MACON, Ga. – The Mercer baseball team looks to improve upon its best start in three years when it hosts Stetson for a key three-game Atlantic Sun series at Claude Smith Field.

The Bears take on the Hatters in game one of the series on Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. Games two and three will take place on Saturday afternoon at 1 and 4 p.m.

Mercer's 19-14 overall record is its best start to a season after 33 games since it started 20-13 in 2007. The Orange and Black enter the Stetson series after sweeping their doubleheader with Savannah State on April 7.

"Traditionally Stetson has been one of the better teams in our league and will probably be in Nashville for the A-Sun Tournament in May," head coach Craig Gibson said. "This weekend is going to be a battle and we will need to put together 27 quality innings to have success."

Stetson (15-9, 7-2 A-Sun) comes into this weekend's series in fifth place in the A-Sun Standings, just a game and a half ahead of Mercer. The Hatters were picked to finish third in the 2010 Atlantic Sun Preseason Coaches' poll after returning 19 letterwinners from a 2009 squad that went 27-30 overall and 16-14 in the A-Sun.

Sophomore Spencer Theisen currently leads the Hatters offense with a .368 batting average, 46 hits and 16 stolen bases.

Stetson owns a 68-25-1 lead in the all-time series, but Mercer has won the season series between the two teams in each of the past two seasons.