Lucas Chen '27 < Back New family (part 2) Lucas Chen '27 Sep 27, 2024 With the sad departure of many faculty members last year, the Mercersburg Academy community welcomed a number of new faculty members, each aiming to make the school a better place. Chelsea Begg, the new English teacher, joined the school from overseas. “ Before Mercersburg, I was living in Dublin, Ireland. I was studying and received my MPhil in Modern & Contemporary Literature at Trinity College Dublin.” She also holds two bachelor's degrees, English and Writing & Rhetoric, from Hobart and William Smith Colleges. “ I teach tenth grade English and AS Literature and Composition. I am most excited about being part of the Mercersburg community! Everyone is so friendly and welcoming. It's been such a wonderful experience so far!” Interestingly, Begg also ventured to Thailand and Cambodia to help develop school education programs before teaching in the States. Christopher Bright, a native of Philadelphia and a new science department faculty member, came from Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, VA, where he also taught science. Bright currently teaches freshman biology and honors chemistry. “ What am I most excited about? Learning in a new community. Learning about the people, my colleagues, the surrounding areas, and finding ways to contribute to a great school, " said Bright. Bright not only holds a Master of Arts in Teaching degree from Brown University but is also an avid triathlete and trail runner who has represented Team USA for the Triathlon World Championships in Denmark in 2001 and New Zealand in 2012. Tara Collier, the new mathematics fellow, was a full-time swim coach prior to coming to Mercersburg. "I currently teach two sections of statistics, and I am one of the assistant swim coaches," Collier said. In addition, Collier is most excited about seeing students' growth inside and outside the classroom and continuing to live inside a strong community filled with welcoming people. Andrea Dumont, the Director of Student Activities and a language teacher, has brought her experiences teaching various subjects in the U.S., Guatemala, and Ecuador to the Academy. She received her bachelor's degree in Spanish from Elon University and her master's degree in National and Transitional Studies: Literature, Culture, and Language from the University of Münster in Germany. Dumont currently teaches Spanish II Honors, helps with student activity interns, serves dorm duty in Swank and an advisory group. "I am most excited about being a part of the community and after four years in Florida, I am excited for four different seasons again!" Previous Previous Next Next

Kyle Hwang '26 < Back Just keep swimming (with the pros) Kyle Hwang '26 Oct 13, 2023 On September 30, Mercersburg Academy’s boys and girls swimming competed in its annual intrasquad Blue and White meet during Family and Alumni Weekend. The teams also competed in non-swimming events like volleyball, kickball, and a bellyflop contest. The team has a strong group of returning and new swimmers who are already preparing for the important winter season. “The team is doing very well so far,” assistant coach Steve Fowler said. “We lost a lot of seniors last year, especially on the boys side, about twelve people. On the girls side, we have some talented seniors, which is good. But the boys are especially young. So it has been hard to reload, but we are really happy with the ones we picked up. You see the excitement for next year because they are developing and are already getting better this year. We have some real talents.” On October 7, Mercersburg Academy invited Keystone Aquatics, Waynesboro Arena, and Shepherd University Wellness to compete in a USA Swimming invitational hosted at the Lloyd Aquatic Center. The invitational brought together many talented swimmers from across the country, a great learning opportunity for the Blue Storm swimmers. Fowler commented, “To watch somebody that was pro-level against us really helped. It boosts our kids. It was a very different atmosphere but we haven’t gotten any duel meets yet. That’s our high school competitive season, while right now is what we call a USA invitational season.” During fall practices, the team has focused on strengthening and mock competition. Ingrid Janney ’24 said, “Now that we’re back in season, we are definitely doing a lot more yardage. We just started lifting again as well and doing more intense stuff. A lot more swimming, a lot more lifting.” As always, the swim team seems to be united behind one goal: winning the combined title in the Eastern Interscholastic Championship meet. Fowler said, “Winning Easterns last year was a big deal. We had never actually won the combined title before. We’ve won the boys, we’ve won the girls, but we had never won the combined before. It’s really hard to do. But we still want to be up there on the podium.” Fowler elaborated, “By the end of the fall term, we really want to be at a point as a team where we are ready to hit the intense training and step into our high school competitive season and just show everybody else who Mercersburg is. We want to have the trophy.” Previous Next

