Mercer Opens SoCon Tournament Play Wednesday

Wednesday, May 10

Chattanooga, Tenn.

10 AM ET

Mercer University

Samford

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5/9/2017 1:06:00 PM | Softball

Watch Live Stats Purchase Tickets SoCon Tournament Central

By: Patrick T. Walsh

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – As the old adage somewhat goes, "The early bear get gets the worm." An early start will be important for the Bears when Mercer opens Southern Conference Tournament play on Wednesday morning against Samford in Chattanooga.

First pitch is slated for 10 a.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on the SoCon Digital Network.

GAMEDAY DETAILS
Teams: No. 5 Mercer (24-29, 9-9) vs. No. 4 Samford (22-34, 10-8 SoCon)
Date: Wednesday, May 10 | 10 a.m.
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. | Frost Stadium
TV: SoCon Digital Network
Live Stats: MercerBears.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball
Tickets: Click Here to Purchase
Game Notes: Mercer Softball Notebook

For the fifth-seeded Bears (24-29, 9-9 Southern) to make a hopeful postseason run, a little redemption must come first. Samford (22-34, 10-8) is the only SoCon team to beat Mercer by more than two runs this season. That three-run loss (6-3) came in the rubber game of the three-game series in Birmingham, Alabama will not be forgotten easily Wednesday.

And a postseason run is something the Bears are familiar with. The Bears reached the tournament championship game in 2015 and the semifinals last year. This year's run could be fueled by experience in the clutch. Of Mercer's 18 league games, 11 have been decided by two runs or less.

Mercer enters tournament week having received five All-SoCon honors – the most of any league team matched with top-seeded UNCG – and the national leader in saves in freshman Stella Preston, a SoCon All-Freshman selection as well as an All-SoCon Second Team honoree.

Quick Hits
• Mercer opens up SoCon Tournament play on Wednesday morning. The Bears claimed the No. 5 seed after finishing 9-9 in league play.
• The Bears trail in the all-time series against Samford, 36-31, after having dropped two of the three games in this year's regular season series.
• Mercer is 1-1 all-time against the Bulldogs in SoCon Tournament play.
• The Bears continue to be one of the nation's most dangerous teams on the base paths, ranking 12th nationally (and first in the SoCon) with an average of 2.00 steals per game.
• Both Taylor Miller (90) and Meghan Rud (89) are closing in on the school record for career stolen bases. The mark of 93 was set by McKenzie Woody (2011-14).
• Freshman Stella Preston leads the nation in saves this season (7).
• Mercer needs only one more win to record the program's 700th overall victory.

Mercer Leads League in All-SoCon Selections
Mercer was recognized with a league-leading five honors Tuesday as the All-Southern Conference Softball Teams were announced by the league office. Megan Bilgri and Meghan Rud received first team honors while Quirisa Mauga, Taylor Miller and Stella Preston were named to the second team. Preston also received All-Freshman accolades.

The five All-SoCon honors ties with UNCG for the most any team received and marks the most Mercer has won in a year since joining the Southern Conference.

Bilgri, Rud, Mauga and Preston all received All-SoCon honors for the first time while Miller is the only player in the Southern Conference to be named All-SoCon in each of the last three seasons. She is one of only 15 players in Southern Conference history to receive three All-SoCon honors.

First Team	Megan Bilgri (P)	Meghan Rud (OF)
Second Team	Quirisa Mauga (3B)	Taylor Miller (OF)	Stella Preston (P)
All-Freshman	Stella Preston (P)

Bears More Than Double Conference Win Total
With a 9-9 record in Southern Conference play this season, Mercer more than doubled last year's SoCon win total (4). The Bears finished the season just one win shy of matching its most conference wins since joining the Southern Conference (10).

Are You Not Entertained?
When Mercer hits the diamond, at least you know it will be an entertaining game. Of the team's 53 games so far this season, 15 of them have been decided by one run while 21 have been decided by two runs or less. Those close finishes get even more frequent in Southern Conference play as 11 of Mercer's 18 SoCon games have been decided by two runs or less, eight of which were determined by a run.

Rud Sets Program Season Stolen Base Record
Meghan Rud set a new single season school record in the third inning of Mercer's April 13 game at South Carolina as she swiped her 32nd base of the year. That broke her own record of 31 stolen bases, set last year and matched this season.

But she can't let up. Taylor Miller is hot on her heels with 31 swipes on the year and continues to keep pace with Rud.

Stolen Bases (Single Season)
No.         Player   Year
37           Meghan Rud      2017
31           Taylor Miller       2017
31           Meghan Rud      2016
27           Anna Johnson    2011
26           Kristi Hopkins    2000

Three Under Three
Mercer enters this week's play as the only team in the Southern Conference with three pitchers holding a season ERA of under 3.00. Megan Bilgri (2.30), Anna O'Neill (2.59) and Stella Preston (2.65) all have earned run averages under the 3.00 threshold.

Stella!
Stella Preston is having quite the freshman season. Already having set the program's single-season record for saves at seven, she holds the national lead and leads the Southern Conference in the category while her ERA of 2.65 ranks third in the league behind only Furman's Lindsey Bert (2.00) and Mercer's Megan Bilgri (2.30).

Mercer Led By Strong Arms
Mercer's performance in the pitching circle has been exemplary and the numbers back that up. Entering this week's games, Mercer's Megan Bilgri (2.30) and Stella Preston (2.65) rank second and third, respectively, in the SoCon in ERA. But those numbers get even more impressive when you look at conference-only games, where Bilgri (1.26) and Preston (1.25) pack a powerful punch and lead the conference.

Pitcher	ERA	SoCon Rank	SoCon ERA	Rank
Megan Bilgri	2.30	2nd	1.26	2nd
Stella Preston	2.65	3rd	1.25	1st

Including the National Saves Leader
Stella Preston has not just been dominating the Southern Conference, her performance in the circle this year is literally as good as anyone in the country. She enters this week's play ranked first in the nation with seven saves this season. That rank is even more impressive as she has achieved that in fewer appearances than anyone near her in the rankings.

Rk	Player	Cl	App	IP	SV
1	Stella Preston, Mercer (Southern)	Fr.	28	116.1	7
2	Sydney O'Hara, Syracuse (Atlantic Coast)	Sr.	31	69.2	6
2	Kelsey Fredericks, Miami (OH) (Mid-American)	Sr.	33	88.0	6
2	Megan Landry, Nicholls St. (Southland)	So.	36	171.2	6

(Not Gonna) Walk This Way
Entering this week's tournament play, Mercer pitcher Megan Bilgri ranks 31st in the nation and leads the Southern Conference with an impressive 1.19 walks allowed per seven innings. Bilgri's total of 17 walks allowed this season leads the league, forcing batters to beat her as she gives very few free passes. Stella Preston is taking the same approach as her walks allowed (27) ranks fourth in the SoCon while her 1.62 walks allowed per seven innings ranks fifth in the SoCon and 102nd nationally.

FOLLOW THE BEARS
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