March and April happenings

At the beginning of March, Mercer was recognized again at the school. There was a senior assembly for Senior Superlatives (like "most likely to succeed"... "best dressed"... etc). The Superlatives were voted on by other Senior classmates. After that presentation, was a presentation called "Who's Who of MHS." Mercer and 29 other students (30 total) were named as a "Who's Who." (This is voted on by teachers.) 

The kids have a certain GPA to be on a list is emailed out to the teachers.... and then they have to get enough votes from the teachers - which generally speaks of your character. (I'm sure it helps that he's a teacher's kid although another teacher has a daughter graduating who didn't get named...??). The nickname when they announced after his name was "Batter Up."  (so a baseball nod) 

There are certain high-achieving students that get ALL of the awards, so it was nice that he got some sort of recognition!  I guess other teachers think he's a nice kid....oops... a nice young man.... too.  :)  

Our neighbor Orie - a MHS alum from 40 years ago +/- was super impressed that M was a Who's Who. He said back in his day that was a huge honor @ MHS.  

I don't think I posted previously that Mercer made the MHS baseball team in his Senior year. (He should have made it!!  ... he had the highest college offer of any of the players on the team and the coach would look bad if he didn't put him on the team!!) 

This was his 5th year playing for MHS since he made the JV team in 8th grade.  At the end of 11th grade, he wanted nothing to do with the high school team.  

When winter workouts started up this school year, we encouraged him NOT to try out -- instead to do academy ball (like a travel team). But he changed his mind from 11th grade and went for it. 

Here is his "official senior baseball photo" (we didn't buy it because of the reflection off of his glasses....) so we used the one that they put in the baseball program instead (the one above where he is in the "suit on top" / baseball pants on bottom - which are out of the frame!)  haha.

These are the other seniors on the team.  (there are lots of poses with the seniors each year - they make a big deal about senior players.) 

7 guys. 

The photographer likes to get the boys to line up and take turns - one with each boy featured in front.  Here is this year's lineup for Mercer's feature.  We have one from last year too.

And this photo is of the 5 guys who were on the team for 5 years - all starting in 8th grade.  

The baseball situation was a little bit better this year than it was last.... but not much. Mercer did get a little more playing time, but very little compared to the "chosen" clique of kids. He did well when he went in. We don't understand. Other parents on the team said the same thing -- they didn't understand why he barely played either. 

He pitched in one game the whole season.  And - surprisingly - we have a couple great photos of it!  A friend of his happed to be taking pictures at the field that night & sent a couple of photos to Mercer. 

There was a full moon - so they are cool, cool shots!  (And the photos got some mileage... Mercer used one as an announcement photo for an Instagram page for MHS Seniors and another shows up in the yearbook!)

But, the MOST memorable thing that happened was that he got the RARE chance to START in a game. During his 1st at-bat... on the first pitch he saw, he realized it was a good pitch and knocked the ball out of the park... a HOME RUN!  He did well at his other at-bats too.

You can see it unfold in this series of photos that a photographer we know who happened to be at this game. Luck was on our side - as she was only contracted to work at 7 or 8 of the Wheeler games in the season.  YAY! that she was at the MHS game that was playing! 

She didn't capture where the ball went (Todd got that in a video - which obviously doesn't post here)...

but she did get the celebration after he crossed the plate and how happy he was. 

Here are more batting shots (a base hit here)

.... and here's a bunt that was actually executed well (the kids are told to bunt all the time, but they rarely get on base. This is another thing we never understood either!)

He did well fielding. (Todd said he made a "sliding catch" in the outfield which is always exciting.)  But then he didn't really get anymore play time in the games after that. Maybe a token "pinch-hit" or something. 

We just don't understand!  :(

And on base....

Here are more photos from that game - we'll take whatever we can get!!

The best thing about this "rare opportunity" -- this was in front of a bunch of his former Little League teammates who are districted to play at Wheeler. (This is the school that he had wanted - at the end of his Junior year - to come play for if we could figure out a way to transfer him to another school... which we couldn't.)  

So - in front of several sets of parents and kids that he "grew up with" -- he got to shine.  They got to share it with us / with him. (Even though it was against their team, they were happy for him.)  There were a couple of others there as well... the mother who lost her son during covid (#12 that the Little League guys always wore on their uniform) - that mom (Dawn) was there - she goes to some of the games every now and then. This is where her son would have gone.  And, the mom of another former Little League player who takes photos for the school. -- her handiwork above.

 

The night after this one was Senior night at MHS (also against the same team - just on MHS field). There were lots of photos there too - a professional photographer who comes out to all of the big MHS events was there to shoot this one. 

Unfortunately, I did not order photos in time before he took them off of his page.

Luckily, I had gone through them and taken pictures with my camera of the computer (so they're fuzzy), but you can still see what they look like. 

They have this thing called "Diamond Dolls" - high school girls who help out in the concession stand. They recognized Seniors who volunteered as a part of that organization / school club.  The players had to all escort a Diamond Doll.

The mayor came out to recognize the boys 

(and brought his own sign!)

Then, the boys were recognized. 

The moms got (beautiful) flowers. 

There was a dinner for the boys and families. 

And decorations at each table including photos of the boys, a bucket with college logos and snacks + a gift that we didn't know what it was, but apparently it is something that is very useful in college:  a backpack laundry bag.  (The mom who planned Senior night had a daughter who was in college, so she had experience / knew something useful instead of a trinket.)

But I did sort of "beg" him for this photo.  It is a KEEPER and I wanted something I could possibly print!  

Other things that happened in March & April...

Todd and I celebrated our 28th anniversary.