From The Desk Of TK
10/23/2018 12:30:00 PM | General
AD addresses Eagle Nation in letter form
Dear Eagle Nation,
It's hard to believe that the fall sports are rounding into the back halves of their schedules and basketball is right around the corner, but here we are. It feels like just yesterday that we were welcoming students back to campus and practicing in the summer heat of Statesboro, and now the calendar is ready to turn to November. But yet, we still have summer heat!
I hope everyone is enjoying the football season Coach Lunsford and his team are putting together. After last Saturday's win over New Mexico State, we are 6-1 and bowl eligible for the second time in program history! We'll have information on bowl ticket sales early next week, but for now, we're focussing on this week's big game. The important thing to remember is we are only eligible at this point. Packing Paulson Stadium and showing bowl scouts what kind of rabid fan base we have is an important selling point when they are making their decisions on Dec. 2.
Speaking of, we have a huge game this Thursday at Paulson Stadium against No. 25 Appalachian State that will go a long way in determining who wins the East Division of the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers have been really good this year, and we need all of Eagle Nation to show up, be loud, and give our team the home-field advantage it deserves. This will be the first ranked FBS team ever to visit Paulson so to say this is a big game is an understatement. I know Thursday nights are hard for a lot of you, but I am happy to write you a note to get out of work on Friday if that's what it takes to get you here Thursday!
Our men's soccer team is also off to an excellent start, boasting the highest RPI in program history. We'll be hosting the Sun Belt Conference Championship at Eagle Field November 7-11 — the same week as the Troy football game — so hopefully, you'll be able to come out and support both teams as the soccer team looks to claim the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Other highlights from the fall include the women's soccer team defeating Georgia State, our cross country team winning the Eagle Invitational while hosting for the first time in the Sun Belt era, and Lauren Reichard of the volleyball team setting a new school record for career blocks. The men's golf team has been on fire this fall, winning two team titles and Steven Fisk won four individual titles as well. I look forward to seeing what they do this spring both nationally and in the conference.
Our women's golf, rifle, and swimming & diving teams have also kicked off their seasons, and we're less than two weeks away from basketball getting started. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, I encourage you not to wait any longer as both teams will be exciting to watch and will host some impressive opponents in Hanner Fieldhouse this winter.
Speaking of Hanner Fieldhouse, when you come for a game, I hope you enjoy the two new ribbon boards along the two baselines. These Daktronics boards will serve as video boards and scoreboards, adding a new element to the fan experience at basketball and volleyball games. We've also put in a new video board at the softball field, along with a two-story press box, to enhance the game-day experience for that program, as well.
The NCAA approved out-of-season scrimmages for baseball, and our team has taken advantage of the new rule. We played Clemson in Augusta and had a really nice crowd for that game, and will play a few other contests in the coming weeks. The baseball and softball schedules should be finalized soon, but be on the lookout for a potential baseball game in Savannah, and two home tournaments for the softball program!
In addition to all of the athletic highlights, Gleen Hart recently facilitated our Pro Day for Georgia Southern senior student-athletes. Fourteen businesses came to the event to meet 82 of our seniors to discuss future employment opportunities for them. The event was very successful, and Gleen has already heard from several new businesses that want to participate next year.
At the conference level, the Athletic Directors, Senior Women's Administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives recently met in New Orleans to discuss multiple topics from bowl agreements to mental health and wellness of our student-athletes. In addition to these topics, discussion with university presidents and a search firm began to lay out what the Sun Belt is looking for in a new commissioner. I am proud to report that our leadership in our conference is very united in our vision for a commissioner and I was excited to hear about the high level of interest in the soon-to-be-open position.
We've had some successes during our fall sports campaign, and as our success continues, it's important to realize that continuity in the coaching staff is a key part of that puzzle. I encourage you to participate in the Matching Gift Challenge to help us keep these coaches on our campus. Several of our head coaches have invested in this program, and I hope you would consider donating, as well.
I hope everyone can make it to Statesboro here in the next few weeks to support their favorite program. We have a lot of events going on as we enter the first crossover period and I encourage you to take in as much as you can.
