MACON, Ga. - Mercer Director of Athletics Jim Cole announced today that head baseball coach Craig Gibson has agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension that will keep the coach in orange and black through the 2017 season.
"I am excited to get this deal done with Craig because he exemplifies the commitment to academic and athletic excellence that Mercer stands for," Cole said. "Craig is the ideal leader of our baseball program for the future and I would be proud to have my own son play for someone of his character."
Gibson completed his ninth season as the Bears' head coach in 2012, leading Mercer to a 38-21 overall record and a seventh straight trip to the Atlantic Sun Tournament. The Macon native has a 277-233 all-time record at the school and is the second-winningest coach in program history.
"I want to first thank our Director of Athletics Jim Cole and the rest of our administration for their continued support of both myself and the Mercer baseball program," Gibson said. "I am honored to continue to serve as the head baseball coach here at Mercer and excited about the direction and future of our program and the athletics department as a whole."
Gibson has led the Bears to recent prominence with a 115-65 record over the last three seasons, marking the program's best three-year run. Mercer's 115 wins over that span are the 29th most in the nation and tops among Atlantic Sun Conference schools.
In 2010, Gibson led the Bears to their fourth A-Sun Championship and first NCAA Tournament appearance. A year later, his 2011 squad tied the program single-season standard with a 39-20 overall record.
Thirty-two players have garnered first and second team A-Sun All-Conference recognition under Gibson, while three players -Andrew Urena, Jacob Tanis and Nick Backlund - have earned All-American recognition.
In addition to on-field success, another trademark of Gibson's program is academic achievement. Individual academic prestige has come in the form of COSIDA Academic All-American third team honors for Billy Burns (2010) and Mike Armstrong (2006) while 22 current team members earned at least a 3.0 grade point average during the 2012 competitive season.
Gibson graduated from Mercer in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in physical education and recreation. A four-year member of the baseball team, Gibson collected the 1985 Atlantic Sun Player of the Year award after a stellar junior season. Gibson would go on to earn a master's degree in social science from Mercer in 1988.