Spring's return comes in many forms, but the surest sign in Statesboro is the ping of the bat at J.I. Clements Stadium as Eagle Baseball gets cranked up for its 75th campaign. The 2018 Eagles feature a young, but experienced core and a wealth of new faces. 23 newcomers to the team including 16 true freshmen feature in the Eagle roster for 2018.
Following back-to-back appearances in the Sun Belt Tournament Championship Game, the Eagles have been picked to finish third in the East Division in the league's annual preseason poll. The Eagles went 38-21 in 2017 with an 18-12 league record to place third in the Sun Belt's East Division.
"We only have two seniors, but we have some experienced guys who have played in big games and in big situations," said Coach Hennon. "We've got great leadership on this team, and we have some very good young players that are going to be thrown into the fire from the start."
Georgia Southern's pitching staff features a pair of junior returning starters, with
Brian Eichhorn and
Chase Cohen back on the mound for the new season. Eichhorn capped his 2017 campaign with six and a third innings of solid relief work to send the Eagles to the Sun Belt Championship Game. Cohen started 16 games to lead the league last year as the Eagles won 11 games that he started.
Seth Shuman is coming off an 8-0 mark with a 3.34 ERA en route to Freshman All-American Honors. He opens 2018 having earned Preseason All-Sun Belt Honors.
Steven Curry returns for his sophomore campaign after leading the Eagles with a .312 average at second base in the leadoff spot of the lineup.
Mason McWhorter makes the move for 2018 from the outfield to first base with a .296 and 28 RBIs in tow. Freshman
Austin Thompson from Rincon, Georgia is expected to see time at shortstop this season.
After missing the 2017 campaign due to injury,
Matt Anderson takes over as the Eagles' starting catcher. He served as backup to
C.J. Brazil as a freshman in 2016, hitting .208 with nine RBIs and two doubles.
Tyler Martin earned All-Sun Belt honors in 2017 at designated hitter for the Eagles. This season he is set to take over for McWhorter in left field. He posted a .508 slugging percentage with nine home runs, 43 RBIs and a .291 average last season. He carries an eight-game hit streak into the new season. Transfer
Chandler Corley joins the Eagles for his senior season following three years at Armstrong State. He was a .338 career hitter for the Pirates with 11 home runs and 100 RBIs. The native of Martinez, Georgia is set to make the move from an infielder with the Pirates to centerfield with the Eagles.
"It's always good when you can start the season off against in-state rivals as we are with Georgia and Georgia Tech," said Coach Hennon. "It will be a real test for our team to go out on the road and play in a tough environment. That's something you want to do, you want to challenge your team, find out where they are, and we will get the chance to do that this year."
Georgia Southern opens the 2018 season with a three game series at Georgia. All three games can be seen live on SEC Network + beginning with Friday night's season opener at 5 p.m. The Eagles are back home for the home opener on Tuesday night, Feb 20 against Georgia Tech on ESPN3.
Georgia Southern Athletics provides current information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, which is fully responsive across all mobile devices. Information on Eagle athletics can also be found through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics and Instagram.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.
In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.
