Bears Return Home To Battle Georgia State On Wednesday

MACON – The Mercer softball team will make its long-awaited homecoming on Wednesday when the Bears take on cross-state rival Georgia State in a 6 p.m. matchup at Sikes Field. Admission is free.

Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia can still follow the game for free via a live statistics link provide by the MU athletics department. The game is also slated to be streamed live on ESPN+.

Wednesday's contest will mark the first home action for the Bears (9-15) in 24 days as Mercer last appeared in front of its home crowd on February 25 when it used a walk-off homer from Tori Hedgecock to topple Bryant in the final game of the Mercer Bear Invitational. The Orange & Black is 6-3 at Sikes Field so far this season, with two of its three losses coming by two runs or less.

MU continues to tote one of the nation's top home run-hitting squads, and will roll into Wednesday's outing already sporting 22 four-baggers, including 11 off of the bat of Hedgecock. The Bears also boast the Southern Conference's second-best defensive squad as well while sporting a .966 fielding percentage.

SERIES HISTORY

Mercer leads the all-time series, 55-20, and has taken four of the last five matchups with Georgia State heading into the midweek tilt. The Orange & Black posted an abbreviated 8-0 win over GSU when the two last met in Macon on Feb. 22, 2020.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS

Georgia State (8-18) has dropped its last five contests heading into the midweek matchup in Macon, including all three games of its Sun Belt Conference-opening series with Appalachian State on Saturday and Sunday in Atlanta. The Panthers are still seeking their first road win of the campaign as well, and are a combined 2-7 (2-2 neutral) away from the Bob Heck Softball Complex this season.

GSU will bring one of NCAA Division I's top base-stealing squads into Macon on Wednesday. The Panthers are 44-of-54 on the basepaths so far in 2024, with four different players already toting six or more swipes. Senior Chloe Nadler has been the go-to player on offense for the Panthers as evidenced by a .339 batting average with four extra-base hits and 10 RBI, but GSU also shows five other players hitting .304 or better.

In the circle, Georgia State's success has come mainly behind the arm of right-hander Sydney Boulware who has compiled a 4-9 record and a 4.43 earned run average in a team-best 20 appearances this season. Boulware has limited opponents to a .268 batting average while logging 81 strikeouts in 85-1/3 innings pitched.

UP NEXT FOR THE BEARS

The Bears will continue a 5-game home stand this weekend when it dives into the Southern Conference portion of its 2024 schedule against Wofford at Sikes Field. The squads will open their weekend series with a 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, before closing out the weekend on Sunday at 1 p.m.

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SUPPORT THE BEARS

Fans can help support the Mercer athletics department by making a gift to the Mercer Athletic Foundation. To find out more information about the Mercer Athletic Foundation, visit S upportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu.

Bears Return Home To Battle Georgia State On Wednesday

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Bears Return Home To Battle Georgia State On Wednesday

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