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Mercer shuts down Samford for first SoCon Championship
CHARLESTON, S.C. – Senior Eric Nyquist threw a six-hit shutout to lead No. 1 seed Mercer to a 5-0 win over No. 2 seed Samford in the title game of the Southern Conference Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties on Sunday at Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park. With the win, the Bears receive the SoCon’s automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals in their first year in the league.
The Bears will learn their postseason fate Monday at noon, when the NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show airs live on ESPNU. The regional sites will be announced at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on the NCAA social media sites.
Nyquist went 2-0 at the tournament, allowing just one earned run in 14 innings pitched to earn Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player honors.
The title was Mercer’s fifth-ever conference tournament championship and first since winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament in 2010.
In a battle of two of the top offenses in the country – Samford leads the nation in home runs and Mercer is third, with both in the top 20 in batting average – pitching was the story, as Nyquist allowed six hits and a walk and dodged trouble all day, at one point retiring nine straight batters from the second through fifth innings. He struck out five.
Mercer right fielder Trey Truitt gave Nyquist all the run support he would need in the fourth inning, hitting a two-run home run to right-center. The Bears would add another run on an error later in the inning to open up a three-run spread.
Danny Edgeworth had an RBI single in the sixth and Charlie Madden added one in the eighth as Mercer pulled away.
Nyquist (9-2) did the rest, retiring the final seven batters of the game in order to lock up his ninth win of the season. He needed just 111 pitches and 2 hours, 23 minutes for his complete-game gem.
Samford did have its chances against Nyquist but could never capitalize. T.J. Dixon led off the game with a sharp single to left, but he was gunned down trying to steal second. The Bulldogs put runners on the corners in the second on an error, fielder’s choice and double, but Nyquist got a fly out to left to escape trouble.
That was the last baserunner to reach third against Nyquist, as he allowed just four hits the rest of the way. Dixon led off the sixth with a single but was erased on a double play. Heath Quinn followed with another single, but a groundout ended the threat.
Mercer had at least one base-runner in each inning as it threatened early and often against Samford starter Alex Ledford (7-6), who allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Truitt finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Mercer on the day, while Edgeworth, Devin Bonin and Jackson Ware had two hits each. Dixon had the lone multiple-hit game for Samford.
Mercer, which was just the second team in SoCon history to reach the tournament title game in its first season in the league, becomes the first to win the tournament in its inaugural SoCon season. The Bears also claimed the regular-season title.
2015 Southern Conference Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties
All-Tournament Team
SP – Eric Nyquist, Mercer
SP – Adam Scott, Wofford
RP – Morgan Pittman, Mercer
C – Charlie Madden, Mercer
1B – Austin Edens, Samford
2B – Jacobs Watcher, The Citadel
SS – Danny Rodriguez, Samford
3B – Danny Edgeworth, Mercer
OF – Trey Truitt, Mercer
OF – Heath Quinn, Samford
OF – Kody Ruedisili, Wofford
DH – Matt Ramsay, Wofford
Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player
Eric Nyquist, Mercer
May 19 (Tuesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 8, #9 ETSU 2
May 20 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 2: #2 Samford 8, #7 Western Carolina 7 (10 inn.)
Game 3: #3 Wofford vs. #6 Furman, susp.
May 21 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 4: #1 Mercer 3, #8 The Citadel 2
Game 5: #4 VMI 6, #5 UNCG 5
Game 3: #3 Wofford 16, #6 Furman 7
Game 6: #8 The Citadel 8, #5 UNCG 4
Game 7: #6 Furman 12, #7 Western Carolina 4
May 22 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 8: #2 Samford 4, #3 Wofford 3
Game 9: #1 Mercer 19, #4 VMI 7
Game 10: #3 Wofford 1, #6 Furman 0
Game 11: #8 The Citadel 10, #4 VMI 5
May 23 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 12: #3 Wofford 12, #2 Samford 8
Game 13: #1 Mercer 8, #8 The Citadel 1
Game 14: #2 Samford 25, #3 Wofford 4
May 24 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (ESPN3)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 15: #1 Mercer 5, #2 Samford 0
The Bears will learn their postseason fate Monday at noon, when the NCAA Baseball Championship Selection Show airs live on ESPNU. The regional sites will be announced at 8:30 p.m. Sunday on the NCAA social media sites.
