Meeting Georgia Southern in the Midweek

MACON, Ga. – Mercer looks to defend its home turf as it welcomes in-state opponent Georgia Southern to OrthoGeorgia Park on Wednesday at 6 p.m. for a midweek nonconference clash.

The Bears (15-1) are off to their best start in school history and are looking to win their ninth in a row. Mercer won the last meeting against Georgia Southern on May 18, 2021 at OthoGeorgia Park by a final score of 5-1.

Fans get to the game early to secure a hammer to help the Bears "Hammer the Eagles". You can purchase tickets for the contest by clicking here.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Teams: Mercer (15-1) vs. Georgia Southern (10-6)
Location: Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park
Wednesday: March 14 | 6 p.m. | Live Stats
Tickets: www.tickets.mercer.edu
Projected Starters: RHP Ryan Lobus (1-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. LHP Anthony DiMola (0-0, 6.23 ERA)

Batting Practice

Mercer is 1-0 against in-state opponents (#13 Georgia Tech)
The Orange & Black are 4-0 in midweek contests this season with two wins against ranked opponents (#10 Florida State and #13 Georgia Tech)
Craig Gibson (606-408) won his 600^th career game against UNC Asheville on March 4, 2022.
Colby Thomas ranks in the top 15 in the nation in four offensive categories.
- Home runs (11th, seven)
- Runs (1st, 25)
- Runs per Game (9th, 1.56)
- Total Bases (7th, 54)
Mercer ranks in the top 10 nationally in thirteen statistical categories.
- Base on Ball (first, 119)
- Earn Run Average (seventh, 2.35)
- Hits Allowed per Nine Innings (seventh, 6.02)
- Homeruns (second, 37)
- Homeruns per Game (second, 2.31)
- On Base Percentage (sixth, .445)
- Runs (second, 169)
- Scoring (fourth, 10.6)
- Shutouts (second, 4)
- Slugging Percentage (third, .590)
- Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (eighth, 4.16)
- Strikeouts per Nine Innings (ninth, 11.9)
- WHIP (fourth, .99)

Series History
Mercer has struggled historically against its Statesboro-based counterpart. Georgia Southern leads the all-time series 112-46-1, including four consecutive wins dating back to the 2016 campaign.

Series: Georgia Southern leads, 112-46-1
Last Meeting: May 18, 2021, 5-1 Mercer
Streak: Mercer, 1

Scouting Georgia Southern
A weekend sweep against William & Mary give Georgia Southern an 10-6 overall record. The Eagles are 3-1 this season in the midweek and having beat #19 Georgia Tech and #20 Georgia in midweek games. The Eagles come into the midweek match up with a 2-1 record against in-state opponents with a 1-1 record against Georgia and a 1-0 record against Georgia.

Through 16 games, Georgia Southern is batting .250 as a unit. Mercer will see southpaw Anthony DiMola on the mound, who is projected to make his first start of the season. DiMola has 6.23 ERA over 4.1 innings pitched in four relief appearances.

Top RPI in the SoCon
Mercer comes into this week with one of the top RPIs in the country. Currently, the Bears sit a number 8 and are the only Southern Conference institution in the top 100. Wofford is second in the conference in RPI and sits at 130.

Ks for Harlow
Freshman Josh Harlow is 39^th in the country in total strikeouts on the year with 32. He is ranked second in the SoCon and only trails Western Carolina's Zebby Matthews by one strikeout.

Bears Not Giving up Runs
It has been hard to score runs on the Bears this year as the pitching staff has been dominate during the 2022 season. Mercer ranks seventh in the country with a 2.35 team ERA. Nine pitchers for Mercer who have pitched in 7 or more innings have an ERA below 4.00. The pitching unit has four shutouts on the year which is the second most in Division 1.

Offensive Power
Offensively, the Bears are one of the top teams in the nation. Mercer is in the top twenty in the country in the following categories:

Base. On Balls – 1^st
Batting Average – 19^th
Hits – 16^th
Homeruns – 2^nd
Homeruns per Game – 2^nd
On Base Percentage – 6^th
Runs – 2^nd
Scoring – 4^th
Slugging Percentage – 3^rd

Leading the offensive charge is sophomore outfielder Colby Thomas. Thomas leads the SoCon in doubles with 18 (tied with teammate Bill Knight), homeruns with 7, and runs with 25. Thomas also ranks in the top 20 in the country in those categories, while leading the country in runs.

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.

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Players Mentioned

Josh Harlow

Bill Knight

Ryan Lobus

Colby Thomas

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