Georgia Southern Extra: Eagles baseball team raises funds for Vs. Cancer
Let's take a brief detour from the Georgia Southern baseball team's outstanding 2022 season in terms of game results (29-15 overall, 15-6 Sun Belt Conference), national rankings and weekly conference honors to note the Eagles' philanthropic side.
The baseball team has raised over $13,000 for Vs. Cancer and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation this season.
The Costal Carolina series concluded with the Vs. Cancer game on May 1, when players had their heads shaved at the end of the game by Vintage Barbers. This is done in support of all of the patients and survivors of cancer.
GS baseball has partnered with Vs. Cancer since 2015 and had a fundraising goal of $10,000. Georgia Southern baseball has now raised over $60,000 over all the years partnered with Vs. Cancer.
Vs. Cancer is a nonprofit fundraising campaign under the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation dedicated to saving kids' lives by empowering athletes and communities to fund lifesaving childhood cancer efforts.
Vs. Cancer partners up with over 250 collegiate baseball teams, as well as countless high schools and youth teams to help fight pediatric brain tumors. Players can share their donation link to raise funds personally, as well as have family and friends support this campaign through sponsorships and by attending percentage nights throughout the week prior to the Vs. Cancer game.
To personally donate to support Georgia Southern baseball in the fight against Pediatric Brain Tumors, please click here to donate and learn more information.
https://team.curethekids.org/team/404203
MEN'S GOLF
Sun Belt Conference honors for Eagles trio
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, the conference announced Tuesday.
Carr earns first-team honors for the second consecutive season and all-league accolades for the third time in his career. He leads the SBC in scoring average (70.30) and is ranked 47th nationally by Golfstat. The two-time Sun Belt Golfer of the Week, placed in the top-8 in nine of 10 events he has played in this season, including five top-5s and a victory at the Bank of Tennessee Collegiate.
He shot par or better in 23 rounds, including 15 in the 60s, and tied for third and won both of his matches at the Sun Belt Championship.
Williams earns first-team All-SBC plaudits after earning second-team kudos last season. He is ranked 57th nationally by Golfstat and has five top-10s in seven events with a win in the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate.
Williams shot par or better in 12 of 18 rounds, ranks third in the Sun Belt in scoring average (71.48) and tied for eighth at the Sun Belt Championship.
Andress was named All-SBC third team 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.
Andress shot par or better in 13 rounds, posted six top-25 finishes, tied for fifth at the Sun Belt Championship and went 1-1 in match play.
Georgia Southern was awaiting word Wednesday, May 4, from the NCAA on an at-large bid to its 27th NCAA Championship. The selection show aired on the GOLF Channel on May 4, at 4 p.m. ET.
SBC Golfer of the Year
Anton Albers, Little Rock (sr. – Buchholz, Germany)
Freshman of the Year
Eli Ortego, Louisiana (fr. – Lafayette, La.)
Newcomer of the Year
Jack Hearn, South Alabama (sr. – Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary, Ireland)
Coach of the Year
Jake Harrington, Little Rock
All-Sun Belt First Team
Anton Albers, Little Rock (sr. – Buchholz, Germany)
Magnus Lomholt, Little Rock (jr. – Asnaes, Denmark)
Ben Carr, Georgia Southern (sr. – Columbus, Ga.)
Mason Williams, Georgia Southern (sr. – Bridgeport, W.Va.)
Peter Hinnant, Louisiana (sr. – Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Jack Hearn, South Alabama (sr. – Carrick-on-Suir, Tipperary, Ireland)
All-Sun Belt Second Team
Jansen Smith, Little Rock (jr. – San Angelo, Texas)
Luka Naglic, Arkansas State (jr. – Zirovnica, Slovenia)
Christofer Rahm, Arkansas State (sr. – Gothenburg, Sweden)
Paul Gonzalez, UTA (graduate student – Waxahachie, Texas)
Evan White, Texas State (sr. – Lindale, Texas)
Brantley Scott, Troy (fr. – Dothan, Ala.)
All-Sun Belt Third Team
Timothius Tirto Tamardi, App State (sr. – Surabaya, Indonesia)
Wilson Andress, Georgia Southern (sr. – Macon, Ga.)
Eli Ortego, Louisiana (fr. – Lafayette, La.)
Jacob LeCroy, South Alabama (jr. – Anniston, Ala.)
