Grand Forks Pitcher Jocelyn Berg Finds Perfect Fit at Mercer
GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Jocelyn Berg is trading the frozen tundra for the Peach State. The Red River senior right-handed pitcher has committed to Mercer University, a private NCAA Division I school in Macon, Georgia.
“I’m so excited,” Berg said. “This was completely the perfect fit for me. I’m really excited to have that pinned down and know where I’m going to end up after this year.”
The two-time North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year had previously committed to UAB, but she reopened her recruitment after the program underwent a coaching change this offseason. Several programs reached out, but Mercer quickly rose to the top of her list.
Why Mercer Won Her Over
Berg said the decision came down to a combination of factors, including the coaching staff, the team’s trajectory, and the school’s academic reputation.
“It was a mixture of good feeling, getting to meet their coaching staff in person and really feeling that my values align with theirs,” Berg said. “But then also the ability to go somewhere and be able to play competitive softball but also get a really, really good education was an attractive feature for me, and helped make the decision.”
Mercer competes in the Southern Conference and is coming off a historic season. The Bears won their first-ever conference championship last year and earned a spot in the NCAA tournament. Head coach Chris Kuhlmeyer, hired in June 2025, is building on that momentum.
Berg took an official visit to Mercer in early August and came away impressed with Kuhlmeyer’s vision.
“(Kuhlmeyer) has been amazing through all of this,” Berg said. “Very supportive throughout the process. He was really good with, ‘Hey, we want you here, we know this is the place for you,’ but also just being really respectful of me taking my time. He seems like he’s going to build a great program at Mercer. He’s very competitive but also going to push us to be the best both on the field and off the field.”
A Decorated Career in North Dakota
Berg enters her senior season with an already impressive resume. She was named the North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year for the second straight year, a recognition she does not take lightly.
“It is such an honor to be recognized in that light,” Berg said. “There’s a lot of work that goes into it behind the scenes, so being able to be the kind of person that people look to and say, ‘Hey, this is what we want softball to look like in North Dakota,’ it was really cool.”
Her numbers back up the accolades. Last season, Berg posted a 1.48 ERA with a 7-2 record, striking out 189 batters while walking just 27 over 99.1 innings. She also excelled at the plate, leading the Roughriders with a .587 batting average, 11 doubles, and six home runs.
What’s Next for Berg and the Roughriders
Berg is determined to close out her prep career strong. Red River narrowly missed a state tournament berth last season, falling 9-3 to Fargo Davies in an Eastern Dakota Conference state qualifier game.
“We’re definitely going to be young,” Berg said. “But I’m really looking forward to getting to work with a bunch of girls and just win as many games as we can, go compete and just have a bunch of fun in my last run of it.”
Berg has stayed sharp this summer, competing for the Iowa Premier 18U travel team based in Des Moines, Iowa. The schedule kept her busy and in front of college scouts.
“We travel all over for different tournaments,” Berg said. “Kind of get looks, get seen. We had a great season, it was a lot of fun.”
With her college decision locked in, Berg can now focus on one final season with the Roughriders before heading south to begin her collegiate career.