Bears Send Five To All-Southern Conference Squads

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The postseason rewards for a historic regular season campaign began to roll in for the Mercer softball team on Tuesday when five players earned a spot on the 2025 All-Southern Conference squads, the league office announced.

Senior infielder Tori Hedgecock joined redshirt junior outfielder Hallie Langford on the first team squad, while junior catcher Sietske Drijvers was tabbed with second team all-conference status. Freshman first baseman Grace Jones and rookie infielder Hannah Rivers were decorated with All-Freshman Team honors as well.

Tuesday's announcement marked the 12^th-straight season that the Bears have sent multiple representatives to the all-conference teams. It is the second-straight all-conference nod for Hedgecock who earned first team status in 2024 as well.

Drijvers, a product of Amsterdam, Netherlands, is hitting .291 (30-for-103) in her first season with the Orange & Black, while also tacking up extra-base hits (5 HR), 25 RBI and 14 runs scored. The Florida Southwestern State transfer has tallied seven multiple-hit and a sextet of multiple-RBI outings, including a 3-for-4, 3-RBI night in MU's big win at Georgia Tech.

Hedgecock has compiled a .359 (51-for-142) batting average this season to go along with 29 extra-base hits (13 HR), 55 RBI and 34 runs scored. The Valdosta native has turned in 13 multiple-hit and 14 multiple RBI outings this season, and leads the SoCon with 36 walks as well. She also paces the 8-team league with a 1.207 OPS, including a .718 slugging percentage. Hedgecock also has a trio of multi-home run contests in 2025.

Jones is one of two players to play in all 54 games for the Bears this season as a true freshman and has compiled a .280 (42-for-150) batting clip alongside eight extra-base hits (4 HR), 31 RBI and 25 runs scored. The Jacksonville, Fla., native has turned in 10 multiple-hit and seven multiple-RBI contests, while also drawing 26 walks and six bean balls. She will also carry a 12-game hitting streak into the postseason.

Langford has started all 54 games for the Orange & Black in 2024, while also putting up an impressive .341 (60-for-176) batting average to complement 17 extra-base hits (3 HR), 24 RBI and a school record and SoCon-leading 56 runs scored. The Trenton, Fla., product has already tallied a team-leading 18 multiple-hit and six multi-RBI contests this season, and has scored two or more runs 16 times. She is alo a perfect 26-for-26 on stolen base attempts.

Rivers has appeared in 39 games as a true freshman, compiling a .322 batting clip to go along with nine extra-base hits (2 HR), 19 RBI and 16 runs scored. The Jacksonville, Fla., product has been a lockdown defensive presence for the Bears over the last 1-1/2 months as well, committing just two errors in 107 total defensive chances (.982) at second base. Rivers has also compiled a .340 batting clip against conference foes during the spring.

The fifth-seeded Bears (31-23, 11-9 SoCon) will begin their postseason road on Wednesday when they take on eighth-seeded Furman (15-37) in a play-in game at the SoCon Tournament. First pitch is scheduled for 10 a.m. at Wofford's Hope Field in Spartanburg, S.C.

Bears Send Five To All-Southern Conference Squads

Players Mentioned

Sietske Drijvers

Tori Hedgecock

Grace Jones

Hallie Langford

Hannah Rivers

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