Kyle Cox, UTA (sr. – Carrollton, Texas)
Will McFadden, Troy (jr. – Mobile, Ala.)
MEN'S SOCCER
Coach Murphy announces signing of 5 from Peach State
Five new in-state players have signed to play at Georgia Southern starting in the fall, GS men's soccer head coach John Murphy announced Tuesday.
The five are Nate Martinez, goalkeeper, Atlanta; Thaddeus Harp, right/left back, Cumming; Angel Sagrero, left back/center mid, Gainesville; Zachary Martin, forward, Atlanta; and Dagoberto Romero, goalie, Lawrenceville.
Martinez was a team captain during his time playing for Concorde Fire Soccer Club. He also was a cross country athlete and was named 2019 GISA Cross Country All-State. Martinez is a Georgia Certificate of Merit Scholar.
Harp lettered all four years at West Forsyth High School. He scored one goal and recorded two assists his senior season. He also played for NASA Tophat. In 2020, NASA Tophat was the Southeast Division Champions for Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) and advanced to the Sweet 16 in the national tournament.
Sagrero lettered all four years at Johnson High School in Gainesville. He was named to the 5A Region 8 first team and was named Midfielder of the Year. He also played for the United Futbol Academy.
Martin played for three years at Lakeside High School, lettering in two of those years. Lakeside was a two-time region champion during Martin's career, and he was named MVP for 2020, 2021, and 2022, as well as Region Player of the Year in 2020 and 2021. He owns the LHS record for most goals in a single season with 44. His senior season, he scored 31 goals and tallied 12 assists.
Romero played for two years at Central Gwinnett High School, which won the 6A Region 8 championship this season, and went 20-1-1, advancing all the way to the state semifinals against Lassiter. Romero is also a product of the Atlanta United Academy.
New alumni group for men's soccer program
The Georgia Southern men's soccer team has launched its new alumni group, Southern Eagles FC, GS head coach John Murphy announced this week.
Southern Eagles FC is dedicated to keeping all Georgia Southern men's soccer alumni informed of the current happenings of the team, including game results, gatherings and other opportunities. Alumni includes players, coaches, trainers and friends of the GS men's soccer program.
"This foundation group is a culmination of several years of hard work, and I'm very excited to announce this special initiative from men's soccer," Murphy said in a press release "We've had so many special coaches and players over the years represent our program, and this initiative is going to allow us to better connect with our former players and to set up meaningful support for our current teams.
"We're very excited to connect with our alumni, who are all over the world, through newsletters and different messaging," Murphy continued. "We're excited to continue the programs on and off campus that we've been doing over the past couple years, to better connect our alumni with our current team."
The group plans to continue traditions that alumni have set up in the past, such as hosting the alumni weekend on the campus one weekend during the spring semester. In addition, an executive board is being created to help oversee the group, with details coming soon.
"We are very excited to be able to announce a new outreach initiative for our Georgia Southern men's soccer alumni to stay more involved with the program," Georgia Southern Director of Athletics Jared Benko said in the press release.
"We are all very proud of not only the athletic and academic accomplishments of our former men's soccer student-athletes, but also their overall success and impact following graduation. The creation of the Southern Eagles FC Alumni Group is a terrific way to bring alumni together, and it also creates a pathway to support the program."
The men's soccer program was introduced on May 7, 1980, when the university was known as Georgia Southern College. Then-athletic director George A. Cook stated, "This is one more step in our goal of having a well-rounded intercollegiate athletic program," when the program came to be.
Since 1980, the Eagles have had a competitive history, competing in four different conferences in their history, the Trans-Atlantic Athletic Conference, the Southern Conference, the Mid-American Conference, and now its second stint in the Sun Belt Conference.
To join the Southern Eagles FC Alumni Group, follow this link to sign up for the contact list.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdhweouktdppiPjywbTZLs8XNgtDbcdoYuOk3l7rAAt3ibePg/viewform
The group is open to all alumni of the Georgia Southern men's soccer program.
For more coverage of Georgia Southern athletics, go to https://www.savannahnow.com/sports/college/georgia-southern/
Nathan Dominitz is the Sports Content Editor of the Savannah Morning News and savannahnow.com. Email him at ndominitz@savannahnow.com. Twitter: @NathanDominitz
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia Southern athletics newsletter baseball, men golf, soccer