Nyquist went 2-0 at the tournament, allowing just one earned run in 14 innings pitched to earn Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player honors.
The title was Mercer’s fifth-ever conference tournament championship and first since winning the Atlantic Sun Conference tournament in 2010.
In a battle of two of the top offenses in the country – Samford leads the nation in home runs and Mercer is third, with both in the top 20 in batting average – pitching was the story, as Nyquist allowed six hits and a walk and dodged trouble all day, at one point retiring nine straight batters from the second through fifth innings. He struck out five.
Mercer right fielder Trey Truitt gave Nyquist all the run support he would need in the fourth inning, hitting a two-run home run to right-center. The Bears would add another run on an error later in the inning to open up a three-run spread.
Danny Edgeworth had an RBI single in the sixth and Charlie Madden added one in the eighth as Mercer pulled away.
Nyquist (9-2) did the rest, retiring the final seven batters of the game in order to lock up his ninth win of the season. He needed just 111 pitches and 2 hours, 23 minutes for his complete-game gem.
Samford did have its chances against Nyquist but could never capitalize. T.J. Dixon led off the game with a sharp single to left, but he was gunned down trying to steal second. The Bulldogs put runners on the corners in the second on an error, fielder’s choice and double, but Nyquist got a fly out to left to escape trouble.
That was the last baserunner to reach third against Nyquist, as he allowed just four hits the rest of the way. Dixon led off the sixth with a single but was erased on a double play. Heath Quinn followed with another single, but a groundout ended the threat.
Mercer had at least one base-runner in each inning as it threatened early and often against Samford starter Alex Ledford (7-6), who allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings.
Truitt finished 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Mercer on the day, while Edgeworth, Devin Bonin and Jackson Ware had two hits each. Dixon had the lone multiple-hit game for Samford.
Mercer, which was just the second team in SoCon history to reach the tournament title game in its first season in the league, becomes the first to win the tournament in its inaugural SoCon season. The Bears also claimed the regular-season title.
2015 Southern Conference Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties
All-Tournament Team
SP – Eric Nyquist, Mercer
SP – Adam Scott, Wofford
RP – Morgan Pittman, Mercer
C – Charlie Madden, Mercer
1B – Austin Edens, Samford
2B – Jacobs Watcher, The Citadel
SS – Danny Rodriguez, Samford
3B – Danny Edgeworth, Mercer
OF – Trey Truitt, Mercer
OF – Heath Quinn, Samford
OF – Kody Ruedisili, Wofford
DH – Matt Ramsay, Wofford
Walt Nadzak Most Outstanding Player
Eric Nyquist, Mercer
May 19 (Tuesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 1: #8 The Citadel 8, #9 ETSU 2
May 20 (Wednesday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 2: #2 Samford 8, #7 Western Carolina 7 (10 inn.)
Game 3: #3 Wofford vs. #6 Furman, susp.
May 21 (Thursday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 4: #1 Mercer 3, #8 The Citadel 2
Game 5: #4 VMI 6, #5 UNCG 5
Game 3: #3 Wofford 16, #6 Furman 7
Game 6: #8 The Citadel 8, #5 UNCG 4
Game 7: #6 Furman 12, #7 Western Carolina 4
May 22 (Friday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 8: #2 Samford 4, #3 Wofford 3
Game 9: #1 Mercer 19, #4 VMI 7
Game 10: #3 Wofford 1, #6 Furman 0
Game 11: #8 The Citadel 10, #4 VMI 5
May 23 (Saturday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (all games on SDN)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 12: #3 Wofford 12, #2 Samford 8
Game 13: #1 Mercer 8, #8 The Citadel 1
Game 14: #2 Samford 25, #3 Wofford 4
May 24 (Sunday)
SoCon Championship presented by Mountain Shore Properties (ESPN3)
(Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Park; Charleston, S.C.)
Game 15: #1 Mercer 5, #2 Samford 0
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