Tuesday's Central Georgia Daily News 'n Notes: Bacon gamer, Coastal Plain All-Star info; conference academic honors for Mercer & FVSU; Braves Report; and more
Tuesday's Central Georgia - and of interest to Central Georgia - news and notes, compiled from staff reports, email reports, the web, and social media.
Five Macon players make Coastal South Division All-Star team
Two Central Georgia connections are among the five Macon players on the South roster for the Coastal Plain League all-star series.
The All-Star Showdown in Savannah features teams from each division, a fan-voted team, and Team Savannah.
Division teams were picked on voting by coaches and media.
Pitcher Preston Sparks (Veterans/Middle Georgia State) and outfielder M.J. Rookard (Middle Georgia State) lead the Bacon contingent, being joined by shortstop Jared Miller and DH/utility Calvin Estrada.
Third baseman Tristan Thomas was selected, but it unable to participate.
The festivities on July 7 and 8 include a home run derby, which determines seeding for the bracket play with the teams. The top two teams get a bye, and the other teams play a pair of three-inning games, eliminating the loser.
The Sunday winners play the top two teams on Monday in three-inning games, with a three-inning championship.
There is an equation and a pool for the pitching.
Macon’s Chace Harris is in the championship pitchers pool, and Georgia College’s Kyle King of Gastonia is in the semifinals pitchers pool.
Home run derby participants were not announced.
Gastonia’s offense and Macon’s defense=Grizzlies’ win
Gastonia took advantage of three errors in the first six innings and brought the offense to town for a 15-4 win over Macon at Luther Williams Field.
Macon’s 1-0 lead after one was gone after Gastonia’s three in the second, and put into the distance after the Grizzlies’ five in the fourth, on a homer, single, error, single, wild pitch, three straight walks, and a fielder’s choice, with a few stolen bases mixed in.
The Grizzlies, who added four in the ninth, went through six Macon pitchers, who teamed for 10 strikeouts and 11 walks, plus five wild pitches, a balk, and a hit batter.
Logan Fink (Tattnall) and Jared Miller had two hits for Macon.
Lexington County is up next for Macon, on the road Thursday and at home on Friday.
Mercer tops Southern Conference in academic all-conference
Nearly six dozen Mercer athletes made the Southern Conference spring academic all-conference team, and the school again led the conference in academic honorees.
For the year 2018-19 year, Mercer had 110 all-conference academic picks.
One Mercer Central Georgian made the list, baseball player Tanner Hall of Houston County, who had a 3.45 in sports marketing and analytics. Baseball had the most selections, with 11.
FPD grad Maggie Johnston of Samford women’s track made the team with a 375 in communication studies.
FVSU puts more than 70 on SIAC All-Academic
Four Fort Valley State athletes earned SIAC All-Academic team honors as part of 71 Wildcats earning academic honors.
Each sport had an all-academic team, although GPAs weren’t listed.
Zaquan Baldwin in football, Nyah Dismukes in women’s basketball, Andrew Ziegler in men’s basketball, and Zyron Brown in men’s track and field made their sports’ teams. A 3.2 was needed for consideration.
Braves Report
Atlanta didn’t have much offense.
Chicago had less.
The Cubs had one more hit and one less run in the Braves’ 3-2 win.
Two in the seventh on Ozzie Albies’ 12th homer of the year gave Atlanta the lead. Ronald Acuna led the game off with a homer, his 19th bomb of the season and his 12th leadoff homer.
Max Fried went six innings, with eight strikeouts and five walks. Sean Newcomb returned and went an inning, striking out two. Luke Jackson fanned two in the ninth for his 12th save, following Anthony Swarzak.
The bullpen retired nine straight at one point, and 15 of the final 16 batters it faced.
Next: Wednesday, at Chicago Cubs, 8:05 p.m., MLB/FSSE; Thursday, at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.; FSSE; Friday, at NY Mets, 7:10 p.m., MLB/FSSO; Saturday, at NY Mets, 4:10 p.m., FSSO; Sunday, at NY Mets, 7:05 p.m., ESPN
Acuna, Albies ready for All-Star spotlight?
Rotation is more fragile than you think
There was a message in Monday night’s to-do
Disagreements were nothing like back in ‘84
Around/About Central Georgia
Georgia College soccer coach heading to Young Harris
After nine years heading the Georgia College soccer program, Hope Clark is the new associate athletic director for complains and senior women’s administrator at Young Harris.
Clark won 78 games at Georgia College, tops in the program, and earned two Peach Belt runner-up trophies.
"I am so grateful for the support of Wendell Staton, the GC athletic department and the amazing young women of Georgia College soccer, all of them have been nothing short of supportive as I enter the next chapter in my life and career," said Clark in a release. "This is an amazing opportunity that Jennifer Rushton and Young Harris has given me to grow personally and professionally and I would not be prepared had it not been for the support and development Wendell and our entire athletic administration have given to me the past nine years.
“Wendell has been an amazing mentor, allowing me to grow, love and nurture both my personal life, as well as, my soccer program.”
Georgia College had 14 all-conference players and nine all-region selections, plus All-American Amanda Bartholomew.
Around/About Georgia
United ready to start a busy stretch
UGA women get national champs in Big 12/SEC Challenge