Kaden Yang ’29 < Back Basketball MAPL opener Kaden Yang ’29 Jan 16, 2026 Last weekend, the varsity basketball teams faced The Hill School, resulting in a dominant 70-52 win for the girls and a hard-fought 86-74 loss for the boys. The highly anticipated game drew a large crowd, filling the gym with energy and support for both teams, fueling the players' determination to claim Mid-Atlantic Prep League contests of the season. Michael Kremers ‘26 reflected, “It was a great atmosphere to be able to play our first MAPL game. It was really great seeing everybody just buy into the game.” The girls varsity team came into the game fully prepared and quickly settled into their rhythm with a clear game plan in mind. Head coach Paul Sipes stated, “We had watched the film, talked about our matchups, and talked about what they were going to try and do. We took advantage of the mismatches that we knew were going to exist, like Alli (Caretti ’26) in the post. Pretty much anytime we wanted to score two points, we'd just give it to Alli.” Throughout the game, the girls derailed the Hill offense with defensive discipline while securing key rebounds. Nicole Leung ‘26 stated, “We’ve been focusing on not letting the other team get their offensive rebound. We were boxing out really hard today.” Sipes stated, “What we did well was find each other in spaces where we could do things. We had one series where Nicole went in, and we set a half-court set for her to get a three in the corner, and we crushed that.” Lilly Killinger ‘26 said, “This is a huge win for us. It's our first MAPL win, and this year they ranked us fifth, which is really poor, especially since we’ve been finishing in the top three in the past three years. So being fifth was kind of a slap in the face, and they ranked [Hill] a tail higher than us. So to beat them and prove that we are better than them was really great today.” The boys reflected on their loss. Head coach Sean Crocker stated, “We fought in spurts; we just couldn’t close it. We had a couple of opportunities, we got to a great shot offensive lead, but it just didn’t fall. I thought we did a good job attacking their bigs with the ball screens to the point where most of the second half, they didn't have either one of their bigs in the game.” Kellen Greene ‘28 added, “This [game] is just to show us where we’re at in the MAPL. First MAPL game, it's always going to be tough. We came here to set up banners. This is just the beginning of MAPL.” Both teams showed determination, playing hard and delivering strong performances. With lessons learned, they are ready to improve, compete, and win. Previous Next

Kyle Hwang '26 < Back Stomping the snails Kyle Hwang '26 Sep 22, 2023 Mercersburg Academy’s volleyball, girls soccer, girls tennis, and field hockey teams traveled to Madeira School last week on Wednesday to compete in the first round of the M Cup, an annual athletic competition between the two schools. The volleyball squad has been plagued by injuries, but they remained determined to win. Volleyball player Alyssa Lee ’25 said, “Our team barely had a preseason, so we had to rush to assign positions and learn rotations. Thankfully the new players came with a positive attitude and everyone got along quickly, so it wasn’t hard to play well together.” Volleyball lost to Madeiralast year in the M Cup, so they were even hungrier to win this year. This hunger and grit ensured their win. The girls soccer team entered the field with a similar mindset to the volleyball team. Defender Nina McDowell ’25 stated, “Our team practiced the things we needed to work on. Last Saturday, we played a tough game against the Pennington School, so we needed to keep the intensity up for the M Cup. The team’s goal was to beat Madeira. We were determined to play our best since we lost to them by a close margin last year.” Win they did, beating Madeira 3 to 0. The coaches commented that the players played a decent game with effective communication and flow throughout. Tennis player Hisano Enomoto ’25 indicated that the tennis team was preparing for the M Cup by building consistency. Still, she noted that the team’s goal during the match was to have fun and enjoy the intense rivalry. The positive mindset brought the girls a victory. Enomoto added, “The result was 4-3. We are happy for the victory and for the continuation of our winning streak, but I experienced a different team dynamic compared to the past seasons…. [H]opefully we can keep working on team bonding.” Field hockey showed a similar mindset. Alexis Chepren ’26 commented on field hockey’s approach. “We are trying really hard in practice by hustling and working to get to where we want to be. Part of that is to beat Madeira in the M Cup. Our goal is to push ourselves from the start to end to score a lot of good goals. We will work together and communicate to perform effective plays.” Despite the diligence of the players, field hockey wound up on the wrong end of a 8-0 score. Last week’s results give the Blue Storm a 3-1 advantage over the Snails heading into the winter sports season. Previous Next

