Mercer Travels to Kennesaw for A-Sun Series of the Week

MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team travels to Kennesaw State for the Atlantic Sun Series of the Week. The Bears enter play with a 25-20 overall record and a 9-9 A-Sun mark, while the Owls check in at 18-23 overall and 7-8 in A-Sun league play. Game times for this weekend's three-game series are 6 p.m. on Friday night and 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Last Time Out

Mercer took two-out-of-three in last weekend's A-Sun series against USC Upstate. Junior John Moreland and sophomore Jacob Tanis each belted two-run home runs to propel the Bears to an 8-6 series-opening win on Friday night. The Spartans had a 3-0 lead going into the bottom half of the fifth, but Tanis and Moreland each clubbed two-run home runs off USC Upstate starter Matt Branham to put Mercer in front for good.

On Saturday, juniors Justice French and Joe Winker each made huge contributions to help Mercer salvage a doubleheader split with the Spartans. USC Upstate took game one 5-2, while Mercer came back to capture game two by an identical 5-2 score. Game two was highlighted by the pitching performance of French. The Suwanee, Ga. native pitched Mercer's first complete game of the season, allowing just two earned runs on five hits in the outing. French, however, was not even in line for the win going into the bottom of the eighth until Winker stepped up to the plate. The Orlando, Fla. product took a 1-2 pitch and hammered it over the right field wall to put the Bears out in front, 4-2.

Scouting the Opposition

Kennesaw State (18-23, 7-8 A-Sun) enters the weekend series fresh off a 16-2 loss to fellow Peach State member Georgia Southern.

The Owls rely heavily on their pitching staff thanks in part to an offensive unit that ranks last in the A-Sun in batting average, slugging percentage and runs scored. That has not stopped Kennesaw State from picking up wins against three of the nation's top programs in Tennessee, Georgia and Georgia Tech.

Freshman Ronnie Freeman paces the Owls offense with a team-high .344 batting average and 32 RBI. Game one starter Ryan Rodebaugh paces the Kennesaw State pitching staff with a 4.30 ERA and leads the team with 52.1 innings pitched and 58 strikeouts.

Game Notes

- Mercer leads the all-time series against Kennesaw State 9-8

- Sophomore Jacob Tanis currently leads the A-Sun Conference in home runs (19), RBI (71) and total bases (147). As of April 25, Tanis' 71 RBI leads the nation while his 19 home runs rank him second in the country.

- Tanis and sophomore Billy Burns are both currently on impressive hitting streaks. Tanis' streak is currently at 15 games, the longest of the season, while Burns' streak is sitting at 14 contests.