Fire Baseball Faces Familiar Foe in Georgia Gwinnett in World Series

LEWISTON, Idaho- After a impressive Avista-NAIA World Series-opening performance where the Fire defeated ninth-seeded LSU-Shreveport 25-13, the top-seeded Southeastern University Fire now shift their focus toward's the winner's bracket and the fifth-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College Grizzlies Monday afternoon.


GAME:

No. 1 Southeastern (51-7) vs. No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett (47-10)

Monday | 6:00 p.m. eastern | Harris Field | Lewiston, Idaho


COVERAGE:

LIVE VIDEO (PPV)   LIVE STATS


FIRE FOCUS:
-The 25 runs scored by the Fire bats versus the Pilots tied the World Series single-game record for runs scored, set by Lewis-Clark State in 1987. 
-With his two-run homer in the bottom of the first versus LSUS, senior infielder Nick Bottari became the program's all-time career leader in home runs at 36.
-In the NAIA national postseason, Southeastern hitters have amassed a cumulative batting average of .409, a slugging percentage of .648, and have averaged 14.5 runs scored per game.
-Bottari is now hitting a team-best .538 (21-39) this postseason for SEU, recording four doubles, two long balls, and driving in eight runs.
-Senior outfielder Carter Bridge is slugging a team leading .810 this postseason. Bridge was a double away from the cycle versus the Pilots on Saturday, going  3-5 at the plate with three RBIs.
-Projected Fire starter versus GGC, senior lefty Ryan Munoz, is 2-0 this postseason with a 1.50 Earned Run Average. The Isabela, Puerto Rico native has struck out 18 batters in 18 innings of work during that stretch.


PREVIOUS MEETINGS:
-This marks the third straight season the Fire and the Grizzlies have faced off. However, this is the first time the two programs have squared off in the postseason since the 2014 NAIA Opening Round, where SEU fell to GGC twice.
-Although the Fire trail the all-time series to the Grizzlies 7-4, SEU has won four of the last six meetings.
-Senior SEU infielder Pedro Castellano belted two home runs versus GGC in the 2020 regular season series between the two units.


THE GRIZZLIES:
- Georgia Gwinnett defeated fourth-seeded Oklahoma Wesleyan 9-6 in their first game of the World Series on Friday.
-Offensively, the Grizzlies lead the NAIA in runs scored per game (11.018), rank second in stolen bases per game (3.491), second in team batting average (.367), and fourth in hits per game (12).
-Senior infielder Griffin Keller is the standout hitter for GGC, leading the NAIA in hits at 101 and riding a 19-game hit streak entering Monday's contest. Keller belted his 17th home run of the season versus Oklahoma Wesleyan on Friday.
-On the mound, the Grizzlies rank 14th nationally in opponent batting average (.237) and 15th in team ERA (3.93).
-Southeastern is likely to see junior right-handed pitcher Adam Mckillican. The University of British Columbia transfer is 6-3 on the season with a 3.93 ERA and has struck out 61 hitters in 55 innings of work.