MACON, Ga. – Alcorn Baseball is set for the final nonconference weekend series of the campaign, as the Braves travel to Mercer for a three-game slate taking place at OrthoGeorgia Park in Macon, Georgia. The series opens Friday, March 6, at 6 p.m. ET (5 p.m. CT).
 
THE SCHEDULE
Friday, March 6
6 p.m. (ET) – at Mercer | Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
 
Saturday, March 7
2 p.m. (ET) – at Mercer | Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
 
Sunday, March 8
1 p.m. (ET) – at Mercer | Macon, Ga. | OrthoGeorgia Park | ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
 
IN THE RANKINGS
▪ Alcorn is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
▪ Mercer is not ranked in any of this week's five major polls
 
ALCORN VS. HOUSTON CHRISTIAN PROBABLE STARTERS
FRIDAY, MARCH 6
Alcorn
RHP Jacob Wingard (0-2, 8.74 ERA)
Mercer
RHP Garrett Lambert (0-0, 4.97 ERA)
 
SATURDAY, MARCH 7
Alcorn
RHP Kayden Sutton (0-2, 7.71 ERA)
Mercer                 
RHP Miguel Hugas (3-0, 6.32 ERA)
 
SUNDAY, MARCH 8
Alcorn
RHP Yoni Castro (0-0, 7.71 ERA)
Mercer
RHP Kai Decker (0-1, 27.00 ERA)
 
STATS & NOTES
▪ Alcorn is 2-10 on the young season, with the Braves winning their home opener in midweek, but sit 0-6 in true road games.
▪ The Braves are hitting a collective .211 as a team, while opponents are batting .319 against Alcorn pitching.
▪ Cooper Harris is the Braves' most dangerous offensive weapon, batting .308 with a team-leading .487 slugging percentage. The first baseman has four doubles and a home run, driving in nine runs.
▪ Asher Friedman is quietly hitting .308 in limited action with a .471 on-base percentage in five starts.
▪ Jaylyn Bennett is hitting .297 and posting an impressive .409 on-base percentage, drawing walks and taking hit-by-pitches to get on base. However, he has been picked off twice.
▪ The Braves have struck out 109 times as a team compared to just 45 walks, a strikeout-to-walk ratio that puts enormous pressure on pitching and defense.
▪ The bright spot on the mound is Hayden Konkler (#33), who owns a sparkling 0.96 ERA out of the bullpen across 9.1 innings.
▪ Five Alcorn players carry a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage on the season, led by Rayfield Adams III at first and Julian Jarrett up the middle.
 
ALCORN VS. MERCER SERIES
▪ Mercer holds a 3-0 record all-time against Alcorn.
▪ The two sides met for a weekend series in 2018, as the Bears came out with a series sweep.
▪ Mercer outscored Alcorn 37-7 across those three contests.
 
QUOTES FROM COACH HARDY
"We've said from day one that this schedule was built to challenge us. Going on the road to face a quality opponent like Mercer is exactly what we need at this point in the season. Our non-conference schedule was always meant to test our toughness, discipline and focus. We want to see how our guys respond in competitive environments because that's what prepares you for conference play."
 
"Playing away from home forces you to lock in. You've got to bring your energy, your communication and your attention to detail. Those are the habits that carry over when we get into the heart of the Southwestern Athletic Conference season."
 
"Our focus is on playing clean baseball – pitching ahead in counts, executing situational offense, and defending at a high level. If we do those things consistently, the results will take care of themselves."
 
"This team understands the bigger picture. The challenges we face now are stepping stones toward where we want to be when it matters most in SWAC play."
 
SCOUTING MERCER
▪ The Mercer Bears have been one of the hottest teams in college baseball to open the 2026 season, posting an impressive 11-2 record with 12 of the Bears 13 games played at home in the friendly confines of OrthoGeorgia Park.
▪ The Bears are a legitimate offensive juggernaut, batting a collective .322 as a team with 108 runs scored.
▪ The Bears have been remarkably patient at the plate, drawing 76 walks while also being hit by pitches 32 times, helping fuel an on-base percentage of .454, ranking among the best in the country.
▪ Titan Kamaka has been Mercer's best all-around player, hitting .500 with a .750 slugging percentage, seven doubles, a homer, and 13 RBIs.
▪ Logan Shepherd is one of the most dangerous power bats in the lineup, slugging .776 with five home runs and 15 RBIs, while posting a .492 on-base percentage.
▪ The Bears' bullpen has been a major strength as Collin Ewaldsen has been virtually untouchable, posting a 0.00 ERA in six appearances with 11 strikeouts and opponents hitting just .045 against him.
 
RECAPPING ALCORN'S LAST GAME (vs. Southern-New Orleans)
Jaylyn Bennett and Asher Friedman combined for four hits Tuesday afternoon as Alcorn Baseball took down visiting Southern-New Orleans 4-1 at Willie E. "Rat" McGowan Stadium in non-conference midweek action.
 
Alcorn (2-10) scored runs in each of the first two innings in order to get ahead early, and never looked back en route to a home opening win in Lorman, Mississippi.
 
Braves first baseman Cooper Harris singled to left in order to drive in the first run of the game as leadoff man Rayfield Adams III raced in from second. Adams led off the at-bat drawing a walk.
 
In the second, the Purple and Gold added to the lead with a pair of runs to make it 3-0.
 
Jamir Hollway walked with two outs before then stealing second. Adams walked to put two aboard, setting the stage for Bennett to deliver a two-run scoring double to deep centerfield, knocking in both Hollway and Adams, respectively.
 
Southern-New Orleans (6-4) grabbed a run back in the top of the third as Avery Spriggs singled to kick things off. After working his way to third with two outs, the Knights catcher trotted in from third courtesy a Kyler Shepherd RBI ground out to short, bringing his side to within 3-1.
 
But it would be Kanious Davis off the bench as a pinch hitter registering a single through the left side to push across shortstop Asher Friedman for the 4-1 final.
 
Braves reliever Myles Dews (1-0) grabbed the win out of the bullpen in working four innings, not allowing any runs on three hits, one walk and three strikeouts. Knights starter Christopher Nunez (1-1) took the loss in throwing 1.2 innings, giving up three runs on two hits, three walks and four strikeouts.
 
The save went to Hayden Konkler – earning his first of the year, with just one hit allowed and punching out two in the ninth inning.
 
Alcorn starter Nicholas Johnson went four innings with a run on just one hit surrendered and striking out seven without factoring into the decision.
 
SUNO used a 2-for-2 day the plate from Spriggs to lead the Knights on offense.
 
Alcorn's bats were paced by Bennett and Friedman each going 2-for-4 at the plate. Bennett also produced two RBIs, while Friedman scored a run of his own.
 
UP NEXT
Alcorn travels to Northwestern State for a midweek contest at Northwestern State on Tuesday, March 10, at 6 p.m.
 
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