Winston-Salem State University

2016: Mercedes added one more chapter to her already impressive career at Winston-Salem State...In addition to continuing to write her name among the great pitchers for WSSU, she also proved herself as one of the team's top offensive players...She played in 52 of the team's 53 games and finished the season with a .314 batting average...She totaled 43 hits in 137 at bats with 13 doubles, a triple, and a team-high seven home runs and ranked second in the CIAA...She also ranked second on the team with 29 RBI...Defensively, she was one of the top pitchers in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA)...She finished the season ranked second in the CIAA with 203 strikeouts and third in earned run average (ERA) with 2.69...She earned first team All-CIAA honors for the second straight season and was named the 2016 CIAA Tournament MVP.

2015: Mercedes had another great season for the Rams…In addition to continuing her great play as a pitcher, she also became one of the team’s top offensive players as well…She led the CIAA in both home runs (13) and strikeouts (152)…In fact, she nearly doubled the strikeout total for the runner-up to the honor (81)…For the season, she recorded a .411 batting average with a team-high 40 RBI to rank third in the CIAA…She also added 37 runs scored with nine doubles and a triple…As a pitcher, she recorded a 10-13 record with 148.2 innings pitched…She had a 3.86 earned run average (ERA)  and averaged 7.16 strikeouts per game….She earned first team All-CIAA honors for the first time in her career.

2014: Mercedes got her career at WSSU started with a great 2014 effort…She became the team’s ace right away with a great effort in the circle…She finished season with a 14-8 record in 23 appearances…She ranked second in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) in wins (14) and strikeouts (123)….She also recorded 12 complete games…In addition to her duties as a pitcher, she was also a strong catcher for the Lady Rams where she allowed just four passed balls for the season and caught five runners stealing…She was named to the CIAA All-Rookie team.

Personal: Mercedes joined the Lady Rams in the spring of 2014 where she will have some big shoes to fill at the pitching position…She is a 2013 graduate of Havelock High School where she earned several honors as a pitcher and an outfielder…She earned all-conference honors three times and also earned a spot on the all-conference team… In addition to her accomplishments on the field, she was also a strong performer in the classroom where she was named to the honor roll and also graduated with honors…She is an Exercise Science major and the daughter of Bobby and Cynthia Hargett.