recently, Coach Hudson was at Charleston Southern, so he is accustomed to a program that favors the running game. Another note, both coaches Rowell and Wood will still be on staff, but will have different positions. Coach Rowell is moving from secondary coach to outside linebackers, and Coach Wood is moving from wide receivers coach to quarterbacks coach. Baseball: To me, spring truly starts when the first pitch is thrown. This year is no different, as the Eagles look to continue their consistently high play. After last year’s run to the Sun Belt Championship game for a second straight year, I look for them to get over the hump and win the belt this year. The team returns two of their three weekend starting pitchers in Brian Eichorn and Chase Cohen. Also returning is the reigning freshman All-American in Seth Shuman, who posted an 8-0 record last year, and will play a larger role in the rotation as he is no longer playing both football and baseball. The voids to fill are at first base with Ryan Cleveland departing after a great run, and Logan Baldwin, who now plays for the San Francisco Giants. However, my biggest concern for the team is filling the bullpen. You may remember Landon Hughes, Jacob Condra-Bogan, Connor Simmons and Anthony Paesano as our go-to relievers, but they have all graduated, leaving the big X-factor. If Coach Hennon can fill the pen with arms like these, I have no doubt the team has a shot at making a big run in the coming months. The schedule is a good one for folks wanting to watch the team play some good games, as J.I Clements Stadium will play host to the 2016 College World Series Champs Coastal Carolina, the 2016 Sun Belt Champs Louisiana, and the commuter school that is Georgia State. Also on tap is the annual series against the agricultural school in Athens/the team that can’t spell Bulldogs correctly/you get my hint. In all, Georgia Southern has a chance to make a big run with a strong schedule, some great starting pitchers, and some huge motivation of back-toback runner-up finishes in the conference. All of these sports are looking bright for the spring, but there is one thing you can do to help: support. I’m not talking financially, though if you can that is excellent. I am talking about your presence. If you can make a 3-hour drive to watch UGA play App State, you can DEFINITELY make a 10-minute drive to J.I. Clements Stadium, Hanner Fieldhouse or Paulson Stadium. If you are a Georgia Southern alum or student, you should be supporting the institution that has given you what it has given you, not the institution that has given you NOTHING. So support Georgia Southern anyway you can. The Eagles thank you, Georgia Southern University thanks you, and the Statesboro community thanks you!
Step up to the mic: Statesboro Voice seeks talent By Angye Morrison If you’ve ever watched The Voice on television and thought, “I could do that,” the Statesboro Voice competition is for you. The brand new competition will serve as the largest fundraiser for the 2017-18 fiscal year for the Averitt Center for the Arts, and organizers are seeking local contestants who can compete to win cash prizes during a live performance on April 28. “The committee has been planning this event since last summer and we are excited and nervous about the community’s response,” said Averitt Center Executive Director Jamie Grady. “In my six months in Statesboro, I have heard a lot of great voices and talents within the community and I think this is great opportunity for those people to really shine.” Robert Cottle, who teaches guitar and has directed productions at the Averitt, will be the go-to person for the competition. “We are trying to develop a show that will be an annual community thing,” he said, “to showcase community talent. We are encouraging people to try and submit a video with something they are familiar with.” Cottle said the first step in the process is to submit a video lasting up to two minutes, showcasing your talent. The deadline to submit videos is Feb. 23, and there is a $10 video submission fee. You must be at least 16 years of age to compete. The competition runs throughout the spring, beginning with the video submission process. Videos
can be submitted at averittcenterforthearts. org/StatesboroVoice. Music can be of any style that demonstrates the contestant’s range and technique. A group of judges will go through all the submissions, Cottle said, and select the ones that they think should move on. This group will then audition for mentors on March 10. The four mentors will then each choose two contestants to work with. Over the course of about a month, the mentors will coach their contestants, and videos will be posted on the Averitt’s Facebook page showing their progress. The public will be invited to vote during this process for their favorite. A live audition will also be held during this process, which will be open to the public so that people can see firsthand how their favorites are doing. The final competition will be held on April 28. On that date, Cottle said, the contestants will perform with their mentors, as well as on their own. At the intermission, the number of contestants will be cut in half by the judges, and voting will end for the People’s Choice Award. The winner of Statesboro Voice will be chosen by the judges, along with a People’s Choice Award winner. “While we have not finalized every detail, we are sure this will be something that people will talk about long after the competition has concluded,” said Grady.
For more information, go online or call (912) 212-2787 February 2018
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