It is no secret that the Harlem Bulldogs are one of the top baseball programs in the state. And the Bulldogs are led by one of the all-time greatest high school baseball coaches in Jimmie Lewis.
But on Feb. 18, when Lewis leads the team onto the field like he has for decades, there will be one meaningful difference. In October, Harlem High School renamed its baseball field in Lewis’ honor. The two-time, back-to-back defending Class 3A champions will now host their home games at Jimmie Lewis Field.
After last season’s state championship victory, the Harlem athletic department notified the team and Lewis that Harlem’s home baseball field will be renamed, honoring its coach for all he has done for the school and the Harlem baseball program. According to The Augusta Chronicle, Lewis is one of the few high school baseball coaches in the state of Georgia to have their home fields named after them, joining Greenbrier’s Terry Holder and Westside’s Gerald Barnes.
The Bulldogs are returning to the diamond in this season after winning back-to-back state championships in 2023 and 2024, the schools eighth and ninth state championships in program history. During this timespan, Harlem has accumulated a 75-2 record including an undefeated 20-0 record in last year’s postseason.
Since 1974, when the Bulldogs won their first state championship, the program has asserted itself as a staple within the state as one of the best high school baseball programs Georgia high schools have to offer. As the season came to a close last year, the Bulldogs finished with a 40-1 record and finished nationally ranked at No. 9 after their sweep of Calvary Day.
Lewis is closing in on 900 career victories, which he could eclipse this season, his 49th at the helm. Harlem plays Thursday at Greenbrier before hosting Greenbrier on Feb. 18.
ITG NEXT Preseason Top-10 Teams in the state of Georgia
1: Etowah (6A)
2: Buford (6A)
3: Houston County (5A)
4: Loganville (5A)
5: Pope (5A)
6: Cartersville (4A)
7: Coffee (5A)
8. Cherokee Bluff (3A)
9. Lowndes (6A)
10. Glynn Academy (5A)
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