Baseball season has started for GC, and the team currently sits at 5-3, with all three losses coming in a series with Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Bobcats have not been lucky on the road, but every other game has been a GC win on home turf.
The Bobcats swept Tuskegee University in a three-game series ending in a combined score of 26-1. GC won the second and third games 11-0.
In the first and closest of the three, Tuskegee scored first, but the Bobcats slammed the door shut with good pitching. Sophomore right-handed pitcher Lex Kenny struck out seven of 14 batters, and junior right-handed pitcher Bradley Wilson added three more strikeouts while only giving up a single run.
In the second game, sophomore pitcher John Luke Glanton got the pitching win. Glanton faced 20 batters, tallying four strikeouts and only allowing four hits. Freshman Braeden Smith went 3-3 batting, scoring three runs himself.
In game three, junior right-handed pitcher Aidan McConnell faced 19 batters and tallied five strikeouts, allowing only four hits.
“I think we work great together as a team and all have each other’s backs,” Smith said. “Each player knows their role on the team and strives to do their best at it.”
GC destroyed the University of West Georgia in a one-off game, winning 14-5. Junior shortstop Mason Poole heated up with a two-run homer in the sixth inning and an RBI in the eighth. Poole went 4-5 on the day batting and scored two runs. Sophomore right-hander John Raines picked up the pitching win, allowing four hits from 16 batters.
Albany State University gave GC their biggest challenge at home yet. However the Bobcats came back from down 4-2 to win 6-5. The game was closely contested, the difference being a solo homer to center by junior infielder Matthew Mebane. Senior right-handed pitcher Jacob Ryan got the pitching win, striking out three of 17 batters and allowing three hits.
Despite their poor performance in Florida, GC has shown promise at John Kurtz Field.
“Our goals are to win the PBC rRegular season and tournament, win regional and Super Regional and national championship,” Smith said.
With Peach Belt Conference play beginning in March, the Bobcats will look to maintain their strong record at home and learn to shake their road woes. May will bring the conference tournament, when the team will have to shine.
