Bears to Battle SoCon-Leading UNCG

Saturday, May 5

Greensboro, N.C.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

UNCG

Photo by: Tim Casey & Allison Curry

5/3/2018 11:39:00 PM | Baseball

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

Mercer heads to Greensboro, N.C. for three-game SoCon series

By: Gerrit W. Van Genderen

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will travel to Greensboro, N.C., this weekend for its penultimate Southern Conference series against conference front-runner UNCG, starting with a series opener at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The well-rested Bears (31-15, 10-8 SoCon), who did not play a midweek game for the first time this season due to final exams, enter the weekend series as winners of two straight games. Mercer earned its fourth SoCon series victory last weekend over VMI at home. The host Spartans are 31-11 overall and 12-3 in conference action.

All three contests will be streamed live on SoCon Digital Network from UNCG Baseball Stadium with first pitch of each game scheduled for 6 p.m. (Saturday), 3 p.m. (Sunday) and 1 p.m. (Monday).

WEEKEND OUTLOOK
Teams: Mercer (31-15, 10-8) at UNCG (31-11, 12-3)
Location: Greensboro, N.C. | UNCG Baseball Stadium
Tickets: Free admission
Game Notes: Mercer | UNCG | SoCon
Saturday: May 5 | 6 p.m. | Live Stats | SoCon Digital Network
Sunday: May 6 | 3 p.m. | Live Stats | SoCon Digital Network
Monday: May 7 | 1 p.m. | Live Stats | SoCon Digital Network
Projected Starters:

Saturday: LHP Christian Vann (4-2, 3.12) vs. RHP Matt Frisbee (8-0, 2.88)
Sunday: LHP Austin Cox (6-3, 4.52) vs. LHP Bryce Hensley (5-2, 3.66)
Monday: Chase Burks (5-3, 5.19) vs. TBA

Batting Practice

Mercer did not play a midweek game for the first time all season. The Bears last game was Sunday, April 29 vs. VMI.
Mercer's win on April 28 vs. VMI was Craig Gibson's 500th career victory. He is one of 13 active NCAA Division I baseball coaches with 500 wins at his alma mater.
Mercer leads the nation in strikeouts (491) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.9).
The Bears are four wins away from reaching 35 victories for the ninth consecutive season.
Alex Hanson has reached base safely in 68 of 71 games dating back to last season.
Mercer is one of six teams with 13 or more players to have hit at least one home run this season (Tennessee Tech, 15; Houston Baptist, 14; Elon, 13; Davidson, 13; Clemson, 13).
Robert Broom ranks third nationally with 14.06 strikeouts per nine innings.
Broom is 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.
Jackson Ware and Trey Truitt are two of four active SoCon players with 200 or more career games played.
Mercer ranks in the top-25 nationally of 12 different statistical categories.
- Strikeouts (first, 491)
- Strikeouts per nine innings (first, 10.9)
- Hits (sixth, 483)
- Runs (seventh, 358)
- Scoring (seventh, 7.8)
- Hit by pitch (seventh, 77)
- Home runs (ninth, 58)
- Home runs per game (12th, 1.26)
- On base percentage (20th, .397)
- Slugging percentage (21st, .458)
- Batting average (22nd, .297)
- Sacrifice bunts (23rd, 36)

A Look at the Series
Mercer and UNCG are knotted at 6 wins apiece in their all-time series, which dates back to a three-game series held in Macon in 1998. Since Mercer joined the SoCon, UNCG owns a 5-4 advantage including a pair of series wins in Macon in 2015 and 2017.

Mercer clinched the 2016 SoCon regular season title with a series win at UNCG two years ago. The three-game series in Greensboro was the only time Mercer has ever faced the Spartans on the road.

Series: Tied, 6-6
First Meeting: 2/27/98 | UNCG, 7-6 (11), in Macon, Ga.
Last Meeting: 4/30/17 | UNCG, 12-3, in Macon, Ga.
In Macon: UNCG leads, 6-3
In Greensboro: Mercer leads, 2-1
Craig Gibson vs. UNCG: 4-5
Streak: UNCG, 1

A Look at UNCG
The Spartans extended their lead in the Southern Conference standings last weekend with a series victory on the road at Wofford. UNCG hasn't dropped a SoCon series so far this season and enters the weekend at 31-11 overall and 12-3 in conference play.

UNCG is the top-ranked offense in the conference (.319 batting average) and has been effective on the mound as well (4.00 ERA, 425 strikeouts). The Spartans also did not play a midweek game leading up to the weekend series. Andrew Moritz (.433) leads the Spartans offensively while Friday starter, Matt Frisbee, is 8-0 with a 2.88 ERA. Frisbee owns 96 strikeouts in 72 innings pitched.

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.