2021 Georgia Southern Eagles baseball team


The 2021 Georgia Southern Eagles baseball team represented Georgia Southern Eagles during the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Eagles played their home games at J. I. Clements Stadium and were led by twenty-first year head coach Rodney Hennon. They were members of the Sun Belt Conference.

2021 Georgia Southern Eagles baseball
SBC Tournament Pool B champions
ConferenceSun Belt Conference
DivisionEast Division
Record34–23 (14–10 SBC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • B. J. Green
  • Alan Beck
Home stadiumJ. I. Clements Stadium
Seasons
← 2020
2022 →
2021 Sun Belt Conference baseball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
East Division
South Alabama  x‍‍y 15 9   .625 36 22   .621
Georgia Southern  ‍‍‍ 14 10   .583 34 23   .596
Troy  ‍‍‍ 13 11   .542 27 26   .509
Appalachian State  ‍‍‍ 11 10   .524 21 31   .404
Georgia State  ‍‍‍ 12 12   .500 18 37   .327
Coastal Carolina  ‍‍‍ 9 12   .429 27 24   .529
West Division
Louisiana  x‍‍‍ 13 11   .542 32 23   .582
UT Arlington  ‍‍‍ 13 11   .542 27 30   .474
Louisiana–Monroe  ‍‍‍ 11 13   .458 26 26   .500
Little Rock  ‍‍‍ 11 13   .458 21 30   .412
Arkansas State  ‍‍‍ 10 14   .417 19 30   .388
Texas State  ‍‍‍ 9 15   .375 21 36   .368
x – Division champion
‡ – Tournament champion
y – Invited to the NCAA tournament
As of June 7, 2021[1]
Rankings from D1Baseball

Preseason edit

Signing Day Recruits edit

[2]

Player Hometown Previous Team
Pitchers
Brayden Collett Evans, Georgia Greenbrier HS
Rem Maxwell Winder, Georgia Jefferson County HS
Will Robbins Cumming, Georgia Forsyth Central HS
Brett Zerbel Augusta, Georgia Augusta Christian
Pax Briley III Suwanee, Georgia North Gwinnett HS
Declan Dun Peachtree City, Georgia Starr's Mill HS
Hitters
Blake Chapman Simsbury, Connecticut Elev8 Sports Institute
Garrett Carter McDonough, Georgia Ola HS
Preston Gunnell Canton, Georgia Woodstock HS
Sean White Peachtree City, Georgia Starr's Mill HS
JB Bell Buford, Georgia Flowery Branch HS
Carson Mynatt Canton, Georgia Cherokee HS

Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll edit

The Sun Belt Conference Coaches Poll was released on February 15, 2021 and the Eagles were picked to finish third in the East Division with 51 votes.[3]

Coaches poll (East)
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Coastal Carolina 69 (10)
2 South Alabama 51 (1)
3 Georgia Southern 51 (1)
4 Troy 44
5 Appalachian State 21
6 Georgia State 16

Preseason All-Sun Belt Team & Honors edit

  • Aaron Funk (LR, Pitcher)
  • Jordan Jackson (GASO, Pitcher)
  • Conor Angel (LA, Pitcher)
  • Wyatt Divis (UTA, Pitcher)
  • Lance Johnson (TROY, Pitcher)
  • Caleb Bartolero (TROY, Catcher)
  • William Sullivan (TROY, 1st Base)
  • Luke Drumheller (APP, 2nd Base)
  • Drew Frederic (TROY, Shortstop)
  • Cooper Weiss (CCU, 3rd Base)
  • Ethan Wilson (USA, Outfielder)
  • Parker Chavers (CCU, Outfielder)
  • Rigsby Mosley (TROY, Outfielder)
  • Eilan Merejo (GSU, Designated Hitter)
  • Andrew Beesly (ULM, Utility)

Personnel edit

Roster edit

[4]

