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2003 Baseball
TITANS ’02: Struggled to regain the form that earned him freshman All-American honors in 2001 • Had a 7-5 record wih 6.16 ERA in 19 appearances • Fell out of the weekend rotation after getting shelled at UC Irvine on May 4 (6 ER in 2.1 IP) • Pitched credibly after that (16.1 IP, 6 ER for a 3.31 ERA) in a mid-week winning start at Pepperdine (15-1 win), two relief appearances and losing start at Long Beach State on May 26 • Gave up a team-high 13 home runs and opponents batted .327 against him • Averaged about 5.1 innings over 17 starts • Had his best outing vs. UNLV on Feb. 16, scattering four hits and allowing just one run in six strong innings • Helped the Titans avoid a sweep at Stanford, earning a win with 5.1 decent innings (seven hits, three runs) while pitching out of trouble (he stranded four Cardinal runners at third) • Pitched poorly in his home debut vs. Fresno State, allowing seven runs in 5.1 innings (including back-to-back homers in the first), though the Titans bailed him out with a 17-11 win. TITANS ’01: His 8-4 record may not have turned heads, but Merrell was one of the best freshman starting pitchers in the country and his Baseball Weekly, Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America freshman All-American selections confirmed it • Might have saved his best outing for last, when he allowed just two unearned runs in eight innings vs. Tulane in the College World Series, as the Titans won, 11-2 to stave off elimination • His ERA was over 3.00 just once, after a rough outing vs. Texas Tech (2.1 innings, seven runs, five hits) in an NCAA Regional game on May 27 • One of two freshmen (teammate Chad Cordero was the other) to earn first-team All-Big West Conference honors • Also invited, along with Cordero, to try out for the USA National Team last summer • Had the second-best ERA in the Big West Conference (behind All-American teammate Kirk Saarloos) and was also in the top-10 in opponents’ batting average (.257), innings pitched (113.0) and strikeouts (76) • Was 3-1 with a 3.61 ERA in conference action• At his best on the road, posting a perfect 5-0 record and a 1.67 ERA • With runners on base and two outs, opponents batted just .205 • Titans averaged just 3.8 runs per game in starts where he had a loss or no-decision • Won five consecutive games before losing to Long Beach State in his final regular-season start • Did not allow an earned run in his first 12.1 innings, which earned him a spot in the weekend rotation • Held Stanford scoreless on just three hits in 4.1 innings of middle relief on Feb. 2 as the Titans rallied in the ninth for a 5-4 win • Threw three no-hit innings in his first collegiate start at USC on Feb. 6 • Earned his first collegiate win at Houston on March 10, allowing just two runs on five hits in 7.1 innings • Had back-to-back starts vs. Cal Poly and Long Beach State where he allowed two runs in eight innings, but the Titans lost both games • Struck out seven and allowed three earned runs in six innings in a win at Miami on March 31 • Had a shutout broken up with two outs in the ninth by Pacific on April 7, but settled for his first complete game and a career-high 11 strikeouts • Hit hard in three consecutive starts vs. UC Santa Barbara, Long Beach State and Temple, allowing a combined 20 runs on 23 hits in 11.0 innings and saw his ERA rise from 1.85 to 3.10 over the three-week span • Bounced back to beat Mississippi State in the super regional championship game, allowing three runs on seven hits in 6.1 innings • Allowed two first-inning runs on four hits in that outing, but did not allow another hit until the sixth. TEMECULA VALLEY H.S.: Played for Coach Rich Emard at Temecula Valley H.S., where he was a teammate of current Titan Kyle Boyer • Posted one of the best seasons in CIF history as a senior, when he was 14-2 with a 2.02 ERA and 105 strikeouts and just 22 walks in 83 innings • At the plate, he batted .469 with 13 home runs, 12 doubles and 40 RBI • Was named CIF Division I Player of the Year, Sunbelt League MVP and first-team all-state • His 14 wins were a school record and more than half of the Golden Bears’ 26 wins • Twice hit three home runs in one game and also pitched a no-hitter against Paloma Valley to go along with two one-hitters • Named first-team all-league as a junior, when he was 9-3 with a 2.67 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 76 innings • Batted .390 with four homers and 12 RBI • Was 6-3 with a 3.91 ERA as a sophomore to earn honorable-mention all-league honors • Finished with a 30-9 career record • Helped the Golden Bears to a combined 83-29 record during his four seasons, including three league titles and an appearance in the CIF semifinals his senior year. PERSONAL: Born on January 22, 1982, in Torrance, Calif. • Parents are Dale Merrell and Lori Feddock • Has two younger brothers, Chad and Brett • Selected by the New York Yankees in the 20th round of the 2000 MLB draft • Also considered attending Cal, Loyola Marymount and Long Beach State, but said it’s always been a dream of his to play at Fullerton • Biggest sports thrill to date was pitching against Tulane in the 2001 CWS • Most interesting fact: never sleeps on his right side • Would like to meet Vin Scully • Likes to golf and wakeboard • Says he’ll be sure to bring his deck of cards to Omaha • If he won the lottery, the first thing he’d buy is a midnight blue Porsche Carrera • Wears the same undershirt every game • Hopes to someday coach high school or Little League baseball • Favorites...San Francisco Giants and Anaheim Angels (teams), Orel Hershiser (player), Chris Farley (actor), Tommy Boy (movie).
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