1975-1978
Baseball
Inducted October 22, 2004
139th Inductee
Tom Merritt was a standout second baseman for Frostburg State from 1975-1978 and is widely considered one of the top all-around players at that position in school history. He helped the Bobcats to a 95-51-1 record and three NAIA Tournament appearances.
After hitting .273 with two doubles, two home runs and eight RBI as a freshman, Merritt’s sophomore numbers soared to .354 with five doubles, one home run, 23 RBI, 27 walks and 27 runs scored as FSU finished 35-8-1, qualified for the NAIA District Tournament and earned a No. 18 final national ranking.
As a junior, Merritt hit .325 with six doubles, three home runs and 15 RBI, and he led the team with 20 runs scored. He also struck out just three times in 101 plate appearances, or one out of every 33.7 appearances, which ties for the third-best ratio in school history. The Bobcats finished 18-13 and once again advanced to the NAIA District Tournament.
In his senior season, Merritt paced FSU in games played (37), at-bats (124) and runs (29) to go along with a .295 batting average, 16 RBI and a career-high four home runs. The Bobcats finished 20-17 and won the Mason-Dixon Conference championship.
For his career, Merritt hit .304 with 108 hits, 88 runs, 62 RBI, 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 156 total bases, a .439 slugging percentage, 21 stolen bases, 22 sacrifices and 63 walks. At the time of his induction, he was fourth on the FSU career charts in sacrifices, tied for eighth in games played and tied for 10th in strikeout-to-plate appearances (one every 14.5).
