Bears Return Home For In-State Tilt WIth Georgia State

Wednesday, March 26

Macon, Ga.

6 p.m.

Mercer University

Georgia State

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Bears Return Home For In-State Tilt WIth Georgia State

3/25/2025 3:12:00 PM | Baseball

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By: Donovan Schultz, donovan.schultz@live.mercer.edu

MACON – Following a four game road swing, the Mercer baseball team returns to OrthoGeorgia Park on Wednesday for an in-state clash with Georgia State. The Bears enter Wednesday's game on the heels of a dramatic win over The Citadel on Sunday, erasing a 7-4 deficit in the final two innings to take game three of the series. Wednesday marks the first of four home games for the Bears this week, with Western Carolina coming to town for a key conference series beginning on Friday.

Georgia State at Mercer | Wednesday, March 26 | 6 PM ET

Site | Location

OrthoGeorgia Park | Macon, Ga.

Links

6 p.m. ET: Live Stats | TV: ESPN+

Expected Pitching Match-Up: MER TBA vs. GSU LHP Jake Hembree (0-0, 6.35 ERA)

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Baseball Site | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | Game Notes

Notables

> Wednesday marks the third of eight games against in-state opponents for the Bears this season. Mercer split a pair of games with Kennesaw State earlier in the campaign, and will play home-and-home contests with Georgia State, Georgia Tech and Georgia Southern

> Bradley Frye took over the top spot in the SoCon batting race over the weekend, as the Bears' shortstop currently holds a .409 batting average on the campaign. Frye's 45 hits this season are the fourth-most in the country, while a three-homer week pushed his season home run total to nine, the top mark on the team. Frye also leads the Bears in OPS (1.190), slugging (.727), RBI (29) and stolen bases (5)

> Drew Johnson turned in a strong performance over the weekend, going 5-for-11 with five walks and three RBI. Johnson was key in Sunday's comeback win, driving in two with a two-out single in the eighth inning to cut the deficit to one

> The Mercer pitching staff has been among the best units in the SoCon this season, holding a 4.31 ERA, the second-best mark in the conference. Bears pitchers have struck out 229 batters, the most in the SoCon, while their opponent batting average of .244 ranks second in the league

> Jess Ackerman turned in one of the best outings of his career on Friday, notching career-highs in innings (6.1) and strikeouts (10). The left-hander allowed just two hits and one walk and retired the first 16 batters he faced. On the season, Ackerman leads the Bears in ERA (3.42) and strikeouts (36)

> Andrew Garnett was instrumental in Sunday's come-from-behind win, tossing 3.1 scoreless frames out of the bullpen. In just his third appearance of the season, Garnett limited The Citadel to three hits and struck out six without allowing a walk

Scouting Georgia State

Wednesday marks the 146th all-time meeting between the Bears and Panthers and the first of two matchups this season. Georgia State brings a 16-9 record into the week, including a 4-2 record in Sun Belt play, and will host Alabama State on Tuesday before taking on the Bears on Wednesday.

Georgia State is hitting .291 as a team, the third-best mark in the Sun Belt. Kaleb Freeman leads the Panthers in most offensive categories and leads the country in walks (34) and doubles (17). On the other side of the ball, the Panthers have posted a 6.28 team ERA.

The Panthers went 25-32 in 2024, including an 13-17 record in the Sun Belt. Georgia State was picked to finish 11th in the Sun Belt preseason poll.