Vanguard University

The athlete: Todd returns for his third and final season as a Lion…had a rough junior campaign after a very successful sophomore season for the Lions in 2005…had a 3.56 ERA  as a junior…has started 17 games and pitched  84.2 innings in a Lion uniform…has also spent time as a position player, accumulating 89 at bats for VU…hit .270 with 24 hits, nine doubles, and eight runs batted in…spent his freshman year at the University of the Pacific prior to transferring to Vanguard…played for Coach Ed Sprague Jr…first collegiate save was against Northwestern…played high school baseball at Laguna Beach H.S…named Pacific Coast League first-team in 2001 and 2002…also played football in high school…bats right…strong left-handed pitcher…above average fastball…solid breaking ball…has good life on his fastball…knows how to pitch…hard worker…aims to complete his collegiate career with a solid senior season.

The person: Todd Russell Merz was born on June 7, 1984 in New York City, New York to his parents Steve and Elaine Merz…has one sister Kira…nickname is “Texas”…is a senior Communications student at VUSC…played the game for 16 years…loves to eat sushi…sports hero is Jim Burt…favorite movies are “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Boondock Saints”…watches “Entourage” on TV…roots for the NY Giants and NY Mets…favorite color is blue-green and number is 11…enjoys playing baseball, going on vacations, and hanging out with friends…feels the biggest problem in the world is terrorism…would like to meet Jesus, Johnny Dep, and David Hasselhoff…likes how the VU baseball team gets along…has learned from life to trust in the Lord…playing baseball has taught him how to compete and that hard work pays off…would like to be successful in life and to become a good husband and father.

Todd’s closing thoughts: I hope that people would remember me as a guy that set the standard for new students and as someone who was able to really find a closeness to the Lord. 

Coach Mallernee’s comments: Todd has worked hard to prepare for a successful season.