Softball Set For SoCon Tournament Action in Greensboro

GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Mercer University softball team will open postseason play with a Southern Conference Championship opening round contest against Furman at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 11 at UNCG Softball Stadium. Mercer is the No. 7 seed and Furman is the No. 2 seed.

WEDNESDAY'S MATCHUP
Teams: No. 3 Mercer (21-33, 4-14 SoCon) vs. Furman (29-26, 10-8 SoCon)
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Softball Stadium
Schedule: 12:30 p.m. | Wednesday, May 11
Live Stats: MercerBears.com Live Video: SoConDigitalNetwork.com
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball
Instagram Photos: @MercerUSoftball
SoCon Tournament Bracket: SoConSports.com

SERIES HISTORY
Mercer and Furman will meet for the 19th time in an all-time series the Bears lead 11-7, and the fourth time this season. The Paladins concluded the regular season with a three-game sweep of Mercer on April 30-May 1 at Sikes Field in Macon, Ga. with scores of 2-1, 3-0 and 8-2. Mercer's three runs are a season-low for a three-game series this season. Bert and Demonte threw three complete games en route to the sweep while Mercer left 16 runners on base.

SCOUTING THE PALADINS
Furman enters the SoCon Championship Tournament as the No. 2 seed with an overall record of 29-26 and a 10-8 mark in league play. Furman's second-place finish is its best since consecutive runner-up finishes in 2000-01. The Paladins will have had a 10-day layoff dating back to May 1 once the tournament begins.

Furman finished with the third-best SoCon batting average (.300) and averages 4.7 runs per game. They have 90 doubles and 53 home runs, good for second and fourth among league teams. Candace Johnson leads the team in batting average (.380) and ranks top-five in the SoCon in hits (68), runs (43), doubles (14), home runs (12) and total bases (120).

Emily Demonte leads the SoCon in ERA (2.35) while Lindsey Bert ranks second in strikeouts (165). The duo has tossed nearly 90 percent of Furman's 366.2 innings this season.

RECAPPING LAST WEEKEND

Western Carolina won two of three games over Mercer in the final series of the 2016 regular season in Cullowhee, N.C. on May 7-8. The Bears claimed the series opener, 3-2, behind a stout pitching performance by Maxine Rodriguez (7 IP, 2 K, 6 H) for her seventh win of the season. Mercer's No. 1-3 hitters – Meghan Rud, Taylor Miller and Natalie Shiver – went a combined 6-for-11 with three RBIs and two runs scored in the win.
The Catamounts bounced back and took the next two games, 7-5 and 10-2.
Miller passed the 200-hit mark for her career in Game 1, becoming the fourth Bear all-time to reach the milestone. She had a hit in all three games, extending her hitting streak to 16 games. Shiver had at least one RBI in all three games as well, totaling five for the series.

MERCER FACTS & FIGURES

POSTSEASON VETERANS
Mercer is no stranger to deep conference tournament runs, as it has made two straight league championship games dating back to the 2014 season. The Bears have impressive postseason experience following their Atlantic Sun Championship appearance against Stetson in 2014 and their SoCon Championship appearance against Chattanooga last season.

FIVE BEARS EARN SOCON POSTSEASON HONORS
Mercer had five players tabbed on the 2016 SoCon postseason awards list, as announced by the league office on May 10. Miller (outfield) and Taylor Rodgers (utility) were named to the All-SoCon First Team while Shiver (catcher) earned All-SoCon Second Team honors. Shaila Warren and Lindsay Boynton both earned a spot on the SoCon All-Freshman team as well.

It was Miller's second consecutive nod as a All-SoCon First Team outfielder, while the other four Bears all earned their first SoCon postseason honors.

CREAM OF THE CROP
Miller is poised to complete one of the best offensive seasons in Mercer history. Her career-best junior campaign includes a SoCon-leading 25 steals and ranking second in batting average (.422) and hits (76). She reached the 200-hit milestone for her career last weekend, becoming the fourth Bear to ever reach the mark. Miller is one of only two Mercer players all-time to have 70 hits and 20 stolen bases in a season as well, joining McKenzie Woody. Both players have done it twice – Miller in 2015 (83 hits, 21 steals) and 2016 and Woody in 2012 (74 hits, 24 steals) and 2013 (80 hits, 23 steals).

CATCH THEM IF YOU CAN
The Bears have dominated the basepaths this season. Mercer has stolen a SoCon-high 74 bases through 54 games played, 19 more than the next closest league team (Samford, 55). Ranking 64th in the nation with 1.37 steals per game, Mercer is highlighted by the duo of Miller and Meghan Rud, who lead with SoCon with 25 and 20 swipes, respectively. Five other Bears – Shiver (5) Emma Andrew (4), Boynton (4), Megan Lane (6) and Warren (8) – have stolen at least four bases as well.

LEADING THE CHARGE
Shiver has been one of Mercer's hottest bats since the start of SoCon play, batting .358 in 18 league games. Shiver has a team-best 16 RBIs to go along with 11 runs scored, three home runs, five walks drawn and a .417 on-base percentage in such contests. She takes a season-best, six-game hitting streak into SoCon Tournament play.

COUNT ON ME
Rodgers has continued an impressive run of pinch-hitting chances this season. She's 7-for-18 in such opportunities with seven RBIs and two walks this season. She's batted an impressive .321 in SoCon play with the fourth most RBIs (seven) among the Bears, and her recent solid play has translated to five consecutive starts – four as the designated player and one at second base.

TO THE MAX
Maxine Rodriguez has established herself as Mercer's top arm in the circle this season. The junior ranks just outside of the top-10 in ERA (3.82) and sixth in opposing batting average (.270) among SoCon pitchers while leading Mercer with seven wins. Her bat has heated up too, as her 15 RBIs at the plate since the start of league play rank second on the team.

BATTLE-TESTED FRESHMEN
Mercer's three freshman starters – Warren, Boynton and Lane – have stepped in and succeeded immediately this season. Warren has started all 54 games and is batting .340 in SoCon contests to raise her season batting average to .306 entering postseason play. Lane and Boynton have started 41 and 32 games, respectively, while Boynton ranks top-three among Bears in home runs, RBIs, slugging percentage and walks. The trio has totaled a combined 94 hits, 11 home runs, 64 RBIs, 18 stolen bases and 68 runs scored.

DEFEO CLOSING IN
Head coach James DeFeo continues to move closer to the all-time wins record at Mercer following the Bears' victory at WCU on Saturday, May 7 – the 145th of his career. He needs only eight wins to surpass Ken Phillips' (1992-2001) mark of 152. DeFeo boasts the best winning percentage (.525) among all six of Mercer's all-time coaches.

AIM FOR FIVE
Twenty of Mercer's 21 wins this season have come when scoring five runs or more. When the Bears reach at least six runs, they boast a 14-4 record as well. Their sole win without scoring five runs came in last weekend's series-opening 3-2 victory over Western Carolina.