MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team will begin its 2010 campaign on Friday evening as it welcomes Morehead State to Claude Smith Field for a 4 p.m. first pitch start time.

Mercer welcomes back all but two position players and one starting pitcher from a 2009 squad that was among the youngest in the Atlantic Sun.

The Bears look to return to the top of the A-Sun after compiling a fifth-place finish and a disappointing first round exit in the A-Sun Championship.

Leading Mercer into 2010 is head coach Craig Gibson, who begins his seventh year at the helm of the Orange and Black. Under Gibson, the Bears have made four-straight A-Sun Championship appearances and compiled at least 23 wins in each of the past five seasons.

Among the key returnees who hope to lead Mercer to its fourth A-Sun Championship in program history are sixth-year senior starting pitcher Lath Guyer and sophomore third baseman Jacob Tanis.

Guyer, who will get the ball in the season opener against Morehead State, brings a wealth of experience to the mound and will look to be the ace of the Mercer pitching staff throughout the season.

Tanis had a breakout season in his first year in the Orange and Black. The Peachtree City, Ga. native was named to the Atlantic Sun All-Freshman team and the 2009 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team after leading the Bears with a .340 batting average and 11 home runs.

Morehead State, which is a member of the Ohio Valley Conference, returns 20 letterwinners from last year's squad that finished 20-32 overall and 12-10 in OVC play. This will be the fourth all-time meeting between the two schools and the first since 1993. The Bears lead the all-time series between the two squads, 2-1.
Mercer will be playing its home opener at Claude Smith Field for the first time since 2006. The Bears are 7-3 in season openers this decade.