Mercer’s Gibson Receives Contract Extension Through 2018 Season

MACON, Ga. (MERCER RELEASE) – After leading the Mercer baseball program to a single-season record 43 wins and its second NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons, head coach Craig Gibson was rewarded with a contract extension that will keep him in Macon through the 2018 season.

Gibson just completed his 10th campaign as the Bears head coach and led Mercer to its best season in program history. Mercer posted a 43-18 in 2013, captured its first Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title and achieved its highest national ranking when it was ranked No. 21 in the Perfect Game Top-25 poll.

“Craig has done a remarkable job over the last few years of transforming the Mercer baseball program into one of the most successful and respected teams in the country,” Director of Athletics Jim Cole said. “Craig is a great role model for our student-athletes and he holds his players to a high standard both on and off the field, which is what Mercer stands for.”

Gibson led the Bears to their second NCAA Tournament appearance in last four seasons in 2013, when it received an at-large berth to the Starkville Regional, and was rewarded by being named the A-Sun Conference Coach of the Year.

“I would like to thank President Underwood and Director of Athletics Jim Cole for their constant support and vision they have not only for our baseball program, but for the Mercer Athletics Department as a whole,” Gibson said. “We have a great coaching staff in place here and we look forward to continuing our recent run of success with another banner season in 2014.”

Mercer has won a combined 158 games over the past four seasons under Gibson’s watch, the most wins in the A-Sun Conference and the 25th-most wins in the country over that time span. The Bears are joined by North Carolina, Virginia, Florida State and South Carolina as the only five teams in the nation to win at least 38 games in each of the last four seasons.

Since Gibson’s first season in 2006, 14 Bears have earned A-Sun All-Conference first team selections and four players, including current standouts Chesny Young and Nick Backlund, have secured All-American honors.

Besides his success on the field, it’s Gibson’s ability to push his players in the classroom that separates him from the rest. Gibson has overseen three academic All-Americans, in outfielders Derrick Workman (2013) and Billy Burns (2011) and first baseman Mike Armstrong (2006) at Mercer while posting a pristine four-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) average of 974.

Gibson graduated from Mercer with a bachelor’s degree in 1986 would later earn a master’s degree in education in 1988. A four-year member of the Bears baseball team, Gibson was named the 1985 A-Sun Conference Player of the Year which combined with his 2013 A-Sun Conference Coach of the Year recognition makes him the first person in league history to be named both Coach of the Year and Player of the Year.