Mercer baseball (18-3) will begin Southern Conference play with a three-game series against The Citadel (8-10) at OrthoGeorgia Park in Macon on Friday, March 20.
Mercer enters the weekend just ahead of the Virginia Military Instititute Keydets (17-3) for the best mark in the conference. It is the best start through 21 games in program history, per Mercer Athletics. The team has dominated their opponents offensively, outscoring foes 218-128 and more than doubling their opponents' home run total.
Offensively, Mercer has produced consistently powerful results through the first stretch of the season. The team is batting .345 with 248 hits, 37 home runs and 201 RBIs, all three categories ranking best in the SoCon.
The team's offensive production has come from throughout the lineup. Titan Kamaka '26 leads the team with a .516 batting average, 32 hits and 20 RBIs along with a 1.444 OPS. Kamaka, who transferred to Mercer from Florida State University in 2025, has made a large impact in his two seasons with the Bears.
The infielder was named to the SoCon All-Defensive Team last year and is on a watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, which goes to the best shortstop in the nation each year.
Kamaka's production is supported by Chris Katz '26, a transfer from Wake Forest University who leads the SoCon with 35 hits, as well as Brayden Kersey '28, who leads the team with seven home runs. The team's offense is consistent across the board as six of the conference's 12 best hitters hail from Mercer.
Mercer's pitching is also typically strong, leading the SoCon in strikeouts. The Bears have relied heavily on Miguel Hugas '27 when he has been available this season. Hugas leads the rotation with five wins in 28.2 innings pitched, leading the conference in total innings pitched. Garrett Lambert '29 has added 14 strikeouts over 20 innings pitched, good for the best strikes-per-nine innings rating in the conference.
The rotation has struggled recently, though, ranking bottom three in WHIP and giving up 16 runs on March 15 to Tennessee Tech University.
Defensively, Mercer has supported its pitching staff with steady play. The Bears have posted a .975 fielding percentage and limited errors in key situations. The team holds a slight edge over its opponents in fielding percentage, .976 vs .970, with three fewer errors and 14 more double plays turned this season than their opponents.
Mercer last met The Citadel last season, winning 4-2. The Bulldogs have a conference-worst offense in OPS, but have shown flashes of success, like a 22-run blowout of the University of Tennessee-Martin on March 14 and a close 8-5 loss to No. 7 University of Georgia on Tuesday.
Across the conference, Mercer enters play among the top contenders, but rankings look to finish competitively. The Keydets are close behind the Bears in pre-conference play standings, while East Tennessee State University (14-5), Western Carolina University (14-7) and Wofford College (14-8) have also enjoyed strong early results.
Following this weekend's series, Mercer will continue its SoCon schedule against the University of North Carolina-Greensboro on April 2.
Kaylee Grace Buchanan '29 is double majoring in Criminal Justice and Psychology with an minor in Religion. When not writing, she enjoys reading, baking and playing tennis. You can also catch her on the pickleball courts jamming out to some music as well.
