Sidelines
WOMEN’S TENNIS
Women’s Tennis Notches Fifth Straight Winning Season
Georgia Southern’s women’s tennis team’s winning season ended in the first round of the 2022 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Tennis Championships held in Peachtree City, Georgia. They were eliminated from the tournament by Louisiana. Georgia Southern finished its season at 12-11, its fifth straight winning season under head coach Sean McCaffrey.
CHEERLEADING
Cheer Team Wins Eighth National Title
The Georgia Southern cheer team won its eighth national championship at the National Cheerleaders Association National Championship in April. The all-girl squad took first in the IA Intermediate Division, and the co-ed team finished third at the championship in Dayton Beach, Florida. It was the seventh national championship for the all-girl team (the Eagles won the co-ed title in 2017).
MEN’S GOLF
Team Falls Just Short in Sun Belt Championship
Men’s golf fell to Little Rock in the championship match of the Sun Belt Men’s Golf Championship Wednesday, April 27, at Mystic Creek Golf Club in El Dorado, Arkansas. The Trojans defeated the defending champion Eagles in a 3-1-1 win. Georgia Southern won its semifinal match 3-2 over Georgia State to advance to the final vs. the Trojans. The Eagles earned an at-large bid to the New Haven Regional for the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
Seniors Named to All-Sun Belt Team
Georgia Southern men’s golf seniors Ben Carr, Mason Williams and Wilson Andress have been named All-Sun Belt in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
Carr earns first-team honors for the second consecutive season and all-league accolades for the third time in his career. He leads the Sun Belt in scoring average (70.30) and is ranked 47th nationally by Golfstat. Williams earns first-team All-Sun Belt plaudits after earning second-team All-Sun Belt kudos last season. He is ranked 57th nationally by Golfstat and has five top-10s in seven events to his credit this season with a win in the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate. Wilson Andress was named third-team All-Sun Belt and earns all-conference honors for the first time in his career. He has played in the lineup in all 10 team events and helped lead the Eagles to four wins, including Sun Belt Championship stroke play, and six top-5 team finishes.
Alumnus Named Player of the Year
Men’s golf alumnus Rusty Strawn was named the 2021 Senior Amateur Player of the Year, compiling 11,247.5 national ranking points to earn the honor. Strawn totaled six tournament wins in 2021 and never finished outside the top 6. He ranked 580 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. Strawn played for the Eagles from 1982 to 1985 and helped Georgia Southern win the Trans America Athletic Conference team title in 1983. He was named All-TAAC in 1984 and 1985. He currently serves as a board member for the Georgia Southern men’s golf 2 Under Alumni Foundation.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Eagles Earn Spot in Sun Belt Tournament
Women’s basketball made it to the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference tournament. In the first round, the team notched its first Sun Belt Conference tournament victory in program history with an 88-79 win over No. 10 seed Georgia State. In the quarterfinals, the Eagles fell to No. 2-seed UT Arlington. Sophomore guard Terren Ward received Sun Belt honors for her season play. She was named the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Sixth Woman of the year, along with earning a spot on the Sun Belt All-Conference Second Team. The team finished the season with an 18-10 overall record, the most wins since 2009-10.
BASEBALL
Four Added to Mason Clements Wall of Fame
Georgia Southern Baseball inducted four new members to the Mason Clements Wall of Fame in February as part of the Evening with the All-Stars Event. The inductees included James Payne, Griffin Benedict, Sam Howard and Mike Tidick.
Payne played Eagle baseball from 2001 to 2005 and was the starting center fielder for three seasons. He developed into an all-conference performer and was named second-team All-Southern Conference in 2004 and received first-team honors in 2005. Payne was a part of two championship teams that participated in NCAA Regionals in 2001 and 2002.
Benedict was a mainstay behind the plate for the Eagles from 2006-2009. He ranks in the top 10 among Georgia Southern career leaders in runs batted in (7th, 195), runs (8th, 192), total bases (9th, 433) and hit by pitches (4th, 53). In his senior year, he helped lead the Eagles to 42 wins, a Southern Conference Tournament title and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Fullerton Regional.
Howard played for the Eagles from 2012-2014. The pitcher was an integral part of the 2014 team’s 40-win season, Southern Conference Tournament Championship and appearance in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. That season Howard led all starters with a 2.35 ERA, a .230 Batting Average Against, and led the entire staff with 94 strikeouts. He was the 16th player in program history to reach the big leagues as he made his Major League debut for the Rockies on June 10, 2018.
Tidick served 13 seasons (2000-2012) on the Georgia Southern baseball staff as the Eagles’ hitting coach and recruiting coordinator. Eagle offenses would turn in batting averages above the .300 mark in 10 of his 13 seasons on staff. Tidick’s hard work and dedication helped the Eagles capture championships and reach the NCAA Tournament in 5 different seasons.
Alumnus Earns Outstanding Minor League Honor
Roly de Armas (’75) was named the recipient of the 13th annual Mike Coolbaugh Award by Minor League Baseball. The award is presented nationally to an individual who has shown “outstanding baseball work ethic, knowledge of the game and skill in mentoring young players on the field.” In 2021, de Armas completed 35 years as a Minor League manager, spending last year with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Phillies. de Armas served as the White Sox and Blue Jays bullpen coaches at different points before he rejoined the Phillies in 2001, where he has been coaching since. He served as the bullpen coach for Team USA in the World Cup from 2007-09 and was the bullpen coach for Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and in 2021 he served as bullpen coach for Team USA in the Tokyo Olympics, where the Americans won a silver medal.
MEN’S SOCCER
Men’s Soccer Returns to Sun Belt Conference
Men’s soccer will return to the Sun Belt Conference beginning this fall. Georgia Southern will join eight other institutions in the newly re-formed soccer conference. The Sun Belt Conference men’s soccer membership will boast some of the sport’s most accomplished programs. Current Sun Belt members Georgia Southern, Coastal Carolina and Georgia State will be joined by incoming members James Madison, Marshall and Old Dominion. Kentucky, South Carolina and West Virginia will compete as affiliate members for men’s soccer only. The Sun Belt Conference previously sponsored men’s soccer from 1976-to 1995 and from 2014-to 2020.
MEN’S BASKETBALL
Eagles Advance to Sun Belt Tournament
The men’s basketball team fell to defending champion App State in the quarterfinals of the Hercules Tire Sun Belt Men’s Basketball Championship. The Eagles closed the season with a 13-16 record. Guard Elijah McCadden received recognition for his season play. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Sixth Man of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches.
GEORGIA SOUTHERN ATHLETICS
Benko Receives Erk Russell Award
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics Jared Benko received the Erk Russell Spirit Award on Feb. 19 in Macon, Georgia, during the annual induction ceremony of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. The award, presented by the Hall of Fame Foundation’s board of directors, recognizes contributions to sport that mirror the enthusiasm that Erk Russell brought to coaching football and to all of life’s endeavors. Benko was hired in March 2020 to lead the Georgia Southern athletics department and has made an immediate impact on Eagle athletics.