2014 Mercer Baseball Media Guide
head coach
CRAIG GIBSON
11TH SEASON AT MERCER MERCER ‘85
With a philosophy based on the concepts of striving for excellence in the classroom, reaching out in the community and team achievement on the field, 11th-year head coach Craig Gibson has led the Mercer baseball program to unparalleled success during his tenure.
2013 saw the Mercer baseball program reach new heights with its highest national ranking in program history, its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Title in program history and its second NCAA Tournament appearance, via an at-large bid, in school history. Under Gibson’s tutelage the Bears compiled a 43-18 overall record in 2013, setting the school record for most wins in a single-season. Mercer finished the season with a 20-7 A-Sun Conference record to capture its first Atlantic Sun Conference Regular Season Title in program history. All the Bears success was not lost on the rest of the country, as Mercer set a new program record for the highest national ranking in program history when it was ranked No. 21 in the Perfect Game Top-25 poll. Ranked in the top-30 in the ratings percentage index (RPI) almost all season long, the Bears finished 2013 ranked No. 37 in the RPI according to NCAA.com, Boyd’s World and WarrenNolan.com.
The Bears kept their string of recent success going in 2012 with yet another stellar season on the diamond. The squad finished with a 38-21 overall record and in the process set a new program record for most regular season wins, with 37, breaking the old mark of 36 back in 1981. The Orange and Black clinched a spot in the A-Sun Championship on the final day of the regular season, marking Mercer’s seventh-straight appearance in the conference postseason tournament. The young 2012 Bears squad also showed they aren’t afraid of the big boys, notching wins over eventual ACC and SEC champions Georgia Tech and Mississippi State, respectively. 2012 also brought multiple individual awards for players coach by Gibson. Sophomore Nick Backlund shined in his first year at Mercer and was named to the Louisville Slugger All-American first team, the NCBWA All-America second team, ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region second team and the ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region first team. Freshman Chesny Young made history as he was the first Mercer player named the A-Sun Conference Freshman of the Year. Young was also named to the Louisville Slugger Freshmen All-American Team while sophomore Derrick Workman was voted onto the A-Sun All-Conference first team and A-Sun Academic All-Conference first team.
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Gibson was recognized for Mercer’s banner season by being named the 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year. The honor brings Gibson’s A-Sun Conference career full circle as he became the first person in league history to be named both Coach of the Year and Player of the Year, which he secured back in 1985. Hardly alone in receiving individual accolades, Gibson saw several of his players take home substantial hardware including sophomore third baseman Chesny Young who, along with an ABCA/Rawlings All-American third team selection, became the first Mercer player to win the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year since Gibson did it in 1985. Junior Nick Backlund garnered NCBWA All-America second team and ABCA/Rawlings All-South Region second team honors, junior Derrick Workman was named a Capital One Academic All-America first team member and junior Brandon Barker was named the A-Sun Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
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Since taking over for long-time skipper Barry Myers in 2004, Gibson has guided the Bears from the depths of the A-Sun Conference to one of the most respected programs in the southeast. With a career 320-251 record, Gibson once again has the Bears poised for success on the national stage in 2014 thanks to his prowess in player development and recruiting.
After all the success the Bears had in 2010, you would think 2011 would be destined to be a down year for Mercer, but that was hardly the case. Mercer finished the campaign with a 39-20 overall record and a runner-up finish in the A-Sun Championship. The Bears 39 wins is tied for the second-most wins in a singleseason in program history while their 77 wins over the 2010 and 2011 campaigns was tied for the 28th most wins in the nation over that two-year period. Despite losing to Belmont in the Championship round of the 2011 A-Sun Championship, Mercer finished its season with a No. 56 ranking in the National Ratings Percentage Index (RPI). Under Gibson, multiple Bears received postseason distinction including juniors Jacob Tanis and Brandon Love who were named to the A-Sun All-Conference first team. Tanis was also named a National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) second team All-American while catcher Austin Barrett and outfielder Derrick Workman were tabbed Freshman All-Americans. After a steady climb during the first six seasons of his tenure, Gibson’s efforts finally came to fruition in 2010 as he has guided the Bears to a 38-win season and the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance. Despite the preseason doubters, the 2010 season proved to be one of the most storied of the program’s 62-year history. Predicted to finish tied for sixth in the A-Sun Baseball Preseason Poll, Gibson guided Mercer to a 38-24 overall record and a 16-11 mark in conference play. The 38 wins were the fourth-most in a single-season in program history while Mercer’s 16 conference victories were the most since a 19-11 A-Sun mark in 1999. Gibson, who garnered 2010 Georgia Dugout Club Division I Coach of the Year and 2010 SoutheasternBaseball.com Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year honors, directed the Orange and Black to their fourth Atlantic Sun Championship in program history and a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Atlanta Regional. The Bears didn’t stop there, however, as they defeated No. 3 seed Elon for their first-ever NCAA Tournament victory and took eventual Atlanta Regional champion Alabama down to the wire in a 5-3 defeat.
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