Sheily Ramirez ’28 < Back Heartfelt finish for the storm Sheily Ramirez ’28 Nov 14, 2025 Last Thursday, the varsity girls soccer team poured sweat, tears, collaboration, and hard work into their final Commonwealth Cup game against the Hill School under the lights. The girls were ready to leave it all on the field in their final game of the season. The game ended in a close 1–0 loss for Storm players. Alice Morgan ’26 said, “There was a lot of pressure because we had already lost against Hill this season, and we had worked hard to get to play them again, having to beat other teams to get there.” The matchup was intense from the start, but despite Hill’s early pressure, the Storm stayed strong, goalkeeper Annie Mohr ’26 keeping the team in the match with several key saves. “It felt good, even though the outcome wasn’t what we wanted,” Mohr said. Head coach Kristen Pixler added, “We played well against a very evenly matched team. We had an unfortunate bobble and miscommunication that led to Hill getting on the board.” Assistant coach Nabil Alami added, “I felt the girls gave everything on the pitch. They really went the extra mile. It was very close in the score; it could’ve gone either way.” Throughout the game, the team’s unity and effort stood out. “The team put a lot of heart and effort into this game; we never gave up or turned on each other,” said Lilly Killinger ’26. Even when they fell behind, the energy on the field and in the stands remained high. “The crowd was really energetic, which definitely gave us a lot of energy,” Mohr added. The team’s improvement shone in this performance. “At the beginning of the season, there was a lot more selfish play, but over time we’ve gotten a lot stronger,” said Grace Himes ’28. Pixler stated, “This group really understands the game. Their tactical skill and communication are the areas of biggest growth.” Still, the season did not remain free from challenges. “There were a lot of injuries this season, especially for our attacking players, but I think we did a good job compensating for that,” explained Emily Wallace ’29. Mohr said, “We were an underdog team for a lot of the season, so that was a challenge, but we’ve made a good record this year.” Despite the setbacks, the team’s chemistry only strengthened. Killinger said, “Favorite memory from this season was when last year we beat Lawrenceville 1–0. They said it was a fluke, and then this year we drove out to Lawrenceville and beat them again, two to one. It was really exciting to show that it wasn’t a fluke, that we really are a great team.” Coach Alami reflected on the team’s progress, saying, “From week one to last week, they’ve been tremendous. They’ve improved their transitions, passes, shots, corners, and free kicks.” Pixler credited the senior class for shaping the team. “They remember that we play the game of soccer and that no matter how badly you want to win, your integrity and quality of character come first,” she said. Although the game ended in a tight loss, it was a night to remember. As Morgan put it, “Everyone was in tears, even people I hadn’t seen cry. It was really emotional.” This game marked the end of a meaningful chapter for the team. Previous Next

The boys and girls varsity squash teams are hoping to set records this season as they storm into the winter season. Last year, the varsity girls team became Division IV National Champions- a feat that they hope to top... < Back Squashing the competition Gabe McGuire '24 Dec 9, 2022 The boys and girls varsity squash teams are hoping to set records this season as they storm into the winter season. Last year, the varsity girls team became Division IV National Champions- a feat that they hope to top. “[the teams’] first goal is to see if they can win Division III,” said boys varsity coach, Ryan Tyree, who assists Mike Sweeney, the girls head coach. The girls aren’t the only ones with high expectations. Last season, “The boys placed their highest in school history in the middle of the Division III bracket, but this year we are hopeful we will be able to jump again to the 1st division, which is for the top 16 teams in the USA,” said Tyree. Motivated by their lofty goals, both teams have already seen success. “The boys season opener was a marathon. We played Baltimore's Gilman School first, a squad that was the no. 10 team in the U.S. last season - we had some chances but narrowly lost 3-4, so we are really looking forward to another chance to try and reverse that result! The highlight came next with our 4-3 win over Lawrenceville, a team our school has not defeated in living memory,” said Tyree. The girls’ have also seen a strong start, participating in a series of home matches, against The Hill School, Shady Side Academy, and St. Catherine’s School. They finished 8-1, 9-0, and 3-6, respectively. The