HIGH POINT, N.C. – The 2024 season for the High Point University baseball team was one to remember as the Panthers sketched their mark in the history books. 

From winning their first-ever game against a Southeastern Conference school on Friday, February 23 at Ole Miss, the Panthers went on to win their first Big South Conference Title in program history. In his third year at the helm, HPU Head Coach Joey Hammond led the club to a 35-win season for the most wins in the program's Division I history.

A Big South Championship came with hitting a program-record 92 home runs as well as HPU making its first appearance in the NCAA Regionals. On Saturday, May 31, High Point beat powerhouse Vanderbilt to eliminate the Commodores from the regional as the Panthers won their second SEC game in program history and their first NCAA Regional game. 

"This group will be recognized throughout the HPU record books for what has to be the best season in the programs Division I history," HPU Head Coach Joey Hammond said. "They are individuals who enjoyed remarkable careers, but I will simply remember them as a group that has made me a better man. This group is intensely loyal, incredibly tough, and are winners at life! We gave the world a living example of what it looks like to be 'rooted in our work and guided by our faith'."

"It started with work, and no group has ever been more diligent with going the extra mile with all they do. But that work became visible through their steadfast faith that there was a good and perfect destiny for this team. We identified that early in the fall. We searched for signs to verify we were on the right path, and ultimately we never blinked when facing adversity while meeting our goals! I can't thank this group enough for what they have meant to me and for showing the community, alumni, and University what the future could look like at HPU."

A player that impacted the program from start to finish was Adam Stuart. The five-year letter winner came to High Point University in the fall of 2020 as a shortstop from Raleigh, N.C. He had become a staple to the Panthers' offense and defense as Stuart has started in 222 of the 228 games played for the Purple and White. 
 
"Having my entire college career at one school was something I always wanted," Stuart said. "When I got the opportunity to play at High Point, I instantly wanted to pour everything I had into the program and help do things that had never been done at HPU before. When the coaching change occurred, those can be tough to go through sometimes, but I instantly connected with Coach Hammond and the rest of his staff."
 
"I quickly figured out that he was going to do everything he could to help make me the best player, leader, and person I could be. It was always a no-brainer for me to never leave High Point and continue to work with the coaching staff and my teammates to try and make history in this baseball program. Not a single part of me wishes I was anywhere else."
 
Now, Stuart is a Big South Conference Champion and is one of the first to ever play and win a game in an NCAA Regional. A .305 hitter this season with 12 homers, hit the game-tying, three-run home run to complete the five-run, comeback victory over Vanderbilt in the elimination game at the Clemson Regional. High Point went on to win that game,10-9, with the help of Stuart's leadership and his five-RBI outing.
 
For a pair of program-changing transfers in Brett Wozniak and Cael Chatham, both transferred to HPU in 2023 with high expectations. 

Wozniak, a Garden Grove, California native transferred from Golden West College. Wozniak started 25 games on the mound for High Point in his two seasons. Wozniak was the winning pitcher of record at Ole Miss as he shoved 5.1 innings, allowing just one run to help secure the victory for HPU.

Clearly, big moments didn't faze him as he was a big reason HPU shutout USC Upstate to lift the Panthers to their first Big South title in program history. Throwing seven full innings, not allowing a single run, on four hits and four strikeouts gave the Panthers a shot at the NCAA Tournament. The shutout in the tournament was just his second shutout of the season as he previously threw eight innings at UNC Asheville without giving up a run. 

Being a California kid, Wozniak wanted to find a school that welcomed him for who he was and that nothing was going to change that. 
 
"I chose High Point because it was a clean slate," Wozniak said. "I chose High Point because for me, it was a fresh start. Being across the country in California, I needed someone to believe in me and accept me for the player and person I was and am. High Point Baseball isn't a storied program to play at and that's what stood out to me. High Point being my third stop in my college baseball career; I wanted to make a difference with what I had left. The deciding factor was the belief in me by Coach Hammond and Coach Miles Miller, at the time.
 
"The other deciding factor was the opportunity to pitch every weekend and put a losing program back on the map and be a difference maker. I can officially say, the mission has been accomplished and my why to transfer to High Point University has been accomplished. The difference has been made and creating a winning culture at High Point University has been accomplished. I want to thank Coach Hammond for the opportunity to create something special and the opportunity to make something out of myself, make a name for myself in a program. My third stop in my collegiate career was ultimately the right choice."
 
For Chatham, he always knew he wanted to go play at a Division I program after spending four seasons in Division III at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. During his second stint with HPU, Chatham led the team with a .318 batting average, slugging 17 homers and driving in 55 runs as well as leading the team and conference in saves (seven) with 16 appearances in relief.

He knew all about High Point as he played in the Division III regionals at Truist Point, the home of the High Point Rockers. A four-year shortstop with the Panthers at LaGrange, Coach Hammond wanted to convert Chatham to his every day third basemen with High Point.

Chatham was looking for a new home that gave off passion and was championship driven.
 
"What stood out to me was the drive and passion from Coach Hammond," Chatham said. "Even though I couldn't take a visit before I committed, I could tell that Coach Hammond was driven to bring in the right guys to win a championship. Which is what I wanted to do at the Division I level at whatever school I chose. I was very blessed with my previous situation where we won a championship every year I was there, and I heard that drive to win one in Coach Hammond's voice. Which looking back is impressive to say when you look at what schools called me."
 
A team that was able to compete with Power 5 schools was a big factor for Chatham to commit to HPU. Chatham spoke about a time where he was watching High Point go up against an ACC powerhouse, Wake Forest.
 
"There were some other factors that played into me choosing HPU," Chatham said. "One of them was a game against Wake Forrest, where my now roommate [Adam Stuart] would hit a walk-off grand slam. I was watching the game with some of my teammates, and that played a role because I wanted to go to a place that would compete with Power 5 schools."
 
Not only was being able to compete with some of the best college baseball schools in the country, but Coach Hammond showed Chatham that he cared about him more than just being another ballplayer in the system.

Chatham knew right away after the first phone call with Hammond that he cared about him and would tell him things that he needed to hear rather than things he did not want to hear. Coach Hammond and Coach Mickey Williard knew Chatham's personal schedule at LaGrange and would call every so often during his free periods to chat. That really showed how much they cared about him as a person and set HPU a part from every other school that called him.
 
The 2024 Panthers just had a different way to playing the game of baseball.

A four-year player at UNC Chapel Hill, Eric Grintz transferred to High Point to be the every day starting catcher for the Panthers. Grintz finished the season second on the team with a .313 batting average as he appeared in 57 games, making 47 starts behind the plate. The month of May was a huge breakout month for Grintz as he was another reason HPU made it to the NCAA Tournament. Grintz tagged out the go-ahead runner at the plate for Charleston Southern, and then went on to drive in the go-ahead run to take the lead. In the bottom of the ninth, Grintz hit a two-run walk-off home run to lift the Panthers to Championship Saturday.

After the loss to Coastal Carolina in NCAA Regional, Grintz reflected on what was so different and what stood out to him about the 2024 High Point Panthers.
 
"I put this team up there with the best teams in the ACC," Grintz said. "The togetherness, unity, and grit are the things that make a winning team. I think we were one of the grittiest teams in this regional. When we step between those lines, we are a bunch of mean players. That is what separates us from other teams during this time of year."
 
"We turned a lot of heads this year and we have created a new stigma for High Point. Doing things for this University and this program, I think the entire program has benefited from everyone on the team this year. Every single person had a hand in the success we had this year."