Bears start the SoCon Tournament

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Mercer will open postseason play in the 2022 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament at Greenville's Fluor Field tomorrow afternoon against the third-seeded Samford Bulldogs.

GAMEDAY LINEUP
Teams: No. 2 Mercer (39-16, 12-9 SoCon) vs. No. 3 Samford (27-27, 12-9 SoCon)
Location: Greenville, S.C. | Fluor Field at the West End
Friday: May 27 | 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN+

Projected Starters
Fred Wilson (LHP) vs. Michael Ross (RHP)

Batting Practice

For the 12^th consecutive year, the Bears will head to the SoCon tournament with 35 or more wins.
The Bears slugged 102 home runs in the 55 games played, which ranked 11^th in the country. Mercer's 102 were 27 more than the next closest school (ETSU).
Mercer arms have limited opposition to just a .264 average at the plate – a mark that is tops in the league.
On 522 occasions, the Bears have fanned batters in the box, which also leads the league.
Thirteen pitchers have recorded double-digit totals in strikeouts: notably Josh Harlow (81), Jackson Kelley (75) and Ryan Lobus (64).
Kelley, the league's Pitcher of the Month in April, made 24 appearances and registered a 6-0 record behind allowing just 29 hits and nine runs – all earned in 52.2 frames.
Harlow brings a 7-2 mark into postseason play, has ceded the second-fewest amount of hits in the league with 56 and is one of just a pair to not have allowed a triple.
Mercer has been quite efficient on defense, making plays 97.2% of the time.
Colby Thomas' .728 slugging percentage is the leading mark in the league. Collin Price (.644) and Bill Knight (.628) follow, placing fifth and sixth in the conference, respectively.
A trio – Knight, Price and Treyson Hughes – are in the top 10 for runs batted in. Knight's 60 leads the SoCon while Price has plated 57, placing him fourth, and Hughes sits at sixth with 52.
Knight's 78 knocks rank him third in the league, just four hits shy of the top spot.
Three Bears occupy the top four in longballs – Price's 18 lead, Thomas' 17 are in second and Knight has out the four spot with 15.
Price and Mapes have taken advantage of free passes to first – the pair hold the top spots in the conference rankings with 48 and 36, respectively.
Price has made the most putouts of any defensive player in the league with 441.
Mercer is just one of three teams to win 35 or more games in each of the past 11 full seasons, joining LSU and Vanderbilt. In 2022, Mercer won 36 while LSU tallied 37 and Vanderbilt 35.

Tournament Preview

As the Bears prepare for the SoCon Tournament, Head Coach @CraigGibson_MU sits down with Rick Cameron to discuss the season as a whole and looking ahead to Greenville#WinnersWin | #RoarTogether pic.twitter.com/GMAQSgko2i
— Mercer Baseball (@MercerBaseball) May 26, 2022

A Look at the Series
Despite dropping the last series to the Bulldogs, Mercer holds the 47-30 advantage in the all-time series. When played in Greenville, Samford has taken five of the last six, including a 10-8 win in last season's conference tournament first round matchup.

Series: Mercer leads, 47-30
Last Meeting: May 21, 2022 (MER, 12-2)
Streak: Mercer, W1

Scouting Samford
The Bulldogs advanced to Friday's tilt with Mercer by way of a 22-3 win over Western Carolina in a nightcap on Wednesday in just seven frames. Colton Ledbetter paced the Bulldog offense with nine RBI and five hits to lead the outburst over the Catamounts. Despite allowing all three Western Carolina runs, Jacob Cravey struck out three and walked just one in 4.0 innings of work.

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.
Print Friendly Version

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Josh Harlow

Treyson Hughes

Jackson Kelley

Bill Knight

Ryan Lobus

Collin Price

Colby Thomas

Fred Wilson

Footer

Mercer University Athletics