2021 Georgia Southern Eagles roster
 

Pitchers

  • 8 Griffin Davis – Redshirt Junior
  • 9 Chase DollanderFreshman
  • 16 Braden Hays – Junior
  • 17 Tyler Owens – Senior
  • 19 Sean Adams – Sophomore
  • 21 Jonathan Edwards – Junior
  • 25 Nick Jones – Senior
  • 26 Jay Thompson – Junior
  • 27 Rhett Gay – Senior
  • 29 Tyler Jones – Senior
  • 32 Jared Szabo – Redshirt Freshman
  • 33 Jordan Jackson – Senior
  • 34 Austin Kleinlein – Redshirt Junior
  • 35 Hayden Harris – Senior
  • 36 Anthony Dimola – Freshman
  • 37 David Johnson – Senior
  • 40 Jacob Parker – Redshirt Senior
  • 43 Connor Bruce – Sophomore
  • 45 Ben Johnson – Freshman
  • 46 Jeremy Gay – Freshman
  • 47 Jake Martin – Sophomore
  • 48 Jackson Dyer – Freshman
 

Catchers

  • 3 Chandler Davis – Junior
  • 5 Matt Anderson – Senior
  • 13 JP Tighe – Junior
  • 99 Hayden Duffield – Freshman

Infielders

  • 00 Jarrett Jenkins – Freshman
  • 2 Jason Swan – Senior
  • 7 Jack Eichler – Sophomore
  • 22 Austin Thompson – Senior
  • 23 Blake Evans – Junior
  • 28 Noah Ledford – Junior
  • 30 Steven Curry – Senior
  • 31 Mitchell Golden – Redshirt Senior
  • 38 Sam Blancato – Sophomore
  • 42 Jaylen Paden – Freshman
  • 44 Jarrett Brown – Sophomore
 

Outfielders

  • 4 Mason McWhorter – Senior
  • 6 Noah Searcy – Senior
  • 11 Cody Shook – Redshirt Junior
  • 12 Parker Biederer – Senior
  • 41 Christian Avant – Senior
  • 49 J. C. Peacher – Freshman

Coaching staff edit

2021 Georgia Southern Eagles coaching staff
  • Rodney Hennon – Head Coach – 21st year
  • B. J. Green – Assistant Head Coach/Pitching Coach – 11th year
  • Alan Beck – Assistant Head Coach/Hitting Coach – 6th year
  • Seth Lancaster – Volunteer Assistant Coach – 1st year

