Eagle Nation,
I hope this note finds you and your family well!
Eagle Athletics is off to a great start in the near year! Before I share several exciting updates, I first want to applaud our student-athletes for posting a school-record GPA (3.08) this past fall! Two-hundred and seventy-six student-athletes earned a place on the honor roll (3.0 or higher), including 74 who made the President's List for achieving a perfect 4.0 semester GPA. Our student-athletes continue to perform at a high level in the classroom!
Speaking of success, both of our basketball teams are off to fast starts in conference play! Our men's basketball team is tied for first in the Sun Belt with a 3-1 league record, and our women's basketball team is tied for second with a 3-1 league record. Both teams are in action tonight – you can catch our women's team at home against Old Dominion at 6 p.m. while our men's game against App State can be viewed on ESPN+ at 6:30 p.m.
We are just over a month away from the first pitch at J.I. Clements Stadium! Our baseball team enters the spring ranked No. 35 in the country – the highest preseason ranking in the program's history! Several familiar faces return to the lineup this year and will be paired with some exciting newcomers.
I look forward to sharing several new fan upgrades for J.I. Clements Stadium next month. If you still need to, please purchase your season tickets, as you want to take advantage of the action this spring!
Our men's and women's golf teams also enter this spring with record preseason rankings – No. 25 for the men and No. 69 for the women. Both teams return a lot of depth from last season's NCAA postseason run. Our men's team officially kicks off its spring schedule on Feb. 5-6 with the Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate tournament at the Georgia Southern University Golf Club. Our women return to action on Feb. 6-7 at the FAU Paradise Invitational in Boca Raton, Florida. Both teams have tournaments in-and-around the state of Georgia, so please check their schedules on GSEagles.com!
Our rifle team enters the spring with a program-best No. 15 national ranking. Head Coach Soren Butler scheduled an elite spring opener on Saturday in Fairbanks, Alaska, against three top-5 teams in the country. Please plan on attending their next home match on Jan. 22 at the Shooting Sports Education Center against The Citadel.
Softball opens its season on the road at the Easton Leadoff Classic at The University of Alabama on Feb. 10. The Sharon Perkins-led squad is poised for a tremendous season. Our men's and women's tennis teams also return to action this month, and both squads are set to have great springs. Our indoor track season kicks off on Jan. 20 as our women's team heads to Columbia, South Carolina. First-year head coach David Neville and staff have done a great job preparing our young women for the spring. Women's Swimming and Diving returns to action this Saturday at the Aquatics Center at the RAC – please plan on checking them out in action!
Coach Clay Helton and staff signed an impressive 19-person class on Dec. 21. We not only addressed multiple needs on the depth chart, but we have also added several transfer student-athletes that will be announced soon. I'm excited to share that we'll also announce our new assistant football coaches soon! Needless to say, I am already ready for some spring football!
Speaking of football, I would like to thank each of you who was able to attend the Camellia Bowl game in Montgomery. I want to personally apologize for the poor fan experience in and around the bowl game. We have shared extensive notes and constructive feedback with both the Sun Belt Office and ESPN on areas of improvement. Please know that your time and resources spent attending the bowl game do not go unnoticed, and we are very appreciative of your continued support!
Our daily goal is to exceed each of your highest expectations for Georgia Southern Athletics. While there will be times that we fall short, please know that our commitment to comprehensive excellence is unwavering.
In closing, for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to strategically highlight three (3) things that individuals and companies can do to help us:
- Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
- Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
- Get others to do the same!
Our Athletic Ticket Office is ready to assist you in purchasing tickets and can be reached at 1-800-GSU-WINS or via email at tickets@georgiasouthern.edu.
Our best days are ahead – thank you for your continued support!
Hail Southern! GATA!
Jared Benko
Georgia Southern Director of Athletics
