Sports and Recreation: Mercer sweeps midstate with team spirit
Change is a big part of the sports landscape in Middle Georgia this year.
Bobby Lamb’s Mercer University football team played its first season in 2013 as the program returned from a more than 70-year hiatus. The Bears played their first season in the non-scholarship Pioneer Football League. But this summer, the Bears, and all of Mercer’s athletics teams, moved to the Southern Conference. Mercer was a charter member of A-Sun (originally the Trans America Athletic Conference), but it moved to the Southern Conference in July.
The change has led to success, as Mercer is enjoying a strong run with its teams. The baseball team has become an NCAA tournament challenger every year in recent seasons, while the men’s basketball team reached the tournament for just the third time last season. And Bob Hoffman’s Bears earned the program’s first NCAA basketball tournament win with a victory over Duke in March. The Mercer golf team won its first conference title in the spring.
The Bears have 18 intercollegiate athletics teams, eight on the men’s side and 10 on the women’s side.
The eight men’s teams are baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, soccer and tennis. The 10 women’s teams are basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, sand volleyball, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball.
Mercer’s facilities are: men’s and women’s basketball (Hawkins Arena), football/lacrosse (Mercer University Stadium), baseball (Claude Smith Field), softball (Sikes Field), men’s and women’s soccer (Bear Field), sand volleyball (Mercer Sand Volleyball Complex), men’s and women’s tennis (LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center), men’s golf (Brickyard at Riverside), women’s golf (Idle Hour Club) and cross country (Georgia Industrial Children’s Home).
Change also swept many of the area’s high school teams. Twenty-four high schools have athletics teams in the seven-county core area.
Mount de Sales Academy, Stratford Academy and Tattnall Square Academy have left the Georgia Independent Schools Association for the Georgia High School Association. Covenant Academy and Central Fellowship Christian Academy also left the GISA and have joined the Georgia Independent Christian Athletic Association.
In Bibb County, the other GHSA teams are Central High, First Presbyterian Day School, Howard High, Northeast High, Rutland High, Southwest High and Westside High. Windsor is the lone GISA member in the county.
In Houston County, the GHSA teams are Houston County High, Northside High, Perry High, Veterans High and Warner Robins High, while the Westfield School competes in the GISA.
Jones County, Peach County, Mary Persons (Monroe County), Crawford County and Twiggs County high schools also compete in the GHSA.
Warner Robins and Northside have built powerhouse football programs in the GHSA throughout the years, and Peach County has joined them recently. Mary Persons is a traditional power, as well.
Also, in Baldwin County, Baldwin and Georgia Military College Prep School compete in the GHSA, while John Milledge competes in the GISA.
GOLF
BIBB COUNTY
Barrington Hall Golf Club: 478-757-8358
Bowden Golf Course: 478-742-1610
The Brickyard at Riverside: 478-477-6765
Healy Point Country Club: 478-746-2411
Idle Hour Club: 478-477-1724
Oakview Golf & Country Club: 478-785-1833
HOUSTON COUNTY
Houston Lake Country Club: 478-218-5253
Houston Springs Golf Club: 478-988-8200
International City Golf Club: 478-322-0276
Perry Country Club: 478-987-1033
Pine Oaks Golf Course: 478-923-7334
Landings Golf Club: 478-932-5222
Waterford Golf Club: 478-328-7533
PEACH COUNTY
Pine Needles Country Club: 478-825-3816
BALDWIN COUNTY
Little Fishing Creek Golf Course: 478-445-0796
Milledgeville Country Club: 478-452-3525
JONES COUNTY
Lake Jonesco Golf Course: 478-986-3206
MONROE COUNTY
The Club at River Forest: 478-974-0974
Forsyth Golf Club: 478-994-5328
TENNIS
BIBB COUNTY
John Drew Smith Tennis Center: 478-474-5075
Tattnall Tennis Center: 478-751-9196
HOUSTON COUNTY
Tanner Park: 478-929-1916
Ted Wright Park: 478-929-1916
PEACH COUNTY
North Peach Park: 478-956-1891
South Peach Park: 478-825-5197
JONES COUNTY
South Complex: 478-742-3535
BOWLING
BIBB COUNTY
Gold Cup Bowling Center: 478-781-2096
HOUSTON COUNTY
Gold Cup Bowling Center: 478-922-3054
Robins Bowling Center: 478-926-2112
BALDWIN COUNTY
Baldwin Bowling Center: 478-453-7545
This story was originally published October 3, 2014 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Sports and Recreation: Mercer sweeps midstate with team spirit."