BASEBALL: Port Angeles’ Brody Merritt signs to play for Lower Columbia

PORT ANGELES — The reigning Olympic League MVP will pitch for a familiar face on a squad with a couple of former high school teammates.

Port Angeles senior Brody Merritt put pen to paper on his letter of intent to pitch for Northwest Athletic Conference baseball powerhouse Lower Columbia College

Merritt will play for former Roughrider standout Eric Lane and will be reunited with his former Port Angeles and Wilder Baseball Club teammates in pitcher Hayden Woods and catcher Joel Wood.

Brody’s dad Rob, a former Wilder head coach, coached Lane for three seasons and is thrilled to entrust Lane with his oldest son.

“It’s probably the best position Brody could ever be in,” Rob Merritt said. “We are comfortable with Eric and most importantly, he’s a great guy. Thrilled to have him coach Brody.

Papa Merritt said he went down memory lane during his signing ceremony speech.

“When he was born, he was five weeks early and he weighed 6 pounds and was 20 inches long,” Merritt said.

“And he’s now 6-feet tall and 220 pounds.”

Merritt posted an exceptional stat line last spring, going 8-1 overall with a 0.933 ERA in 45 innings pitched.

He allowed 34 hits, just six earned runs and struck out 54 batters as Port Angeles reached the state tournament.

Lane is excited to bring the big right-hander on board.

“I really enjoy how competitive he is,” Lane said. “That goes without his stuff. He gets up there and wants to attack hitters. And he can get ahead of hitters with his fastball. The velo[city] will follow with getting him in the weight room. We will work with him on his mechanics to make him even better at this level. I’ve seen him throw a few changeups and work in the curve ball and he knows he has areas to get better there. But he has a good foundation to work off of and I think he’s a very coachable kid.”

That’s exactly what new Port Angeles baseball head coach Casey Dietz had to say about Merritt. Dietz was an assistant with the Riders last season, working primarily with the pitching staff, so he’s familiar with Merritt’s abilities and mindset.

“He’s a joy to coach who is always wanting to learn more about the game and improve his craft,” Dietz said.

“Brody is an absolute competitor. When he toes the rubber we know we have a chance to win.”

“We will work with him over the next year to get better on the things he needs to do to improve to get to the next level [a four-year school. But I love how much of a competitor he is and how much he works at improving his craft.”

Lane said he’s happy to maintain the Port Angeles to LC talent pipeline.

“I’ve really enjoyed coaching the Port Angeles kids,” Lane said. “The guys that we have are tough kids that want to work at it and get better. This program isn’t for everybody and we are excited to bring a kid with Brody’s character and toughness on the team.

“I think it will be good for all three of those guys. Joel and Hayden have been outstanding with their work ethic and getting better they’ve been two of our most improved and hardest-working players [through fall ball].”

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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.