Saturday, February 24
Macon, Ga.
2 p.m.
Mercer University
5-2
9
vs
2
UNC Asheville
2-4
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
R
H
E
UNC Asheville
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
2
8
2
Mercer
1
0
0
3
0
1
0
4
X
9
13
1
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Burks, Chase (1-0)
L: GASPARRO, Greg (0-1)
S: Vann, Christian (1)
Batting:
2B: PAGANO, Carmine 2 ; LANKFORD, Brandon 1
RBI: LANKFORD, Brandon 1
Base Running:
RUNS: PAGANO, Carmine 1 ; WILSON, Danny 1
HBP: WILSON, Danny 1 ; SERRICCHIO, Tyler 1
Batting:
2B: Thomas, JT 1 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Michie, Brandon 1
HR: Truitt, Trey 1 ; Michie, Brandon 1
RBI: Truitt, Trey 2 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Bassett, Le 2 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Michie, Brandon 2
SH: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Ware, Jackson 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Truitt, Trey 3 ; Thomas, JT 1 ; Bassett, Le 2 ; Ware, Jackson 1 ; Michie, Brandon 1 ; McDermott, Sean 1
SB: Ware, Jackson 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
4
R
1
H
3
RBI
1
AB
4
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
AB
5
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
IF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
Photo by: Woody Marshall
Mercer Claims Series Win Over UNC Asheville
2/24/2018 7:32:00 PM | Baseball
Chase Burks earns first win of the year on the mound
MACON, Ga. – Senior right-hander Chase Burks overcame a slow start to toss six innings and earn the win in Mercer's 9-2 series-clinching victory over UNC Asheville on Saturday afternoon at OrthoGeorgia Park.
After allowing two runs on four hits through the second inning, Burks (1-0) found his groove and limited the Bulldogs (2-4) to one hit through the final four frames of his start. He finished with five strikeouts and walked only one batter.
A two-run home run by Brandon Michie in the bottom of the fourth tied the game, 3-3, and sparked a rally that was capped by Trey Truitt's go-ahead RBI-single four at-bats later. The Bears (5-2) never looked back, adding one run in the sixth – a solo home run by Truitt – and four in the eighth. Christian Vann earned his first save of the season with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief while striking out four batters.
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"It feels good to get a series win over a quality UNC Asheville club," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Asheville's pitching staff held our offense down early on, but we stood our ground and were able to get some hits pieced together later in the game.
"We're starting to settle down defensively. Today all started with Chase Burks on the mound…I thought it was one of our better games."
Player of the Game
Chase Burks set the tone in the front end of Saturday's doubleheader, going six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. The senior allowed only one hit over his final four innings of work, buying the Bears' bats time to stage a fourth-inning rally.
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Chase Burks (1-0)
» Loss: Greg Gasparro (0-1)
Record Update
» Mercer: 5-2
» UNC Asheville: 2-4
Up Next
» Mercer: At Kennesaw State (6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 in Kennesaw, Ga.)
» UNC Asheville: At Western Carolina (4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Cullowhee, N.C.)
Notables
» Mercer improved to 2-0 against the Bulldogs.
» The Bears have won their first two series in each of the last three seasons.
» Thomas extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-5 effort.
» Jackson Ware notched his team-leading fourth stolen base of the season.
» Six of Mercer's first seven batters recorded at least two hits apiece. Ware had a game-high three hits (3-for-4).
» Christian Vann has struck out at least three batters in all three of his appearances.
» Mercer tallied double-digit hits (13) for the fourth time this season and second time this season.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
After allowing two runs on four hits through the second inning, Burks (1-0) found his groove and limited the Bulldogs (2-4) to one hit through the final four frames of his start. He finished with five strikeouts and walked only one batter.
A two-run home run by Brandon Michie in the bottom of the fourth tied the game, 3-3, and sparked a rally that was capped by Trey Truitt's go-ahead RBI-single four at-bats later. The Bears (5-2) never looked back, adding one run in the sixth – a solo home run by Truitt – and four in the eighth. Christian Vann earned his first save of the season with 2.2 innings of scoreless relief while striking out four batters.
Coach Gibson's Take
Opening statement:
"It feels good to get a series win over a quality UNC Asheville club," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Asheville's pitching staff held our offense down early on, but we stood our ground and were able to get some hits pieced together later in the game.
"We're starting to settle down defensively. Today all started with Chase Burks on the mound…I thought it was one of our better games."
Player of the Game
Chase Burks set the tone in the front end of Saturday's doubleheader, going six innings while allowing two runs on five hits. The senior allowed only one hit over his final four innings of work, buying the Bears' bats time to stage a fourth-inning rally.
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Chase Burks (1-0)
» Loss: Greg Gasparro (0-1)
Record Update
» Mercer: 5-2
» UNC Asheville: 2-4
Up Next
» Mercer: At Kennesaw State (6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27 in Kennesaw, Ga.)
» UNC Asheville: At Western Carolina (4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28 in Cullowhee, N.C.)
Notables
» Mercer improved to 2-0 against the Bulldogs.
» The Bears have won their first two series in each of the last three seasons.
» Thomas extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a 2-for-5 effort.
» Jackson Ware notched his team-leading fourth stolen base of the season.
» Six of Mercer's first seven batters recorded at least two hits apiece. Ware had a game-high three hits (3-for-4).
» Christian Vann has struck out at least three batters in all three of his appearances.
» Mercer tallied double-digit hits (13) for the fourth time this season and second time this season.
Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
Press Conference Mercer Football (Week 5 vs East Tennessee State)
Tuesday, September 23
Mercer 38, Citadel 0 | Postgame Press Conference (9/20/25)
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v U.T. Martin VB Highlight Reel: 9/20/2025
Saturday, September 20
Mercer v North Dakota VB Highlight Reel: 9/19/2025
Saturday, September 20
