LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – The Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team left little doubt it is the best in the Association of Independent Institutions this season as the Grizzlies scored a commanding 21-2 victory against Talladega College (Ala.) in sweeping to this year’s conference championship Monday at the Grizzly Baseball Complex.
GGC (43-11) won its fourth A.I.I. title in program history and avenged a loss to the Tornadoes in last year’s championship game.
The team now advances to the Opening Round of this year’s NAIA tournament, being played May 13-15. The Grizzly Baseball Complex will be one of 10 hosts for first-round sites. Tournament pairings will be announced Thursday, May 9, by the NAIA.
In the A.I.I. finale, the Grizzlies scored runs in seven consecutive innings to win its third straight tournament game. Three runs came in the second frame and four more were added in the third inning to grab a 7-1 lead. Three RBI doubles led to the scoring in the second inning – among eight doubles that the team collected in the victory.
Sophomore Cord Johnson connected on a grand slam during a seven-run fourth inning.
Georgia Gwinnett College recorded 16 hits in the game, led by Johnson with three hits. Seniors Alex Garland, Brandon Robinson and Brody Wofford joined sophomore Nick Tanner in rounding out the multiple-hit performers.
Senior C.J. Ballard was named the 2019 A.I.I. Baseball Championship Most Outstanding Player after scoring six runs, driving in six runs and collecting six hits in GGC’s three victories. Junior pitchers Hunter Caudelle and Pedro Garcia joined sophomores Nick Barnes and Cam Coursey on the all-tournament team.
Coach’s Corner
“The guys came out ready to go. We executed like we have practiced for this tournament. Winning a championship is a happy moment for the program, administration and school. Anytime we had a bad offensive inning in the tournament, our pitchers picked us up. And when we gave up a run, the offense always got it back,” said Head Coach Brad Stromdahl.
Turning Point
Extra-base hits were the theme for the Grizzlies early in the contest. The tournament host connected on three doubles during the bottom of the second inning to grab a 3-1 lead. That moved the team into the lead after trailing 1-0 in the first frame.
Key Plays
Bottom of Second
Alex Garland tied the game, 1-1, with a RBI double to right field
Cord Johnson followed with a run-scoring double
Cam Coursey lined a RBI double to give the Grizzlies a 3-1 advantage
Bottom of Third
Alex Garland hit a run-scoring double to bring home Nick Barnes
Brenton Burgess connected on a RBI single to score Alex Garland during the four-run frame
Bottom of Fourth
Cord Johnson connected on a grand slam to cap a seven-run inning
Inside The Numbers
· The Grizzlies outhit the Tornadoes by a 16-to-8 margin
· GGC recorded eight doubles in the game
· The team drew 11 walks in the victory
News & Notes
· GGC improves to 43-11 on the season; Talladega falls to 26-24 in 2019
· Georgia Gwinnett College was the top seed in the A.I.I. double-elimination tournament; Talladega stood as the No. 2 seed
· The Grizzlies are ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll of the regular season
· The team outscored its three tournament opponents by a 42-to-7 margin
· Georgia Gwinnett College won its fourth Association of Independent Institutions title in program history
Up Next
Georgia Gwinnett College, ranked No. 4 in the final NAIA Top 25 poll, will be hosting a NAIA Opening Round tournament May 13-16. The national field announced by the NAIA on Thursday, May 9.