Saturday, April 12
Johnson City, Tenn.
1 p.m.
Mercer University
at
East Tennessee State
Bears Jump Back Into SoCon Play At East Tennessee State
4/11/2025 11:15:00 AM | Softball
MACON – The Mercer softball team will dip its toes back into Southern Conference play this weekend when the Bears travel to Johnson City, Tenn., for a three-game series against league foe East Tennessee State at Betty Basler Field.
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The squads will open up the weekend with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, and close out the set with a 1 p.m. single dip on Sunday. Fans unable to make the trip to northeast Tennessee can still follow all of the action in progress for free via live statistics links provided by the ETSU athletics department.
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The Bears (20-21, 1-7 SoCon) snapped a three-game skid with a 3-1 victory over visiting Kennesaw State on Wednesday at Sikes Field. Hallie Langford hit a go-ahead triple with two outs in the fifth inning to help support a complete-game effort from Katheryn Rearley. The decision was MU's first win over Kennesaw State since the 2014 season, while also moving the Bears to 7-1 against Georgia-base teams in 2025.
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Pitching and defense have been a shining bright spot for the Bears since their Spring Break trip through north Florida in early March. Mercer has registered a .979 fielding percentage over the last 16 games – nearly 25 points above its season average – while also holding opponents to a .261 batting clip. Sophomore Grace Roark has yielded just nine earned runs in 23-1/3 innings pitched across that span, while junior Grace Taylor has allowed just eight hits in 48 opponent at-bats (.167).
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Offensively, the Bears will be led into the weekend by senior Hallie Langford who boasts a team-best .366 batting average to go along with 14 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and a SoCon-leading 39 runs scored. Senior Tori Hedgecock continues to lead the power parade with 10 home runs and a .752 slugging percentage to go along with 29 walks and a team-leading 39 RBI.
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The squads will open up the weekend with a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, and close out the set with a 1 p.m. single dip on Sunday. Fans unable to make the trip to northeast Tennessee can still follow all of the action in progress for free via live statistics links provided by the ETSU athletics department.
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The Bears (20-21, 1-7 SoCon) snapped a three-game skid with a 3-1 victory over visiting Kennesaw State on Wednesday at Sikes Field. Hallie Langford hit a go-ahead triple with two outs in the fifth inning to help support a complete-game effort from Katheryn Rearley. The decision was MU's first win over Kennesaw State since the 2014 season, while also moving the Bears to 7-1 against Georgia-base teams in 2025.
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Pitching and defense have been a shining bright spot for the Bears since their Spring Break trip through north Florida in early March. Mercer has registered a .979 fielding percentage over the last 16 games – nearly 25 points above its season average – while also holding opponents to a .261 batting clip. Sophomore Grace Roark has yielded just nine earned runs in 23-1/3 innings pitched across that span, while junior Grace Taylor has allowed just eight hits in 48 opponent at-bats (.167).
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Offensively, the Bears will be led into the weekend by senior Hallie Langford who boasts a team-best .366 batting average to go along with 14 extra-base hits, 20 RBI and a SoCon-leading 39 runs scored. Senior Tori Hedgecock continues to lead the power parade with 10 home runs and a .752 slugging percentage to go along with 29 walks and a team-leading 39 RBI.
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| SERIES HISTORY |
| Mercer leads the all-time series, 29-21, but neither side has captured consecutive games in the series since the 2022 season when the Bears took the last two games of a three-game set in Macon. MU is 14-11 all-time in Johnson City, Tenn., but dropped the bookends of a three-game set on its last trip to ETSU. |
| SCOUTING EAST TENNESSEE STATE |
| The Bucs (13-27, 2-7 SoCon) have dropped seven of their last eight outings and ran their losing streak out to six games by falling in both ends of a twinbill at Gardner-Webb on Tuesday. The Runnin' Bulldogs used a 4-run sixth inning to rattle ETSU, 4-1, in the opening game of the doubleheader, and then scored 10 runs in the first three innings to fuel a 12-4 mercy rule triumph in the nightcap. Â ETSU has mustered just a .231 (90-390) batting average and 2.8 runs per game over its last 16 contests, while allowing seven runs an outing. The pitching staff has registered a 3-13 mark and a 6.73 earned run average across that same span, while also yielding 8.9 hits and 2.6 walks per game. Â Â Senior third baseman Cameron Young will tote an impressive .441 batting average into the weekend and has struck out just nine times in 118 at-bats this season (1:13.1). Freshman Eden Muncy (2-8, 6.45 ERA) has logged a staff-best 51 innings pitched and nine starts, while junior Marissa Barnes (3-5, 4.17) has registered a team-best three victories from the circle. Eight players have recorded at least 10-1/3 innings pitched in 2025. |
| UP NEXT FOR THE BEARS |
| Mercer will close out its four-game road trip on Tuesday when it makes the short hop to Statesboro, Ga., for a rematch with Georgia Southern (25-15). Start time at the GS Softball Complex is scheduled for 6 p.m. |
| 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
INF
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OF
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RHP
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RHP
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RHP
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