2015 Softball Schedule Revealed
12/9/2014 12:00:00 AM | Softball
MACON, GA. – The 2015 Mercer softball schedule, featuring six non-conference tournaments and an 18-game Southern Conference slate was released by head coach James Defeo Tuesday.
Mercer enters its inaugural season in the Southern Conference and fourth season under the direction of DeFeo. The Bears' 2015 slate is comprised of 20 regular season games at Sikes Field, with 11 true road games and 12 neutral-site contests leading up to the Southern Conference Tournament on May 6-9.
Mercer's non-conference play is highlighted by early season stops at Auburn and defending National Champion Florida. Three home tournaments also make up the bulk of Mercer's home schedule, as the Bears host the Mercer Invitational (Feb. 6-8), the Black & Orange Challenge (Feb. 27-March 1), and the Mercer Bears Classic (March 13-15).
Led by DeFeo, co-head coach Stephanie DeFeo, and pitching coach Kim Mazzapica, Mercer kicks off the season hosting the Mercer Invitational on Feb. 6-8 at Sikes Field. The Bears will clash with IPFW, Valparaiso, and Jacksonville State during opening weekend.
The following week, Mercer begins a stretch of 10 games outside of Macon at Auburn's Tiger Invitational. Over three days, the Bears play host Auburn twice, Eastern Illinois, Ball State, and Winthrop. The stretch continues as the Bears head to the University of Florida Lipton Invitational to play Illinois State, Kansas, Liberty and host Florida.
Mercer closes out the month of February hosting Buffalo, Evansville and Kennesaw State for the Black & Orange Challenge. The Bears will also host a doubleheader with Georgia State on March 4.
A seven-game road trip to the Sunshine State begins on March 6 at the USF Speedline Tournament, were Mercer will play Villanova, Central Michigan, Portland State, host South Florida, and Western Michigan. The stretch is concluded with a doubleheader in Orlando as the Bears will take on South Dakota and Central Florida on March 10.
The longest homestand for the Bears opens March 13 for the Mercer Bears Classic. The Bears will play Youngstown State twice, Alabama A&M, and Michigan State twice. On March 17 and 21 the squad challenges Alabama State and Savannah State before opening Southern Conference play on March 28-29 against Western Carolina.
The Southern Conference schedule kicks into full swing in April, as the Bears travel to Furman for a series on April 3-4, host NC-Greensboro on April 11-12, and travel to Samford on April 18-19 before hosting the 2014 Southern Conference Champions Chattanooga on April 25-26 in the home finale.
Mercer closes out the regular season on the road against East Tennessee State in Johnson City, Tenn. on May 2-3. To open the postseason, the Bears will travel to Chattanooga, Tenn. for the SoCon Tournament, which runs from May 6-9 and can be viewed on ESPN3. NCAA Regionals are set to take place on May 14-17 at 16 campus sites, with Super Regionals to be held May 21-24 at eight campus sites. The 2015 Women's College World Series is scheduled for May 28-June 3 at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City.
DeFeo lead the Bears to a 39-19 record, with an 18-8 mark in conference play in 2014 and looks to improve upon that record in 2015.
Be sure to follow @MercerUSoftball on Twitter and visit the team's official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/MUSoftball for all things Bear Softball. In addition, stay tuned to MercerBears.com as the season approaches for updated broadcast information.
