Erie, Pa. - Mercyhurst Baseball gets their 50th season underway this week as they take on D'Youville. The Saints make the trip to Erie, Pa. on Wednesday, February 15th, as the two teams are set for first pitch at 1:00 p.m.
1. Good Beginnings
Mercyhurst has found success in their season openers in recent history, going 7-3 in game number one. Over that span, they have outscored opponents by more than four runs per game including a 13-7 win over West Virginia State in 2017 for their largest run total in a single contest over that span.
2. Home Sweet Home
The Lakers have definitely been able to call their friendly confines exactly that over the past several seasons as they hold a 60-23 record at home since the beginning of the 2018 campaign. The Lakers have won 15 or more games at home in three of those five seasons with two different winning streaks of five or more games in that span.
3. History Lesson
Coach Spano and company have played D'Youville twice before with the Saints making the trip to Erie in 2021 for a doubleheader. That two-game series ended up going the way of the Lakers as they won a pair of games by a combined score of 31-4. Game one saw four players with multiple hits and six extra-base hits while game two was more of the same with four players with two or more hits and five extra baggers. Mercyhurst hopes for similar success this time around as they try to begin the new season the right way.
4. Unchartered Territory
Mercyhurst finds themselves in an unfamiliar spot with them opening up the season at home in February. The unforgiving Erie winter has chosen to lift long enough to let the Lakers get on the diamond at a time when it has been buried under feet of snow in years past. This marks the first time this century Mercyhurst has been able to play their season opener at home before turning the calendar to March.
5. Next Game
The next scheduled contest for the Lakers is against Millersville in the Glenville State Tournament. Mercyhurst makes the trip to Glenville on Friday, February 24th, to begin their weekend where they'll see West Chester on the 25th.
