THE ONE THAT DIDN’T GET AWAY

The Florida sun sparkling on Lake Okeechobee belied the tension of the 2025 Strike King Bassmaster College Series tournament. Brayden Batchelor and Quinn Williams, representing the Southern Bass Anglers club, guided their boat into the backwater, searching for a winning catch.

Encircled by cattails, a space of clear water revealed the lake’s hard bottom just feet from the surface: ideal conditions for spawning bass. On their first day, the team brought in five fish, each at least 12 inches long to meet the tournament’s specifications. But on day two, Batchelor and Williams still needed an impressive haul to beat all 219 competitors. It didn’t help that, every 20 minutes, Batchelor’s boat would start to hiccup.

Forcing himself to take a deep breath, Batchelor turned off the boat and waited a few minutes before trying again. The boat sprang to life — until, 20 minutes later, it hiccupped again. Taking it slow, the team stayed in the backwater, babying the boat and waiting for a winner to bite.

Just as they were preparing to return with their final bag, Williams noticed a tug on his line. He reeled in a 7-pound, 3-ounce bass, bringing their total up to 43 pounds, 3 ounces and sealing their victory for the tournament.

“It’s amazing that we did this and I cannot believe this happened,”

Batchelor cheered. “I wanted this for my team more than I wanted it for me because now everybody will say, those Georgia Southern boys, they’re good at fishing.”

Leading the team to victory is especially exciting for the Southern Bass Anglers club, who celebrated their first time placing in the competition, and for Batchelor as the club’s president.

“It’s awesome to see the continued successes of our Club Sports Program here at Campus Recreation and Intramurals,” said Britton Lyon, assistant director of sports programs at the University. “The Southern Bass Anglers club’s first place finish at the Strike King Bassmaster College Series event is a recent example of how our students are excelling regionally and nationally. Both Brayden and Quinn continue to push the envelope for their club, and I am extremely excited to see when they are atop the leaderboard again.”

Winning the tournament qualifies Batchelor and Williams to compete in the Bassmaster College Series National Championship this summer. Eventually, Batchelor hopes to enter even bigger competitions, but for now he’s content with leaving a strong legacy for his club team and finishing his degree in construction management, appreciating the stability of an industry that will be there when the fish don’t bite.

—Holly Sproule