Thursday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Howard, Northeast get football coaches, UGA hoops, the Falcons, area college tennis, prep signings, and more
Thursday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
New head football coaches named at Howard and Northeast
Paul Carroll and Jeremy Wiggins haven't coached together, but they do have experience at Warner Robins, and hope to bring some of that experience - success - to their new jobs.
In This Week's Coverage.
Huntsville brings the offense in win over Macon
It took less than a minute for Huntsville to take the lead, seven minutes for Macon to tie it, and a short time for Huntsville to regain it en route to an 8-2 win in Game 2 of the SPHL series.
The series finale is at 7:35 p.m. Friday.
UGA's Crean adds an assistant coach
Tom Crean has one assistant opening left.
Atlanta United visit LA Galaxy
The United are 4-1-1 and the Galaxy are 3-2-1.
Falcons to open season with Philadelphia
Things get interesting early in the 2018 season as the Falcons visit Philadephia in week 1, followed by home games against Carolina, New Orleans, and Cincinnati.
Falcons not expecting single-game sales
On the day the NFL schedule is announced, Atlanta says it has season ticket plans available, but doesn't expect to have single-game tickets.
Mercer softball again gets top-25 votes
A few days after getting a mention in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll, poll, Mercer's softball team got votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball top 25 poll.
Mercer is listed at 37th, two spots behind Kennesaw State. The Bears are the only Southern Conference team getting votes, and join the Owls and No. 7 Georgia as state teams listed. Other mid-majors include No. 20 Long Beach State, No. 25 Hofstra, James Madison, and Drake.
The Bears came in at 31 earlier this week in the ESPN/USA Softball poll, again two spots behind KSU and joining No. 6 Georgia.
Tech's Bailey on a hot streak entering big series
Georgia Tech's Wade Bailey is sixth in the ACC with a .340 batting average, and he doesn't feel like his swing is acceptable.
College Tennis: Mercer, Georgia College begin conference tournaments
Mercer's fifth seeded women and second seeded men face Chattanooga Friday to open the Southern Conference tournament.
Katie Sidor made the SoCon first team in singles, and teamed with Grace Kortal to make the first team in doubles earlier in the week.
Georgia College's No. 25 women's team opens PBC play against Francis Marion as the No. 2 seed. GC is 13-6. The tournament is in Florence, S.C.
Jena Kelly was named all-PBC first team singles, and Emily Richter and Jannik Kumbier second team. Kumbier and Robin Moller made second team in singles along with Jena Kelly and Valeria Lopez.
MLB: Braves cruise past Mets
Preston Tucker drove in five runs and Matt Wisler was surprisingly sharp on short notice as Atlanta thumped the Mets 12-4.
Daily Scoreboard information is posted
This Week's Signings
Brice Paster
Peach County wing Brice Paster signed Thursday with South Georgia Tech, a junior college in Cordele that finished 20-12 last season.
Paster started for two years and averaged nearly 19 points a game as a senior. ...
Windsor pitching standout Holly Phillips has signed with Georgia State. ...
Lamar County guard Dallas Ogletree has signed with Maryville College.
Jones County baseball shortstop Jackson Mix signed Thursday with Gordon State in Barnesville. ...
Former Southwest multi-sport standout Justin Slocum has signed with Division II Delta State for basketball. Slocum averaged 12.1 points and 9.6 rebounds last season for Columbia State (Tenn.) Community College.
This Week's Honor Roll
Mercer senior Desmond Ringer has been named to the NABC "Give Back" team, "a group of 10 men's college basketball players that are recognized for their outstanding community service efforts."
He is one of five Division I basketball players picked. Ringer started for three seasons, and has been part of a team involved in Habitat for Humanity, local hospital and youth center visits, among other things. ...
Seniors Kristen Jones, Jena Kelly, and Emma Niemi of Georgia College's women's tennis team were named to the Peach Belt Conference women's tennis all-academic team. The three have GPAs of 3.68, 3.76, and 3.48. Kelly has made the team for the third time, Jones a second.
Jannik Kumbier (3.56) made the men's team for the Bobcats. ...
Houston County alum Blake Jackson of Middle Georgia State is the SSAC player of the week. Jackson, a junior third baseman, hit .471 with 3 HRs, 3 doubled and 8 RBIs in the 3-1 week for the Knights.
A transfer from ABAC after starting out at Georgia Tech, Jackson is hitting .303 with 15 doubles, 8 HRs, and 58 RBI.
This Week's Poll Watch
Georgia College's No. 25 softball team is fourth in the first release of the Division II region rankings. The Bobcats (31-11/12-2) are behind North Georgia, Lenoir-Rhyne, and Queens.
The final poll determines the five at-large spots in the NCAA Tournament, which begins May 11.