The Macon Bacon is a Georgia based wood-bat collegiate summer baseball team that began playing in the Coastal Plain League (CPL) in 2018. They have appeared in the league playoffs twice, and finished as the runner-up after a Championship appearance in their second season.
| Macon Bacon | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Information | |
| League | Coastal Plain League (West) |
| Location | Macon, GA |
| Ballpark | Luther Williams Field |
| Founded | 2018 |
| Petitt Cup championships | 1 Appearance |
| Colors | Red, Black |
| Mascot | Kevin Bacon, The Grease, Notorious P.I.G. |
| Ownership | Brandon Raphael-Managing partner, Dr. Daniel Erthal and others |
| Management | Brandon Raphael (President) |
| Manager | Kevin Soine |
| President | Brandon Raphael |
| Website | https://www.maconbaconbaseball.com/ |
History
editIn 2017, the Macon-Bibb County Commission announced that a Coastal Plain League franchise would be coming to Macon. It would be owned by sports marketing firm SRO Partners, and would begin play in the 2018 season.[1] On July 6, 2017, SRO Partners and Macon-Bibb County signed a ten-year lease agreement for Luther Williams Field through December 31, 2027.[2] In August 2024, it was announced that the lease had been extended through 2037.[3]
Later in 2017, a contest was announced to select a name for the team.[4] After receiving over 1,500 submissions, five finalists were selected: Macon Bacon, Macon Soul, Macon Hits, Macon Heat, and Macon Noise.[5] A vote was held, with the name Macon Bacon being announced as the winner.[6]
In November 2023, owner Steve Delay announced on LinkedIn that the team was being put up for sale.[7][8] In August 2024 it was announced the purchase of the team was completed to Macon Bacon Baseball LLC which includes Managing Partner Brandon Raphael, and local investors Dr. Daniel Erthal, Ron Shipman, and Jonathan Pitts.[3]
Location
editThe team is based in Macon, Georgia and plays its home games at Luther Williams Field in Macon.
Prior to the inaugural 2018 season, the team announced plans to complete major renovations and updates to Luther Williams Field, in partnership with Macon-Bibb County. At a cost of approximately $2.5 million, the renovations would be funded by revenue from the 2016 Special-purpose local-option sales tax (SPLOST).[9]
Further changes were made before the 2019 season[10] and before the 2020 season.[11][12][13][2]
Coaching staff
editDanny Higginbotham managed the team for the 2018 and 2019 seasons. At the end of the 2019 season, he announced plans to leave the team after being named as an Assistant Coach at Des Moines Area Community College.[14][15] On September 10, 2019, the team named Jimmy Turk, an assistant coach at South Mountain Community College in Phoenix, Arizona as the new manager.[16] On October 2, 2020, the team announced that Kyle MacKinnon had been named the head coach for the 2021 season.[17] On September 21, 2021, the team named former assistant coach Kevin Soine the head coach for the 2022 season.[18]
Attendance
editIn 2018, the team was named the Coastal Plain League's Organization of the year after selling out 11 of 23 home games. It finished the 2018 season 2nd in attendance in the Coastal Plain League and 10th overall for the entire summer league,[clarification needed] with an estimated home total attendance count of over 47,000.[19]
Yearly records
edit| Season | Manager | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Danny Higginbotham | 22-25 |
| 2019 | Danny Higginbotham | 29-21 |
| 2020 | Jimmy Turk | 24-25 |
| 2021 | Kyle MacKinnon | 15-26 |
| 2022 | Kevin Soine | 24-24 |
| 2023 | Easton Waterman | 24-22 |
| 2024 | Easton Waterman | 17-31 |
| 2025 | Easton Waterman | TBD |
| Overall Record: | 155-174 | |
Players in the pros
editThese former players have been selected in the MLB Draft or have gone on to sign contracts with professional baseball teams:[20][21][22][23][24]
| Player | School | Drafted | Drafted/Signed with | Season(s) with Bacon | Major League Debut | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Dylan Spacke | Georgia | Round 21, 647th overall (2019) | Boston Red Sox | 2018 | |
| 2. | Matthew Minnick | Long Beach State | Round 23, 705th overall (2019) | New York Yankees | 2018 | |
| 3. | Riley King | Mercyhurst | Round 26, 787th overall (2019) | Atlanta Braves | 2018 | |
| 4. | Keaton Weisz | Coastal Carolina | Round 36, 1081st overall (2019) | Los Angeles Angels | 2018 | |
| 5. | MJ Rookard | Middle Georgia State University | Undrafted | Gary RailCats (Independent) | 2019 | |
| 6. | Zach McCambly | Coastal Carolina | Round 3, 75th overall (2020) | Miami Marlins | 2018 | |
| 7. | Zach Cornell | Middle Georgia State University | Undrafted | Washington Nationals | 2019 | |
| 8. | Fraser Ellard | Liberty University | Round 8, 245th overall (2021) | Chicago White Sox | 2020 | July 20, 2024[25] |
| 9. | Matt Litwicki | Indiana University | Round 10, 286th overall (2021) | Boston Red Sox | 2020 | |
| 10. | Jack Sinclair | University of Central Florida | Round 16, 473rd overall (2021) | Washington Nationals | 2020 | |
| 11. | Josh Hood | University of Pennsylvania | Round 20, 586th overall (2021)
Round 6, 186th overall (2022) |
Boston Red Sox | 2020 | |
| 12. | Collin Price | Mercer University | Round 6, 193rd overall (2022) | Houston Astros | 2020 | |
| 13. | John Michael Bertrand | Notre Dame | Round 10, 316th overall (2022) | San Francisco Giants | 2018 | |
| 14. | Garrett Brown | Georgia | Round 18, 533rd overall (2022) | Chicago White Sox | 2019 | |
| 15. | Austin Emener | ETSU | Round 16, 472nd overall (2023) | Colorado Rockies | 2022 | |
| 16. | Patrick Clohisy | St. Louis University | Round 11, 341st overall (2024) | Atlanta Braves | 2023 | |
| 17. | JR Freethy | University of Nevada | Round 14, 427th overall (2024) | Toronto Blue Jays | 2023 | |
