Bears Ink Eight For 2022 Signing Class

MACON, Ga. – Mercer head baseball coach Craig Gibson announced the signing of eight student-athletes to National Letters of Intent.

The class includes five high school players and three junior college transfer.

"I am really excited about our 2022 signing class," said Coach Gibson. "First I would like to thank Coach Willie Stewart for his tireless work in helping put this class together. Also, Coach Cory Barton who was hired in early July and hit the ground running and added tremendously in finishing up the class. The class is made up of eight total players. We were able to add two, very projectable young arms that will have an opportunity to develop in our system. As with any club we want to be able to defend at a high level and it starts in the middle of the field. We added an outstanding catcher as well as two accomplished middle infielders. Lastly, on the offensive side, we added four quality left handed hitters to our lineup. We are hoping to add a few more pieces to this group at a later date."

Ty Dalley | Vidalia, Ga. | 1B | 6-4 | 205 | Vidalia High School
Ty Dalley joins the Bears from Vidalia High School. The Vidalia, Georgia native is a four-year varsity letterman. During his time playing for Brent Korn, Dalley helped bring his team to the sweet sixteen in 2019 and win the Region Title in 2021. Dalley earned first team all-region honors in 2019 and 2021 while boasting second team all-state honors in 2021. During his 2021 campaign, Dalley batted .401 with five home runs, three triples and 18 doubles.

Dalley played his club ball for Team Elite in Winder, Georgia. During his two seasons under coach Jamie Crane, Dalley batted .375 with 17 doubles, three triples, two home runs and 40 RBIs.

Off the field, Dalley was involved in many extracurricular activities including NHS, FCA, as well as being a 1,000-point scorer and earning All-State honors in 2020 and 2021 for basketball.

Dalley plans to study public health at Mercer with plans to become a physicians assistant.

Coach Gibson on Ty
"Ty is an extremely athletic and versatile athlete. He is all state in basketball as well as baseball. A tremendous left-handed hitter who can play multiple positions on the diamond. Ty will have an immediate impact on the lineup as soon as he arrives on campus. He played for Team Elite led by Jamie Crane, this past summer and is coached by Brent Korn at Vidalia HS"

Max Puckett | Roswell, Ga. | 1B/OF | 6-4 | 205 | Blessed Trinity Catholic
Max Puckett joins the Bears from Blessed Trinity Catholic High School. The Roswell, Georgia native is a three-year varsity letterman. During his time playing for Andy Harlin, he helped lead his team to being crowned 2021 Region 5A Champions. Individually, Puckett was crowned All-State second team, All-Region first team, and the 2021 Blessed Trinity Offensive Player of the year. He posted a batting average of .386 with a .462 on base percentage while recording four homeruns, 14 doubles and 29 RBIs.

During summer baseball with the Georgia Bombers in Alpharetta, Georgia, Puckett had a .280 batting average with a homerun and 31 RBIs. He helped lead his team to several tournament championships while being named to several all-tournament teams.

Puckett plans to study business at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Max
"Max comes to the Bears from an extremely talented high school program coached by Andy Harlin. He played for another outstanding group this past summer, the Georgia Bombers, led by John Magliozzi. He is another talented left-handed hitter who will enjoy playing at OrthoGeorgia Park."

Andrew McMurry | Buford, Ga. | 2B | 5-7 | 170 | Buford High School
Andrew McMurry joins the Bears from Buford High School. The Buford, Georgia native is a three-year varsity letterman. During his time playing for Stuart Chester, McMurry helped lead his team to being crowned the 2021 PG High School Showdown Champions and being titled the number one ranked team in America.

During Summer ball, he has played for the East Cobb Yankees and Devine Baseball. He batted .333 this past summer and has made 16 all tournament teams throughout his career.

McMurry plans to study education at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Andrew
"Andrew is a talented, left-handed hitter who can play anywhere in the infield. He played this past summer for Devine Baseball. He plays for Stuart Chester at Buford High School, one of the best high school programs in the state."

Lawson Cole | Forsyth, Ga. | RHP | 6-1 | 205 | Stratford Academy
Lawson Cole joins the Bears from Stratford Academy. The Forsyth, Georgia native is a four-year varsity letterman. During his time playing for Danny Camp, Cole earned All-Region honors as well as All-State honorable mention honors. Cole played his summer ball for Game On Vipers out of Savannah, Georgia.