Schedule and results edit

Legend
  Georgia Southern win
  Georgia Southern loss
  Postponement/Cancelation/Suspensions
Bold Georgia Southern team member
2021 Georgia Southern Eagles baseball game log
Regular season (31–22)
February (2–5)
Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SBC record
Feb. 19 No. 19 Tennessee J. I. Clements StadiumStatesboro, GA L 3–5 Dallas (1–0) Jackson (0–1) Walsh (1) ESPN+ 704 0–1
Feb. 20 No. 19 Tennessee J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 3–5 Redmond (1–0) Harris (0–1) None ESPN+ 767 0–2
Feb. 21 No. 19 Tennessee J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 3–7 (12 inns) Hunley (1–0) Paden (0–1) None ESPN+ 709 0–3
Feb. 24 at College of Charleston CofC Baseball Stadium at Patriots PointMount Pleasant, SC W 18–7 Thompson (1–0) Cook (0–1) None 442 1–3
Feb. 26 No. 22 East Carolina J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 4–6 Bridges (1–0) Jackson (0–2) Colmore (1) 701 1–4
Feb. 27 No. 22 East Carolina J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 10–7 Johnson (1–0) Mayhue (0–1) Johnson (1) 756 2–4
Feb. 28 No. 22 East Carolina J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 2–9 Whisenhunt (1–0) Hays (0–1) None 762 2–5
March (10–6)
Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SBC record
Mar. 3 at North Florida Harmon StadiumJacksonville, FL W 3–1 Jackson (1–2) Santos (0–1) Jones (1) 119 3–5
Mar. 5 Towson J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 5–1 Johnson (2–0) Seils (1–2) Hays (1) 629 4–5
Mar. 6 Towson J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 7–5 Dollander (1–0) Ramanjulu (0–2) Jones (2) 647 5–5
Mar. 7 Towson J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 6–5 Paden (1–1) Santangelo (0–1) Jones (3) 637 6–5
Mar. 9 No. 7 Georgia J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 2–5 Cannon (1–0) Jackson (1–3) None 850 6–6
Mar. 12 UAB J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 11–7 Thompson (2–0) Taylor (0–1) Jones (4) 732 7–6
Mar. 13 UAB J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 15–4 Dollander (2–0) O'Clair (2–2) None 527 8–6
Mar. 14 UAB J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 9–5 Johnson (1–0) Knight (1–1) Jones (5) 643 9–6
Mar. 17 at No. 12 Georgia Tech Russ Chandler StadiumAtlanta, GA Game Postponed
Mar. 19 at Troy Riddle–Pace FieldTroy, AL W 8–1 Owens (1–0) Ortiz (2–2) None 809 10–6 1–0
Mar. 20 at Troy Riddle–Pace Field • Troy, AL L 8–11 Gainous (3–1) Dollander (2–1) None 1,057 10–7 1–1
Mar. 21 at Troy Riddle–Pace Field • Troy, AL L 4–8 Witcher (3–1) Johnson (1–1) Pettys (1) 831 10–8 1–2
Mar. 23 vs. Clemson SRP ParkNorth Augusta, SC L 4–6 Clayton (2–0) Parker (0–1) None 1,498 10–9
Mar. 26 Appalachian State J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 3–1 Owens (2–0) Tuthill (2–3) Jones (6) 779 11–9 2–2
Mar. 27 Appalachian State J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 10–2 Dollander (3–1) Martinez (3–3) None 735 12–9 3–2
Mar. 28 Appalachian State J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 1–3 Hall (4–0) Johnson (1–2) Ellington (2) 607 12–10 3–3
Mar. 30 College of Charleston J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 3–6 Czerwinski (1–0) Paden (1–2) Williams (2) 637 12–11
April (13–5)
Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SBC record
Apr. 1 at Georgia State GSU Baseball ComplexDecatur, GA W 23–1 Owens (3–0) Watson (2–4) None ESPN+ 292 13–11 4–3
Apr. 2 at Georgia State GSU Baseball Complex • Decatur, GA L 6–7 (10 inns) Horton (1–1) Johnson (1–3) None ESPN+ 356 13–12 4–4
Apr. 3 at Georgia State GSU Baseball Complex • Decatur, GA W 2–3 Sweatt (2–1) Jackson (1–4) None ESPN+ 398 13–13 4–5
Apr. 6 at Georgia Foley FieldAthens, GA W 2–1 Hays (1–1) Pasqua (1–1) Jones (7) 664 14–13
Apr. 9 Louisiana–Monroe J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 4–3 Owens (4–0) Longsworth (0–2) Jones (2) 617 15–13 5–5
Apr. 10 Louisiana–Monroe J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 4–1 Dollander (4–1) Barlow (3–4) Jones (9) 647 16–13 6–5
Apr. 11 Louisiana–Monroe J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 7–1 Jackson (2–4) Lien (3–1) None 573 17–13 7–5
Apr. 13 North Florida J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 8–6 Harris (1–1) Madonna (2–2) Parker (1) 546 18–13
Apr. 14 Mercer J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 3–2 Jones (1–0) Sutko (2–2) None 607 19–13
Apr. 16 at Coastal Carolina Springs Brooks StadiumConway, SC W 8–2 Owens (5–0) Hopwood (4–2) None 1,000 20–13 8–5
Apr. 17 at Coastal Carolina Springs Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC W 8–3 Hays (2–1) Parker (2–3) Jones (10) 1,000 21–13 9–5
Apr. 18 at Coastal Carolina Springs Brooks Stadium • Conway, SC L 6–8 Sharkey (2–1) Jackson (2–5) Kreuzer (1) 1,000 21–14 9–6
Apr. 21 at Kennesaw State Fred Stillwell StadiumKennesaw, GA W 11–5 Thompson (3–0) Grogan (3–1) None 120 22–14
Apr. 24 at Oklahoma L. Dale Mitchell Baseball ParkNorman, OK W 4–1 Owens (6–0) Bennett (3–3) Jones (11) 724 23–14
Apr. 24 at Oklahoma L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park • Norman, OK W 3–2 Johnson (2–3) Taggart (1–5) Thompson (1) 725 24–14
Apr. 25 at Oklahoma L. Dale Mitchell Baseball Park • Norman, OK L 4–14 Ruffcorn (3–1) Jackson (2–6) None 613 24–15
Apr. 27 Jacksonville J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 4–3 Thompson (4–0) Graham (0–2) Jones (12) 529 25–15
Apr. 30 South Alabama J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 5–12 Smith (4–0) Harris (1–2) None 769 25–16 9–7
May (6–6)
Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SBC record
May 1 South Alabama J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 11–2 Thompson (5–0) Boswell (2–2) None 673 26–16 10–7
May 2 South Alabama J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 7–6 Thompson (6–0) Dalton (4–3) Jones (13) 639 27–16 11–7
May 7 at Arkansas State Tomlinson Stadium–Kell FieldJonesboro, AR L 1–6 Hudson (4–1) Owens (6–1) None 346 27–17 11–8
May 8 at Arkansas State Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field • Jonesboro, AR L 0–4 Nash (3–4) Dollander (4–2) Jumper (4) 27–18 11–9
May 8 at Arkansas State Tomlinson Stadium–Kell Field • Jonesboro, AR W 3–2 Jackson (3–6) Holt (3–3) Jones (14) 457 28–18 12–9
May 11 Kennesaw State J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA Game cancelled
May 13 at Elon Walter C. Latham ParkElon, NC L 5–8 Edgington (3–3) Owens (6–2) Sprake (5) 65 28–19
May 14 at Elon Walter C. Latham Park • Elon, NC L 4–6 Simon (1–4) Dollander (4–3) Sprake (6) 65 28–20
May 15 at Elon Walter C. Latham Park • Elon, NC W 7–5 Harris (2–2) Evans (0–1) Jones (15) 65 29–20
May 18 at Mercer OrthoGeorgia ParkMacon, GA L 1–5 Jackson (3–3) Davis (0–1) Sutko (12) 478 29–21
May 20 UT Arlington J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA L 3–5 Norris (4–3) Thompson (6–1) King (4) 457 29–22 12–10
May 21 UT Arlington J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 3–2 Jackson (4–6) Bullard (7–4) Jones (16) 487 30–22 13–10
May 22 UT Arlington J. I. Clements Stadium • Statesboro, GA W 6–3 Davis (1–1) Moffat (4–5) Jones (17) 529 31–22 14–10
Post-season (3–1)
SBC Tournament (3–1)
Date Opponent Seed/Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record Tournament record
May 26 vs. (5E) Georgia State (2E) Montgomery Riverwalk StadiumMontgomery, AL W 10–1 Owens (7–2) Jones (1–8) None ESPN+ 32–22 1–0
May 28 vs. (3W) Louisiana–Monroe (2E) Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium • Montgomery, AL W 9–5 Bruce (1–0) Lien (4–3) None ESPN+ 33–22 2–0
May 29 vs. (1W) Louisiana (2E) Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium • Montgomery, AL W 3–2 (11 inns) Thompson (7–1) Arrighetti (8–6) None ESPN+ 34–22 3–0
May 30 vs. (1E) South Alabama (2E) Montgomery Riverwalk Stadium • Montgomery, AL L 4–10 Smith (6–1) Harris (2–3) None ESPN+ 3,162 34–23 3–1
Schedule Source:[5]

*Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.

Postseason edit

Conference accolades edit

  • Player of the Year: Mason McWhorter – GASO
  • Pitcher of the Year: Hayden Arnold – LR
  • Freshman of the Year: Garrett Gainous – TROY
  • Newcomer of the Year: Drake Osborn – LA
  • Coach of the Year: Mark Calvi – USA

References:[6]

Rankings edit

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
Coaches'[7]—*
Baseball America[8]
Collegiate Baseball^[9]RV
NCBWA[10]RVRVRV
D1Baseball[11]

^ Collegiate Baseball ranked 40 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranked 30 teams weekly during the season.
NCBWA ranks 35 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 30 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References edit

  1. ^ "Sun Belt Conference baseball standings". D1Baseball.com. Retrieved May 31, 2021.
  2. ^ "Georgia Southern – Perfect Game Baseball Player College Commitments". Perfect Game. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
  3. ^ Conference, Sun Belt. "Sun Belt Conference Announces 2021 Baseball Preseason Honors". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved February 17, 2021.
  4. ^ "2021 Baseball Roster". Georgia Southern University Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "Georgia Southern Announces 2021 Baseball Schedule". Georgia Southern University Athletics. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Sun Belt Announces 2021 Baseball All-Conference Teams & Postseason Awards". sunbeltsports.org. Retrieved January 5, 2022.
  7. ^ "Baseball Coaches Poll". Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  8. ^ "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". baseballamerica.com. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  9. ^ "2019 Collegiate Baseball Polls – Collegiate Baseball Newspaper". baseballnews.com. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "NCBWA > News". sportswriters.net. Retrieved February 28, 2021.
  11. ^ "College Baseball Rankings News & Analysis". d1baseball.com. Retrieved February 28, 2021.