MICHAEL ADAM RAY

(originally written for The Daily O’Collegian in May of 2008)

When junior shortstop Jordy Mercer plays games at Allie P. Reynolds Stadium, there are usually more fans in the stands than people in his hometown.

Mercer is from Taloga, Okla., which had a population of 372, according to the 2000 census, but he hasn’t let his small-town upbringing harness his big-time potential in baseball.

Mercer was an All-State player at Taloga High School and led his team to a Class B state championship his senior year in 2005.

Despite playing in a small town, Mercer grabbed the attention of college coaches across the country. He said living in Taloga was beneficial to his career.

“We didn’t have a football program, so we played two seasons of baseball,” Mercer said.

He said he was able to play about 70 games for Taloga each year, in addition to his summer league team, the Oklahoma Travelers. Mercer said he’s where he is today because he was able to play so much baseball growing up.

“Playing for the Travelers really helped me a lot,” Mercer said. “It’s hard to get the attention of coaches while playing in a small town, but playing for them allowed me to get the exposure I needed.”

Not only did Mercer’s time with the Travelers help him prepare for college baseball, but also it allowed him to build relationships with some of his future teammates. OSU teammates Rebel Ridling and Jeff Breedlove were also members of the Travelers.

Despite receiving offers from many major programs, including Baylor, Missouri and Wichita State, Mercer said the decision to come to OSU was easy. He said the coaching staff was a big factor in the decision, and added that he has always wanted to play in the Big 12.

When Mercer arrived at OSU, he immediately became a key player. He appeared in 59 games as a freshman, starting 54, and pitched on 12 occasions. His performance earned him All-Big 12 honors as a utility player.

His sophomore season also earned him All-Big 12 honors as a utility player, but that wasn’t his greatest accomplishment of 2007. Mercer was one of 23 players selected to represent his country and play for the 2007 USA National Team.

“It was such an honor just to be selected,” Mercer said. “It was an amazing time. Just to be around the best players in the nation was really an honor, and having ‘USA’ across the front of your jersey when you’re playing countries like Japan and Cuba made me really proud.”

Traveling so much over the summer prepared Mercer for this year’s shortened college baseball season, he said.

“It was a grind,” Mercer said. “We would play every day and then get on the bus and then travel and play again the next day. It was grueling, but it was something that you got used to. Now that we have the tight college schedule this year, I think playing so many games with the National Team prepared me for it.”

Despite being prepared for the travel, Mercer said he wasn’t ready for the time the shortened schedule made him spend away from class.

“It’s pretty tough, it really is,” Mercer said. “There were times where I would play a game on Wednesday night, get up in the morning, take two test and then get on the bus to go play the weekend. It’s tough, but it’s fun. It’s definitely made things interesting.”

One of the positives Mercer said he found in the shortened schedule, though, was the lack of down time during the season.

“You’re always on the go and there’s something you’ve got to do before you get to the field,” Mercer said. “It has kept us on our toes and I think we’re more locked in than we have been in the past.”

Before Mercer was selected to play with team USA, he said he was planning to spend last summer in the Cape Cod League. He said he was happy he got to travel the world instead.

“It’s awesome to be given the chance to represent your country and play baseball in different countries every day,” Mercer said.

Mercer said his experience with the National Team taught him more than he could have hoped, and helped him transition into a leader this season.

With six of the eight starting position players from 2007’s team gone this year, Mercer and Ridling were forced into the roles of team leaders.

OSU coach Frank Anderson said Mercer has handled the job well, despite the circumstances.

“He hasn’t had a choice,” Anderson said. “He’s only one of two guys that we have back. Whether you want to take on that role or not, it’s one that you kind of have to tackle and he’s done a good job with it.”

Anderson said Mercer has grown as a leader as the season has progressed.

“I thought early in the year he kind of felt a little bit of pressure with it, but he’s worked through that,” Anderson said. “When you haven’t had to do that with some of the older guys that we’ve had [in the past], at the start it’s a little tough.”

Anderson said he was impressed by the way Mercer is handling things.

Mercer said he welcomed the role.

“I’m just trying to do whatever the team needs to win,” Mercer said. “This is me and Rebel’s year to step up and we’re kind of taking it on our shoulders if we don’t do good or the team doesn’t do good, so we have to perform well.”

Mercer said the transition to a leadership role was easier than people might expect, because of the quality of players he was surround with as a freshman and sophomore.

“I’ve been here for two years, and I’ve been through a lot of stuff,” Mercer said. “I can handle it and hopefully continue to step up as a leader and guide our team to our ultimate goal. I’ve learned a lot from team leaders over the past two years, and hopefully I’m helping some of the young guys like they helped me.”

Mercer said Thomas Belza, who often replaces Mercer at shortstop when Mercer heads to the mound to close, is among the young players he sees as a leader down the line.

“[Belza] is a stud, he really is,” Mercer said. “He’s coming into his own and every day he’s getting better. It’s something special, especially when he’s a freshman.”

Mercer said he hopes Belza will be one of the players to take over as a team leader once Mercer graduates.

“He’s going to be really good for us down the road,” Mercer said. “I think he’s capable of being a team leader in a few years. It’s definitely exciting for the future of the team.”

Despite taking on the role of team leader, Mercer said he isn’t concerned with individual statistics. Although he said he needs to perform well to help the team, he values the team’s performance a lot more than his own.

“It’s always a team first concept,” Mercer said. “Yeah, baseball is an individual sport, but you can’t go anywhere without a team, so the team always has to come first.”

Mercer said the team’s goal, like it is every year, is to head to Omaha for the College World Series, where the team has not been since 1999. Mercer said this year’s team has the best shot of any team on which he has played.

Although Mercer is focused on the team first, he also hopes to find continued success as an individual player after his college career.

“It has always been my dream to play in the Major Leagues,” Mercer said. “I hope that I’ll get the opportunity to do that some day, but I know that I’m going to have to continue working hard to put myself in a position to succeed. I still have a long way to go.”

Although Mercer has constantly found success on the baseball field, he said his parents raised him to always remain humble.

“You never know when things will change in this world, so you can never get too caught up in any of your successes,” Mercer said.

Mercer’s success has continued this season. He’s hitting .341 and leads the team with 45 RBIs, and he has a 3.38 ERA and seven saves in 12 mound appearances.

Mercer is again positioning himself well for various postseason awards, and perhaps, this time, a selection in the 2008 Major League draft in June.

Not bad for someone who graduated high school with seven people.