Bears Announce 2011 Schedule
12/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, Ga. – In preparation for the upcoming 2011 season, Mercer University head softball coach Mike Raynor announced the team's 54-game schedule on Monday.
The Bears are coming off a somewhat disappointing 25-30 season from a year ago, yet have a solid core of 16 returning players and lost just three seniors to graduation. This will be Raynor's fifth season in the Orange and Black as the team looks to rebound and after missing the postseason for the first time since 2005. Raynor is 111-122 in his four years in Macon and is third all-time in the Bears' record book in wins.
This season Mercer faces off again against some of the nation's top talent from some of the country's most prominent programs. Four early season tournaments will fill out much of the Bears' 34-game non-conference schedule before entering another rigorous 20-game Atlantic Sun slate. The Bears will face teams from conferences like the SEC, ACC, Big 10, and the SoCon in 2011.
The season opens with tournaments on consecutive weekends beginning first at Georgia Southern (Feb. 12-13) and then at Charleston Southern (Feb. 18-19). Georgia Southern, Radford, Ohio, Virginia Tech and Charleston Southern round out the opposition in the season's first two tournaments.
After playing the first seven games of the season on the road, Mercer will return for the home opener at Sikes Field on Feb. 21 against Oakland University of the Summit League.
The next weekend is the three-day Kennesaw St. Tournament (Feb. 25-27) featuring teams like Mississippi St.(SEC), Bowling Green(MAC), Ball St.(MAC) and Purdue (Big 10).
The following weekend (March, 4-5) is the annual Georgia Tech “Buzz Classic” held in Atlanta. There, the Bears will play another four-game series against the likes of Austin Peay, Boston University, Akron, Miami (Ohio) and Jacksonville St.
Following the four tournaments, Mercer will then host the first of three six-game home stands on the year. Georgia Southern (March 9), Samford (March 10) and Florida A&M (March 15) will give the Bears their final test before the beginning of A-Sun play.
The Bears then open up the A-Sun portion of the schedule on the road at Campbell on March, 19. The Camels and Bears split the season series from a year ago and faced one another in the A-Sun championship game in 2009. The remainder of the Bears A-Sun road games are at Jacksonville (March 25) at North Florida (March 26) and then at Belmont (April 21) and reigning A-Sun champ, Lipscomb (April 22).
Mercer welcomes Florida Gulf Coast and Stetson to Macon for the A-Sun Conference home opener on April 2nd and 3rd. The Bears were swept by each team last year at their respective home sites and will look to return the favor this season.
Splitting up the next A-Sun series is a double-header at SEC power, Auburn. The Bears played host to the Tigers last season, but lost 4-0 at home.
The Bears host ETSU(April 15) and USC Upstate (April 16) before finishing up the A-Sun regular season at home against in-state rival Kennesaw St. on April 30th. The Bears final games of the 2011 regular season will be a double-header at Presbyterian on May, 8.
The A-Sun Tournament will feature the conference's top six teams again and will be held May 12-14 in Spartanburg, S.C.
For the complete schedule CLICK HERE!
