A-Sun Champs: Mercer Wins Conference Title with 7-3 Victory over Jacksonville
5/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Mercer baseball team won its first Atlantic Sun Championship since 1983 and clinched their first-ever NCAA tournament berth with a 7-3 win over Jacksonville on Saturday evening at Lipscomb University's Dugan Field at Marsh Stadium.
The A-Sun Championship is the fourth baseball championship for Mercer since capturing the title in 1979, 1981 and 1983.
The victory also moves the Bears overall record to 37-22, giving them the most wins in a single-season since they put up 39 victories in 1981.
“Just an unbelievable feeling right now that is so hard to put in words because I am just so proud of our guys and the way they battled all year for us,” head coach Craig Gibson said. “We put ourselves in a great position to win a championship with our play this week, but to actually do it and win is the best feeling one can have.”
Mercer got things started in the top of the first thanks to a pair of upperclassman. Senior Michael Langley slapped an RBI double to right field to plate Billy Burns as the Bears first run. That hit put Langley in a tie with Chad Campbell for the most hits in Mercer single-season history, with 98. Junior Thomas Carroll stepped up to the plate next and pulled an RBI single to right, scoring Langley and putting the Bears ahead early, 2-0.
Jacksonville responded in the bottom half of the frame with a pair of runs of its own. RBI singles by sophomore Jimmy Howick and freshman Adam Brett Walker tied the up, at 2-2.
The Bears took the lead back for good in the sixth thanks to a two-run rally started by sophomore slugger Jacob Tanis. The Peachtree City native crushed a solo home run to left field, his team-leading 22nd of the season, to put Mercer back in front, 3-2. Tanis's home run moved his RBI total for this season up to 86, the most in the A-Sun.
Michael Langley kept the inning alive and set a new Mercer record for the most hits in a single-season in the process with an infield single to the shortstop. Senior Nick DiMauro punched an RBI single to center bringing in Langley and extending Mercer's lead to 4-2.
Carroll put some distance between the two clubs in the seventh when he laced a double down the right field line scoring two runs and increasing the Bears advantage to 6-2.
The Dolphins hung around, however and closed the gap to 6-3 in the bottom of the seventh thanks to an RBI double by freshman Dan Gulbransen.
In the end, it would not be enough as sixth-year senior Lath Guyer recorded the final six outs to preserve the title for the Bears.
Tanis was voted the A-Sun Tournament MVP, while sophomore Brandon Love, freshman David Teasley, DiMauro and Burns joined him on the A-Sun All-Tournament Team.
“I am just so happy for all our seniors, the university and our president who believes in us and has made a commitment to athletics that made all this possible,” said Gibson.
Mercer will now wait to see where it will go and who it will play in the NCAA Regionals next week. The Regional sites will be announced on Monday afternoon on Baseball Selection Show at 12:30 pm ET on ESPN.
