Mercer Softball Set for Final Nonconference Series

Saturday, April 14

Athens, Ga.

2 P.M.

Mercer University

#5 Georgia

Photo by: Southern Conference

Mercer Softball Set for Final Nonconference Series

4/13/2018 11:30:00 AM | Softball

Live Stats Game 1 Video Game 2 Video Game 3 Video Game Notes

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Softball will travel up the road to Athens, Ga., this weekend for a three-game series with the fifth-ranked Georgia Bulldogs. The Bears and Bulldogs will begin with a doubleheader on Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude the three-game swing with a single contest on Sunday beginning at 2 p.m.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Date: Saturday, April 14 – Sunday, April 15
Location: Athens, Ga. | Turner Softball Stadium
Teams Records: Mercer (26-12) at Georgia (36-5)
Live Stats: Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3
Live Video: Game 1 / Game 2 / Game 3
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball
Game Notes: Mercer

On Deck
Georgia enters the weekend ranked No. 5 in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, fifth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll and fifth in the most updated RPI rankings. The Bulldogs are 36-5 on the season, including 11-4 in SEC action. Georgia holds a record of 27-2 in games played at Turner Softball Stadium. However, the Bulldogs are without senior pitcher Brittany Gray for the remainder of the season. Gray was 16-1 with an 0.48 ERA prior to her right bicep injury. Cortni Emanuel leads the team in batting with a .444 average, while Alyssa DiCarlo (14) and Justice Milz (12) lead in long balls. Mercer is 0-17 all-time against Georgia heading into this weekend's series.

She is Rollin'
Mercer's Megan Lane has seen a significant improvement over the last month. Lane was batting .307 on March 7 and has seen her average spike to .360 since then. Lane is currently batting .351 with eight home runs and 28 runs batted in, both of which are single-season bests for the junior catcher.

Bat Around
Mercer is hitting .288 as a team this season which ranks third in the Southern Conference. Five Bears have posted batting averages above .300, led by standout freshman Micayla Rood who is hitting .357 with three doubles and four runs batted in. Megan Lane is hitting .351 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 28 RBIs.

We Have Lift Off
Mercer has belted 32 home runs on the season, tying the 10th most dingers in a single season. With 13 regular season games left, the Bears will seek to climb further up the single-season ladder in home runs. Caroline Taylor leads the team in long balls with nine, followed by Lane with eight and Emma Andrew with six.

Circle of Balance
Mercer has a team ERA of 2.71, led by Stella Preston's team-leading 1.99 ERA. Preston, McElderry and Bilgri each have eight wins on the season, while McElderry leads the team in strikeouts with 69. Bilgri has hurled the most innings at 86.0.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MercerSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.