Want to get in the know about independent and summer collegiate baseball teams but don’t know where to start? 

FloBaseball has you covered, broadcasting some of the best of the best in independent ball and summer college leagues across North America, all season long.

Some especially unique ballclubs around the scene need their own introductions, however. 

That’s where FloBaseball’s team profile series comes into play to help out, explaining and breaking down some of the quirks and features that make each club tick.

Here’s a breakdown of the Coastal Plain League’s Macon Bacon.

What Year Were The Macon Bacon Founded?

The Macon-Bibb County Commission in Georgia approved the addition of a Coastal Plain League club to the area in 2017, and after figuring out the logistical items, the Macon Bacon began play in the CPL in 2018 and have competed in the league ever since. 

The Bacon, the latest iteration in a long history of baseball in the central Georgia city located southeast of Atlanta, play in the West Division of the league. 

Happy #WallpaperWednesday, Bacon Nation😎 pic.twitter.com/S7pho2b7Sf

— Macon Bacon 🥓 (@GoMaconBacon) January 11, 2023

Who Owns The Macon Bacon?

Steve DeLay and Jon Spoelstra – the latter of whom is the father of the head coach of the NBA’s Miami Heat, Erik Spoelstra – teamed to form SRO Partners, a sports marketing firm that has owned the Bacon since their founding.

Per a Sports Business Journal article, Spolestra sold his share of SRO to DeLay in 2019, with DeLay remaining an owner of both the Bacon and the Florence Flamingos, another CPL club.

What Is The History Of The Macon Bacon Team Name And Mascot?

A pun on the pronunciation of Macon, the Bacon’s name was chosen via a naming contest prior to their first season of play, which was confirmed in September 2017.

Kevin, a 7-foot tall “half person and half bacon hybrid,” acts as the team’s mascot. 

The name has not avoided its share of controversy, however.

Just last month, an advocacy group that promotes a plant-based diet wrote to team president Brandon Raphael urging a name change, with Raphael writing in response that the “Macon Bacon will be sizzling forever and will not consider a name change. Ever.”

The team responded by saying the Macon Bacon “will be sizzling forever" and “will not consider a name change. Ever." https://t.co/LynLBb9A4j

— FOX 5 Atlanta (@FOX5Atlanta) June 23, 2023

Have The Macon Bacon Ever Won A Coastal Plain League Championship?

During the COVID-19-impacted 2020 season when the CPL was forced to play an abbreviated schedule due to pandemic-related constraints, the Bacon emerged on top and defeated the Savannah Bananas in the championship game, though they were not considered official winners of the Pettit Cup, the league’s championship trophy. 

Macon did make the Pettit Cup Finals in 2019, however, but lost in three games to the Morehead City Marlins. 

As of this writing Monday afternoon, the Bacon are 20-14 on the year and are behind only the Lexington County Blowfish in the West’s second-half standings at 6-5, having also placed second behind the Forest City Owls in the first-half table.

Where Do The Macon Bacon play?

The Bacon sizzle at Luther Williams Field in Macon, a near century-old ballpark opened in 1929, where numerous legends of the game have played over the decades. 

For instance, critical members of the Cincinnati Reds’ “Big Red Machine” dynasty of the 1970s – including all-time hits leader Pete Rose and hall of famer Tony Perez – played for the Macon Peaches, a Reds minor-league affiliate in the early 1960s, before they both went on to have legendary careers in the majors. 

As for the quirks of the field itself, it’s seen its share of renovations over the years due to its age, including multiple times since the Bacon signed a 10-year lease to play there in 2017, and holds a capacity of 3,500 as one of the CPL’s most well-attended ballparks since the Bacon’s arrival.

Macon Bacon Notable Alumni

Eleven ex-Bacon have gone on to either be drafted or signed by professional baseball organizations, according to the team’s website, though another former member of the club made headlines for a different reason last summer. 

Kianna Jones, a softball player at North Carolina, was hired as the team’s bench coach for the 2022 season to become the first woman to be on a CPL coaching staff, but the history Jones made didn’t stop there. 

The plate meeting makes it official: Kianna is the first female head coach in Summer League Baseball history #WomenInSports pic.twitter.com/vrfF5PvJuA

— Macon Bacon 🥓 (@GoMaconBacon) May 31, 2022

When head coach Kevin Soine had to temporarily step away from the team due to a medical issue that summer, Jones stepped up to manage the team for two games (winning both) as the first female head coach in summer collegiate baseball history. 

How To Watch The Macon Bacon

Atlantic, Frontier, Pioneer and the Coastal Summer Plain League, as well as the Florida Collegiate Summer League, all are streaming on FloBaseball and the FloSports app.

Replays, highlights and more news can be found on the site.