Bears Continue Road Trip At Tiger Invitational

MACON – The Mercer softball team will continue its 14-game stretch away from home on Friday and Saturday when it heads to western South Carolina for the Clemson-hosted Tiger Invitational. The Orange & Black is scheduled for four games at the event, including a Friday-evening contest against the 10^th-ranked Tigers.

Fans unable to make the trip to Clemson can still follow all of the action for free via live statistics links provided by the CU athletics department. Friday evening's matchup with nationally-ranked Clemson is slated to be streamed live by ESPN+.

The Bears (8-9) will open up their portion of round-robin tournament play on Friday at noon when they take on Fordham (5-10-1) before battling the Tigers (13-5) to cap off Friday's action at CU's McWhorter Stadium. Mercer will battle both Minnesota (11-8) and Longwood (6-12) on Saturday.

Mercer will look to break a four-game skid after dropping a midweek contest at Florida A&M on Wednesday. The Bears pushed across a run in the opening frame of that contest, but the Rattlers sent 10 batters to the plate in a 5-run fourth inning to fuel the final outcome. Junior Tori Hedgecock, who was listed as the nation's 7^th-best third baseman by D1Softball.com last week, hit her Southern Conference-leading eighth home run of the season in the top of the seventh inning to provide the final.

SCOUTING FORDHAM

The Rams have captured just one of their last six outings, but it was a big one as FU shocked then-No. 14 Kentucky, 10-8, on the final day of the Charlotte-hosted Queen City Classic. They registered a 6-6 tie with Campbell in their home opener on Wednesday in a game that was halted after seven innings due to rain.

Fordham will tote one of the nation's best triples per game squads into Clemson this weekend. More than one-third of FU's total hits this season have been of the extra-base variety, with junior catcher Sydney Wells leading the power hitting as evidenced by nine extra base hits (4 HR) and a team-best 15 RBI. Senior Devon Miller has been the go-to player in the circle as she carries a pair of wins and a team-best 3.18 earned run average.

SCOUTING CLEMSON

The Tigers captured 11 of their first 13 contests of the season to power into the nation's top 10, but have since dropped three of their last five outings, including an extra-innings home setback to No. 8 Tennessee on Tuesday. Clemson already boasts a win over a nationally-ranked opponent (then-No. 15 Oregon), and now has two extra-innings losses to top 10-ranked foes, including a 2-1 heartbreaker against then-No. 5 Georgia on February 28.

CU's strength comes in the circle where the Tigers boast the nation's 49^th-best team ERA (2.31), as well as a staff that has yielded just 30 walks in 121-1/3 innings pitched so far in 2024. Senior right-hander Valerie Cagle has compiled a 6-3 record and a 1.86 ERA in 15 appearances and seven starts this season. Her presence has been felt at the plate as well where she is hitting .400 with eight extra-base hits (4 HR) and 18 RBI.

SCOUTING MINNESOTA

Despite possessing an overall record hovering just above the .500 mark, the Golden Gophers have now won seven of their last eight contests, including a 5-3 upset of No. 10 Clemson on Thursday evening. Minnesota also has an early-season win over then-No. 24 San Diego State, as well as a12-11 triumph in which it racked up 13 hits.

UM has registered nearly one home run per game through 19 contests, and will bring the nation's 34^th-ranked scoring offense (6.11 runs/game) into the weekend. Sophomore infielder Jess Oakland is hitting a cool .468 with eight home runs and 25 RBI, while senior Bri Enter has been the workhorse in the circle for the Golden Gophers with five wins in eight starts and 53 innings of work.

SCOUTING LONGWOOD

The Lancers split six games at the Tennessee Classic last weekend, and will carry a three-game losing streak into Clemson this weekend, including a pair of setbacks to the nationally-ranked Lady Vols. Longwood does share a common opponent with the Bears, having dropped two mercy-rule setbacks to Georgia Tech on February 11.

Longwood's strength comes from its pitching and defense as LU has compiled one of the nation's top fielding percentages with just 14 errors through 18 contests, including eight error-free affairs. Sophomore Maggie Chapin has handled a lion's share of the pitching duties for Longwood, striking out 53 batters in 63-2/3 innings pitched. She has already logged 15 appearances in the circle for the Lancers in 2024. Offensively, opponents should probably keep an eye on sophomore infielder Sophia Knock who is hitting .356 with seven homers and 15 RBI.

Bears Continue Road Trip At Tiger Invitational

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tori Hedgecock

Footer

Bears Continue Road Trip At Tiger Invitational

Related News

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Tori Hedgecock

Related Videos

Sponsors

Footer