| 18. | Kasen Wells | Weatherford College | Round 16, 480th overall (2024) | San Diego Padres | 2024 | |
| 19. | Nolan Clifford | Creighton University | Round 17, 498th overall (2024) | Colorado Rockies | 2023 |
Post-season appearances
editDuring their first season in 2018, the team advanced to the league playoffs.[26] On August 5, they were eliminated in the first round after a 4–15 loss to the Savannah Bananas.[27]
In the 2019 season, the team advanced to the League Championship, the Petitt Cup, for the first time, where they faced the Morehead City Marlins in a 3-game series for the Petitt Cup, where they finished as the runner up, losing by a margin of 1–2.[28] Game 1 of the series resulted in a 3–0 loss to Morehead City.[29][30] In game 2, Macon scored an 11–4 victory over Morehead City.[30] Game 3 resulted in a 2–6 loss by Macon to Morehead City.[30]
During the abbreviated 2020 season, the team advanced to the Coastal Plain League Championship, where they defeated the Savannah Bananas with a score of 6–5.[31]
References
edit- ^ Dunlap, Stanley (February 2, 2017). "Macon-Bibb baseball proposal sails through committee". The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ a b "Luther Williams Field Lease Agreement" (PDF). July 6, 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ a b Sargent, Tucker (August 20, 2024). "Macon Bacon announces new ownership group, lease extension at Luther Williams Field". WMGT-TV. Retrieved August 27, 2024.
- ^ "Macon Bacon? Gwinnett Braves aren't only Georgia team looking for a name". Gwinnett Daily Post. August 9, 2017. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Dunlap, Stanley (August 7, 2017). "Five team names make the cut for the new Macon baseball franchise". Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ McGlamry, Maggie (September 27, 2017). "Macon Bacon chosen as new baseball team name". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Steve DeLay on LinkedIn: It's time to set up your sales staff for long-term success to help you..." www.linkedin.com. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ "'Let's break the mold again': Macon Bacon owner puts the team up for sale". WMAZ. November 14, 2023. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Shepard, Katherine (August 24, 2017). "Macon Baseball, county leaders unveil plans to renovate Luther Williams Field". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 14, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Macon Bacon adding tiki bar, Kids Zone to Luther Williams Field". 13WMAZ Eyewitness News. December 11, 2018.
- ^ Staff (October 8, 2019). "Macon Bacon officials ask county for investment for cooling fans at stadium". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Fabian, Liz (October 8, 2019). "Macon Bacon plan for cooling fans at Luther Williams field draws heat from Commissioner Lucas". Center for Collaborative Journalism. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Helm, Claire (October 15, 2019). "Bibb leaders approve Macon Bacon rent money for electric fans at Luther Williams". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 17, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Danny Higginbotham named DMACC assistant baseball coach". Des Moines Area Central Community College. October 9, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Garrett, Miles (August 21, 2019). "Macon Bacon head coach leaving team for new position". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Macon Bacon announce Jimmy Turk as new manager". WGXA News. September 10, 2019. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Hines, Whitney (October 2, 2020). "Macon Bacon names Kyle MacKinnon as head coach for 2021 season". WGXA News. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
- ^ "Kevin Soine named Macon Bacon head coach". Macon Bacon Baseball. September 21, 2021. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
- ^ "The Macon Bacon Named 2018 Coastal Plain League Organization of the Year". Coastal Plain League. August 23, 2018.
- ^ Garrett, Miles (June 7, 2019). "Macon native takes unique path to being selected in MLB Draft". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Baxley, Justin (June 6, 2019). "These Georgia athletes were selected in MLB Draft. Here's what to know". The Macon Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Bacon in the Pros". Macon Bacon Baseball. Archived from the original on April 2, 2023. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
- ^ "Coastal Plain League". Coastal Plain League. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
- ^ Dierkes, Justin (July 18, 2024). "Four Former Macon Bacon Players called up to the Big Leagues". WMGT-TV. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Grubbs, Rob (August 7, 2024). "First Macon Bacon makes MLB". Monroe County Reporter. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
- ^ Gaskins, Cam (August 4, 2018). "Bacon are playoff bound in inaugural season after Bananas eliminate Red Wolves". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Heath, Donald (August 6, 2018). "Bacon done: Savannah Bananas advance with 15-4 win in first round of CPL playoffs". Savannah Morning News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Cox, Jeff (August 6, 2019). "Macon Bacon advance to championship in the Coastal Plain League". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 6, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ Cox, Jeff (August 8, 2019). "Macon Bacon fall in Game 1 of Championship Series". WGXA News. Archived from the original on February 12, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ a b c "2019 Petitt Cup Playoffs". Coastal Plain League. Archived from the original on December 10, 2019. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
- ^ "Macon Bacon react to first championship in 58 years". WMAZ. Retrieved July 30, 2021.