Story written by Anthony Perry '08, Fisher College Associate Director of Athletics/Sports Information
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA. – The Continental Athletic Conference announced earlier today that the Fisher College Baseball team has been selected to compete for the 2024 CAC Baseball Championship. The annual conference tournament will take place May 4-7 and is being hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College at the Grizzly Baseball Complex in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
The double-elimination tournament will feature the tournament host and top seed Georgia Gwinnett, who is nationally ranked at #3 in the latest NAIA Baseball Top 25 Coaches poll. The Falcons earned the tournament's third seed and will battle the second seeded College of the Ozarks (Mo.). Rounding out the field is the tournament's fourth seed, Florida National University.
Georgia Gwinnett and Florida National will kick off tournament play on Saturday, May 4th with a 1pm first pitch. The Fisher and College of the Ozarks contest will be the nightcap with first pitch scheduled for 5pm. The 2024 CAC Championship is scheduled for Monday, May 6th with the tournament champion earning a spot to represent the conference in the NAIA Opening Round.
This marks the 20th consecutive season that the Falcons have qualified for the conference tournament, dating back to their first appearance in 2004. Fisher has finished as the conference runner-up the previous three seasons and while also advancing to the NAIA Opening Round.
The Falcons currently own a 23-23 overall record, the 20th consecutive season of 20+ wins, and are led by sophomore Armando Torres (Vega Baja, Puerto Rico). The right-handed hitting infielder/designated hitter boosts a team leading .351 batting average with 24 runs batted in, team-leading 53 hits and 29 stolen bases. Freshman Jatnier Torres (Santa Isabel, Puerto Rico), who is in the running for CAC Freshman of the Year, has put together an outstanding rookie campaign. The everyday shortstop is currently hitting .285 with a team-leading 18 doubles, three triples and a home run. The right-handing hitting infielder also boasts 29 RBI and is 12-for-13 in stolen bases. Senior Emanuel Rosado (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) checks in with a team-high 4 home runs and 30 RBI as he has started in 41 of the 46 games for the Falcons.
Newcomers in junior Michael Wright (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) and sophomore Gabriel Rivera (Miramar, Fla.) have provided an offensive spark this season. Wright, a transfer from Rainy River Community College, has taken over as the everyday first-baseman and is currently hitting .340 with a home run and 25 RBI to go along with 49 hits and 30 runs scored. Rivera, a transfer from Southern Maine Community College, registers a .325 batting average on 41 hits, a home run and 27 RBI. The South Florida product also has 10 stolen bases and a team-high three triples.
Head Coach Scott Dulin, who saw his program eclipsed the 600-win mark back on March 17, will have plenty of arms to choose from as his game one starter. Senior left-hander Ronald Luke (Malden, Mass.) is 4-3 this season with a 5.10 earned run average while fellow southpaw Yadiel Cuadrado (Yabucoa, Puerto Rico) touts a 3-6 overall record and a 4.81 ERA. A pair of right-handers could also be vying for the ball as junior Vance Serrano (Las Vegas, Nev.) who is 5-3 overall with a 3.76 ERA and was also selected as the CAC Pitcher of the Week earlier today, or freshman Joziel Carmona (Comerio, Puerto Rico), who has busted onto the scene with a 4-0 record, three saves, and a 1.45 ERA. Carmona was also chosen as the CAC Pitcher of the Week on March 18, joining Serrano, Luke (April 8) and Cuadrado (March 12) and junior William De Gracia (Canovanas, Puerto Rico) (March 25) as members of the Falcon pitching staff to garner weekly awards.
2024 CAC Tournament Schedule
Saturday, May 4
Game 1: 1pm – No. 1 seed, #3 Georgia Gwinnett (39-6) vs. No. 4 seed, Florida National (21-22)
Game 2: 5pm – No. 2 seed, College of the Ozarks (26-20) vs. No. 3 seed, Fisher College (23-23)
Sunday, May 5
Game 3: 11am – Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2
Game 4: 3pm – Loser of Game 1 vs Loser of Game 2
Game 5: 7pm – Loser of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 4
Monday, May 6
Game 6: 12pm – Winner of Game 3 vs Winner of Game 5
Game 7: 3pm – If necessary game between the same two teams