Mercer baseball set to begin 2026 season against Troy

Another season of Mercer baseball is set for first pitch this weekend as the Bears host Troy University in a three-game set to open the 2026 season.

As one of the more consistent programs in the country under longtime head coach Craig Gibson, Mercer will have high hopes yet again as they compete for a Southern Conference championship. The Bears finished 35-25 last season with a 12-9 conference record, coming up only one game short of the SoCon championship game before losing to Samford in the semifinals.

While Mercer did lose some key contributors like outfielder Ty Dalley (transfer), shortstop Bradley Frye and pitcher Colton Cosper, Gibson is plenty confident in the group he’s assembled to begin this year’s campaign.

“I think we’ve done a really good job getting a good group of young guys in. We certainly like what we have. They’ve been great in the preseason and great in the classroom. It’s a pretty low maintenance group as far as distractions or those kinds of things,” Gibson said. “In today’s game it’s all about the newness and the fluidity of your roster. We have a lot of guys we’re really excited about.”

Before he praised some of his new players, Gibson hit on some returning players who will be crucial for the Bears. 

Senior Titan Kamaka, a star defender who emerged to hit nearly .300 last season, will shift from the keystone to shortstop to take over for Frye. 

He, along with third baseman and star slugger Brant Baughcum, will be important leaders from the left side of Mercer’s infield. Baughcum came to Mercer from Gulf Coast State last season and slashed .320/.415/.502 in 225 at-bats.

“I think Titan can step into that role, he’s a natural leader. Brant is a guy who’s a fixture for us and plays well and gives us consistency in the hot corner,” Gibson said.

On the mound, returning players with lots of talent include Colin Ewaldsen and Jess Ackerman. One of the most interesting pitchers to watch will be Garrett Lambert, a redshirt freshman who was the SoCon’s Preseason Freshman of the Year before injury derailed his debut season with the Bears.

The highly-touted pitcher is back from Tommy John surgery and will start Friday’s opener for the Bears. Gibson thinks that Lambert could be a huge asset for Mercer.

“He’s ready and he’s looked great in the preseason,” Gibson said of Lambert. “His pitch limit will probably be around 70 or 75 pitches. He’s just chomping at the bit to get back out there.”

There will be other newcomers that will be crucial pieces from the get-go. Dylan LaPointe, a transfer from Florida Atlantic, will figure into the lineup from day one, Gibson said. Logan Shepherd, an infielder who slashed a ludicrous .392/.498/.637 last year at a non-NCAA school (Tacoma Community College), should make an impact as well.

These assets — and plenty of other talent — helped net Mercer the No. 2 spot in the SoCon’s preseason poll; only the Samford Bulldogs finished higher as the preseason favorite to win the league. Kamaka, Baughcum, Ewaldsen, Lambert, Ackerman and reliever Brayon Kersey were all named to the Preseason All-SoCon team.

Nonetheless, Gibson and his staff are ready for a challenge.

“The parity has just gotten so much better. Some of the teams traditionally at the bottom third of the league have gotten a lot better, and they all have plenty of momentum to sustain that after last season,” Gibson said of the SoCon’s tough schedule down the stretch. “The RPI made such a jump last year, and our league has done that on purpose where there’s a ton of competitive balance.”

While conference play will be a crucial challenge down the line, Mercer won’t have to wait very long to test its mettle. The Trojans — who hail from the formidable Sun Belt conference, which includes powerhouse programs like last year’s CWS runner-up Coastal Carolina — will be a tough opponent to start the year.

“You’re talking about a top 30 team in most (publications). It’s probably the toughest season opener I’ve ever had,” Gibson said of Troy.

Coming from a coach who has run the ship at Mercer for more than two decades, that says a lot.

One player to watch as the Bears take on Troy will be pitcher Ben Stubbs, the Sunday starter for the Trojans. The southpaw transferred to Troy from Flagler, but he was a Trojan before in high school — he played for Macon’s own Tattnall Square Academy, in fact, and Mercer recruited him.

Blake Cavill will also be a player to keep an eye on for Troy. The Australian infielder was an All-Sun Belt First Team player last season and was third in the entire nation with 65 walks.

“(Cavill’s) got really great bat-to-ball skills, doesn’t swing and miss a lot. That’s their most talented player,” Gibson said. “Troy will be a big challenge.”

The Bears begin their season with a 6 p.m. first pitch at OrthoGeorgia Park on Friday, followed by 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. start times on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.