Monday, February 08, 2010

MACON, Ga. – As the 2010 NCAA Division I Softball season approaches, the Atlantic Sun Conference takes a look at each team leading up to the start of the season. Today, we stay in town to check in on the Mercer Bears.

Overview
In 2009, Mercer finished with an overall record of 40-19 and 14-6 mark in the A-Sun. The Bears return six starters, five pitchers, and 20 of 25 letterwinners. Head coach Mike Raynor enters his fourth season with the Bears, having tallied an overall record of 86-92 thus far. Last season, Mercer fell in the final of the Atlantic Sun Championships to Campbell, 1-0. The Bears enter the spring season seeking to repeat their home success. They registered a record of 20-5 at Sikes Field in Macon, Ga. in 2009.

Top Returners
Top pitcher Jenni Holtz earned A-Sun Preseason All-Conference honors after leading the Bears in strikeouts (209), innings pitched (184), wins (21) and ERA (1.56). Holtz earned First-Team All-Atlantic Sun honors in 2009 and collected A-Sun Pitcher of the Week awards twice, on March 23 and April 13. Last season, the Tracy, Calif. native finished tied for first in the A-Sun in wins (23), second in ERA (1.44) and third in strikeouts (234).

Top hitter Holly Oglesbee enters the spring after a phenomenal junior campaign with the Bears, earning Preseason All-Conference honors. Oglesbee led Mercer offensively, starting all 58 games with a .309 batting average, 26 RBI, 32 runs scored, 59 hits in her lead-off position and 18 multiple hit games. The Fayetteville, Ga. native also ranked second in the A-Sun in doubles with 17 on the year and earned recent recognition by the NFCA as an Academic All-American in 2009.

Newcomers
The Mercer University softball team returns 20 players from last year’s squad and will welcome the contributions of four newcomers in Molly Anderson, Kelly Redlinger, Sarah Santana, and Heather Strange in 2010.

Anderson, a six-foot pitcher from Tulsa Okla., could see some time in relief situations throughout the 2010 season. As a four-year letter-winner at Cascia Hall Prep in Tulsa, Anderson held a 1.37 ERA and a .308 batting average.

Redlinger is a Georgia local product coming out of Tifton High School in Tifton, Ga. She was also a four-year varsity player for Tifton and had a sister who played at Georgia State.

Santana was a three-time All-State selection for Jared Dickey at Lowndes High School in Valdosta, Ga. She hit .347 her senior year at Lowndes, helping guide her team to four-straight Georgia Elite 8 performances. Santana is poised to see some playing time coming in as a freshman either in the infield or behind the plate for the Bears.

Strange is a former All-State selection in 2009 and an All-Big Bend Conference selection her junior and senior seasons at Port St. Joe High School in Port St. Joe, Fla. Her high school team was the state runner-up her senior season as well. She is a talented infielder and will help maintain a solid core defensively.

Schedule
The Bears’ 2010 schedule will feature 10 home non-conference contests and five home Atlantic Sun doubleheaders. Mercer opens with the first of four tournaments on Friday at the FSU Tournament in Tallahassee, Fla., where the Bears will face Bowling Green, Southern Miss, Iona College and FSU.

On Tuesday, Feb. 16, Mercer host its first home game of the season against South Dakota at 4:00 p.m. in doubleheader format, before beginning its second tournament in Woodstock, Ga. at the Phyliss Rafter Memorial, hosted by A-Sun foe Kennesaw State, spanning Feb. 19-21.

Mercer starts Atlantic Sun Conference play by hosting the defending-league champions Campbell (March 27), before returning to the road to face Kennesaw State (April 3). The Bears hosts Lipscomb (April 9), Belmont (April 10), Jacksonville (April 30) and UNF (May 7) at Sikes Field.

Fans can follow the Atlantic Sun on Twitter and on Facebook. Visit twitter.com/AtlanticSun to begin receiving updates on conference news, weekly awards, and from A-Sun championships. Atlantic Sun followers with a Facebook account can become a "fan" of the conference by visiting facebook.com/AtlanticSunConference.

11 Days of Atlantic Sun Softball Schedule
Jan. 28 – Belmont
Jan. 29 – Stetson
Feb. 1 – ETSU
Feb. 2 – Kennesaw State
Feb. 3 – Jacksonville
Feb. 4 – UNF
Feb. 5 – USC Upstate
Feb. 8 – Mercer
Feb. 9 – Lipscomb
Feb. 10 – FGCU
Feb. 11 – Campbell