Saturday, January 31
Macon, Ga.
11 a.m.
Mercer University
vs
Hampton
Bears Welcome Hampton For Season Opener
1/30/2026 3:43:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
MACON, Ga. - The Mercer men's lacrosse team will host the Hampton University Pirates in their first regular season game of the 2026 season on Saturday at 11 a.m. Saturday's contest is the opening day of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's lacrosse season.
GAME DAY INFO
Date  | Time: Saturday, January 31 | 11 a.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (0-0,0-0 ASUN) vs Hampton (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium
Live Stats:Â Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the fifth meeting between these two programs with Mercer coming away with a win in all four previous contests. The last time these two squads met was the 2025 season opener on Feb. 1 in Hampton, Va., resulting in the Bears taking a 23-3 win over the Pirates. Dillon Bush and Will Zylstra led the offensive charge with four goals a piece.
LAST SEASON
Head coach Ryan Danehy finished his third season at Mercer with an overall record of 2-11 and a 1-4 record in the ASUN conference. The Bears defeated Queens in a thriller on March 29, 2025 with the final score sitting at 12-11 on Alumni Weekend.
Sophomore attack Dillon Bush looks to build off of his record-setting sophomore campaign after registering 39 goals, a single-season record, for the Orange & Black. The Bears also return a stellar attackman in sophomore Will Zylstra who recorded 16 goals and nine assists in his rookie season. Defensemen Thomas Venzie (37 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers) and Quinn Kelley (27 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers) also return for another year with the Bears.
SCOUTING HAMPTON
The Pirates are led by Vince Culpepper who enters his first season at the helm for Hampton but his fourth year on the staff. The Pirates finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 0-15 and an 0-7 record in the CAA conference. Their final game last season was against Stonybrook on April 26, resulting in an 6-28 loss for Hampton in the regular season finale.
The Pirates return one of their top goal-scorers in sophomore Reed Shaw who posted 10 goals and two assists for Hampton last season. The Pirates enter the 2026 season as a young squad with 18 freshmen on the roster.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Lacrosse, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerLacrosse (Twitter) and @MercerMensLacrosse (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com
GAME DAY INFO
Date  | Time: Saturday, January 31 | 11 a.m. EST
Teams: Mercer (0-0,0-0 ASUN) vs Hampton (0-0, 0-0 CAA)
Location: Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium
Live Stats:Â Live Stats
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the fifth meeting between these two programs with Mercer coming away with a win in all four previous contests. The last time these two squads met was the 2025 season opener on Feb. 1 in Hampton, Va., resulting in the Bears taking a 23-3 win over the Pirates. Dillon Bush and Will Zylstra led the offensive charge with four goals a piece.
LAST SEASON
Head coach Ryan Danehy finished his third season at Mercer with an overall record of 2-11 and a 1-4 record in the ASUN conference. The Bears defeated Queens in a thriller on March 29, 2025 with the final score sitting at 12-11 on Alumni Weekend.
Sophomore attack Dillon Bush looks to build off of his record-setting sophomore campaign after registering 39 goals, a single-season record, for the Orange & Black. The Bears also return a stellar attackman in sophomore Will Zylstra who recorded 16 goals and nine assists in his rookie season. Defensemen Thomas Venzie (37 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers) and Quinn Kelley (27 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers) also return for another year with the Bears.
SCOUTING HAMPTON
The Pirates are led by Vince Culpepper who enters his first season at the helm for Hampton but his fourth year on the staff. The Pirates finished the 2025 season with an overall record of 0-15 and an 0-7 record in the CAA conference. Their final game last season was against Stonybrook on April 26, resulting in an 6-28 loss for Hampton in the regular season finale.
The Pirates return one of their top goal-scorers in sophomore Reed Shaw who posted 10 goals and two assists for Hampton last season. The Pirates enter the 2026 season as a young squad with 18 freshmen on the roster.
FOLLOW THE BEARS:
For complete coverage of Mercer Men's Lacrosse, please follow the Bears on social media at @MercerLacrosse (Twitter) and @MercerMensLacrosse (Instagram) or visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Lacrosse
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/ Men's Lacrosse
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/ Men's Lacrosse
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