GNAC BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY
Recap courtesy of the Mitchell Athletic Communications Department.
NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Mitchell College baseball team defeated Johnson & Wales University 5-4 on Friday afternoon at Alumni Field to capture the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Baseball Championship during their inaugural season in the conference.
The Mariners entered Friday needing just one win against the Wildcats to become conference champions after taking the opening game in the best-of-three series by a final of 3-1 on Thursday.
After recording the final five outs on Thursday to pick up his fourth save of the season, senior Camren Varney took to the mound for the Mariners and delivered a complete game for the win, allowing seven hits and four runs, while striking out nine. For his efforts, the hard throwing right-handed pitcher was named Tournament MVP, after going 2-0 with a save, striking out 18 batters in 15 and two third innings.
Freshman leftfielder Chas Terni Jr. went 2-4 with two home runs, two RBI, and two runs scored, while senior Robbie DelaCruz added a two-run homer, and Angel Galindez delivered the go ahead single in the top of the eighth inning, scoring Michael Gajda.
JWU opened the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles by Trevor Juan and Riley Hasson, but Varney registered back-to-back strikeouts, then got Xavier Botelho to fly out to centerfield to end the threat. Neither team got a runner past first base from then until the fourth, when Botelho walked and advanced to third on a single by Zachary Amero. Once again, Varney worked his way out of the jam, inducing a groundout to end the inning.
The Mariners struck first in the top of the fifth, when Terni Jr. took a 1-0 pitch from JWU's Aidan Vining and sent it flying over the fence in left-centerfield for his seventh home run of the season.
Owen Davis doubled for the Wildcats to begin the bottom of the sixth, and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Botelho. JWU then tied the game on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jack Obert, knotting the score at 1-1.
Gajda opened the top of the eighth with an infield single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Owen Robbins. After Thai-ler Sestokas struck out swinging, the Mariners plated the go-ahead run when Galindez singled to centerfield, scoring Gajda. DelaCruz followed with his third home run of the spring, a two-run shot to centerfield, and Terni Jr. added his second long ball of the day to lead off the ninth.
The Wildcats mounted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three runs on an RBI double by Trevor Juan and a two-run single off the bat of Riley Hassan, but Varney punched out Davis to finish the game, securing Mitchell a title in their first year as a member of the GNAC.
Juan had three hits, one RBI, and a run scored for JWU, while Hasson went 2-5 and drove in a pair of runs. Vining was charged with the loss after surrendering four runs in eight innings of work, giving up nine hits and striking out seven.
The Mariners (31-11), who earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament, will await their fate on Monday, with the selection show scheduled for noon. The Wildcats conclude their season with an overall record of 27-13.
Joining Varney on the All-Tournament Team for Mitchell was senior DelaCruz, junior Chris Gibbs, and freshman Michael Ficocelli. DelaCruz batted .400 in six tournament games, collecting 10 hits, including two doubles, one triple, and a home run, and added eight RBI, eight runs scored, and four walks. Ficocelli also played in all six tournament games and led the Mariners with a .500 average (12-24) with five doubles, a homer, seven RBI, and eight runs scored. Gibbs made two starts and earned the win in both while pitching to a 2.40 ERA. The junior allowed just four runs in 15 innings, striking out 19.
ALL- TOURNAMENT TEAM
Cooper O'Brien, Colby-Sawyer
Dylan Watson, Colby-Sawyer
Geffen Franus, Norwich
Matt Ingraffia, Norwich
Riley Hasson, Johnson & Wales
EJ Leone, Johnson & Wales
Ryan Schultz, Johnson & Wales
Robbie DelaCruz, Mitchell
Michael Ficocelli, Mitchell
Chris Gibbs, Mitchell
MVP - Camren Varney, Mitchell
2024 GNAC Baseball Tournament Schedule
Pod Play Day 1 – Friday, May 3
Mitchell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1 seed Mitchell)
Game 1A - #1 Mitchell def. #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 15-6 | BOX
Game 2A - #4 Colby-Sawyer def. #5 Anna Maria, 10-8 | BOX
Johnson & Wales Pod
(Hosted by No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales)
Game 1B - #7 Norwich def. #2 Johnson & Wales, 7-6 | BOX
Game 2B - #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #3 Lasell, 9-1 | BOX
Pod Play Day 2 – Saturday, May 4
Mitchell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1 seed Mitchell)
Game 3A - #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #5 Anna Maria, 6-1 | BOX
Game 4A - #1 Mitchell def. #4 Colby-Sawyer, 19-10 | BOX
Game 5A - #4 Colby-Sawyer def. #8 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 12-8 | BOX
Johnson & Wales Pod
(Hosted by No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales)
Game 3B - #2 Johnson & Wales def. #3 Lasell, 7-6 | BOX
Game 4B - #7 Norwich def. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 5-1 | BOX
Game 5B - #2 Johnson & Wales def. #6 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 14-4 | BOX
Pod Finals – Sunday, May 5
Mitchell Pod
(Hosted by No. 1 seed Mitchell)
Game 6A - #4 Colby-Sawyer def. #1 Mitchell, 9-3 | BOX
Game 7A - #1 Mitchell def. #4 Colby-Sawyer, 7-1 | BOX
Johnson & Wales Pod
(Hosted by No. 2 seed Johnson & Wales)
Game 6B - #2 Johnson & Wales def. #7 Norwich, 19-0 | BOX
Game 7B - #2 Johnson & Wales def. #7 Norwich, 16-5 | BOX
Championship Series – Thursday, May 9
(Hosted by higher seed)
Game 8 - #1 Mitchell def. #2 Johnson & Wales, 3-1 | BOX
Championship Series – Friday, May 10
(Hosted by higher seed)
Game 9 - #1 Mitchell def. #2 Johnson & Wales, 5-4 | BOX
Game 10 - #2 Johnson & Wales at #1 Mitchell - Not needed
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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