As the calendar turns to the month of September, the 2022 Coastal Plains League season is officially in the rear-view mirror for the Macon Bacon; the gates at historic Luther Williams Field are closed to the public, the sound of baseballs being struck by wood bats eludes the grounds and the smell of bacon no longer fills the air.<\/p>\n
Team president Brandon Raphael was given the opportunity to reflect upon the Bacon\u2019s 2022 season; he believes the year was one of success which extended beyond the game itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think about it, a lot of sports organizations, the barometer of whether or not they\u2019re successful on the field is if they win a championship,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cYes, it\u2019s great to win and that\u2019s what we want; the most important thing making sure that our student athletes have the best experience when they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to the now fifth-year president, the organization remains committed to making the athletes\u2019 time in Macon memorable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey stay with host families,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cMaking sure that they\u2019re comfortable, making sure that we\u2019re taking care of them from an overall perspective of their health and their welfare; when they are on the field, we put a good team together. That\u2019s what I ask our coach to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the eyes of the organization, player happiness is the ultimate tell-tale in regards to the team\u2019s trajectory.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore importantly, the barometer is seeing the smile on their faces,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cSeeing how they hung out for hours after the last game saying goodbye to each other and playing on the wiffle ball field, it\u2019s kids being kids and that\u2019s what the game of baseball is all about.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although player-experience remains priority one, Raphael was sure to tip his cap to head coach Kevin Soine, staff and roster for their continued success on the field.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously winning helps,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cTo say that we\u2019ve made the playoffs three of our first five years, I think that\u2019s a great accomplishment for our coaching staff and to our players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Outside the realm of players, coaches and host families, the Bacon\u2019s president made a point to recognize the instrumental role played by the fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re in the memory making business,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cTo see a record-breaking 70,000 fans come through the gates of Luther Williams Field, as an organization, we couldn\u2019t be more proud of our middle Georgia community and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n
Raphael\u2019s message regarding community and fan support was simple: the Bacon exist because of their fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do is for them,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cTo know that they came out in record numbers this year, cheered loud, got involved in our community initiatives, to see those sold-out crowds and the fun that they had, that\u2019s why we do what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
While the support of middle Georgia is imperative to the organization\u2019s success, Raphael noted that the reach of the Bacon far exceeds just the Macon area.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have the longest off-season in all of sports,\u201d Raphael said. \u201cEverything we do from August until May is to give our fans a great experience when they do come here; it\u2019s not just the ones that come to our games, they\u2019re all over the country and all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the off-season now upon them, Raphael and the rest of the Macon Bacon organization will continue to generate new and exciting ways to take the team, and its community, to new heights in 2023.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By: Harrison Tarr<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
As the calendar turns to the month of September, the 2022 Coastal Plains League season is officially in the rear-view mirror for the Macon Bacon; the gates at historic Luther […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":450,"featured_media":11795,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n