Guinther Heads into Senior Season at Western Carolina
Griffin Guinther has been a part of a college baseball program that has won 94 games over the past three seasons.
The 2023 graduate of Fellowship Christian School is a relief pitcher for the NCAA Division I baseball team at Western Carolina University. He enters his senior season with the Catamounts this fall.
Since the 2024 season, the Catamounts have notched a 94-77 overall record and are 37-26 in Southern Conference contests. The team owns a 3-6 combined record in the 2024, 2025 and 2026 SoCon Championships.
The 6-foot-1, 200-pound right-hander pitched in 14 games for WCU in 2026, helping the team post a 36-23 mark and a 14-7 league record. The club went 30-28 overall and 10-11 in the SoCon his sophomore year, and 28-26 overall and 13-10 in SoCon contests his freshman campaign.
Guinther notched a career-low earned-run average in 2026 (2.51) and surrendered a career lows in hits (12) and wakes (seven) this spring. He set career highs with two wins, one save, 16 1/3 innings pitched and 15 strikeouts as a sophomore. Guinther made 15 appearances as a freshman to set a career high and matched it as a sophomore.
“Last spring our team had a really successful record,” Guinther said. “We were first in the conference heading into the last week, but we fell short. Things did not go our way and injuries hit us in the end. Personally, I pitched well. I had an ERA of 2.51, which was really good. One of my highlights was pitching two good innings against Wake Forest and a couple of good outings in conference play. I was mostly middle relief, but I also closed out a couple of games that weren’t save situations.”
During his career, Guinther (pronounced GHEN-thurr) is 2-2 with one save, a 7.05 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 25 walks in 44 games (all in relief).
“It’s been a really good experience here,” Guinther said. “The coaches have been recruiting really well. We have a nice freshman class coming in. We’ll have a similar team next year as we had this year. I am excited about my senior year. I definitely want to pitch more. It’s been a crazy three years, but I think I have proven that I have the ability to get guys out. Hopefully I will perform well when it matters.”
The construction management major has had some very good academic success at Western Carolina as well. He was named to the Spring 2025 Academic All-Southern Conference Team, the 2024-25 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and the 2023-24 Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll and earned a 2024-25 Commissioner’s Medal.
“I really like the construction management program here,” he said. “I like the professors. That side of school is good. The professors are well connected in the construction world.”
This summer, Guinther is completing an internship with Holder Construction in Washington, D.C.
“They built Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta,” he said. “It’s been great. I am surprised at how fun it has been. I have been a field coordinator and engineering intern. It’s been a great internship.”
During his time at Fellowship, Guinther helped the Paladins post a 57-11 overall record and 26-4 Region mark over his junior and senior seasons. He’s one of a group of eight FCS graduates from 2023 to 2025 who played collegiate baseball this spring.
“I was not a very good player coming into Fellowship,” Guinther said. “After two years in JV I started pitching a bunch [at varsity] as a junior and was closing out games as a senior. Coach O [Shawn Oliver] has built a great program. He lets you develop and helps you learn and improve.”
His favorite baseball memory at FCS?
“Against Providence my senior year, Daniel Powell started but did not have a great start and I came in when were losing and I pitched four innings,” he said. “We wound up winning that game.”
(Photos courtesy of catamountsports.com)