Mercer Hosts Georgia Southern on Wednesday

Wednesday, March 14

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

Georgia Southern

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Photo by: Christopher Smith

3/13/2018 6:40:00 PM | Baseball

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Bears seek to build upon 3-0 record against in-state opponents

By: Gerrit W. Van Genderen

MACON, Ga. – Mercer looks to defend its home turf as it welcomes in-state opponent Georgia Southern to OrthoGeorgia Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a midweek nonconference clash.

The Bears (12-5) have lost four straight to their in-state counterparts from Statesboro and look to right the ship in the first of two meetings with Georgia Southern this season.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Teams: Mercer (12-5) vs. Georgia Southern (7-9)
Location: Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park
Wednesday: March 14 | 6 p.m. | Live Stats
Tickets: www.tickets.mercer.edu
Projected Starters: RHP Sawyer Gipson-Long (2-0, 3.74 ERA) vs. Cole Whitney (0-1, 0.74 ERA)

Batting Practice

Mercer is 3-0 against in-state opponents (2-0 vs. Kennesaw State; 1-0 vs. Savannah State).
Mercer is 5-1 in midweek contests this season.
Craig Gibson (482-336) is 18 wins away from career victory No. 500.
Trey Truitt ranks 15th nationally with 20 runs scored.
Mercer ranks in the top 10 nationally in eight statistical categories.
- Strikeouts per nine innings (second, 13.0)
- Hit by pitch (second, 40)
- Runs (third, 161)
- Scoring (fourth, 9.5)
- Hits (fourth, 195)
- Home runs (seventh, 25)
- On base percentage (seventh, .431)
- Sacrifice bunts (sixth, 15)

Series History
Mercer has struggled historically against its Statesboro-based counterpart. Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 109-43-1, including four consecutive wins dating back to the 2016 campaign.

Series: Georgia Southern leads, 109-43-1
Last Meeting: April 26, 2017 (GS, 4-3, 10 innings, in Statesboro, Ga.)
Streak: Georgia Southern, 4

Scouting Georgia Southern
A weekend sweep at the hands of Southern Miss sends Georgia Southern into Wednesday's contest with a 7-9 overall record. The Eagles are 2-2 this season in the midweek and have gone 1-3 against in-state opponents, having opened the year against Georgia and Georgia Tech.

The Eagles are batting .229 as a unit through 16 games played. Mercer will see Cole Whitney on the mound, who is projected to make his first start of the season. Whitney is 0-1 with a 0.79 ERA over 11.1 innings pitched in six relief appearances.

K's for Days
The Bears are second nationally with 13.0 strikeouts per nine innings, trailing only Florida State (13.1). Mercer's 218 strikeouts in 151.1 innings pitched have been highlighted by a pair of 23-strikeout performances on Feb. 23 and March 5. Only two teams nationally have thrown 23 strikeouts in a game this season (Harvard), with Mercer being the only team to do it twice.

Making the Hometown Proud
For the sixth time in his collegiate career, senior outfielder – and recent infielder – Jackson Ware will take on his hometown Eagles. A native of Statesboro, Ga., Ware starred at Statesboro High School before signing with Mercer. The rest is history. Georgia Southern has four players on the roster from Statesboro High School.

Rise & Repeat?
Sophomore right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long will start on the mound Wednesday, one week after a masterful performance against Savannah State. Gipson-Long came two outs away from tossing the first no-hitter in program history as he earned the win with a complete-game, one-hitter against the Tigers.

A repeat performance may prove difficult for Gipson-Long, but his focus will instead be on the Eagles, who tagged him for four runs on four hits in last year's 15-7 loss at OrthoGeorgia Park on April 25. Gipson-Long took the loss in what was the third start of his career.

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.