Friday, April 18
Macon, Ga.
4 p.m.
Mercer University
vs
Western Carolina
Bears Host Western Carolina In Pivotal SoCon Series
4/17/2025 3:18:00 PM | Softball
MACON – The Mercer softball team will open up a six-game home stand this weekend when the Bears suit up to take on Southern Conference rival Western Carolina in a pivotal three-game series at Sikes Field. The sides will open up the weekend with a 4 p.m. doubleheader on Friday, and close out the set with a lone matchup on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia can still follow all of the action in progress for free via live statistics links provided by the MU athletics department. Both ends of Friday's series-opening doubleheader are also scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Bears (23-22, 3-8 SoCon) have won seven of their last nine games heading into the weekend, including Tuesday night's 4-2 victory at Georgia Southern. Freshman Grace Jones threw five solid innings from the circle in the triumph, but also helped her own cause by driving in three runs on a 1-for-3 hitting line, including a 2-run single amid a scoring outburst in the fifth inning.
Mercer's six-armed pitching staff has excelled at Sikes Field in 2025, registering an impressive 2.28 team earned run average while limiting opponents to a .245 batting average in its 18 home games. The Bears have allowed six or fewer hits in nine of their last 11 outings at Sikes Field, and have limited opponents to just a .245 batting clip over that span as well.
The beacon of measurement for Mercer's offense has come over the last 20 games. The Orange & Black has totaled 7.0 hits per game across that span, including five double-digit hit attacks. That stretch includes road wins over Georgia Tech, Georgia and Georgia Southern in which the Bears also tacked up more than six runs per game as well. The defense has been immaculate over the last 20 outings as well, compiling a .975 fielding percentage, including nine error-free contests.
Fans unable to make the trip to Middle Georgia can still follow all of the action in progress for free via live statistics links provided by the MU athletics department. Both ends of Friday's series-opening doubleheader are also scheduled to be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Bears (23-22, 3-8 SoCon) have won seven of their last nine games heading into the weekend, including Tuesday night's 4-2 victory at Georgia Southern. Freshman Grace Jones threw five solid innings from the circle in the triumph, but also helped her own cause by driving in three runs on a 1-for-3 hitting line, including a 2-run single amid a scoring outburst in the fifth inning.
Mercer's six-armed pitching staff has excelled at Sikes Field in 2025, registering an impressive 2.28 team earned run average while limiting opponents to a .245 batting average in its 18 home games. The Bears have allowed six or fewer hits in nine of their last 11 outings at Sikes Field, and have limited opponents to just a .245 batting clip over that span as well.
The beacon of measurement for Mercer's offense has come over the last 20 games. The Orange & Black has totaled 7.0 hits per game across that span, including five double-digit hit attacks. That stretch includes road wins over Georgia Tech, Georgia and Georgia Southern in which the Bears also tacked up more than six runs per game as well. The defense has been immaculate over the last 20 outings as well, compiling a .975 fielding percentage, including nine error-free contests.
| SERIES HISTORY |
| Mercer leads the 19-year-old series with Western Carolina, 20-16, but neither side has been able to muster consecutive wins against the other since the Catamounts posted three-straight wins during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. The Bears are 10-7 all-time against WCU at Sikes Field, but have dropped the first two games in each of the last two series in Macon. MU registered mercy-rule wins in the bookends of last year's weekend set in Cullowhee, N.C. |
| SCOUTING WESTERN CAROLINA |
| The Catamounts (20-24, 4-8 SoCon) have dropped nine of their last 11 contests, and saw their losing streak stretched to four games with Tuesday evening's 16-3 loss at USC Upstate. Western Carolina opened up SoCon play with a series win at East Tennessee State, but also picked up another league series win by capturing the last two games of its series at Chattanooga two weeks ago. A bulk of Western Carolina's success has come through its pitching staff which has registered 5.8 strikeouts per 7 innings this season, while also yielding just 8.8 hits per game. WCU's staff has recorded five or more strikeouts in 25 games so far, including twice in the series win at Chattanooga, while also registering double-digit punch outs on a trio of occasions. Offensively, the Catamounts will bring an impressive .285 team batting average into Macon, led by the exploits of SoCon Player of the Year candidate Lily Bell who paces the 8-team league with a .448 batting average that complements nine extra-base hits, 13 RBI and 39 runs scored. Bell also leads the SoCon with a 25-for-31 clip on stolen base attempts. Third baseman Maya McPherson ranks fifth among league leaders with 39 RBI on 17 extra-base knocks. |
| UP NEXT FOR THE BEARS |
| Mercer will close out the home portion of its 2025 regular season schedule next weekend, April 26-27, when it takes on league-leading UNC Greensboro (32-13, 9-3 SoCon) in a three-game series at Sikes Field. |
| 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
RHP/INF
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