John Merkh enters his third season with the Mighty Macs baseball program. Merkh serves as the Mighty Macs head assistant coach and recruiting coordinator. Coach Merkh is in charge of all team defense, coaches third base while running the Might Macs offense, and oversees the baseball programs recruiting.
In 2021 under Merkh’s tutelage, the Mighty Macs offense constantly applied pressure to opposing teams having fewer strikeouts than any team in the Atlantic East Conference during conference play. The Mighty Macs also had more walks than strikeouts during the 2021 campaign and were in the top three in almost every offensive statistical category in the Atlantic East. The Mighty Macs also averaged more extra-base hits per game and runs per game than any previous team in school history.
Merkh first started his coaching career in June of 2012 as the pitching coach at Camden County College in Blackwood, NJ. In his first season at Camden County, the Cougars went on to win the Garden State Athletic Conference and finished Region XIX Runners up with a 38-7 record. Merkh coached one of the top pitchers in the NJCAA that year, Billy Jackson, a first-team NJCAA All-American.
After the 2013 season, Merkh was promoted to the head assistant position and recruiting coordinator position. Merkh was able to recruit nationally, bringing players from all over the map, such as Texas, Florida, and even Canada. Merkh held that position until he was promoted to Head Baseball coach in the summer of 2016. Merkh spent over two years at the helm of Camden County College, where he led the Cougars to back-to-back Region XIX playoff appearances. Merkh assisted with moving over a dozen of his players onto NCAA programs.
In 2017, Merkh’s first year at the helm, the Cougars baseball program broke the school single-season home runs record while the pitching staff broke the single-season strike out record. The Cougars posted a 28-23 record that season while defeating nationally-ranked teams such as Onondaga, Bergen, Northampton, and Brookdale community college.
In 2018, The Cougars posted a 30-18 record, which is tied for 3rd most wins in a season in school history. The Cougars pitching staff once again broke the school record for strikeouts. The Cougars once again defeated nationally ranked programs such as Northampton, Bergen, and Brookdale.
In December of 2018, Merkh resigned from Camden County College to take the pitching coach position at Stockton University in January of 2019. Merkh helped the Ospreys get off to their best start in school history (10-0) and coached two-time NJAC Pitcher of the Week, Ray Hughes.
Merkh currently resides in Deptford, New Jersey, with his wife Brittany and his sons Jackson and Hunter.