Until next time… #GATA
Tom Kleinlein
Director of Athletics, Georgia Southern University
It's hard to believe that the fall sports are rounding into the back halves of their schedules and basketball is right around the corner, but here we are. It feels like just yesterday that we were welcoming students back to campus and practicing in the summer heat of Statesboro, and now the calendar is ready to turn to November. But yet, we still have summer heat!
I hope everyone is enjoying the football season Coach Lunsford and his team are putting together. After last Saturday's win over New Mexico State, we are 6-1 and bowl eligible for the second time in program history! We'll have information on bowl ticket sales early next week, but for now, we're focussing on this week's big game. The important thing to remember is we are only eligible at this point. Packing Paulson Stadium and showing bowl scouts what kind of rabid fan base we have is an important selling point when they are making their decisions on Dec. 2.
Speaking of, we have a huge game this Thursday at Paulson Stadium against No. 25 Appalachian State that will go a long way in determining who wins the East Division of the Sun Belt. The Mountaineers have been really good this year, and we need all of Eagle Nation to show up, be loud, and give our team the home-field advantage it deserves. This will be the first ranked FBS team ever to visit Paulson so to say this is a big game is an understatement. I know Thursday nights are hard for a lot of you, but I am happy to write you a note to get out of work on Friday if that's what it takes to get you here Thursday!
Our men's soccer team is also off to an excellent start, boasting the highest RPI in program history. We'll be hosting the Sun Belt Conference Championship at Eagle Field November 7-11 — the same week as the Troy football game — so hopefully, you'll be able to come out and support both teams as the soccer team looks to claim the automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
Other highlights from the fall include the women's soccer team defeating Georgia State, our cross country team winning the Eagle Invitational while hosting for the first time in the Sun Belt era, and Lauren Reichard of the volleyball team setting a new school record for career blocks. The men's golf team has been on fire this fall, winning two team titles and Steven Fisk won four individual titles as well. I look forward to seeing what they do this spring both nationally and in the conference.
Our women's golf, rifle, and swimming & diving teams have also kicked off their seasons, and we're less than two weeks away from basketball getting started. If you haven't gotten your tickets yet, I encourage you not to wait any longer as both teams will be exciting to watch and will host some impressive opponents in Hanner Fieldhouse this winter.
Speaking of Hanner Fieldhouse, when you come for a game, I hope you enjoy the two new ribbon boards along the two baselines. These Daktronics boards will serve as video boards and scoreboards, adding a new element to the fan experience at basketball and volleyball games. We've also put in a new video board at the softball field, along with a two-story press box, to enhance the game-day experience for that program, as well.
The NCAA approved out-of-season scrimmages for baseball, and our team has taken advantage of the new rule. We played Clemson in Augusta and had a really nice crowd for that game, and will play a few other contests in the coming weeks. The baseball and softball schedules should be finalized soon, but be on the lookout for a potential baseball game in Savannah, and two home tournaments for the softball program!
In addition to all of the athletic highlights, Gleen Hart recently facilitated our Pro Day for Georgia Southern senior student-athletes. Fourteen businesses came to the event to meet 82 of our seniors to discuss future employment opportunities for them. The event was very successful, and Gleen has already heard from several new businesses that want to participate next year.
At the conference level, the Athletic Directors, Senior Women's Administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives recently met in New Orleans to discuss multiple topics from bowl agreements to mental health and wellness of our student-athletes. In addition to these topics, discussion with university presidents and a search firm began to lay out what the Sun Belt is looking for in a new commissioner. I am proud to report that our leadership in our conference is very united in our vision for a commissioner and I was excited to hear about the high level of interest in the soon-to-be-open position.
We've had some successes during our fall sports campaign, and as our success continues, it's important to realize that continuity in the coaching staff is a key part of that puzzle. I encourage you to participate in the Matching Gift Challenge to help us keep these coaches on our campus. Several of our head coaches have invested in this program, and I hope you would consider donating, as well.
I hope everyone can make it to Statesboro here in the next few weeks to support their favorite program. We have a lot of events going on as we enter the first crossover period and I encourage you to take in as much as you can.
Until next time… #GATA
Tom Kleinlein
Director of Athletics, Georgia Southern University
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