Santana Named Player of the Week; Raynor Reaches 100

J. Andrew Lockwood
Senior Editor / Columnist

While the Atlantic Sun conference season has yet to start, Mercer softball continues to make headlines with Sarah Santana receiving the A-Sun Player of the Week honor only a few weeks ago and head coach Mike Raynor surpassing the 100 win milestone recently at a tournament in Atlanta.

Santana, a freshman from Valdosta, was honored after the Phyllis Rafter Memorial Tournament in which she was named Most Outstanding Position Player. The infielder launched three home runs and 12 RBI in a 7-for-14 effort from the plate over the course of five games to earn a starting position in the lineup. After little playing time in the lineup before the tournament, Raynor was impressed with what he saw, commenting, “We can only be happy for a freshman like Santana to step in and do that kind of job. We have high hopes that she can continue to perform at that level.”

Santana’s big weekend at the plate was a big wake-up call for the Mercer offense which has struggled early in the season to produce enough runs to win close games.

“She showed up when we needed our offense to wake up,” Raynor added on the online press release. “She not only produced hits but RBIs. She really produced some enthusiasm in the team and into the offense in particular,” he added.

Raynor himself surpassed a big coaching milestone at Mercer in his fourth season, winning his 100th ballgame as the head coach. At his current mark after the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, Raynor (100-100) is the winningest coach in Bears history joining three other head coaches in attaining the 100 win plateau.

Hired in 2007 to replace former Mercer head coach Tony Foti, Raynor went 14-46 in his first season before turning Mercer into an Atlantic Sun softball powerhouse during recent years. Upset wins over Georgia Tech, Auburn, and other schools have earned both Raynor and the Bears acclaim from all over the southeast.