Mervyl Melendez Named Black College Baseball Coach of the Year
Four Wildcats Selected to Black College Baseball Elite Team
Bryan Harvey
June 24, 2007

(PIKESVILLE, Md. – )  For the second time in as many years, Bethune-Cookman University head baseball coach Mervyl Melendez has been named as the Black College Baseball Coach of the Year.  Melendez led his Wildcats to back-to-back MEAC Regular Season and Tournament titles, as well as helping the ‘Cats being named as the 2007 Black College Baseball National Champs.

Over the past two years, Melendez has picked up an incredible 31-1 conference record, as well as going an unbelievable 37-2 record against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponents.  That record includes the MEAC Tournament with three wins in 2006 and ’07.

Wildcat outfielder Angel Mercado, recently drafted by the San Diego Padres, was selected to the Black College Baseball Elite Team [First Team] for position players.  As an outfielder, Mercado led the Wildcats in batting average (.404), was tops in hits (82), second in triple (4) and third in homeruns (9).  He was also third in runs batted in with 37 on the campaign.

Making his way onto the First Team for pitchers was the 2007 MEAC Pitcher of the Year, Francisco Rodriguez.  Rodriguez shut down the competition with a team-best 10-4 mark on the year, as well as holding an ERA of 3.33 in over 100+ innings of work throughout 19 appearances.  His key wins included going a perfect 7-0 against MEAC foes, as well as wins against Mercer and Florida Atlantic.

On the Second Team was shortstop Chris Henault who led the ‘Cats in the homerun chase with 10.  Henault finished fourth in batting (.305), second in RBI (42), third in hits (64) and tied for first in doubles (15).  His fielding percentage of .960 was a leap from last year (.954), and he helped to solidify the Wildcats as a perennial power in the MEAC.

Also stepping onto the rubber to represent the Second Team as a pitcher was Dustin Blackwell.  Blackwell finished atop the ‘Cats lineup of pitchers with an ERA of 3.10 on the year as he collected a record of 8-6 that included wins at Oral Roberts, at #19 Tennessee and a no-hit affair through his seven innings on the hill at Atlantic Sun champion Jacksonville University.  He went on to collect one save and even rolled off a hit at Florida Atlantic in his first and only at-bat in his collegiate career.

B-CU second-year Director of Sports Information, Bryan J. Harvey, was named as this year’s Black College Baseball SID of the Year.  Harvey has been instrumental in getting the Wildcats new athletic website (BCCathletics.com) up and rolling, as well as helping them get most of the live sports up on Game Tracker, including baseball.

This year’s Player of the Year went to Prairie View A&M’s Michael Richard, while Norfolk State’s Luke Foss collecting the Pitcher of the Year award.  Foss went 10-2 on the year and had an ERA of 2.28 for the Spartans.  As for Richard, he was also selected as the SWAC Player of the Year in helping the Panthers capture back-to-back SWAC Tournament titles.

--BCU--