Georgia Southern Extra: Western Carolina baseball program finds another coach in Statesboro

Rather than lament the loss of talent, Georgia Southern could consider it flattering that the Western Carolina baseball program has again plucked a coach from Rodney Hennon's staff.

Following a milestone season for longtime head coach Hennon and the Eagles, associate head coach Alan Beck left Statesboro to return to Cullowhee, North Carolina, where the Western Carolina alumnus and former star player and assistant coach takes over the top baseball job.

Beck coached the Eagles' hitters and worked with the outfielders. GS had some of the best hitters in the Sun Belt Conference en route to a 41-win season and NCAA regional hosting honors for the first time.

This week, Beck announced the hiring of Jeff Korte (pronounced CORE-tee) as an assistant coach. Korte was a volunteer assistant this past season for the Eagles and coached the catchers.

He will work with WCU's catchers, infielders and the overall offense, while also expected to head recruiting efforts in his role.

Beck said he was excited to add Korte to "the Catamount family."

"Jeff is a person of high character that embodies what Western Carolina is all about," Beck said in a press release. "He's a great baseball mind and he will make an immediate impact on our team working directly with our catchers, infielders and our offense."

Prior to joining the Eagles staff, Korte was a graduate assistant at South Alabama, focusing on the development of the catchers during the Jaguars' run through the NCAA Gainesville Regional. South Alabama claimed both the regular-season and tournament championships in the Sun Belt in 2021.

Korte began his collegiate coaching career as an assistant coach at Florida Tech in his native Melbourne before accepting a graduate assistant position at South Alabama. His experience also includes three summers coaching in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League.

Korte played collegiately at Eastern Florida State College and then the University of Illinois. He batted .343 in junior college before transferring to Champaign where he started 78 of the 86 games he appeared in behind the plate.

He posted a .248 average and hit six home runs in his two seasons with the Fighting Illini, while driving in 49 RBIs. In his two years at Illinois, Korte posted a .993 fielding percentage and threw out 21 baserunners attempting to steal. He was a part of the 2019 Illinois squad that earned a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Oxford Regional.

WOMEN'S TENNIS

Eagles sign Ana Tsitavets

Ana Tsitavets has signed with the Eagles for the 2022-23 campaign.

Tsitavets is from Minsk, Belarus, where she achieved a No. 1 juniors ranking from 2016-22. She attended Gymnasium No. 56 in Minsk and played for coach Vladimir Perko. Tsitavets won singles and doubles team events in Minsk and in Liepaja, Latvia, while also capturing an ITF doubles bracket in Chornomorsk, Ukraine.

She also earned All-County Tennis Festival honors four straight year from 2018-22.

Tsitavets is planning to major in criminal justice and criminology. She said many factors went into her decision to attend Georgia Southern.

"The first, and the most important, factor is the team," she said in a press release. "I was really impressed by the team and its extremely positive culture as a whole program-wide. I feel that this is exactly what I needed; a plan. I know that it will help me also in my personal development as an athlete.

"The second factor is the atmosphere at the university," she continued. "It's also very important for me to have a great relationship with my teammates and my coach. So coach (Sean) McCaffrey and my teammates made a big impact on me. The entire team is very supportive and super caring, and it makes me feel like I'm home when we are with each other.

She also said that GS offered her major, has a great location geographically and provides opportunities for her future.

McCaffrey likewise is excited to have Tsitavets join the tennis program.

"She certainly has the tennis abilities to compete in a very strong Sun Belt Conference, but she also embodies a high level of character and inner drive," McCaffrey said. "I'm impressed with her dedication towards her academics, as well as her desire to join a program where everyone works together in order to achieve both team and individual goals.

"I think Ana will contribute greatly to the program and I look forward to watching her grow as a student-athlete and as a member of the Georgia Southern community."

Tsitavets joins Penn State graduate transfer Olivia Ryan, Japanese freshman Nanaka Kijima and French freshman Ninon Martinache to the Eagles' signing class for 2022-23.

MEN'S GOLF

Eagles bring in Luke Koenig

Statham's Luke Koenig (North Oconee High School) has signed to play for the Eagles beginning with the 2022-23 season.

"He is very dedicated, competitive and wants to help push this team forward to new heights," men's golf coach Carter Collins said in a press release. "Luke has tons of experience competing and winning at the highest level, and I believe he will make positive contributions to our team in the classroom and the community as well as on the golf course."

Koenig, whose mother Kristi is a 1990 Georgia Southern graduate, sported a 3.70 grade-point average in high school and intends to major in sport management.

According to Junior Golf Scoreboard, he is ranked 52nd in the country and fifth in Georgia in the 2022 class.

The GHSA Class 4A Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022 when he won back-to-back state titles, Koenig has numerous other wins to his credit, including the AJGA Stewart Cink Championship and the Larry Nelson Invitational.

The Eagles return all 10 lettermen from 2021-22 and have added Koenig, Hayden Carner and Parker Claxton to the 2022-23 roster.

MEN'S SOCCER

Eagles add seven to roster

Georgia Southern men's soccer has completed its 2022 class with seven more signings, including six international students and one from the state of Georgia.

The players are forwards Segundo Amoros of Alicante, Spain; center back Victor Nordestgaard Kubel from Hedensted, Denmark; attacking midfielder/winger Hilary Okoth Odhiambo of Nairobi, Kenya; defensive midfielder Bill Okumu of Nairobi; winger Ervinas Vikaitis of Vilnius, Lithuania; midfielder Haya Yoshizawa of Tokyo, Japan; and Nicholas Gettridge, a center/left back from Columbus, Georgia.

Gettridge lettered all four years of soccer at St. Anne-Pacelli High School in Columbus. He totaled five goals and 10 assists his senior season, and was named Region 1A Defensive Player of the Year. He played for Atlanta Fire FC under head coach Pollonais Garth, recording three goals and three assists.

"Nick is a powerful and aggressive defensive player that can play centrally or as a fullback," GS head coach John Murphy said in a press release. "He has a very good range of pass, and has the ability to change the game in transition. He is a strong 1 v. 1 defender, and is intelligent enough to combine with others to help shut down opposition attacks."

Amoros, a graduate student, is transferring from Sacred Heart University, where he played the past four seasons (17 goals, seven assists total).

Odhiambo played high school soccer for two seasons at Gateway Legacy Christian Academy in Hazelwood, Missouri. As a senior in 2022, he scored 12 goals and tallied nine assists. Okumu also played there for one season as the team went 18-3-1 in the regular season.

Yoshizawa played high school soccer at Montverde (Florida) Academy.

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 baseball, women's tennis, golf news