Baseball - Boys - Varsity | Mercersburg Academy

A sign in Mercersburg’s home dugout reads “Tradition Doesn’t Graduate.” That tradition, dating to 1894, includes five Major League Baseball players, numerous conference titles, and four Pennsylvania Independent Schools state championships. The Blue Storm plays a challenging schedule that begins each spring with a preseason trip to Florida, and a regular-season slate that features schools from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and the Washington, D.C. area.
Recent graduates have gone on to compete at all three NCAA collegiate levels and the pro ranks, including the major leagues. Josh Edgin ’06 pitched for the New York Mets for six years and spent time in the Baltimore Orioles’ and Washington Nationals’ organizations, and Christian Binford ’11 reached Class AAA as a pitcher in the Kansas City Royals’ organization; he also pitched in the Orioles’ and Detroit Tigers’ systems. Other recent alumni have played (or are currently playing) at Bates, Cornell, George Washington, Harvard, Holy Cross, Fairfield, Marist, Mount St. Mary’s, Navy, St. Joseph’s, Tampa, and West Virginia.
The varsity team won or shared the Mid-Atlantic Prep League title every season from 2011 to 2018.
Mercersburg practices and plays on Cannon Field, one of the premier baseball fields in the area. The facility features impressive team dugout areas and a state-of-the art scoreboard; it underwent significant upgrades in 2005 in honor of Bruce Eckert ’62 and was named in honor of Phil Cannon ’46 in 2021. The junior varsity team trains on a separate, well-maintained field in close proximity to the varsity field.

Matthew Jacobs

Assistant Director of Summer and External Programs and Head Baseball Coach

Bio

Matthew Jacobs joined Mercersburg Academy in 2017 as assistant director of summer and external programs and an assistant varsity baseball coach; he became head coach in 2019–2020. Matt played baseball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He was born and raised in Florida, enjoys the four seasons that Pennsylvania brings, and is a big Philadelphia sports fan. Matt lives with his wife, Lauren (interim director of athletics for programs and student experience and the school’s head softball coach), and their mini labradoodle, Reese and golden retriever, Riggie, in Fowle Hall.

Zach Swope

Interim Director of Admission

Bio

Zach Swope came to Mercersburg from The Webb School in Bell Buckle, TN, where he was an associate director of admission and dormitory head. He has also worked as a research technologist at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Zach graduated from The Potomac School in McLean, VA, and received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hendrix College, and a masters in education from Vanderbilt University in the summer of 2021. He and his wife, Shelley (the admission visit coordinator), live on campus in South Cottage, where Shelley is the dorm dean.

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