Mercer Bears baseball

Last updated
Mercer Bears
Baseball current event.svg 2024 Mercer Bears baseball team
Mercer Bears wordmark.svg
Founded1871 (1871)
University Mercer University
Athletic directorJim Cole
Head coach Craig Gibson (21st season)
Conference Southern Conference
Location Macon, Georgia
Home stadium OrthoGeorgia Park
(Capacity: 1,500)
Nickname Bears
ColorsBlack and orange [1]
   
NCAA Tournament appearances
2010, 2013, 2015, 2019
Conference tournament champions
A-Sun: 1979, 1981, 1983, 2010
SoCon: 2015, 2019
Regular season conference champions
Dixie: 1952
A-Sun: 1982, 1994, 1997, 2013
SoCon: 2015, 2016, 2017
For information on all Mercer University sports, see Mercer Bears

The Mercer Bears baseball program is the intercollegiate baseball team of Mercer University located in Macon, Georgia, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Southern Conference. The Bears are coached by Craig Gibson.

Related Research Articles

The Hawkins Arena is the basketball arena on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The arena is located in the University Center, a large multi-purpose facility centrally located on the university campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernie Moore</span>

Bernie Hawthorne Moore was an American college football, basketball, track and field coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Mercer University (1926–1928) and Louisiana State University (LSU) (1935–1947). Moore was also the head basketball coach at Mercer (1926–1928) and the head track and field coach at LSU (1930–1947). He was then SEC commissioner from 1948 to 1966. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1952.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercer Bears</span>

The Mercer Bears are the athletic teams of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. Mercer is the only private university in Georgia with an NCAA Division I athletic program and fields teams in eight men's and nine women's sports. The university competes in the Southern Conference for most sports. In 2013, the football team competed in the Pioneer Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercer Bears men's basketball</span> Basketball team representing Mercer University

The Mercer Bears men's basketball team represents Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The school's team competes in the Southern Conference. They are led by head coach Ryan Ridder and play their home games at Hawkins Arena.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercer Bears football</span> Football program representing Mercer University

The Mercer Bears football program is the intercollegiate football team of Mercer University located in Macon, Georgia, United States. The team competes in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and is a member of the Southern Conference. The team plays its home games at the 10,200-seat Five Star Stadium on the university's Macon campus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">OrthoGeorgia Park</span>

OrthoGeorgia Park at Claude Smith Field is a 1,500-seat baseball stadium on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The facility has a press box, concession stands, and additional berm seating along the right field fence. On November 11, 2014, Mercer announced plans to renovate and expand the stadium, which will include new seating areas, concession areas, press box, dugouts, and a new entrance plaza. Significant funding will be provided by OrthoGeorgia in return for future naming rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordy Mercer</span> American baseball player

Jordy Joe Mercer is an American former professional baseball infielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Detroit Tigers, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals. Prior to beginning his professional career, he played college baseball at Oklahoma State University. He has also competed for the United States national baseball team in international competition. Mercer bats and throws right-handed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moye Complex</span> Sports complex in Macon, Georgia, United States

The Tony and Nancy Moye Football and Lacrosse Complex is a 10,200 seat football and lacrosse stadium on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. Construction began on November 12, 2011 and was completed in 2013; the AstroTurf 3D Extreme surface was completed in 2012, the football team conducted its first practice in the stadium on August 27, 2012. The university initially announced the complex would have 6,000 seats; the number was increased to 10,200 in 2012. The first football game at Moye Complex was on August 31, 2013; Mercer defeated Reinhardt University in front of an overflow crowd of 12,172 spectators.

The 1979 Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC) baseball tournament, the first-ever for the league known since the 2001–02 school year as the Atlantic Sun Conference, was held at Centenary Park on the campus of Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana, from May 10 through 13. Mercer won the first tournament championship. As a new conference, the TAAC did not have an automatic bid to the 1979 NCAA Division I baseball tournament.

The 1980 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball tournament was held at Luther Williams Field on the campus of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, from May 1 through 4. This was the second tournament championship held by the Trans America Athletic Conference, in its second year of existence. Georgia Southern won their first tournament championship. The Eagles earned a bid to the 1980 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, the first for the league.

The 1981 Trans America Athletic Conference baseball tournament was held at Hunter Field on the campus of Hardin–Simmons University in Abilene, Texas, from April 30 through May 2. This was the third tournament championship held by the Trans America Athletic Conference, in its third year of existence. Mercer won their second tournament championship.

Craig Gibson is an American college baseball coach and former first baseman. He has been the head baseball coach at Mercer University since the start of the 2004 season. Under Gibson, Mercer has appeared in its first two NCAA tournaments. A Macon native, Gibson is a Mercer alumnus and played baseball for the Bears from 1983–1986, winning a conference player of the year award as a junior.

Barry Myers was an American former college baseball and men's soccer coach. He was the head baseball coach at both Jacksonville, from 1967 to 1973, and Mercer, from 1978 to 2003. At Jacksonville, he led the Dolphins to their first two NCAA tournaments, one each in the College and University Divisions. At Mercer, he won three TAAC Tournaments and was named TAAC Coach of the Year four times. A native West Virginian, Myers attended Marshall University, where he played baseball for the Thundering Herd under head coach Bill Chambers. He was also Mercer's soccer coach from 1974 to 1976, amassing a 12–21–3 overall record.

Byron Lambert "Consuello" "Crook" Smith was an American college football, baseball, and basketball player and coach inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1979. He played for Mercer, and, after a short career as a baseball player and umpire in professional baseball, he was the head coach for the Georgia Southern Eagles team of Georgia Southern University. He was later assistant pastor and director of young people's work at Immanuel Baptist Church in Savannah.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mercer Bears women's basketball</span> American womens collegiate basketball team

The Mercer Bears women's basketball team represents Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Southern Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles C. Stroud</span> American sports coach (1870–1949)

Charles Crawford "Doc" Stroud was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach and college athletics administrator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Lewis</span> American baseball player (born 1995)

Kyle Alexander Lewis is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. Prior to his MLB debut, he played college baseball for the Mercer Bears.

The 2019 Southern Conference baseball tournament was held from May 21 through 26 at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. The annual event determined the conference champion of the Division I Southern Conference in college baseball. The tournament winner, Mercer Bears, earned the league's bid to the 2019 NCAA Division I baseball tournament. This was the last of 20 athletic championships held by the conference in the 2018–19 academic year.

Monroe Parker "Tink" Gillam was a college football, baseball, and basketball coach. Born in Dadeville, Alabama, Gillam attended Birmingham College, where he played baseball, basketball, and was a halfback on the football team. After graduating in 1919, Gillam was athletic director at Southern Military Academy in Greensboro, Alabama, from 1920–1921 and assistant athletic director at Mississippi College from 1921–1923.

The 1931 Mercer Bears football team was an American football team that represented Mercer University as a member of both the Dixie Conference and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association (SIAA) during the 1931 college football season. In their third year under head coach Lake Russell, the team compiled a 7–2–1 record.

References

  1. "Color - Mercer University Style Guide" . Retrieved April 8, 2016.