The Benko Briefing - May, 2024
5/6/2024 3:28:00 PM | Baseball, Track & Field/XC, Men's Golf, Men's Tennis, Softball, Women's Tennis, Women's Golf, APEX
AD addresses Eagle Nation in letter form
I hope this note finds you and your family well.
It is hard to believe that graduation ceremonies start this week; this academic year has flown by! I am excited to recognize our 87 graduating student-athletes at our stole ceremony tonight. Our young men and women continue to amaze me, and this group is really special to me as I have seen them throughout their entire matriculation here in Statesboro. I share two focus points with prospective student-athletes and their families during recruiting visits to Georgia Southern: 1) Earning a degree is a standard, and 2) Obtaining a full-time job before graduation through our APEX program is a goal. Our graduating senior class has continued to reaffirm our standards, with many of them leaving here with a job in their desired field of interest. Needless to say, I am so proud of them and know that they will continue to be great ambassadors for this great University we love!
It's great to see that our baseball and softball teams are on fire as we come down the final stretch of our athletic season!
Baseball (26-21, 15-9 SBC) enters the week winners of six straight, sweeping Marshall and ULM in consecutive three-game series. The Eagles are currently tied for third with Southern Miss in the Sun Belt Conference standings. This weekend, we host No. 18 Louisiana (34-15, 18-6 SBC) at J.I. Clements Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, and I would encourage everyone to purchase their tickets in advance of the series as we expect several sellout crowds!
Softball (30-20, 12-12 SBC) enters the Sun Belt Conference Tournament as the No. 7 seed after concluding the regular season with seven consecutive wins, including three-game sweeps of James Madison and App State these past two weekends. The Eagles' overall record of 30-20 (.600) is the best season since joining the Sun Belt for the the 2015 season. We open single-elimination Sun Belt Conference Tournament play on Wednesday in San Marcos, Texas, against No. 10-seeded Marshall. First pitch is slated for 8 p.m. Eastern.
Our men's tennis team secured the program's first regular-season Sun Belt Championship on April 14 with a 4-1 win over Louisiana! Sophomore Dimitris Paliouras was named the Sun Belt Men's Tennis Player of the Year, while first-year head coach Andrew Goodwin was named Coach of the Year. Paliouras and junior Pol del Castillo were named to the conference's first team, while sophomore Aaron James Williams was named to the second team. With a majority of the team returning next season, this program is on a fast trajectory to being one of the best in the country!
Women's golf concluded its team portion of the season on April 18 after finishing second at the Sun Belt Women's Golf Championship in Point Clear, Alabama. The Eagles fell in the final championship round of match play to Texas State as the Bobcats won 4-1. Our team was ranked No. 54 in the country going into the conference tournament and narrowly missed out on making the NCAA tournament as a team participant. Freshman Louise Reau qualified as an individual player and teed off today at the Bermuda Run Regional hosted by Wake Forest.
Our men's golf team also recently wrapped up its season with a seventh-place finish at the Sun Belt Tournament in Madison, Mississippi. The Eagles' last-round rally came up just short of advancing the team to match play. Brycen Jones was named the Sun Belt Freshman of the Year, Reece Coleman was named Newcomer of the Year, and both players, along with Parker Claxton, earned All-Sun Belt honors.
Women's tennis wrapped up its season on April 26 at the Sun Belt Conference tournament in Rome, Georgia, finishing the year with an 18-6 overall record, and this season marked the third time in the past four seasons that Georgia Southern has won 18 or more matches. It was great to have two of our student-athletes honored as All-Sun Belt, as well.
Our women's track & field team is set to open the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships this week. Their strong performance throughout the spring—marked by personal, season and school bests—is a testament to their hard work and dedication. We appreciate and recognize their efforts and look forward to their continued success.
Thank you to all who attended our EFAA Reverse Raffle, the Blue-White Game, and GATA Jam ... what an incredible weekend! We had great crowds at all events, and it was truly an unforgettable weekend! One of the highlights for me was joining our President, Dr. Kyle Marrero, and USG Regent Everett Kennedy in recognizing Cole Swindell with an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Georgia Southern University before the concert. Cole was speechless and is so proud to be a great ambassador for Georgia Southern; he is True Blue!
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
Players Mentioned