Cole is the son of Mercer Athletic Director, Jim Cole and former Georgia State basketball player, Gaylyn Cole.

A member of pep club, key club, and cornhole club and football team, Cole was very involved during his high school career.

Cole plans to study business at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Lawson
"Lawson is a talented local multi-sport athlete. He is the starting quarterback on his high school team as well as an accomplished pitcher. Lawson is an outstanding competitor who has the ability to throw multiple pitches for strikes. He not only is a strike thrower but he commands his position as well as controlling the running game. He plays for Danny Camp at Stratford Academy, and he also played for the Game On Vipers this past summer."

Ben Olson | Acworth, Ga. | C | 6-1 | 200 | Georgia Highlands College
Ben Olson joins the Bears from Georgia Highlands College. The Acworth, Georgia native is transferring to Mercer from Georgia Highlands College. In 2020, Olson played at USC Upstate where he posted a batting average of .321 and one homerun and was named the 2020 Big South Freshman of the Year. In 2021, at Georgia Highlands College, Olson batted .340 with nine home runs.

Olson plans to study Criminal Justice at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Ben
"Ben is an experienced, veteran catcher with outstanding leadership qualities who should fit right in as soon as he arrives on campus. Not only is he a plus receiver behind the plate, we expect him to hit in the middle of the order. He plays for Dash O'Neill at Georgia Highlands which is one of the best junior college programs in the country."

Micah Takac | Macon, Ga. | RHP | 6-3 | 165 | Stratford Academy
Micah Takac joins the Bears from Stratford Academy. The Macon, Georgia local will be right at home at Mercer. Under Danny Camp and Tyler Brown, Takac was a four-year varsity letterman. In 2020-2021, Takac earned first team all-region honors as well as All-State recognition. He batted .353 with a .455 on base percentage. On the mound, Takac pitched 49.1 innings with 44 strikeouts and six wins.

Takac played his summer ball for Joey Hamilton on the Georgia Jackets. He earned numerous All-Tournament team honors, was named Perfect Game Preseason Underclass All-American, Baseball Factory Preseason All-American, and a top 1,000 ranking.

Outside of baseball, Takac was involved in football, basketball, Pep Club, Key Club and FCA. He plans to study civil engineering at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Micah
"Micah is another talented local athlete that excels on the gridiron as well as the baseball diamond. On the mound he is a strike throwing machine. He has the ability to throw from multiple slots which adds greatly in his ability to neutralize hitters. He plays for Danny Camp at Stratford Academy and over the summer he played for Joey Hamilton with the Georgia Jackets."

Carter Geier | Clermont, Fla. | IF | 6-0 | 198 | Polk State College
Carter Geier joins the Bears from Polk State College. The Clermont, Florida native comes to Mercer from one of the best junior college programs in the state of Florida. At Polk State College, he was named to the 2021 all-conference team.

During his high school years, he played for Eric Leitner at South Lake High School, helping lead his team to becoming 2019 District Champions. He played his summer ball in high school for the Florida Burn where was helped guide the team to becoming the 2019 BCS national champions and the 2019 WWBA World Champions.

Geier plans to study business at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Carter
"Carter is a talented infielder on one of the best junior college programs in the state of Florida, led by Al Corbeil. He can play all three infield positions and play them well! Offensively, he will hit in the top of the order and provide a veteran presence to our team, the moment he arrives on campus."

Max Kops | Cartersville, Ga. | OF | 6-1 | 202 | Georgia Highlands College
Max Kops joins the Bears from Georgia Highlands College. Kops has been a member of the Georgia Highlands College baseball team since 2019, playing for Coach Dash O'Neil. A native of the Netherlands, Kops played for the Dutch National Team on both the U18 and U23 teams. He helped lead the team to first place finishes at the 2018 European U18 Championship, first at the 2021 U23 European Championship in Italy. He would also guide his team to a seventh-place finish at the 2019 U18 World Cup in South Korea and a 10^th place finish at the 2021 U23 World Cup in Mexico.

While playing in the Dutch Major League, a wood bat league in the Netherlands, Kops posted a batting average of .327.

Kops plans to study communications at Mercer.

Coach Gibson on Max
"Max is another quality left-handed hitter who has plus power. Defensively, he can play all three outfield positions. He brings a wealth of experience to our club. He plays for Dash O'Neill at Georgia Highlands College and also played for the Dutch National Team which placed first in the European Championships in Italy."

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