The home team knows how to put on a show

For the first time in program history, the Oglethorpe baseball team earned a NCAA Division III statistical championship, and did so in one of the most entertaining categories: home runs.

The Petrels finished the season belting 47 home runs as a team in just 40 games, finishing first in the nation in home runs per game with 1.18.

“This is a fun award and validation for our guys buying into our program philosophies,” said Oglethorpe head coach Dan Giordano. “Not necessarily insofar as only hitting home runs, but definitely in stepping into the box looking to do damage. We want our guys to be aggressive in everything they do. It’s always good to see the student-athletes’ hard work pay off.”

Oglethorpe crushed its own school-record of 29 home runs in a season, set in 1997 and 2016. Adrian Celata ’18 won the Southern Athletic Association conference home run crown with 11 on the year, while senior Austin Ferlita ’17 added eight, capturing the school’s career home run record with 28.

In all, eight Stormy Petrels launched multiple home runs over the course of the season.

No baseball is safe.