The Benko Briefing - April, 2024
4/5/2024 10:25:00 AM | Baseball, Track & Field/XC, Football, Softball, Women's Basketball, Women's Tennis, Athletic Foundation, Ticketing, Women's Golf
AD addresses Eagle Nation in letter form
I hope this note finds you and your family well.
Our week got off to an exciting start with the press conference for our new head women's basketball coach, Hana Haden! I want to thank everyone who joined us at Hanner Fieldhouse and welcomed Hana to Eagle Nation. She is off to a fast start and is prioritizing building out her staff and roster, and I can't wait to watch our team play next season. I look forward to sharing more exciting women's basketball updates in the near future!
We are in our third full week of spring football practice, with our first scrimmage slated for tomorrow. A couple of initial impressions ... first, we are bigger across the board, particularly at the line of scrimmage. The offseason program, led by our strength & conditioning staff and nutrition staff, is already paying dividends. The quarterback competition at practice has been fun to watch! Defensively, we are flying to the ball and playing as a complete unit. I am very excited to take in the Blue-White game on April 20!
Speaking of April 20, we are officially naming the exciting three days of activities "Southern Spring Weekend." The EFAA's 17th Annual $10,000 Reverse Raffle and Auction will take place on Friday, April 19. Tickets to this must-attend event can be purchased by CLICKING HERE. GATAJAM ticket sales are going strong, and this concert will be one to remember! Tickets are still available at GATAJam.com. Fans in Statesboro this weekend can also support our softball team by taking in our three-game set against Troy. More information will be forthcoming on this incredible weekend of activities!
The Eagle Nation Collective's impact continues to be profound, particularly as we have been able to maintain roster consistency on our football and men's basketball teams. The NIL landscape changes daily, particularly during open periods of the transfer portal. The only constant in a sea of change is that your support of the Eagle Nation Collective has instrumentally impacted our teams' success. For more information on how to support the Eagle Nation Collective, please visit EagleNationNIL.com.
I want to thank everyone who renewed their football tickets by March 31. Football ticket sales have gotten off to a very strong start! We are 17% ahead of last year's season ticket renewals. Additionally, we are up 14% year-over-year in new season tickets. Mini-plan tickets go on sale July 22, while single-game ticket sales are projected to go on sale Aug. 12. I know I speak for everyone when I say I cannot wait to see Paulson packed this fall!
Our baseball team is currently No. 49 in the RPI, coming off an exciting 8-0 road win on Wednesday night over No. 22 South Carolina. Through today, the Eagles have played the 15th-toughest schedule in the country, with their non-conference schedule coming in at No. 8 nationally. We have three wins against nationally ranked teams and three Power 4 Conference wins against Maryland, Mississippi State and South Carolina. The Eagles return to Statesboro for a three-game home stand starting tonight against in-state rival Georgia State. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. this evening, and we are anticipating big crowds all weekend!
Our softball team is off to a 20-13 start and on pace for its best record since 2016! The Eagles are on the road this weekend at ULM for a three-game series. Emma Davis is currently sixth in the Sun Belt with a .394 batting average. The team returns to Statesboro on April 19 for a three-game series against Troy.
Women's golf is currently ranked No. 52 in the country—an all-time program best! The Eagles have tallied three top-10 individual performances in the past two tournaments. A few weeks ago, the team also finished in the top 10 against a loaded field at the Valspar Augusta Invitational, finishing ahead of No. 1 ranked Wake Forest!
Our men's golf team has also had a solid spring, winning the Colleton River Collegiate on March 5 and finishing fourth in a loaded tournament field at the Schenkel Invitational. Freshman Brycen Jones led the entire field at the Colleton tournament, securing his first collegiate win.
The men's tennis team is ranked an all-time program-best No. 66 in the ITA Division poll. The Eagles, riding a six-match winning streak, are first in the Sun Belt standings (4-0) heading into this weekend's match against No. 74 Troy.
Women's tennis is currently 14-3 and achieved an all-time program-best No. 67 ITA Division I team ranking back in February. Our team got off to an incredible 11-1 start and has its Senior Day this Sunday at 10 a.m. against ULM.
Our track & field team secured a sixth-place finish in the Sun Belt Indoor Track and Field Championships. NaJ Watson was named the Sun Belt Indoor Track Performer of the Year. The Eagles also set the Sun Belt Conference meet and school record in the 4x400 (3:40.99), while five athletes were named all-conference. Currently, we are in our outdoor part of the year, and our Eagles are ranked No. 22 in the South Region. Our high jump team is ranked No. 3 in the USTFCCCA rankings. Alanna Smith recently broke the 400m school record set in 2007. Our 4x400m team has already broken the school record twice this year! You can catch the Eagles in action this weekend at home, as well!
I had a chance to tour the Jack and Ruth Ann Hill Convocation Center twice in as many weeks here recently, and each time I visit, I come away more impressed with the facility! There isn't a bad seat in the house, and the ability to move around the 360-degree concourse is fantastic. I am also really excited about our team spaces on the first level as well!
Speaking of facilities, we have closed some significant ground here recently in our fundraising for the stadium renovation at J.I. Clements Stadium. Bids for both general contractor and architect are forthcoming soon, and we are working towards meeting the minimum funding requirement ($5 million) by the summer in order to start construction as quickly as possible. For more information on how to support the baseball project, please get in touch with me or Davis Hendrickson (dhendrickson@georgiasouthern.edu), and we will gladly assist you.
In closing, for Georgia Southern to reach its desired goals, I will continue to highlight four (4) actions that individuals and companies can take to help us:
- Financially support the Athletic Foundation and the Erk Russell Fund
- Buy season tickets and create a home-field advantage
- Support the Eagle Nation Collective (EagleNationNIL.com)
- 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
