Mercer University
High Point
Red-Hot Bears Eye Crucial Home Weekend
2/27/2025 1:26:00 PM | Baseball
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| High Point / Florida A&M at Mercer | Friday, Feb. 28 - Sunday, March 2Â | 6 PM, 4 PM, 1 PM ET | ||
| Site | Location | OrthoGeorgia Park at Claude Smith Field | Macon, Ga. | |
| Links | Friday, 6 p.m. ET vs. High Point: Live Stats | TV: N/A Expected Pitching Match-Up: MER LHP Colton Cosper (0-1, 9.00 ERA) vs. HPU RHP Wade Walton (2-0, 0.00 ERA)         Saturday, 4 p.m. ET vs. Florida A&M: Live Stats | TV:  N/A Expected Pitching Match-Up: MER TBA vs. FAMU TBA Sunday, 1 p.m. ET vs. High Point:  Live Stats  | TV: N/A Expected Pitching Match-Up: MER RHP Braydon Kersey (0-0, 8.64 ERA) vs. HPU RHP Cord Butler (1-1, 5.19 ERA) |
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NotablesÂ
>  Mercer enters the weekend in the midst of an eight-game winning streak. After dropping an Opening Day contest to Milwaukee, the Bears have rattled off eight wins a row, most recently sweeping a midweek series with Florida A&M
>  This weekend features a battle of two of the best teams in the country to begin the season. Mercer and High Point both hold 8-1 records and are of two of nine teams in the country to hold that record entering the weekend
> Â After being limited to three runs in the season opener, the Bears offense has exploded for 80 runs in their last eight games, good for an average of 10 runs per game. The Bears have scored at least seven runs in each of their wins this season
> Â The Mercer pitching staff has been outstanding through the first nine games, holding a 4.44 ERA. Bears pitchers have struck out 86 batters in 81 innings and limited opponents to a .248 batting average
> Â Mercer head coach Craig Gibson reached a major milestone in his illustrious career on Tuesday night, recording his 700th win as Mercer took down Florida A&M. Already the winningest coach in program history, Gibson has served as Mercer's skipper since the 2004 season and has led the Bears to seven conference championships and four NCAA Regional berths. With the win, Gibson joined exclusive company as one of 37 active coaches in Division I baseball to reach 700 career wins. Of the 37 coaches, Gibson is one of 11 to have only coached at one school.
>  Bradley Frye is one of the hottest hitters in the country going into the weekend. Frye earned SoCon Player of the Week honors on Monday and stayed hot during the midweek slate with 9 RBI in two games. On the season, Frye leads the team and ranks second in the SoCon with a .500 batting average, while his 19 RBI lead the conference and are the fifth-most in the country. Over his last six games, Frye is hitting .640 (16-for-25) with a 1.040 slugging percentage, 1.740 OPS and 16 RBI.
> Â Sophomore center fielder Ely Brown has been an on base machine in the leadoff spot this season. Brown has reached base at a .591 clip, good for third in the SoCon. His keen eye at the plate has allowed him to draw 12 walks, which ranks 10th in the country. Setting the table for a powerful middle of the order, Brown's on base prowess has led to him scoring 16 runs, the most in the SoCon and fourth most in the country.Â
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This weekend marks the 10th all-time meeting between the Bears and Panthers. High Point brings an 8-1 record into the weekend and most recently defeated Queens on Tuesday by a score of 21-7.
High Point has been one of the most prolific offensive teams in the country so far this season. Their 21 home runs lead the country, and they also rank among the nation's leaders in runs (101), batting average (.364) and on base percentage (.492). Jacob Melton leads the Panthers and ranks 16th nationally with a .536 batting average, while Landen Johnson has five home runs to rank sixth nationally.
High Point was picked to finish first in the Big South preseason poll after winning the league in 2024. The Panthers went 35-27 in 2024 and earned an NCAA Tournament berth.
Scouting Florida A&M
This weekend marks the 138th all-time meeting between the Bears and Rattlers. Florida A&M brings a 2-7 record into the weekend following two midweek losses to the Bears. Florida A&M is hitting .227 as a team, led by a .417 mark from Ben Kim. The Rattlers pitching staff holds a 8.72 ERA.
Florida A&M was picked to finish fifth in the SWAC preseason poll and garnered two first place votes. The Rattlers went 29-27 in 2024, including a 22-8 record in SWAC play to win the SWAC East division.
