December 19th, 2018 - Blackwood, N.J.
The Cougars Head Baseball Coach, John Merkh, has stepped down from his position at Camden County College. Merkh, started his career as a baseball player in 2008 and has been part of the Cougars baseball program ever since. Merkh now heads to Stockton University where he will be joining a brand new coaching staff as the pitching coach for the Ospreys.
Coach Merkh took over the Cougars in the summer of 2016. In 2017, the Cougars baseball program broke the school single season home runs record (24). That same season, the pitching staff also broke the school single season strikeouts record (362). In 2018, the Cougars eclipsed the 30 win mark for the just the 4th time in Cougar baseball history. The pitching staff once again broke the school single season strikeouts record (367). Off the field, the Cougars baseball program team grade point average has raised up tremendously. Coach Merkh assisted in moving over a dozen student athletes on to NCAA institutions to continue their academic and athletic careers.
Merkh had this to say about the Cougars baseball program. "I started in this program when I was 18 years old. I truly can not say enough good things about what this program did for me. I was blessed to be a part of some great teams from 2009-2011 and was very fortunate to have the opportunity to give back and become part of the coaching staff in 2012. I've been able to be around some really great people over the years. The players and their family's, the faculty, and all of the coaches I worked with; I was very fortunate to be around some really special Cougars that have made a major impact of where I am at today. I am very sad to leave my roots, the Cougar family will always be a big part of my life and I will not forget that. I am looking forward to what the future holds at Stockton, but my blood will always run Cougar blue. I'd like to finish by saying thank you to all of the people I have been fortunate to come across in this journey. I know the Cougars baseball program will continue to do great things in the future. Roll Cougs."
Merkh finishes his career at the helm of the Cougars program with a 58-41 record. The Cougars kept the winning tradition going steady under Merkh qualifying for the Region XIX playoffs back to back seasons. The Cougars are currently ranked 7th in the country in the Division III NJCAA Great Lakes Bat Company Poll. https://cbscout.net/2018/12/25/the-jbb-division-3-pre-season-top-30-presented-by-the-great-lakes-bat-co/ Merkh coached numerous NJCAA Academic All-Americans in 2017 and 2018 and leaves the Cougars primed for another run in 2019 on the Region XIX stage.
Applicants interested in applying for the Head Baseball Coaching position are asked to apply below. The hiring process will start immediately until the job is filled.
https://jobs.camdencc.edu/postings/5213