ERIE, Pa. – The Mercyhurst University softball team travels down to North Carolina this weekend to compete in four doubleheaders.  The Lakers will take on St. Andrews University, Chowan University, Mount Olive University, and Shaw University respectively.

After their road trip tonight the team will then travel to Laurinburg, N.C. to compete against St. Andrews in their first games of the season.  The first game of the twin bill is slated for a 1:30 p.m. start on Thursday, Feb.9.  The doubleheader will mark the first time the two teams have competed against one another since the 1992 season, when they played to a split. 

On Friday, Feb.10 at 1 p.m. Mercyhurst will compete against Chowan in Murfreesboro, N.C.  Last season the teams split with the Lakers winning the first game 8-6 before dropping the second 6-9.  The Hawks hold a 0-4 record thus far this season after competing in the Francis Marion Tournament. 

Last season marked the first time in program history that Mount Olive and the Lakers played.  The series ended in a 1-1 split.    The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 p.m. at Mount Olive, N.C.  Mercyhurst will then wrap up its tour of North Carolina for the second consecutive season with a double feature against Shaw in Raleigh, N.C.  Last season the Lakers swept the Bears with back-to-back 11-1 wins.  The Bears currently hold a 1-2 record this season. 

Mercyhurst returns six starters this season which includes three all-PSAC selections in Samantha Eimers, Emily Redig, and Courtney Smith.  Eimers returns to the lineup this season after starting all 44 games last season.  Eimers, a senior led the PSAC in three different categories last season including, total bases (107), runs scored (42), and slugging percentage (.836).  Eimers finished in the top three in six other PSAC offensive categories which include, hits (51), RBI (44), homeruns (14), on base percentage (.506), hit by pitch (7), and walks (21). The Lakers left fielder led the team in 11 different offensive categories.

Eimers registered 14 multi-hit games, 13 multi-RBI games, and 10 multi-run games last season. She also recorded a nine game hit streak stretching from Feb.12 to Feb.26, during the streak she drove in 13 runs and crossed the plate 12 times while doubling twice and hitting five homers. She concluded the season as one of two Lakers with a four hit game, a five RBI game, and a two-run homerun game which she did twice. Her impressive offensive play helped her averaged one RBI per game.
 
Emily Redig played an integral part of last season's PSAC playoff run as she spent 42 games at second base.  Last season the middle infielder received second team All-PSAC honors and ranked third on the team with a .321 batting average recording 44 hits, good for second on the team.  Redig showed power at the plate recording 17 extra-base hits lacing six homers, three triples, and eight doubles. The second baseman finished second on the team in four offensive categories which include, slugging percentage (.555), runs scored (36), home runs (6), and total bases (76) while leading the Lakers in triples(3). She had 11 instances where she registered two or more hits and eight multi-RBI games. Redig drove in three runs five different times helping her total 29 RBI on the season.

Sophomore Courtney Smith started in 43 games for the Lakers during the 2011 campaign and provided them with plenty of offensive support. During her rookie campaign she batted .341 with 16 runs scored, 33 RBI, 42 hits, seven doubles, and five homeruns. Smith's offensive numbers don't stop there as she recorded eight multi-RBI games including three, three-RBI games. She ranked second on the Lakers squad in batting average, while ranking in the top three in slugging percentage (.520), on base percentage (.424), hits (42), RBI (33), home runs (5), total bases (64) and walks (16).

Senior Andrea Sauers played in 43 games last season at third base hitting .250 at the plate.  Sauers drove in 19 runs off 28 hits while scoring 19 times herself.  She managed a .286 slugging percentage while drawing 20 walks, the second highest total on the team.  Sauers also prided herself in the field as she recorded 46 putouts and assisted in 90 more.  The defensive specialist had just five errors all season at the hot corner earning a .965 fielding percentage.

Junior Julie Harmon was one of three Lakers to start all 44 games last season.  She played the role of shortstop last season accumulating a .912 fielding percentage.  Harmon finished last season with a .220 batting average (29-for-132, 19 R, 20 RBI) while posting a .268 on-base percentage.  She was one-of-two Lakers to register a four hit game.  Against Wheeling Jesuit she hit two homeruns, registering five RBI, and set a team best 11 total bases in a game.
Junior Megan Hopton made 22 appearances last season starting 12 times for the Lakers.  The junior took on the role of a starting pitcher during the middle of the season, pitching her way to a 3.50 ERA and a 9-8 record.  She led the Lakers last season with five complete games and two saves. 

Senior Sydney Cuscino, junior Kristen Fyffe, and junior Molly McNamara will play integral roles during this season.  Last season Cuscino started 20 games and saw action in 27.  She averaged .274 at the dish scoring nine times while driving in seven.  A key moment last season for Cuscino was when she hit her first home run against Edinboro University to lift the Lakers to a 4-2 win and eliminate Edinboro from the PSAC playoffs.  Fyffe hit .280 in 18 starts and 21 appearances.  She crossed the plate eight times while slugging .360 and marked two-multi hits games throughout the season.  McNamara averaged .182,  knocking in two runs in her first two games started last season.  She specialized as a pinch runner for her speed around the bases.

Last season the Lakers lost two key players due to injuries early in the season.  This year both senior Jen Bower and senior Kristi Janoske will return to the lineup.  During Bower's last full season she was named to Daktronics All-Atlantic Region First Team and she was also a NFCA Division II All-Atlantic Region Second Team member.  Janoske started 23 games in 2010 leading the team with a 13-13 record and a 2.62 ERA in 157.2 innings pitched.  She also paced the team in complete games (14), shutouts (3), saves (3), strikeouts (98) and batting average against (.230).

The freshman also figure to play into the mix as the Lakers bring a lot of depth to this year's squad. 
 
Last season the Lakers went 24-20 and finished their season with back-to-back losses in PSAC tournament play. Mercyhurst lost a few key players last season in Kara Gorgos, Michelle Schmitz, Amber Rapose and Amanda Norman.  New additions to the team will be freshman Lauren Rossi, Cherise Gunnell, Annie Truelove, Rebecca Malaga, and Shaina Bunker. 

Check back in throughout the week for updates on the teams play.