Thursday, May 24
Greenville, S.C.
4 p.m.
Mercer University
37-20
15
vs
0
Western Carolina
9-46
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Mercer
2
1
3
0
0
6
3
15
13
0
Western Carolina
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
4
3
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Vann, Christian (5-3)
L: Sikes (0-5)
Batting:
HR: Truitt, Trey 1
RBI: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Michie, Brandon 2 ; Truitt, Trey 2 ; Ware, Jackson 2 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Thomas, JT 3 ; Crotty, Alex 1 ; Cornell, Conrad 2
SH: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Crotty, Alex 1 ; Cornell, Conrad 1
SF: Thomas, JT 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Hanson, Alex 1 ; Yeager, RJ 1 ; Michie, Brandon 2 ; Dockus, Kyle 1 ; Truitt, Trey 3 ; Ware, Jackson 3 ; Bassett, Le 1 ; Thomas, JT 2 ; Cornell, Conrad 1
SB: Truitt, Trey 1
CS: Michie, Brandon 1
HBP: Hanson, Alex 2 ; Lingo, Drew 1 ; Thomas, JT 1
PO: Michie, Brandon 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
5
R
3
H
3
RBI
2
AB
4
R
2
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
3
H
2
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballIF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballPhoto by: Southern Conference
Bears Blast Western Carolina at #SoConBB Tournament
5/24/2018 8:08:00 PM | Baseball
Mercer advances to winner’s bracket semifinal with 15-0 victory
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Fifth-seeded Mercer vaulted itself into the winner's bracket semifinal of the Southern Conference Championship, presented by Holston Gases, with a 15-0 defeat of No. 9 Western Carolina on Thursday at Fluor Field.
The Bears (37-20) needed just seven innings to best the tournament's Cinderella team on Thursday after Western Carolina (9-46) had upended No. 8 The Citadel and top-seeded UNCG over the past two days. Mercer awaits the winner of No. 2 Samford and No. 3 Wofford, which it will play at 12 p.m.
Mercer scored in each of the first three innings, claiming a six-run advantage and never looked back. Jackson Ware's torrid start to the tournament continued with a two-run single in the first inning. The Bears then turned to small ball with four sacrifice bunts over the following two innings; Alex Hanson and Le Bassett both laid down safety squeeze bunts to score JT Thomas and Trey Truitt in the second and third innings, respectively.
The six-run cushion provided Christian Vann with plenty of room to work with in his 11th start on the mound. Vann escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third after Western Carolina loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Mercer caught a break as the Catamounts' Will Prater was called out while advancing to third base when he was hit by Luke Robinson's hit to the left-side. Bryson Parks was stranded at third base because of the dead-ball call, keeping Vann unscathed.
Vann (5-3) went 5.1 innings to earn the win before turning it over to Robert Broom and Nick Spear, who combined for the final 1.2 frames in relief.
A six-run sixth inning, highlighted by two-RBI singles by Brandon Michie and Conrad Cornell, put the game out of reach. Trey Truitt provided the final firework of the eventful afternoon with a two-run home run over the Green Monster in left field.
Stat of the Game
Mercer became the first team in SoCon Tournament history to earn two run-rule victories in a single tournament. The Bears have three overall run-rule victories since joining the conference in 2015. The Bears have also outscored their opponents 34-0 through the first two contests and are just one run shy of tying their program record for most runs in a conference tournament.
Player of the Game
Trey Truitt (3-for-5) tallied a team-high three hits and added three runs scored, two RBI and one stolen base on the afternoon. The senior has six hits in two games to open the tournament.
Postgame Quotes
Craig Gibson on the offensive outburst:
"We're getting closer [offensively] and receiving a lot of competitive at bats out of guys who are stepping up – Alex Crotty and Conrad Cornell are a pair," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Our top seven guys have been really good. This is a pretty good lineup that's clicking right now."
Gibson on Mercer playing its best baseball currently:
"I always thought this team could put itself in a position to do great things, and so far, we've done everything we can to do just that. I don't think Christian Vann was at his best today – we've seen better from him – but he was certainly good enough to make it happen for us on the mound. [Robert] Broom and [Nick] Spear were really good in the bullpen and defensively we're doing a nice job.
Trey Truitt on the offensive outburst:
"We always knew we were capable of this. When we have two or three guys going in our lineup, we're dangerous. But when we have a full lineup firing at once, it makes things really fun for us. We're going to keep putting it on them, be humble and do our thing."
Jackson Ware on his strong start to the SoCon Tournament:
"It feels good to me right now; I feel really good in the [batter's] box and am just trusting my approach. I'm swinging it well with two strikes and if I'm walked, I know I have good bats behind me to come up in situations. We're feeding off of one another right now."
Records Update
» Mercer: 37-20
» Western Carolina: 9-46
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Christian Vann (5-3)
» Loss: Corey Sikes (0-5)
Up Next
» Mercer: vs. winner of #2 Samford/#3 Wofford (12 p.m. Saturday, May 26 at Fluor Field)
» Western Carolina: vs. #6 ETSU (3:30 p.m. Friday, May 25 at Fluor Field)
Notables
» Mercer improved to 10-4 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
» The Bears are one run shy of tying their program record for most runs scored in a conference tournament. Mercer scored a program-record 35 runs in the 2015 SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer reached the 600-strikeout mark for the season Thursday. The Bears lead the nation in strikeouts thrown.
» Mercer improved to 2-2 against Western Carolina in SoCon Tournament play.
» Truitt has six career home runs in the SoCon Tournament.
