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New AD Justin Merritt has faith Mustangs will ride high athletically
Justin Merritt
Former football and baseball assistant coach Justin Merritt will take over as athletic director at South Effingham. Merritt, who was approved by the school board on May 3, takes over for Nick Smith, who accepted a job as the district's maintenance coordinator. (Photo by Donald Heath/Special for the Effingham Herald.)
Published: May 16, 2023, 3:59 PM

By Donald Heath

Special for the Effingham Herald



GUYTON – Justin Merritt told his former baseball player Jesse Osborne if Osborne ever got the head coaching job at South Effingham, he'd love to come back and work as his assistant.

Last year, Osborne was named the baseball coach and Merritt, true to his word and forever loyal, returned to help on the diamond.

"For me, servanthood isn't something you do, it's who you are," Merritt said. "I believe in two major things. I believe Jesus taught (us) to love God and love others, and that's what I try to do. I try to let that permeate everything I do. This is what I carry with me."

Merritt, 44, now carries servanthood to South Effingham a step further. On May 3, he became the school's new athletic director, replacing Nick Smith, who accepted a job as the district's maintenance coordinator.

Merritt, who has taught at SEHS for about 20 years, worked as a baseball assistant under Tony Kirkland and a football assistant under Bob Herndon.

Merritt left athletics for 10 years, first working as an associate pastor at Pine Street Baptist Church in Guyton before becoming the pastor at Excelsior Baptist Church in Metter.

During his time in ministry, he remained a history teacher at South. He was named the school district's Teacher of the Year for the 2019-2020 school year.

"Honestly, (the AD job) was appealing because it's South High," Merritt said. "When it opened up, I thought, 'this is really something I'd like to be part of. Maybe I have a little something to offer after being around this long.' "

Merritt, who played high school baseball at Miller County, links the Mustangs' past athletic prowess.

He was a young assistant in 2005 when Josh Reddick led SEHS baseball to the state semifinals. Osborne began playing at South in 2006 and the Mustangs went to two more state semifinals in 2007 and 2008.

Herndon's football teams won an average of eight games during his four-year span, including a program-best 10-win season in 2004. 

"I don't feel like I've ever left this program because I've always been right here and athletics have been close to my heart," Merritt said. "A lot of these coaches have been good friends of mine. Coach Smith has been a good friend and I hope to learn a lot from him before he gets out of it.

"One of the things I'm learning is that we have a community that has supported the school system in such a great way and I'm looking forward to continuing that. We want to be part of the community and we want them to be part of us."

Within an hour after hearing the school board had approved his hiring, Merritt walked to the football stadium to watch the first day of spring workouts. The Mustangs have had just one winning football season since 2015.

Merritt said athletics can be turned around through hard work.

"I think we have the right coaches in place to do that," he said. "We have a good group of guys and women to take these kids to the next level. I'm excited to see what they're going to do."

 
Effingham County Softball Wins 6-5 vs Seckinger, Heads to Columbus
Senior Shelby Zeigler Clutch at the Plate and in the Field as Rebels Eye Oct. 29 Elite Eight
Effingham County Softball
Effingham County players and coaches celebrate a thrilling 6-5 win over Seckinger on Tuesday, punching their ticket to the Class 5A Elite Eight in Columbus. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)
Donald Heath
Updated: Oct 21, 2025, 9:18 PM
Published: Oct 21, 2025, 9:10 PM

SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – Effingham County’s softball team is heading back to Columbus for the fourth consecutive year after a dramatic win over Seckinger.

Senior Shelby Zeigler broke a 5-5 tie with a two-out, sixth-inning single. She also ended the game defensively, catching a line drive at third base and tagging out Milan Torres for a game-ending double play.

“I knew something had to be done by somebody. I just had to do it,” Zeigler said. “We knew this game was going to go back and forth, but we thought we’d win because we had the better team. It was a great feeling, especially since it’s my last game on this field.”

Effingham County Softball
Senior Shelby Zeigler came through in the clutch, delivering a two-out, sixth-inning single to break a 5-5 tie and making a sensational game-ending play to send Effingham County to the Class 5A Elite Eight. (Gilbert Miller / Effingham Herald)

Momentum swings back and forth
The Rebels (27-7), ranked No. 3 in ScoreAtlanta’s Class 5A pre-playoff top 10, lost the first game of the series 10-6 after leading 3-1 in the seventh but bounced back with a 6-3 win in the second game.

In the decisive third game, Seckinger jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but ECHS responded with three runs. They added a run in the second and extended the lead to 5-2 in the fifth on Mady Reagan’s RBI single.

The Jaguars (19-11) rallied in the sixth inning, driving in two runs. Shortstop Cheyenne Hart’s relay throw cut down McKenzie Prince at the plate, preserving the lead.

“When (Prince) slid, her legs were off the ground and I tagged her on the shoulder before she touched the plate,” catcher Gracie LaFleur said. “She was definitely out. I was just hoping the umpire saw that.”

In the bottom of the sixth, LaFleur doubled, setting the stage for Zeigler’s clutch hit. Seckinger had one last chance in the seventh, but Zeigler made a game-ending play to seal the victory.

Looking ahead to Columbus
The Rebels will open the Elite Eight double-elimination tournament on Oct. 29.

“I couldn’t be more proud of this group,” Thompson said. “We replaced a whole infield. We needed innings from Ava (Wiley, pitcher) to complement Ansleigh (Giordano), and we got it. We had good players who did more than expected — and that’s the definition of Rebel pride.”