Best HS Baseball Player in SC

Eastside has the Best high school baseball player in SC

Peter Mershon is the best player in South Carolina

Mershon (6-foot-2, 195 pounds) is rated the state's No. 1 player in the senior class by The Diamond Prospects. His second-best position other than catcher, according to that source and others like Baseball America and Perfect Game, is third base. After all, that’s where he started as an 8th-grader for a state championship team.

Mershon committed to Mississippi State, but he might not get there because he’s such a high prospect for the pros. There were two Major League scouts at last Wednesday’s game at Gaffney, and it mattered not the least to them that Mershon wasn't behind the dish. It gave them an even better chance to see his athleticism.

Mershon was in center, a place most catchers can reach only on overthrows. 

He tracked down a sinking line drive that seemed sure to be a one-hop RBI single, but he gloved it on the fly and the runners back-tracked in a hurry. Mershon flashed his speed on the bases, too. He smashed a hard grounder straight to the shortstop and still beat the throw by a couple of steps.

Mershon normally plays catcher on Mondays and Fridays in the typical three-game series format of Region 2-AAAAA. In between, he rests his knees by sprinting for balls hit into the alleys.

“We just don’t feel comfortable with him catching three days a week,” Eastside coach Scott Erwin said. “We give him a break on Wednesdays.”

Mershon, to be clear, wants to be a catcher. Maybe a catcher who also chases fly balls in major league stadiums. But a catcher, nonetheless.

“He’ll be a catcher as long as he can,” Erwin said.

“I love it,” Mershon said. “You’re involved in every play. You’re the leader on the field. You’re in control.”

Mershon played two seasons at Eastside with brother David Merson, who went to Mississippi State and was picked in the 18th round of last year’s draft by the Los Angeles Angels. The elder Mershon, who plays every infield position, was recently assigned to begin this season at Triple-A Salt Lake.

“He taught me a lot,” Peter said. “He plays the game so hard. Baseball is a game of highs and lows and he knows how to stay in the middle, whether he’s 4-for-4 or 0-for-4. I want to be exactly the same.”

Mershon knows the pro scouts are there at almost every game, even if they come late and leave early because they’ve seen enough.

“I’m trying not to think about anything besides helping my team win,” Mershon said. “Whatever happens is what’s going to happen. I can’t control that.”

Mershon hit .522 last season with six home runs, 21 RBIs and nine doubles with 11 stolen bases. He had 17 walks and was struck out three times.

“He doesn’t give days away,” Erwin said. “He’s always focused. He never just comes in and goes through the motions. He’s got a purpose, whether it’s throwing, whether it’s hitting, whatever it is, he knows he is working towards a bigger goal.”

How big is that goal?

“It’s high,” Erwin said. “It’s very high.”