The Georgia Southern baseball team came away from Macon with a big 8-3 win over the Mercer Bears on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, with JD Kaiser making his first collegiate appearance as catcher.

Kaiser walked onto the field in the sixth inning with a good first at-bat as an Eagle. He sat behind the plate for the remainder of the game as catcher. 

“Nerves were running high,” Kaiser said when he entered the game in his catching gear.  “I was kinda shaky at the start, but I settled in after the first pitch. Everything after that went smoothly.”

The game pushed the Eagles to an 11-6 record, while Mercer took their second loss of the season.

While Kaiser ended his high school sports career at Statesboro High School (SHS), Tattnall County loves to claim him.

He is the 19-year-old son of Jeff and Kristi Kaiser of Statesboro, formerly of Glennville. Kaiser grew up watching Warrior football and baseball, with his dad as a coach on each of those fields. 

At SHS, Kaiser played baseball under Head Coach Chris Bishop. He was named 2018-2020 First Team All-Region and 2021 Region 2-6A Offensive Player of the Year.  There, he averaged .378 at the plate, collecting 40 RBIs and four home runs.  He also played football for SHS, earning First Team All-Region in 2020 and 2021, Academic Honor Roll recipient all four years, 2019-20 Student of the Year, and Honor Graduate. In addition, he played for Scoutz USA under Head Coach Roger Wilkerson.

Kaiser has one sister, Kasey, who attends Augusta University.  She is a 2021 graduate of the University of Georgia and a 2018 graduate of Tattnall County High School.