GC baseball adds 13 for 2022 season

Published 10:17 am Thursday, August 19, 2021

Georgia College baseball head coach Nolan Belcher has inked 13 new members of his Bobcat squad for the 2022 season.

“We are very excited about this year’s recruiting class,” said Belcher. “It is a big group with a nice mix of high school, junior college and Division I transfers. This particular class is full of high-character men who were all eager to be a part of the holistic experience our student-athletes receive here at Georgia College.”

“Each individual seeks to gain a top-tier education while being a part of a baseball program engrossed with tradition. We are happy they all chose to be a part of the GC family!”

Palmer Sapp (Dawsonville) comes to Bobcat Nation from Georgia Highlands College, where he played under Dash O’Neill. An All-Conference shortstop, he was ranked in the top 150 JUCO players in the country. He hit .406 with six home runs, 52 RBIs and 47 runs for the Chargers in 2021. Sapp is a workmanlike player, and his blue-collar attitude will help him compete for a middle-infield role. He played his high school ball at Dawson County High and was the 2018 North Georgia Player of the Year. 

Appling native Mason Spivey is fresh off two seasons with South Georgia College under head coach Jeff Timothy. As a sophomore in 2021, he hit .340 with 30 runs and 22 RBIs. His high-school ball came at Harlem High. He is a “grinder” on the field and “someone you want in your dugout.” Spivey is majoring in economics. 

Right-handed hurler Davis Swenson (Toccoa) spent two seasons at Gordon State College, playing for former Bobcat assistant coach Kent Rollins. In 2021 he had three wins and a 3.98 ERA with 63 whiffs in 54 1/3 innings, earning All-Georgia Collegiate Athletic Association (GCAA) honors. He was also an All-State and All-Region player at Stephens County High. A versatile pitcher with big strikeout ability, he will compete for big innings for GC. Swenson is majoring in accounting.

Swenson’s teammate at Gordon State, Preston Felt (Hoschton) joins the Bobcats as a righty reliever. He earned All-Conference Second Team status as closer, going 3-0 with 32 strikeouts in 30 innings last season. He made a team-high 16 appearances and will battle for a competitive role at GC. He played at Prince Avenue Christian prior to the two seasons with the Highlanders. Preston Felt is majoring in business.

A former Academic All-American, Trey Felt (Lawrenceville) also joins the Bobcats from Gordon State’s roster. Another righthander, he was 3-0 in 2021 with 50 strikeouts in 57 innings. He was an All-State honoree at Prince Avenue. He “takes a high IQ out on the mound” and will see time in tough situations. Trey Felt is majoring in biology.

A transfer from Division I Lipscomb University, Trey Ham (Perry) is a catcher and first baseman with sophomore status. He saw action in 16 games last year for Lipscomb, picking up three hits and two RBIs. He played his high school ball at Tattnall Square Academy, and the 2017 GHSA A Private Player of the Year was a member of three state championship squads. A record holder in home runs at Tattnall Square, he will compete for a starting role at backstop. Ham is majoring in marketing.

Freshman Holden LaCour (Statham) is a righthanded pitcher from Brookwood High, where he played for head coach Titus Martin. LaCour was an honor graduate and scholar-athlete. A high character student-athlete with a strong work ethic, he is “fairly new to pitching” and the coaching staff is eager to see what his ceiling will be. He is majoring in biology. 

Righthander Aidan McConnell (Roswell) comes from Centennial High, where he played for former Bobcat pitcher Daniel Szathmary. McConnell is majoring in computer science. 

Hazlehurst native Britt Metts comes to Bobcat Nation with freshman status after a redshirt season at Division I Jacksonville University. He had a stellar high school career at Jeff Davis High, earning All-State, and AA Baseball Player of the Year. A two-time state champion, he also competed with Team Georgia, made up of the top-20 junior baseball players in the state as part of the 2019 Sunbelt Classic Baseball series against fellow all-star teams from other states and Canada. The Bobcats anticipate Metts competing for a starting role in the middle infield. He is majoring in education.

As the lone recruit from outside the Peach State, Josh Patterson (Bluffton, South Carolina) will factor in at both first base and on the mound. He spent two seasons with Florence-Darlington Tech under head coach Preston McDonald. Patterson made 12 appearances in 2021, owning a 3.74 ERA and four saves, tallying 23 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. He is expected to compete for innings off the bump as well as some at-bats. A graduate of May River High, he was two-time All-State. Patterson is majoring in mathematics. 

Righty John Raines (Powder Springs) comes to GC from Harrison High, where he played for head coach Mark Elkins. A strike thrower with “high potential”, he can factor in now and “can be a big piece for us in the future.” Raines is majoring in business.

Lefty Reid Robertson (Marietta) spent a redshirt season on the roster for Dallas Baptist University, a Division II school in Texas. His high school action came at Pope High, where he was three-time All-State. A two-time State Champion, Robertson brought in three All-Region trophies, and was rated the No. 16 outfielder and top-60 prospect in the state of Georgia by Perfect Game in 2020. He also took a spot among the top-500 high school seniors in the nation, according to Perfect Game. Robertson is majoring in management.

Ethan Scott (Augusta) spent two seasons at Gordon State, including a 2021 campaign where he hit .390 with six home runs, 19 RBIs and 28 runs. His high-school action came at Aquinas High, taking Region Player of the Year and All-State honors in 2018. A “high-motor player” expected to compete for a starting role, Scott can play multiple positions. He is majoring in business.