Friday, February 24
Macon, Ga.
6 p.m.
Mercer University
vs
Hartford
Mercer Hosts Hartford in Weekend Series
2/23/2017 5:39:00 PM | Baseball
MACON, Ga. – Mercer faces another tough challenge this weekend as a 37-win Hartford team from last year will make its 2017 debut with a trip to Macon.
Fans are encouraged to attend and cheer from the right field pavilion as the stands at OrthoGeorgia Park will be closed as construction continues to finish.
SERIES LINEUP
Teams: Mercer (4-0) vs. Hartford (0-0)
Location: Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 24 | 6 p.m. | MercerBears.com/livestats
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 25 | 2 p.m. | MercerBears.com/livestats
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 26 | 1 p.m. | MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBaseball
Projected Starters
Friday: Sr. RHP Ryan Askew (1-0, 0.00) vs. So. RHP Billy Devito (0-0, 0.00)
Saturday: Fr. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-0, 0.00) vs. So. RHP John Mormile (0-0, 0.00)
Sunday: So. RHP Kevin Coulter (0-0, 7.71) vs. So. RHP Connor Lewis (0-0, 0.00)
Quick Hits
• Mercer welcomes a Hartford squad that will open its 2017 season in Macon this weekend for a three-game set.
• This weekend's series will mark the first time Mercer and Hartford will meet on the diamond.
• Mercer is 7-2 all-time against schools from the America East Conference.
• This weekend's series will mark the only time a Southern Conference school is scheduled to face a team from the America East this year.
• Don't let geography fool you - Hartford went 37-18 last season and opened the year with a three-game sweep at North Florida, outscoring the Ospreys, 14-11.
• Mercer is looking to keep its unblemished mark alive after starting the year 4-0.
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King of the Hill
Mercer enters this weekend's action with a 4-0 mark and remains the only undefeated team in the Southern Conference. While that mark survived a challenge from the SEC (Georgia), now the Bears will be put to the test against a Hartford team that won 37 games last year.
Conference Pride
The Southern Conference has a 69-26 record against the America East Conference since 1996. The league will rely upon Mercer to improve that mark as this weekend's three-game series is the only time the two leagues will face each other this year.
Is It JTee Ball?
JT Thomas made the quite the collegiate debut this season and seemed like he may have been hitting off a tee. The catcher/designated hitter was 7-for-10 (.700 avg.) after the first weekend of play with five runs scored and nine RBIs. Of his seven hits, five were for extra bases with three doubles and two home runs.
Return of the Bears
The Bears are back! And returning to the diamond in Macon is a lot of power including over 75 percent of the team's offense that finished the 2016 season with a national lead in home runs per game and second in the nation in total home runs and seventh in the nation in runs scored.
The keen eye of Bears batters led the nation in drawing bases on balls last season with 71 percent of those walks returning to Middle Georgia in 2017.
Truitt Named to Golden Spikes Watch List
The Golden Spikes Award and Mercer Baseball are becoming synonymous. Bears outfielder Trey Truitt was named Wednesday by USA Baseball to the 55-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2017 season.
Last year, Mercer University outfielder Kyle Lewis took home the 39th annual prestigious award. Truitt's recognition comes after having been named Preseason All-America by multiple publications. He was also listed as a First Team Preseason All-Southern Conference honoree. He is the only player from the Southern Conference and the only player from the state of Georgia to get recognized.
The preseason watch list features 55 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball.
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Fans are encouraged to attend and cheer from the right field pavilion as the stands at OrthoGeorgia Park will be closed as construction continues to finish.
SERIES LINEUP
Teams: Mercer (4-0) vs. Hartford (0-0)
Location: Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 24 | 6 p.m. | MercerBears.com/livestats
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 25 | 2 p.m. | MercerBears.com/livestats
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 26 | 1 p.m. | MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerBaseball
Projected Starters
Friday: Sr. RHP Ryan Askew (1-0, 0.00) vs. So. RHP Billy Devito (0-0, 0.00)
Saturday: Fr. RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (0-0, 0.00) vs. So. RHP John Mormile (0-0, 0.00)
Sunday: So. RHP Kevin Coulter (0-0, 7.71) vs. So. RHP Connor Lewis (0-0, 0.00)
Quick Hits
• Mercer welcomes a Hartford squad that will open its 2017 season in Macon this weekend for a three-game set.
• This weekend's series will mark the first time Mercer and Hartford will meet on the diamond.
• Mercer is 7-2 all-time against schools from the America East Conference.
• This weekend's series will mark the only time a Southern Conference school is scheduled to face a team from the America East this year.
• Don't let geography fool you - Hartford went 37-18 last season and opened the year with a three-game sweep at North Florida, outscoring the Ospreys, 14-11.
• Mercer is looking to keep its unblemished mark alive after starting the year 4-0.
Â
King of the Hill
Mercer enters this weekend's action with a 4-0 mark and remains the only undefeated team in the Southern Conference. While that mark survived a challenge from the SEC (Georgia), now the Bears will be put to the test against a Hartford team that won 37 games last year.
Conference Pride
The Southern Conference has a 69-26 record against the America East Conference since 1996. The league will rely upon Mercer to improve that mark as this weekend's three-game series is the only time the two leagues will face each other this year.
Is It JTee Ball?
JT Thomas made the quite the collegiate debut this season and seemed like he may have been hitting off a tee. The catcher/designated hitter was 7-for-10 (.700 avg.) after the first weekend of play with five runs scored and nine RBIs. Of his seven hits, five were for extra bases with three doubles and two home runs.
Return of the Bears
The Bears are back! And returning to the diamond in Macon is a lot of power including over 75 percent of the team's offense that finished the 2016 season with a national lead in home runs per game and second in the nation in total home runs and seventh in the nation in runs scored.
The keen eye of Bears batters led the nation in drawing bases on balls last season with 71 percent of those walks returning to Middle Georgia in 2017.
Truitt Named to Golden Spikes Watch List
The Golden Spikes Award and Mercer Baseball are becoming synonymous. Bears outfielder Trey Truitt was named Wednesday by USA Baseball to the 55-player preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list, beginning the process of identifying the top amateur baseball player in the country for the 2017 season.
Last year, Mercer University outfielder Kyle Lewis took home the 39th annual prestigious award. Truitt's recognition comes after having been named Preseason All-America by multiple publications. He was also listed as a First Team Preseason All-Southern Conference honoree. He is the only player from the Southern Conference and the only player from the state of Georgia to get recognized.
The preseason watch list features 55 of the nation's top amateur players, from high school and college baseball.
How to Follow the Bears:
For complete coverage of Mercer Baseball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerBaseball (Twitter), /MercerBaseball (Facebook) and @Mercer.Baseball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.
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Players Mentioned
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