Bears to Play Host in Mercer Bears Classic

Friday, March 15

Macon, Ga.

3:45 P.M.

Mercer University

Cleveland State

3/14/2019 7:04:00 AM | Softball

Watch - Game 1

Mercer will play four games against Cleveland State, Fordham, UConn and Ball State

By: Gerrit W. Van Genderen

MACON, Ga. – Mercer will play host to five teams this weekend as it hosts the annual Mercer Bears Classic, featuring 14 total games on March 15-17 at Sikes Field.

The tournament will feature the host Bears, Cleveland State, South Dakota, UConn, Ball State and Fordham. Action will start at 1:30 p.m. (ET) on Friday, March 15 and conclude on Sunday, March 17. The Bears, who play four total games, will play once on Friday, twice on Saturday and once on Sunday.

Live stats will be provided for all 13 tournament games. Mercer's first game of the weekend against Cleveland State on Friday afternoon will be streamed live on the SoCon Digital Network.

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Date: Friday, March 15 – Sunday, March 17
Location: Macon, Ga. | Sikes Field
Teams: Mercer (10-16), Cleveland State (5-13), South Dakota (16-12), UConn (4-12), Ball State (18-9), Fordham (6-12)
Admission: Free
Live Stats (Mercer's games): Game 1 |
Video (SoCon Digital Network): Game 1
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Date	Time	Teams
Fri. March 15	1:30 p.m.	Ball State vs. Fordham
Fri. March 15	3:45 p.m.	Mercer vs. Cleveland State
Fri. March 15	6 p.m.	South Dakota vs. UConn
Fri. March 15	8:15 p.m.	South Dakota vs. Ball State
Sat. March 16	9 a.m.	Fordham vs. UConn
Sat. March 16	11:15 a.m.	Ball State vs. Cleveland State
Sat. March 16	1:30 p.m.	Mercer vs. Fordham
Sat. March 16	3:45 p.m.	Mercer vs. Ball State
Sat. March 16	6 p.m.	UConn vs. South Dakota
Sat. March 16	8:15 p.m.	Cleveland State vs. South Dakota
Sun. March 17	9 a.m.	Ball State vs. Fordham
Sun. March 17	11:15 a.m.	UConn vs. Cleveland State
Sun. March 17	1:30 p.m.	Mercer vs. UConn

NOTABLES

Allie Jones leads the Bears with a .379 batting average. She has 30 hits, 19 runs and 15 RBIs.
Kenlie Harvey and Abby Walsh have a team-best two home runs apiece.
Five total Bears have hit home runs, including Catie Josselet, who notched the first of her career at Georgia Tech on Wednesday night.
Freshmen Bailey Pattison and Lynn Gardner own four and six wins, respectively. The duo has tossed a combined 137.2 innings this season.
Micayla Rood and Allie Jones have nine and eight stolen bases apiece.
Mercer has never faced Cleveland State.
Mercer trails Ball State 1-2 in program history, last facing the Cardinals in 2015.
Stephanie DeFeo is the former Associate Head Coach at Ball State (2016-12).
The Bears won their lone all-time meeting with South Dakota in 2015.
The Black and Orange are 1-1 against UConn, having come away with a 4-0 win in their last meeting in 2011.

SCOUTING CLEVELAND STATE
The Raiders have won their last two games against La Salle and Jacksonville despite owning a 5-13 overall record. A tough start to the Raiders' season included eight losses in their first 10 games. Kelly Hysong owns a team-best .389 batting average and six home runs. Hanna Griffin has three wins in the circle with a 4.78 ERA.

SCOUTING UCONN
The Huskies are 4-12 after posting a split on the final day of the Judi Garman Classic against New Mexico and No. 2 UCLA on Mach 3 in Fullerton, Calif. Pitchers Katie Koshes and Marybeth Olson have ranked among national leaders in saves and strikeouts per seven innings.

SCOUTING BALL STATE
At 18-9 overall, Ball State owns the most wins of any team the Bears will face this weekend. The Cardinals have won six straight games and are coming off a weekend sweep of Cleveland State, North Florida, Georgetown and Presbyterian at the JU/UNF Spring Break Challenge.

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.