Mercer Baseball began as a club sport in 1910. As the institution has grown, it's baseball program has grown with it. In 1948, Mercer officially sanctioned baseball as a sport. Claude Smith became the first of three men to hold the title as Head Coach for the Bears. Coach Smith held this post for 29 years. During his tenure, the Bears had winning percentage of .562. Smith lead the Bears to 3 consecutive 30 win seasons in 1975, 1976, and 1977. This legendary coach recorded 405 wins as a Bear, instilling a legacy of excellence both on the field and in the classroom. After Smith retired, Mercer University dedicated it's baseball field in his name. Claude Smith Field stands as a lasting tribute to a man who devoted his life to this institution. Following the 1977 campaign, and the subsequent retirement of Claude Smith, Mercer University replaced their legendary skipper with Barry Myers. Myers, a native of West Virginia, graduated from Marshall University in 1960. In 1966 Myers was hired by Jacksonville University to start a collegiate program. During the proceeding 7 years Myers went 191-88-3, an amazing .677 winning percentage. In 1974, Barry Myers became Assistant Head Coach for Mercer. This marked the beginning of an 8 year run in which the Bears won 30 plus games in a year. Once Myers took the helm in 1978, Mercer baseball reeled off 5 consecutive 30 win seasons including the 1979 team which won a school record 38 games.Coach Myers won more than games during his tenure, he won Championships. Myers established Mercer as one of the dominate programs in the T.A.A.C.. The Bears won conference titles in 1979, 1981, and 1983. Mercer also won 3 Divisional titles in 1982, 1994, and 1997 during the Myers era. Barry Myers retired in 2003 with an incredible 30 year career as a head coach. He had an astounding 794 career wins, with 603 coming as a Bear. This placed Barry as one of the top 30 winningest coaches of all time and earned him a spot in the Mercer Athletics Hall of Fame. Myers, like Coach Smith, also cared deeply about the education of his student athletes. During his tenure Mercer Baseball players graduated at a higher rate than the student body. Upon his retirement, Coach Barry Myers became the first and only member of the Mercer baseball fraternity to have his number retired. Ensuring that Myers will always be #1 at Mercer. Coach Myers chose Mercer alumnus ('85) Craig Gibson as his successor in 2003. Gibson had a distinguished playing career at Mercer, which included a T.A.A.C. divisional title in 1982, and a T.A.A.C. regular season title in 1981. This former T.A.A.C. Player of the Year (1983) became the third head coach in the University's history with legendary shoes to fill. In his first three seasons as the Bears skipper, Gibson has 60 wins, including the 2005 campaign which saw the Bears fall one game short of the magical 30 win mark. Coach Gibson, a native of Macon, was charged with leading Mercer Baseball into the twenty first century with a detailed knowledge of the programs storied past, and a firm vision of the continued excellence in the future.
