CARTY'S CARDIAC ‘CATS MAKE NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR THIRD TIME IN FOUR SEASONS
Bobcat fans had to know something special was on the way from the very first game of the season. Trailing Erskine 5-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth, Brooks Robinson's two-out single plated Derek Johns for a 5-4 game, getting the Bobcats a little closer.
In the ninth still down one, Kyle Allen singled and stole second. With two out, Steve Muoio ripped a single to center for a 5-5 tie. After a walk and a hit batsmen loaded the bases, pinch hitter Danny McCorkell dropped down a perfectly-placed bunt to bring home the game-winning run. It was just the first game of the season, and the Bobcats already had 10 stolen bases and plenty of hooked fans for the remainder of the 2009 season.
In the 2009 season as a whole, the 40th anniversary of Georgia College baseball, the ‘cats had seven victories when trailing after seven innings, including five wins when down after eight innings. Head coach Tom Carty knew he could count on a never-give-up attitude from his young but experienced squad, featuring six returning positional starters and two returning arms to the three-man starting rotation. The Bobcats dominated non-conference games in 2009, going 21-5, including 20 wins in the final 21 non-PBC contests.
After the nail-biting victory to open the season, the Bobcats dropped three at No. 2 Tampa, and suffered another disappointing loss at home to Philadelphia 3-1. Georgia College then rattled off 10 straight victories, including four scoring double-digit runs.
A trip to Georgia Southwestern saw two losses in three games to open the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) slate on a sour note. The Bobcats responded again with an eight-game win streak, including five straight over nationally-ranked competition. The Bobcats swept No. 7 North Georgia in impressive fashion at Kurtz Field, allowing a total of nine runs over the three games, and were firing on all cylinders.
PBC road woes continued, as the Bobcats dropped two of three at USC Aiken, but took a pair of home series from Lander 2-1 and from No. 23 Francis Marion 2-1. The Bobcats took two of three at a struggling Columbus State team, then dropped two of three at UNC Pembroke. With a PBC title on the line, the Bobcats let two of three go to tough Augusta State (including the National Player of the Year) squad in the conference finale, the Bobcats had an impressive third place in the final PBC Standings, a vast improvement over the fifth-place finish in 2008.
With a format change in 2009, the eight-team PBC Tournament was single elimination, allowing teams no mistakes. Meeting up with a hot UNC Pembroke squad, the Bobcats fell victim to the upset, like many other teams in the tournament, falling 15-6 to the Braves, due in large part to a season-high seven errors for GCSU.
The Bobcats picked up an at-large bid to the NCAA Southeast Regional Tournament, making it eight trips to the NCAA postseason for Georgia College baseball, including three in the last four seasons. Dreams of a College World Series trip came to a close in two losses, however. The Bobcats fell 7-5 to No. 21 Catawba, then dropped a 14-9 loss to eventual champion Belmont Abbey.
The Bobcats tied the 1984 GC squad with 154 stolen bases this season, a school record. Junior closer Martin Dewald shattered the single-season saves mark set by Michael Newman a year ago, shutting the door on 14 games this year, good for third in the nation.
AWARDS/HONORS
Junior reliever Martin Dewald had a
breakout year in his first with the squad, earning National
Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Honorable Mention
All-American honors. He also added first team all-region honors
from the NCBWA, Daktronics and the American Baseball Coaches
Association (ABCA). Brooks Robinson was a
second-team selection on the Daktronics teams.
The ‘cats landed four on the All-PBC teams, with Dewald as a first-team selection, and Robinson joining outfielder Sean Harrell and shortstop Chandler Snell on the second team. Snell was also named to the NCAA Southeast Regional All-Tournament Team for hitting .750 while driving in four and scoring twice.
On the first PBC Baseball All-Academic Team, Georgia College had three honorees, one on each of the three teams. Danny McCorkell was a first-team selection, Harrell a second teamer, and catcher Pete Paris was on the third team.
