With two games remaining in the regular season, the 19-14 Mercer Baseball team is preparing to finish the season off strong and create some momentum to take with them into the post season.
The Vikings started the first half of their season going 9-7. They opened up at home on March 1, with a win vs. Gloucester.
Mercer freshman in-fielder Michael Constantini (#1) led all hitters with three hits, and scored a run to help Mercer pull off a 3-2 win to start off the season.
Next the Vikings had five more home games, which included two double headers. They were able to go 3-2 in these five meetings, leading them to a 4-2 record before traveling down to South Carolina to compete in the six day, eight game long, Myrtle Beach Invitational.
While in South Carolina the men went 4-4. Then the Vikings split a double header against Burlington to round out the first half of their season.
“I think we could have done better, but you know, head coaches always want more, and we are still young, we have a lot of freshman, and we make young mistakes,” said Mercer Head Coach Matt Wolski in an interview with The VOICE.
The first 10 games of the second half the men went 6-4. During the 10 games the Vikings averaged 6.2 runs per game, almost a full run better than their season average. One of the six wins was a shut out against Lackawanna where Mercer freshman pitcher James Pugliese (#5) struck-out nine batters.
Now the Vikings are 19-14, and just coming off of two wins from a double header vs. Raritan on Mercer Field on April 30. They have two more games remaining in the regular season, one vs. Cecil, MD, and a home game on May 3, at three o’clock vs. Brookdale. Coach Wolski describes the Brookdale as “very good” and notes that Mercer is likely to meet them again in the post-season.
The post-season is a lock and starts on May 7. Right now the men are waiting to see how they finish out the season and how other regional opponents to see who and where the Vikings will play.
“I’m very optimistic about the post-season, we have a lot of arms. We’re pitching a lot better, and pitching can carry you a looooong way in the post-season,” said Coach Wolski.