teams’ successes and ambitious season goals can partially be attributed to the high-caliber players on both teams, including both squash recruits and players who have trained their way onto the ladder. Tyree stated, “We have had this amazing 10-court facility since 2005, and it's been my dream since interviewing that we could use our strength as a school to attract some top players to the teams. I would say that my only secret to successfully attracting high-level players is the relationships I've made along the way, coaching at other schools and competing over the last 15 years in the squash world. We have made other adjustments along the way, such as finally opening up our first-ever fall squash club, Rising Storm, to allow our college-bound athletes to stay sharp in the pre-season ahead of our team season in winter.” Spectators beware, as both teams are cut out for a stellar season! After a series of away games during the rest of this short winter school season before Christmas break, both teams will return to the courts in January ready for the competition. Previous Next

Michael Zhang '26 < Back Loves, wins, and loving wins Michael Zhang '26 Oct 13, 2023 Last Friday, Mercersburg Academy’s girls tennis team defeated Garrison Forest School 8-1. Hisano Enomoto ’25, Ava Shanefelter ’26, and Bella Tai ’25 swept their matches as the team improved to 5-4 on the season. The team welcomed several former JV players who diligently worked to earn their spots alongside varsity players. Coach Mike Sweeney said, “We lost our number two, three, five, six, and even our nine, and ten [of the ladder]. So it’s a different group, but I still think these guys are competing really well.” Manager Ben Cho ’24 spoke about the new dynamic: “I’m glad that players such as Ava Marathe [’26], Anezka Pospisilova [’26], and Bella Tai [’25] improved a lot last year and are able to play on varsity.” The team also introduced several new players like Shanefelter and Amy Wang ’27. Marathe said, “I like Ava [Shanefelter]; she’s a really good player. It’s good to have new players like her because they can bring their experience of where they were before to Mercersburg.” Sweeney said, “Amy Wang has made really good progress. Her serve was so much better than a few weeks ago. She’s a good player. Hopefully, she’ll inch her way up into the top six in the future.” Girls JV tennis defeated Grier School 7-1. The team is now 3-4 on the season. Jeff Cohen returned as coach after a hiatus of several years. Ruby Shang ’24 said, “He is really responsible for all of us. We also bond through Cohen; we all think he is a great addition [to the team]. Cho added, “Cohen played a big role because last year, [the team] was more separate, and the JV coach wasn’t quite fluent at coaching last year. It’s good to have a more experienced coach this year.” Looking ahead, the team is in high spirits. Cohen stated, “My goal is for kids to have fun, and learn some skills.” Lisa Wei ’26 echoed the team’s hunger for victory: “Since we have a lot of new players, our main goal for this season is to win some matches, and to stay positive.” The teams haven't gotten to where they are without challenges: the transition from last year hasn’t been all smooth sailing. Emily Tan ’24 talked about the new team dynamic: “This year, we have a lot of different players on varsity. I feel like we are like a brand-new team. We have to play more with each other, especially as double partners.” Enomoto elaborated, “In the past years, we have always had players with more experience, who were more serious about playing the game. But now, rather than trying to win hard, we’re trying to have fun.” However, the team is standing firm as they adapt to the new team dynamic. The team has bonded tightly and is currently working with the mindset to improve. Arpi Karapetyan ’24 said, “The team spirit is really high. All the girls are really excited to play tennis and [to be] on the team.” Tan added, “We still have a lot of good players. And I love how we always support each other. Even though tennis is an individual sport, we still cheer for each other.” Previous Next

William Luo ’27 < Back Swim team makes a splash William Luo ’27 Nov 14, 2025 The Mercersburg Academy swim team impressed at its home invitational last weekend, logging strong results across multiple events and showing steady improvement early in the season. Head coach Matt Hurst said, “The team performed really well. They showed enthusiasm in training, and the coaches knew that they were going to show up in this meet.” Assistant coach Steve Fowler added, “We had some surprisingly good swims, which were uncommon this early in the year. And the events that we were comparatively off were executed really well.” The meet featured individual standouts as well as close training-partner battles that added to the excitement. “Matt Krause ’26 performed really well on the backstroke and did really well on the 200 breaststroke,” said Coach Fowler. “Teagan Mewett ’27 in her breaststroke events, too, especially