Wiley, Talladega punch ticket to GCAC Championship Game

CHAMPIONSHIP SUNDAY SCHEDULE

LOSER’S BRACKET FINAL

#1 Wiley Wildcats 13 def. #3 Dillard Bleu Devils 5

The Wiley Wildcats did not accept defeat in the first of two elimination games to start day four knocking off the Dillard Bleu Devils 13-5. Ryan Ready got the scoring going for Wiley in the bottom of the first with a monstrous home run down left center field. Two batters later, the Wildcats added two more runs on an RBI triple by Jhan Carlos Javier. Meanwhile, freshman pitcher Jaylen Cream put forth a strong effort, holding Dillard without a hit through two innings. That all changed in the third when a triple by Derrald Moore set up the game’s first run for Dillard on a sacrifice fly down left center field. After two scoreless innings, Wiley got themselves back on the scoreboard in the fifth with a sacrifice fly followed by an RBI single. The Bleu Devils began mounting their comeback in the top of the sixth, scoring four runs (two RBIs and two walks), bringing the score to 6-5. The Wildcats would get out of the inning unscathed with the bases loaded. Wiley would put the game out of reach, keeping the Bleu Devils scoreless over the final three innings and scoring seven runs in the eighth inning to secure the victory.

#1 Wiley Wildcats 21 def. #5 Rust Bearcats 11

With no time to celebrate its victory over Dillard, Wiley got right back to work, punching its ticket to the GCAC championship with a 21-11 seven-inning win over the Rust Bearcats. Rust started the game hitting strong offensively, scoring six runs in 11 at-bats through the first two innings. This included four RBIs in the second to give them a 6-1 lead. However, after putting up two runs on walks at the bottom of the second, Wiley’s Ivan Del Villar continued his team’s momentum, hitting an RBI double to trim the deficit to 6-5. A pitching change for the Bearcats could not halt the Wildcats’ streak as they added three more runs on two hits to take an 8-5 lead heading into the third. Though Rust got itself on the board with an RBI single in the third, Wiley kept pouring it on, scoring five RBIs over the next two innings with four coming in the fourth. After hitting a homer in the team’s win over Dillard earlier in the day, Ryan Ready made his presence felt again in the fifth with a three-run shot to give his team an 18-7 lead. In need of a spark, with the game getting away from them, the Bearcats got it in a three-run home run from Xavier Campbell followed by an RBI single by Shemaar Stapleton. Their hopes were short-lived as two errors led to two Wiley runs followed by an RBI single by Amir Mason to secure the win.

NO. 1 WILEY WILDCATS VS. NO. 2 TALLADEGA TORNADOES
GAME NOTES

THE SERIES

This is the fourth meeting between the Tornadoes and Wildcats
Talladega leads the series 2-1.

L (10-7), W (8-2), W (9-5)

Keyon Guillory (Wiley) and Samuel Guadamuz (Talladega) have led their teams with impressive performances this year and were named All-GCAC First Team at the starting pitcher position.

WILEY WORKING THE CONFERENCE

The Wildcats are 28-18 heading into the title game.

This is the first time Wiley has advanced to a conference championship game since 2007.

The Wildcats lead the conference in:
Home runs (44)
Wiley is 9-1 in their last 10 games

The Wildcats have scored 53 runs during the GCAC 2024 Hope Credit Union Baseball Championship and have held opponents to 40 runs in the five games
Ryan Ready has been a terror for opponents, blasting two home runs Saturday against Dillard and Rust, clocking 8 RBIs against the two teams.
Ryan Ready is first in the GCAC with 64 RBIs, second with 98 total bases, third with a .685 slugging percentage, third with a .397 batting average, fourth with 48 hits, and sixth with 40 runs
Ivan Del Villar has a .819 slugging percentage against conference opponents and .583 overall. Aainst GCAC teams, he ranks second in RBIs with 30 and is first for home runs with 10. He’s a threat on the bases with a conference-best 59 total bases.
Pitcher of th Year, Freshman of the Year, and All-GCAC First Team member Keyon Guillory leads the conference in shutouts with 3 and has a conference-leading 68 strikeouts versus GCAC teams. He has 92 strikeouts in 17 appearances.
The Wildcats had six players named to All-GCAC Teams this year.

THE TALLADEGA TORNADOES STORM

The Tornadoes returned to the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference this season after a short stint in the Southern States Athletic Conference.

The Tornadoes went 4-6 against teams in the top 25 this season while posting wins against No. 2 Georgia Gwinnett College, No. 15 Loyola University (La.), and No. 10 Faulkner University. Talladega was 1-0 against Loyola while going 2-2 versus Faulkner.

Talladega had eight players selected to All-GCAC Teams this year, including MVP Miguel Oropeza
Overall, the Tornadoes have a conference-best in:

At-Bats (1463)
Runs (460)
Hits (496)
Doubles (96)
Triples (23)
RBIs (374)
Total Bases (767)

The Tornadoes stifle their opponents’ defense with pesky base-running, racking up 219 stolen bases on the year
Dega scored 43 runs in the three games they played in this year’s tournament
The Tornadoes’ .339 batting average is a GCAC-best this season
Talladega is on a 14-game winning streak