Saturday, May 4
Macon, Ga.
11 a.m.
Mercer University
vs
Samford
Bears Host Samford On Final Weekend Of Regular Season
5/3/2024 1:20:00 PM | Softball
MACON – The Mercer softball team will snap the lid on the regular season portion of its 2024 schedule on Saturday and Sunday when the Bears bunker down to host Southern Conference nemesis Samford in a three-game series at Sikes Field. The squads will open up the weekend with an 11 a.m. doubleheader on Saturday, and close out the set with a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday. Admission to all three games is free.
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Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia can still follow the games for free in progress via live statistics links provided by the MU athletics department. Saturday's doubleheader is also scheduled to be streamed live by ESPN+.
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The Bears (21-26, 10-8 SoCon) will look to get their train back on the tracks after falling on the wrong end of a weekend sweep at UNC Greensboro last weekend. Mercer amassed 23 hits across the weekend set against the Spartans, but stranded 19 runners on the base paths, including 11 in the series opener. The Bears dropped all three games by a combined six runs.
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The Orange & Black, which has hovered among the league's top two teams for a majority of the conference schedule, heads into the weekend sporting 13 wins in Macon already this season – the most home wins for the program since the 2019 squad rattled off 14 victories at Sikes Field. The Bears also sport the SoCon's top defensive team as evidenced by an impressive .968 fielding percentage, and also boasts one of the league's top power-hitting clubs.
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Junior Emma Dorval will lead the offensive charge for Mercer having registered a squad-best .359 batting average through 45 outings, but the Bears also boast three players – senior Kassidy Moore, junior Tori Hedgecock and sophomore Avery Barton – who rank among the SoCon's six-best home run hitters. Hedgecock ranks among national leaders with 18 home runs (11th) and 51 RBI (28th). She also ranks fourth among national leaders with 0.91 walks per game (43 total).
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From the circle, Mercer has surrendered six hits or less in nine of its last 13 outings, while also tallying a 2.92 team earned run average across that span. MU is third-best among the eight SoCon teams with a 3.13 ERA inside conference play, and has held its six conference opponents to a paltry .225 batting average.
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Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia can still follow the games for free in progress via live statistics links provided by the MU athletics department. Saturday's doubleheader is also scheduled to be streamed live by ESPN+.
Â
The Bears (21-26, 10-8 SoCon) will look to get their train back on the tracks after falling on the wrong end of a weekend sweep at UNC Greensboro last weekend. Mercer amassed 23 hits across the weekend set against the Spartans, but stranded 19 runners on the base paths, including 11 in the series opener. The Bears dropped all three games by a combined six runs.
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The Orange & Black, which has hovered among the league's top two teams for a majority of the conference schedule, heads into the weekend sporting 13 wins in Macon already this season – the most home wins for the program since the 2019 squad rattled off 14 victories at Sikes Field. The Bears also sport the SoCon's top defensive team as evidenced by an impressive .968 fielding percentage, and also boasts one of the league's top power-hitting clubs.
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Junior Emma Dorval will lead the offensive charge for Mercer having registered a squad-best .359 batting average through 45 outings, but the Bears also boast three players – senior Kassidy Moore, junior Tori Hedgecock and sophomore Avery Barton – who rank among the SoCon's six-best home run hitters. Hedgecock ranks among national leaders with 18 home runs (11th) and 51 RBI (28th). She also ranks fourth among national leaders with 0.91 walks per game (43 total).
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From the circle, Mercer has surrendered six hits or less in nine of its last 13 outings, while also tallying a 2.92 team earned run average across that span. MU is third-best among the eight SoCon teams with a 3.13 ERA inside conference play, and has held its six conference opponents to a paltry .225 batting average.
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| SERIES HISTORY |
| Samford is 53-33-1 all-time in the series with the Bears, and will ride a nine-game series win streak into this weekend's series in Macon. The Bulldogs strung together a trio of one-run decisions to sweep Mercer in last season's regular-season series in Birmingham, Ala., and then used a 2-1 nailbiter to oust MU from the SoCon Tournament nearly two months later. More than half (19) of Mercer's wins in the series have come in its home stadium. |
| SCOUTING SAMFORD |
| The Bulldogs (19-29, 10-8) have captured five of their last seven contests, including a 2-1 triumph at Jacksonville State on Tuesday, as well as a 3-2 upset win over then-No. 18 Mississippi State on April 24. Samford is 13-6 over its last 19 outings, including seven road wins, and have tacked up all 10 of their conference victories inside that window as well. Â Pitching has been the key to a run of success for Samford since March 24. Across that 19-game stretch, SU's staff has yielded just 42 earned runs on the way to compiling a 2.35 ERA in 125 innings pitched. Samford has allowed five or fewer base hits nine times across that stretch as well. Junior right-hander Jordyn Partain (9-14, 3.15 ERA) is 6-2 with a 2.18 ERA since March 27, while 2023 SoCon Pitcher of the Year Mckenzie Newcomb (7-3, 3.46) is 5-1 with a 2.81 ERA in that same window. Â Junior outfielder McKayla Cothran has tallied a team-best .360 batting average with a team-best 12 stolen bases and 30 runs scored this season, but the power for the Bulldogs will come from rookie infielder/catcher Katie Campbell who boasts team-bests in the home runs (12) and RBI (44) columns. |
| UP NEXT FOR THE BEARS |
| Mercer will make a return trip to Greensboro, N.C., next week for the 2024 Southern Conference Tournament at the UNCG Softball Stadium. Tournament play is scheduled to begin on Wednesday and run through Saturday. Pairings will be announced by the league office on Sunday evening. |
| STAY CONNECTED |
| Follow Mercer Softball on Twitter and Instagram and "Like" Mercer Softball on Facebook. |
| 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 SupportMAF.com or email maf@mercer.edu. |
Players Mentioned
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