Bears to Spar with Panthers in Midweek Clash

Wednesday, April 4

Atlanta, Ga.

5 P.M.

Mercer University

Georgia State

Photo by: Judy Stapleton

4/3/2018 11:27:00 AM | Softball

Live Stats Watch

By: David Fox

MACON, Ga. – Mercer Softball will take a break from tearing through the Southern Conference and turn its sights to in-state opponent Georgia State. The two competitors will take the field tomorrow at 5 p.m. at Robert E. Heck Softball Complex in Atlanta, Ga.

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Date: Wednesday, April 4
Location: Atlanta, Ga. | Robert E. Heck Softball Complex
Teams Records: Mercer (25-10) at Georgia State (18-16)
Live Stats: georgiastatesports.com/livestats
Live Video: PantherVision (Nominal Fee Required)
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball

On Deck
Mercer will take on Georgia State tomorrow at 5 p.m., a game that was originally scheduled for March 21. The two squads have competed 69 times throughout the history of Mercer softball. The Bears have not fared all too well against the Panthers, holding a 16-53 all-time record against Georgia State. The Bears have dropped seven of the last eight contests against the Panthers with the lone win being an 11-5 victory on Feb. 26, 2014.

Lucky Number Seven
Mercer is on a season-best seven-game winning streak after back-to-back conference sweeps over ETSU and Chattanooga, preceded by a 3-1 victory over Austin Peay to conclude the Mercer Bears Classic. The Bears are on their first seven-game streak since 2016 when Mercer went unscathed from March 12-19.

En Fuego
Freshman standout Micayla Rood has been on a tear over the last month, batting .439 (18-of-41) with four RBIs, eight runs and three doubles. Rood is now batting .361 on the season which leads the Mercer squad. Rood is closely followed by Megan Lane who is batting .340 on the campaign. Lane hit .328 during the month of March, scoring 19 runs, plating 11 RBIs and registering seven extra-base hits. Three of Lane's seven extra-base knocks were home runs.

Panthers on the Prowl
Georgia State is 18-16 on the season heading into tomorrow's contest. The Panthers are 9-3 at the Robert E. Heck Softball Complex this season. The Panthers enter the game having won three of their last four outings. Most recently, Georgia State picked up a series victory over Sun Belt opponent Troy, taking game two and three to claim the series.

Ivie Drake leads the team in batting with a .412 average, while also pacing the squad in home runs (10) and runs batted in (41). Drake proves to be a force against opposing pitchers as 22 of her 42 hits have gone for extra bases.

Emily Soles is the team leader in ERA with a 3.12 average and a 5-2 record inside the circle. The Panthers go-to pitcher has proven to be Kinsley Jennings, throwing 104.2 innings with a 7-6 overall record and a 3.81 ERA.

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.