» Five different Bears laid down five sacrifice bunts. JT Thomas added a sacrifice fly.
» Thomas led Mercer with three RBI.
» Conrad Cornell (2-for-3) tacked on two RBI. He has five for the tournament after entering the week just four for the season.
» Mercer has tallied 35 hits through its first 14 innings at the SoCon Tournament.
» Ware opened the SoCon Tournament with hits in his first seven at bats.
» Ware extended his career-long reached base streak to 23 games.
» Alex Hanson reached base safely for the 78th time in the last 82 games.
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.
The Bears (37-20) needed just seven innings to best the tournament's Cinderella team on Thursday after Western Carolina (9-46) had upended No. 8 The Citadel and top-seeded UNCG over the past two days. Mercer awaits the winner of No. 2 Samford and No. 3 Wofford, which it will play at 12 p.m.
Mercer scored in each of the first three innings, claiming a six-run advantage and never looked back. Jackson Ware's torrid start to the tournament continued with a two-run single in the first inning. The Bears then turned to small ball with four sacrifice bunts over the following two innings; Alex Hanson and Le Bassett both laid down safety squeeze bunts to score JT Thomas and Trey Truitt in the second and third innings, respectively.
The six-run cushion provided Christian Vann with plenty of room to work with in his 11th start on the mound. Vann escaped a bases-loaded jam in the third after Western Carolina loaded the bases with two walks and a single. Mercer caught a break as the Catamounts' Will Prater was called out while advancing to third base when he was hit by Luke Robinson's hit to the left-side. Bryson Parks was stranded at third base because of the dead-ball call, keeping Vann unscathed.
Vann (5-3) went 5.1 innings to earn the win before turning it over to Robert Broom and Nick Spear, who combined for the final 1.2 frames in relief.
A six-run sixth inning, highlighted by two-RBI singles by Brandon Michie and Conrad Cornell, put the game out of reach. Trey Truitt provided the final firework of the eventful afternoon with a two-run home run over the Green Monster in left field.
Stat of the Game
Mercer became the first team in SoCon Tournament history to earn two run-rule victories in a single tournament. The Bears have three overall run-rule victories since joining the conference in 2015. The Bears have also outscored their opponents 34-0 through the first two contests and are just one run shy of tying their program record for most runs in a conference tournament.
Player of the Game
Trey Truitt (3-for-5) tallied a team-high three hits and added three runs scored, two RBI and one stolen base on the afternoon. The senior has six hits in two games to open the tournament.
Postgame Quotes
Craig Gibson on the offensive outburst:
"We're getting closer [offensively] and receiving a lot of competitive at bats out of guys who are stepping up – Alex Crotty and Conrad Cornell are a pair," said head coach Craig Gibson. "Our top seven guys have been really good. This is a pretty good lineup that's clicking right now."
Gibson on Mercer playing its best baseball currently:
"I always thought this team could put itself in a position to do great things, and so far, we've done everything we can to do just that. I don't think Christian Vann was at his best today – we've seen better from him – but he was certainly good enough to make it happen for us on the mound. [Robert] Broom and [Nick] Spear were really good in the bullpen and defensively we're doing a nice job.
Trey Truitt on the offensive outburst:
"We always knew we were capable of this. When we have two or three guys going in our lineup, we're dangerous. But when we have a full lineup firing at once, it makes things really fun for us. We're going to keep putting it on them, be humble and do our thing."
Jackson Ware on his strong start to the SoCon Tournament:
"It feels good to me right now; I feel really good in the [batter's] box and am just trusting my approach. I'm swinging it well with two strikes and if I'm walked, I know I have good bats behind me to come up in situations. We're feeding off of one another right now."
Records Update
» Mercer: 37-20
» Western Carolina: 9-46
Pitchers of Record
» Win: Christian Vann (5-3)
» Loss: Corey Sikes (0-5)
Up Next
» Mercer: vs. winner of #2 Samford/#3 Wofford (12 p.m. Saturday, May 26 at Fluor Field)
» Western Carolina: vs. #6 ETSU (3:30 p.m. Friday, May 25 at Fluor Field)
Notables
» Mercer improved to 10-4 all-time at the SoCon Tournament.
» The Bears are one run shy of tying their program record for most runs scored in a conference tournament. Mercer scored a program-record 35 runs in the 2015 SoCon Tournament.
» Mercer reached the 600-strikeout mark for the season Thursday. The Bears lead the nation in strikeouts thrown.
» Mercer improved to 2-2 against Western Carolina in SoCon Tournament play.
» Truitt has six career home runs in the SoCon Tournament.
» Five different Bears laid down five sacrifice bunts. JT Thomas added a sacrifice fly.
» Thomas led Mercer with three RBI.
» Conrad Cornell (2-for-3) tacked on two RBI. He has five for the tournament after entering the week just four for the season.
» Mercer has tallied 35 hits through its first 14 innings at the SoCon Tournament.
» Ware opened the SoCon Tournament with hits in his first seven at bats.
» Ware extended his career-long reached base streak to 23 games.
» Alex Hanson reached base safely for the 78th time in the last 82 games.
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.
Mercer 38 | ETSU 34 Postgame Press Conference 9/27/25
Sunday, September 28
Mercer v. East Tennessee State Women's Soccer Highlight Reel: 9/26/2025
Saturday, September 27
Press Conference Mercer Football (Week 5 vs East Tennessee State)
Tuesday, September 23
Mercer 38, Citadel 0 | Postgame Press Conference (9/20/25)
Saturday, September 20
