Mercer to Close Nonconference Slate with Hornets

Wednesday, April 18

Montgomery, Ala.

6 P.M.

Mercer University

Alabama State

Photo by: Dannie Walls Photography

Mercer to Close Nonconference Slate with Hornets

4/17/2018 3:51:00 PM | Softball

Live Stats

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – Mercer softball will conclude its nonconference schedule tomorrow with a 6 p.m. ET showdown against the Hornets of Alabama State. The contest will be played at Barbara Williams Softball Complex in Montgomery, Ala.

MIDWEEK OUTLOOK
Date: Wednesday, April 18
Location: Montgomery, Ala. | Barbara Williams Softball Complex
Teams Records: Mercer (27-13) at Alabama State (17-23)
Live Stats: bamastatesports.com/livestats
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball

How They Line Up
Mercer is 27-13 on the season, including 20-12 in nonconference action. The Bears are 3-2 in midweek tilts, including 2-2 in games played on Wednesday. Mercer has dropped back-to-back Wednesday games to Jacksonville (8-0) and most recently to Georgia State (14-8) on April 4 in Atlanta, Ga.

The Bears are coming off a strong weekend showing after a two-game split with No. 5 Georgia, winning game one by the final score of 5-2 in the eighth inning. Mercer is led in batting by freshman standout, Micayla Rood. The Georgia native is currently batting .351 with four extra-base hits and four runs batted in. Megan Lane and Caroline Taylor have proven to be quite the one-two punch in the lineup, combining for 19 home runs and 62 runs batted in.

Mercer is led in the circle by sophomore righty Stella Preston, posting a 9-3 record and an ERA of 2.22. Jill McElderry (2.24) and Megan Bilgri (3.18) each have eight wins on the season and have combined for 133 strikeouts.

Vote for Mercer
The Mercer softball team has put a stamp on its historical season after receiving votes in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll for the first time in program history. Mercer has made an impact in the standings, receiving 10 votes in its first appearance, jumping ahead of USF (5), Northwestern (2), Drake (1) and Nebraska (1).

Handling the Hornets
Alabama State is 17-23 on the season, including 7-6 in games played at Barbara Williams Softball Complex. Most recently, the Hornets split a two-game series with Alcorn State, winning game one 4-1 before falling 2-1 in game two. The third game was postponed due to inclement weather.

Alabama State is led in hitting by Kaylee Davis with a .320 batting average, one of four players hitting over .300 for the Hornets. There are five Alabama State players with three home runs to lead the team, while Charlene Castro paces the squad in RBIs with 28. The Hornets go-to pitcher in terms of ERA would be Vanessa Bradford with a 2-5 overall mark and a 3.72 earned-run average.

Series History
The Bears have been able to sting the Hornets in the all-time series, holding a record of 24-3 against Alabama State. The Bears are 8-1 all-time against the Hornets on the road, while also coming out winners in 15 of the last 16 games against Alabama State. Mercer fell to the Hornets on March 30, 2016 by the final score of 8-7, snapping a 13-game winning streak for the Bears in the series history.

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.