Mercer Returns Home, Hosts VMI for Three Games

Friday, April 27

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

VMI

Tickets

Photo by: Tim Casey & Allison Curry

Mercer Returns Home, Hosts VMI for Three Games

4/26/2018 5:53:00 PM | Baseball

Tickets Game Notes Live Stats (Game 1)Watch (Game 1)

Bears coming off huge midweek win, look for edge in SoCon race

By: Gerrit W. Van Genderen

MACON, Ga. – Mercer returns to OrthoGeorgia Park following an eight-game road stretch to host VMI in a three-game Southern Conference series starting at 6 p.m. Friday.

The Bears (29-14, 8-7 SoCon) have won three straight, including a victory over top-ranked Florida in Gainesville, Fla., on Tuesday. They will look to gain an edge in the closely-fought conference race against VMI, which sits once spot ahead of Mercer in fourth place with a 22-18 (9-6 SoCon) record.

All three games will be aired live via ESPN+.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Teams: Mercer (29-14, 8-7 SoCon) vs. VMI (22-18, 9-6 SoCon)
Location: Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park
Tickets: www.tickets.mercer.edu
Game Notes: Mercer | VMI | SoCon
Friday: April 27 | 6 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Saturday: April 28 | 2 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Sunday: April 29 | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+
Projected Starters:

Friday: LHP Austin Cox (6-2, 4.45 ERA) vs. RHP Josh Winder (3-4, 4.98 ERA)
Saturday: RHP Chase Burks (5-3, 5.19 ERA) vs. RHP Zak Kent (4-3, 5.27 ERA)
Sunday: TBD vs. LHP Kyle Staats (4-3, 6.75 ERA)

Batting Practice

Craig Gibson is one win away from career victory No. 500. He can become just the 13th active NCAA Division I baseball coach with 500 wins at his alma mater.
Mercer leads the nation in strikeouts (460) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.9).
The Bears are six wins away from reaching 35 victories for the ninth consecutive season.
Alex Hanson has reached base safely in 66 of 68 games dating back to last season.
Mercer is one of three teams with 13 players to have hit at least one home run this season (Tennessee Tech, 15; Elon, 13).
Robert Broom sits atop the SoCon in ERA (1.33) and ranks fourth nationally with 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings. Opponents are hitting just .203 against the junior sidewinder.
Broom was the lone player from the state of Georgia and one of two SoCon players named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List on Thursday.
Jackson Ware and Trey Truitt are two of four active SoCon players with 200 or more career games played.
Mercer is 136-58 at OrthoGeorgia Park since 2012, including a 17-7 mark so far in 2018.
Mercer ranks in the top-25 nationally of 10 different statistical categories.
- Strikeouts (first, 460)
- Strikeouts per nine innings (first, 10.9)
- Runs (fourth, 337)
- Hits (fifth, 455)
- Scoring (fifth, 7.8)
- Hit by pitch (sixth, 75)
- Home runs (15th, 48)
- On base percentage (16th, .400)
- Sacrifice bunts (17th, 34)
- Batting average (24th, .299)
- Home runs per game (24th, 1.12)

A Look at the Series
The Bears are winners of five straight games in an all-time series that dates back to 1964, but has predominately been played since 2004 when Craig Gibson took over at Mercer. The Orange and Black swept VMI on the road last season and also defeated the Keydets, 11-6, in the SoCon Tournament in Greenville.

Mercer has hosted VMI in a three-game series just once since joining the SoCon; the Bears won the series with victories in games one and three.

Series: Mercer 13-4-1
First Meeting: 3/30/64 | Tie, 2-2 (11), in Macon, Ga.
Last Meeting: 5/24/17 | Mercer, 11-6, in Greenville, S.C.
In Macon: Mercer leads, 5-4-1
In Lexington: Mercer leads, 6-0
Craig Gibson vs. VMI: 13-4
Streak: Mercer, 5

A Look at VMI
The Keydets enter this weekend's series in sole possession of fourth place in the SoCon standings at 9-6. VMI has won three of five conference series, including taking two of three from Furman at home last weekend.

A two-run walk-off home run by Peyton Maddox powered VMI to a 9-7 win over Virginia Tech on Wednesday and marked the first time the Keydets have defeated two ACC foes in the same season since 1994. One of the top power teams in the conference, VMI owns 45 long balls and is led by junior right-fielder Matt Pita (.381, 9 HR, 37 RBI). Mercer will face SoCon Preseason Pitcher of the Year, Josh Winder (4.98 ERA, 66 strikeouts) on Friday. VMI's pitching staff owns a .288 average against heading into the weekend.

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.