Macon Bacon players named all-stars, Central Fellowship hoops standout transfers

The Macon Bacon had multiple players selected for the Coastal Plain League’s annual All-Star Game, which took place this week in Florence, South Carolina.

Stewart Puckett was the clear standout from the Bacon. The designated hitter and infielder from South Alabama University had a .521 batting average entering the All-Star Break, one of the best marks in the league. 

Puckett was one of the top hitters on Macon’s roster coming into the 2026 campaign. He was a top player at USA, earning Second Team All-Conference honors in the Sun Belt Conference with a .312 batting average and a .901 OPS.

The former South Florida player also earned the CPL Player of the Week award for one week in June after he hit a whopping .688 with three home runs over the course of a week.

Bacon Manager Jesse Litsch told The Melody before this season that Puckett would be a top player.

“He might get drafted, there’s a possibility of that,” Litsch said.

The Bacon’s other All-Stars were right-handed pitcher Ryland Bozenhard, first baseman Grant Jordan and outfielders Camden Williamson and Dawson Mock.

The All-Star game was played Tuesday at the Florence Flamingos stadium.

“We’re incredibly proud of Ryland, Camden, Dawson, Grant, and Stewart for earning this well-deserved recognition,” said Bacon general manager Brandon Raphael in a press release. “Each of these players has made a tremendous impact on our team, and we’re excited to see them represent the Macon Bacon in Florence at the All-Star Game.”

Freshman hoops phenom officially transfers from Macon private school

Joshua Sanders, who starred as an eighth grader on the varsity team with Central Fellowship Christian Academy in Macon, is officially listed as a Peach County player on 247 Sports.

Sanders’ transfer to the larger school is also listed on Georgia basketball outlet Sandy’s Spiel’s transfer list. 

The rising freshman was a dominant force with the Lancers last season, leading them to a 22-8 record and an appearance in the GIAA 2A State Championship game. Sanders’ size garnered much attention during his eighth-grade campaign, as he is listed at 6-foot-8.

Notably, Sanders and one of his talented CFCA teammates, Shaheem Barbosa, both left the Lancers team before the state playoff run last year, making the official news of his transfer unsurprising.

Barbosa also transferred to Peach County, according to Sandy’s Spiel.

Mercer women’s basketball adds new names

The Mercer women’s basketball program added a large batch of transfer players and new signings last month, the university announced.

The women’s team experienced a superb growth in the 2025-26 campaign, which was head coach Michelle Clark-Heard’s second season at the helm. The Bears 17-13 overall and 7-7 in Southern Conference play, a marked improvement over the prior season’s 8-22 finish with a 3-11 SoCon mark.

Like many teams, though, Mercer needed to retool this offseason after losing some contributors. The Bears added five transfers.

Perhaps the most intriguing of the transfers is Jah’Naesia Spiers, a Georgia native returning to her home state after playing at Memphis last season. Spiers was a standout at Southwest DeKalb, averaging more than 14 points in her final season and helping her team reach the playoffs.

The 6-foot guard admittedly struggled in limited playing time at the college level last year at Memphis. Spiers made just five shots on 40 attempts and only broke the double-digit threshold in minutes five times.

“We are thrilled to welcome Nae Nae back home to Georgia,” Clark-Heard said in a Mercer press release. “Her size and versatility at the guard spot will be an immediate impact to the program as she will be a huge contributor on both sides of the ball.”

Ada Anamekwe comes to the Bears from Brown, where she spent three seasons and started 49 games. The forward shot roughly 45% from the field and averaged 6.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.0 assists.

Julianna Dada transferred from Clarendon College in Texas, where she and her teammates made the NJCAA Final Four. She averaged 6.4 points per game as a guard for the team, which won 33 games.

Kimora Jenkins of Arizona Western Community College had a solid freshman season in which she averaged more than 10 points and four rebounds per game as a 5-foot-5 guard.

Rachel Shropshire, a forward, arrives from Bellarmine. She’s the tallest of the transfers at 6-foot-3.

Mercer also signed two players out of high school, adding Kaylen Kenney from Tennessee and Avani Tella from Canada.