Sidelines
MEN’S TENNIS
NEW COACH IN CHARGE
Georgia Southern director of athletics Jared Benko named Jeremy Bayon head coach of the men’s tennis team. Bayon comes to Statesboro after two successful seasons as an assistant coach with the Nebraska women’s tennis program and has 11 years of experience coaching men’s tennis in the Southeastern Conference. At Nebraska, Bayon made an immediate impact on the program, helping the Cornhuskers to an 11-4 record in a shortened 2019-2020 campaign. Most of Bayon’s coaching experience comes from his long stint in the SEC, first at Mississippi State University from 2001 to 2003 with the men’s team and then at the University of Florida, under men’s head coach Andy Jackson from 2003 to 2012.
RIFLE
EAGLES CAPTURE STATE CROWN
The rifle team claimed its second straight Georgia Collegiate Championship with wins over North Georgia and Georgia Military College in October at the Shooting Sports Education Center on the Statesboro Campus. The Eagles posted a team aggregate of 4,576 to take the crown. In smallbore, Bella Gamez took first with a 570, tying her career high. Kinsley Hannon tied her career high with a 568 to place second and Amy Visconti set a new personal best with a 566 to take third. Ashley Judson and Brianne Staton also posted strong scores to account for the 2,266 team total. Judson took first in air rifle with a 584 followed by Hannon for second place. Hannon set a career high with a 1,150 aggregate to take the gold medal. Judson was close behind in second place. The 2,266 team smallbore was the third-best score in program history.
BASEBALL
FORMER PLAYER NAMED PITCHING COACH
Former Eagle baseball player A.J. Battisto has returned to Georgia Southern as the pitching coach. He joined the Eagles after an All-SoCon selection in 2007 under coach Rodney Hennon. Battisto collected 12 saves during his collegiate career, including 10 in his final season. He graduated from Georgia Southern with a perfect 12-0 record over three years and was selected in the 30th round of the 2007 MLB Draft by the Florida Marlins. The native of Pottstown, Pennsylvania, appeared in 167 games during his career, posting a 21-10 record with a 3.62 ERA and nine saves. Battisto’s career accolades include a 2008 South Atlantic League All-Star selection during a season in which the pitcher posted an 8-1 record with a 1.55 ERA over 49 appearances. He spent seven years pitching in the minor leagues, including three separate tours of duty with the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs.
SUN BELT ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
The Sun Belt Conference selected Mason McWhorter as the 2020-21 Male Athlete of the Year. He is the second Georgia Southern student-athlete to earn this honor, following golfer Steven Fisk in 2019 and he’s the first baseball player to earn the award since South Alabama’s Kevin Hill in 2016. Born in Cumming, Georgia, McWhorter completed his fifth season in Statesboro and started nearly every game during his five-year career. He broke the school record for doubles (67) and is ranked in the top five in multiple statistical categories during his time at Georgia Southern. McWhorter was named the 2021 Sun Belt Player of the Year, along with collecting multiple All-America nods. Included in those All-American honors, was a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American, joining three other Eagle baseball players to earn the distinction.
TWO EAGLE PITCHERS MAKE MLB DRAFT
Georgia Southern baseball’s Nick Jones and Jordan Jackson both heard their names called on day two of the 2021 MLB First-Year Player Draft. Jones was selected in the 8th round by the Los Angeles Angels while Jackson was selected in the 10th round by the Seattle Mariners. The 2021 MLB Draft marks the fifth time in the last eight drafts that the Eagles have had multiple players selected. Jones is the first left-handed pitcher to be drafted since Connor Simmons in 2017 and the highest southpaw since Sam Howard in the third round of the 2014 MLB Draft. Jones finished the 2021 season tying the Georgia Southern school record for saves with 17. Jackson finished the 2021 season with a 4-6 record, striking out 74 batters on the year, highlighted by a career-high 11 against Arkansas State.
MEN’S GOLF
ANDRESS WINS GSGA MATCH PLAY CHAMPIONSHIP
Senior Wilson Andress won the 102nd Georgia State Golf Association Match Play Championship. He won five matches in three days at McLemore Club in Rising Fawn, Georgia. “Winning a GSGA state title is something I’ve always dreamed of since I started playing golf, and to have finally done it is a pretty cool feeling,” said Andress. “It was a really long week, but I just kept focusing on the match I had and before I knew it, I was in the championship match and winning it. Glad I can finally say I’m a GSGA champion and join all the rest of my teammates who have done the same. I can’t thank everyone enough for the support, including Eagle Nation! Thank y’all and Hail Southern!”
STUDENT-ATHLETES
EAGLES HONORED FOR WORK IN THE CLASSROOM
A record 213 Georgia Southern student-athletes were honored by the Sun Belt Conference for their work in the classroom with the yearly release of the Academic Commissioner’s List and Honor Roll. The 213 total student-athletes included 122 named to the Commissioner’s List and 91 to the Honor Roll. The number surpasses the 195 student-athletes honored during the 2016-17 academic year. Men’s Soccer and Softball tied for the largest number of Eagle student-athletes on the SBC Commissioner’s List with 18 apiece. Football had the most student-athletes on the SBC Honor Roll with 24, while Baseball had the most overall honorees with 32. Women’s Soccer had the most overall honorees among women sports with 25. The Commissioner’s List honors student-athletes who earned a 3.5 grade point average (GPA) or better during the 2020-21 academic year while the Academic Honor Roll honors those student-athletes who maintained a GPA between 3.00 and 3.49 for the academic year.