the pitching staff include seniors Jonathan McKinney, who is 8-2 with a 2.99 ERA, and senior Gregory Loukinen, who has won a team-high nine games. Junior Hunter Caudelle has won all six of his decisions and has a staff best 2.15 ERA.
MEET THE COACHES
Georgia Gwinnett College: Brad Stromdahl is in his seventh season leading the Grizzlies. He has compiled a 326-102 record in Lawrenceville and has guided the program to three Avista NAIA World Series appearances. The Grizzlies have advanced to postseason play in all six seasons of eligibility under Stromdahl’s guidance.
Faulkner: Patrick McCarthy is in his 10th season at Faulkner, compiling a 502-137 record.
BACK-TO-BACK WORLD SERIES TRIPS
Georgia Gwinnett College is making its second straight appearances in the Avista NAIA World Series. In 2018, the team went 2-2 and reached the semifinal round. GGC has advanced to the World Series three times in the program’s six seasons of postseason eligibility.
WOFFORD HOMER WINS OPENING ROUND
Senior outfielder Brody Wofford led off the ninth inning with a home run to lead the Grizzlies to a 2-1 victory against Georgetown College (Ky.) in the championship game of the Opening Round’s Lawrenceville Bracket on May 15. Wofford leads the team with 10 home runs during the season.
NATIONAL RANKING
The Grizzlies were ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season. The team was ranked in the top 10 of every poll during the 2019 regular.
SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Faulkner won the Montgomery (Ala.) Bracket by defeating Hope International University (Calif.) 16-2 on May 15. The Eagles scored 41 runs during their three victories in the Opening Round.
SERIES HISTORY
Faulkner leads 11-4, but the Grizzlies won the most recent meeting with a 20-9 victory in the 2018 Avista NAIA World Series. The winners had 17 hits, with C.J. Ballard having three hits, and Cam Coursey, Alex Garland and Onassis Matos each having two hits.
FOLLOW THE GRIZZLIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA
GGCAthletics.com will be home for the latest news and information regarding the baseball season. Video updates and highlights of the team’s World Series trip will be provided through the Grizzly Digital Network. Keep track of GGC Athletics through the following social media: Twitter (@GGCAthletics), Facebook (GGCAthletics) and Instagram (GGCAthletics).