Georgia Gwinnett College’s Ajay Sczepkowski Named 2023 CAC Baseball Player of the Year
Georgia Gwinnett College junior outfielder Ajay Sczepkowski has been named the 2023 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball Player of the Year to be among four Grizzlies earning specialty awards on the eve of the league's postseason tournament.
GGC sophomore Cameron Repetti was recognized as Pitcher of the Year and junior outfielder Jon Ponder was selected Newcomer of the Year. Head Coach Jeremy Sheetinger was chosen Coach of the Year.
Meanwhile, Fisher College (Massachusetts) outfielder Yariel Salinas was named the Freshman of the Year for his strong play this spring.
The CAC Championship tournament is scheduled to begin Saturday, May 6, at the Grizzly Baseball Complex, with the Grizzlies playing No. 4 seed Iowa Wesleyan University at 1 p.m. That will be followed by No. 2 seed Fisher against No. 3 seed Florida National University at 5 p.m. The champion will be crowned on Monday, May 8. The finalists will represent the conference in the Opening Round of the NAIA national tournament.
Sczepkowski hit a Georgia Gwinnett College program record 26 home runs and leads the No. 4-ranked Grizzlies with 80 runs batted in and a .425 batting average. He has tallied 74 hits and scored 77 runs in 48 games this spring. The junior also is 33-for-36 in stolen base attempts.
Repetti won all 10 of his decisions to lead GGC's pitching effort this spring. The right hander has started a team-best 13 games and has posted 77 strikeouts across 70.1 innings. Repetti has tossed two complete games.
Ponder finished the regular season by collecting at least one hit in his last 31 games. The outfielder is hitting at .412 clip, with 73 hits and 14 home runs, and leads the team with 15 doubles. Ponder also has scored 65 runs and successfully stole 31 bases.
Sheetinger guided the GGC to a 44-5 record and a top-five ranking in each NAIA Top 25 regular-season poll. The team is the top seed in the CAC tournament following a pair of winning streaks of 15 or more games this season.
Fisher's Salinas hit seven home runs and tallied 42 RBI while hitting .321 during his debut collegiate season. He legged 10 doubles and two doubles while starting 37 of the 40 games he played in this season.
Eight Georgia Gwinnett College players earned first all-CAC team honors, followed by Florida National with five honorees, Fisher with four selections, and Crowley's Ridge College (Arkansas), Iowa Wesleyan and Voorhees University (South Carolina) with each having one first-team honoree.
Here the list of the 2023 CAC Baseball Team:
2023 Continental Athletic Conference Baseball All-Conference Team
Player of the Year: Ajay Sczepkowski, Georgia Gwinnett College
Pitcher of the Year: Cameron Repetti, Georgia Gwinnett College
Newcomer of the Year: Jon Ponder, Georgia Gwinnett College
Freshman of the Year: Yariel Salinas, Fisher College
Coach of the Year: Jeremy Sheetinger, Georgia Gwinnett College
First-Team
Starting Pitcher – Yadriel Cuadrado, Fisher College
Starting Pitcher – Mario Benjamin, Florida National University
Starting Pitcher – Cameron Repetti, Georgia Gwinnett College
Relief Pitcher – Jonathan Haab, Georgia Gwinnett College
Catcher – Cohen Wilbanks, Georgia Gwinnett College
Catcher – Keelan Sloan, Voorhees University
First Base – Kyle Norton, Georgia Gwinnett College
Second Base – Alejandro De Arazoza, Florida National University
Third Base – Jeremy Renta, Fisher College
Shortstop – Jesus Pacheco, Georgia Gwinnett College
Infielder – Devin Warner, Georgia Gwinnett College
Outfielder – Tim Catalano, Fisher College
Outfielder – Gino Bellantoni, Florida National University
Outfielder – Jon Ponder, Georgia Gwinnett College
Outfielder – Ajay Sczepkowski, Georgia Gwinnett College
Designated Hitter – Ivanuel Hernandez, Fisher College
At-Large – Chipper Lamb, Crowley's Ridge College
At-Large – Bastyan Hernandez, Florida National University
At-Large – Sair Sanchez, Florida National University
At-Large – Julian Figueroa, Iowa Wesleyan University
At-Large – Brian Meyer, USC Beaufort
Second-Team
Starting Pitcher – Corbett Seib, Crowley's Ridge College
Starting Pitcher – Tyler Clayton, Georgia Gwinnett College
Starting Pitcher – Cauy Massner, Iowa Wesleyan University
Relief Pitcher – Angel Alicea, Fisher College
Catcher – Miguel Torres, Fisher College
First Base – Yordangel Gonzalez, Florida National University
Second Base – Braxton Meguiar, Georgia Gwinnett College
Third Base – Sage Bonner, Iowa Wesleyan University
Shortstop – Nick Diaz, Florida National University
Infielder – Jordyn Hill, Voorhees University
Outfielder – Yariel Salinas, Fisher College
Outfielder – Blaze O'Saben, Georgia Gwinnett College
Outfielder – Carson Phillips, USC Beaufort
Gold Glove
Pitcher – Micah Krieghauser, USC Beaufort
Catcher – Cohen Wilbanks, Georgia Gwinnett College
First Base – Kyle Norton, Georgia Gwinnett College
Second Base – Alejandro De Arazoza, Florida National University
Third Base – Matthew Gonzalez, Florida National University
Shortstop – Jesus Pacheco, Georgia Gwinnett College
Left Field – Brian Meyer, USC Beaufort
Center Field – Jon Ponder, Georgia Gwinnett College
Right Field – Gino Bellantoni, Florida National University
Champion of Character Team
Ivanuel Hernandez, Fisher College
Alejandro De Arazoza, Florida National University
Brody Parkerson, Georgia Gwinnett College
Cauy Massner, Iowa Wesleyan University