Mercer To Host Black & Orange Challenge

Saturday, February 22

Macon, Ga.

4:45 PM

Mercer University

Georgia State

Photo by: Alex Keller

2/20/2020 2:59:00 PM | Softball

The Bears will host their second of three tournaments this season

By: Kraig Doremus

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer softball team returns to Sikes Field this weekend for the Black & Orange Challenge, a three-day event that runs from Friday to Sunday.

The challenge is the second of three tournaments that Mercer will host this season. The Bears held the Mercer Invitational on opening weekend and will host a third tournament – the Mercer Bears Classic – from March 13-15. Mercer welcomes Akron, Bryant, Georgia State and Presbyterian to Sikes Field for the Black & Orange Challenge.

TOURNAMENT OUTLOOK
Date: Friday, Feb. 21 – Sunday, Feb. 23
Location: Macon, Ga. | Sikes Field
Teams: Mercer (5-7), Akron (4-6), Bryant (0-4), Georgia State (2-8), Presbyterian (6-3)
Live Stats (Mercer's games): Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4
Video: N/A
Twitter Updates: @MercerUSoftball

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
To view a complete tournament schedule, click here

MERCER QUICK HITS

The Bears enter the weekend after winning their last game in the form of a 10-4 road victory at Florida A&M on Wednesday.
Six different players batted in runs in the victory with Kylie Helm leading the way with two. Helm had a pinch-hit two-RBI double in the seventh inning.
Three Bears – Tori Ash, Danielle Castleberry, and Allie Jones – recorded multi-hit games against the Rattlers.
Bailey Pattison has gone the distance in each of her last three wins. She allowed just four runs last night while fanning four.
Jones enters the weekend nine hits away from 100 for her career.
Micayla Rood leads the Southern Conference and is 12th in the nation with 17 hits.
Mercer is 29th in the country in doubles with 17, which also tops the SoCon.
Elisa Rosado sits 30th in the nation with four two-base hits and leads all Southern Conference players.

SCOUTING AKRON
The Bears have already defeated the Zips once this season, earning a 4-1 win at The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla., last weekend thanks to Kenlie Harvey's walk-off three-run homer. Akron is 4-6 on the season. Sydney Jascoe leads the Zips with a .485 (16-for-33) batting average and 10 RBI. Her six home runs puts her tied for the most nationally, and she sits atop the charts for most RBI among NCAA Division I players with 20. Kayla Wolf (17 hits) is seventh in the country. In the circle, Adrian Smith is the only pitcher to win multiple games. She is 2-4 overall with a 6.77 ERA. Megan Pettipiece is in her first year as head coach of the Zips.

SCOUTING BRYANT
Bryant has an 0-4 record entering this weekend but has played a pair of top-five teams in Oklahoma (No. 2) and Arizona (No. 5). Toni Camarillo leads the Bulldogs with a .333 batting average. She has collected four hits in 12 at-bats with one going for extra bases. Aleix Hudson leads the squad with four RBI. In the circle, both Gabrielle Ermish and Sarah McKeveny have recorded decisions. Each pitcher is 0-2 overall. Coach Nick French is in his second season at the helm. He won 13 games in his inaugural season as head coach and currently stands 13-36 overall.

SCOUTING GEORGIA STATE
Georgia State has won two of its first 10 games. Like the Bears, the Panthers also traveled to The Spring Games in Madeira Beach, Fla., last weekend. Georgia State has defeated Illinois State (10-2) and Monmouth (8-4) this season. Caitlin Ray leads the Panthers with a .357 (10-for-28) batting average. Four of her 10 hits have gone for extra bases and she has driven in a team-high 10 runs. Savannah Freeman is the only pitcher to throw a complete game for the team, but she is 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA. Sophie Mooney and Emily Buck have each tallied one victory. Head coach Roger Kincaid took over as head coach 10 games into the 2011 season and is 17 wins shy of No. 300. He is 283-237 overall.

SCOUTING PRESBYTERIAN
After winning just 11 games in 2019, the Presbyterian College Blue Hose own a 6-3 record this season. Freshman Jenna Greene has been solid in the circle for Presbyterian. The Hamlet, N.C., native has earned back-to-back weekly honors from the Big South Conference and is 5-0 with an impressive 0.36 ERA. She is tied for first nationally with five shutouts. In the batter's box, Courtney White boasts a .500 (12-for-24) average and has 17 RBI. Jaiden Tweed is second on the team in average with a .412 (14-for-34 mark) but leads all players The Blue Hose and Mercer met at The Spring Games last week with PC earning a 4-0 win. David Williams is in his second season as head coach.

Follow the Bears
For complete coverage of Mercer Softball please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerUSoftball (Twitter), /MUSoftball (Facebook) and @MercerUSoftball (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.