Mercer University
Georgia St.
Baseball Welcomes No. 19 Kennesaw State on Wednesday
2/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
GAME NOTES
MACON, Ga. – The Mercer University baseball team will close out its pair of mid-week tilts on Wednesday afternoon, as it hosts No. 19 Kennesaw State at Claude Smith Field. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
WEDNESDAY'S MATCHUP
Teams: Mercer (1-3) vs. Kennesaw State (2-1)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Claude Smith Field (500)
Schedule: Wednesday, Feb. 18 – 4 p.m. | LIVE STATS
Twitter Updates: @MercerBaseball
LHP Grant Papelian (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP A.J. Moore (0-0, 3.00 ERA)
SERIES HISTORY
Mercer and Kennesaw State will meet for the 37th time in a series that the Bears lead 21-15. Mercer is 16-12 against KSU during head coach Craig Gibson's tenure, including a 2-1 mark in 2014 to take the season series.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State enters Wednesday's contest with a 2-1 overall record and a No. 19 ranking in the Baseball America Top 25 poll, after being tabbed as the Atlantic Sun's preseason favorite.
2014 Second Team All-A-Sun selection Kal Simmons leads the Owl's offense, compiling a .417 batting average with a team-high five hits and three RBI. Designated hitter Colin Bennett adds four hits and a team-best five runs. Freshman right-hander A.J. Moore will make his first collegiate start on the mound for KSU.
THE BEARS' STORYLINES
- The Bears finished 2014 with the best record amongst in-state foes as their 6-2 mark was better than Kennesaw State (8-4), Georgia Tech (7-5), Georgia State (4-5), Georgia Southern (3-4), Georgia (3-7) and Savannah State (1-5). Mercer is now 29-14 against schools in the state of Georgia dating back to the start of the 2011 season.
- Mercer senior Grant Papelian will make his season debut on the mound during Wednesday's matchup against Kennesaw State. The 6-foot left-hander finished the 2014 season with a 5-4 record and a 4.13 ERA as a weekend starter for the Bears.
- Freshman Trey Truitt continues to stand out in his first season in Macon. The outfielder, who finished the opening weekend with two home runs and six RBI, drove in the Bears' only run of the game against Georgia State on Tuesday with a double down the left field line.
- Considered one of the program's top strengths coming into the season, Mercer's bullpen did not disappoint in the opening series of the year. The squad's top three returning relievers (Dimitri Kourtis, Ben Lumsden and Morgan Pittman) combined to give up just one run on four hits in 10.2 innings of work last weekend.
- The Bears continue a busy week with Wednesday's game against No. 19 Kennesaw State, before wrapping up the five-game slate in Daytona Beach, Fla. with a three-game series vs. Bethune Cookman.
