MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team returns home for a mid-week tilt with in-state rival Georgia Southern Wednesday at 6 p.m.
“We had a good weekend at Clemson but now it is time to focus again because Georgia Southern is always a very good team,” head coach Craig Gibson said. “That is how baseball is, you don’t have long to think about a win or a loss, because the next opponent is right around the corner. You have to come ready to play every day.”
Mercer (9-4) managed to take one game from #1 ranked Clemson in a three-game series, defeating the Tigers 3-2 in game one of a doubleheader on Sunday.
Shawn Barrett was named Atlantic Sun Conference Pitcher of the Week for his performance, tossing seven innings of three-hit baseball, with five strikeouts and only two walks. Barrett’s Pitcher of the Week award was Mercer’s third in four weeks so far this season, joining Brantley New and Andrew Urena as recipients.
Georgia Southern (7-5) is riding a three-game winning streak after a weekend sweep of Marshall. Greg Dowling is leading the way for the Eagles, batting an impressive .500 with four doubles and one homer.
The Eagles will start A.J. Battisto, a junior who has pitched 10.2 innings in six appearances, all in relief. Battisto enters the game with a 3.38 ERA with 11 strike outs and just two walks.
The Bears will counter with Blake Quarles, who started in Mercer’s win over the #1 ranked Florida Gators, but earned a no-decision in the game. Quarles has a 5.40 ERA in four appearances and one start this season. He pitched two scoreless inning in the Bears’ win over Clemson Sunday.
Mercer has been garnering some national publicity with win’s over two #1 ranked teams in just over a week. The Bears received a vote in the USA Today top 25 poll, falling short of making a rankings appearance. SEBaseball.com ranks the Bears #5 in the Stocks Up section of their site. Mercer is ranked 35th nationally in RPI and was ranked 47th by the coaches poll according to www.warrennolan.com.