at an early-November meet. Those two really stand out early in the year.” The day’s highlights came in the final event. “Jayden Kwon ’27 and Josh Lopez ’26 basically swam in sync for the entirety of the race in the 500 freestyle, which was the last event of the meet,” said Coach Matt. “They both achieved really good times, and it showed just how strong a team we are.” For many swimmers, the invitational was a chance to measure progress and build momentum heading into the heart of the season. “I think this meet shows how much we are improving throughout the season and how we can do in different events,” Kwon recalled. Lopez commented that the team’s success was the product of months of demanding work. “There are definitely hard training, hard lifts, and tough days,” he said. “But it is definitely rewarding overall because when tiredness strikes, you always have your teammates around you, so it makes up for the pain.” “There was fatigue, but the team also pushed on and finished the meet with amazing performances,” Coach Hurst noted. “This demonstrates that tiredness doesn’t always dictate the outcome of the practice or the meet, so I believe we are in a pretty good place.” Senior Tuana Özdemir ’26 added, “I was always afraid of any events that are 200 meters or above,” she said. “I got to conquer that over the season and was more confident in the meet as I achieved great times on those events.” The Mercersburg swim team graduated a large senior class last year, but the coaches see this season as an opportunity to rebuild depth and develop the next wave of contributors. As Hurst said, “It weakened some of our top-end events. But what we have is a building block and a good foundation. We have great depth this year, especially the younger swimmers, who have shown up for practices and had really good performances this past weekend.” Looking forward, the coaching staff emphasized building a lasting, athlete-driven team culture. “It’s really about creating an environment where everybody is a leader of themselves,” Fowler said. “It’s not just about the seniors. We want even the younger swimmers to be part of that. That kind of culture is what we want to build upon.” Previous Next

Gigi Devlin '24 < Back Colleges flock to the 'burg Gigi Devlin '24 Oct 14, 2022 Fall is the season of college visits. However, due to Mercersburg’s location, many colleges are faraway and difficult to travel to. While sometimes it is possible for students to visit schools during breaks and long weekends, it is not always a realistic option. For students looking outside of this region, it would be quite difficult to fly all the way to California over a long weekend just to see a school. Because of this, throughout the fall the college counseling department is organizing college admission officers’ visits to campus in order to make looking into colleges more accessible. Mike Conklin, Director of College Counseling, said, “In a boarding school environment where students have fewer opportunities to visit the colleges they are most interested in, these visits can be a valuable opportunity to gather important information.” The opportunity is not only useful to learn more about the colleges, but also for the colleges to learn more about Mercersburg. Conklin believes that such visits allow Mercersburg to “demonstrate an interest in the college and meet the individual who is likely to read applications submitted by students from Mercersburg Academy. We also hope the admission representative has an opportunity to learn about our distinct programs—like MAPS and Springboard—so they have the necessary context when reviewing our students' applications.” College admissions officers feel the same way about the opportunity. “What I love most about visiting is really getting to know where students are coming from. That’s why we visit - to be able to see your school, see your community, see your resources. We can imagine it from what you write but nothing will ever beat seeing the real thing,” says Paola Franco, Pomona college admissions officer. One of the college visits this year from Trinity University in Texas was specifically designed to help international students with their college process. Lewis Pieyre ‘23 from Switzerland said, “I gained a lot of insight concerning the thoughts of different colleges concerning international students. It really helped because I had the opportunity to ask some questions concerning the early decision process and its implications.” Jasmine Zhu ‘23 was grateful for the efforts of the college counseling office: “I do appreciate very much that our college counselors at Mercersburg are making all the efforts to make as many in-person college visits as possible for us!” The visits are intended specifically for the needs of the senior class, “Many of our students are well informed by the fall term of the senior year, so we hope the information provided will focus most of all on these students' academic, co-curricular, and extracurricular interests, rather than serve as an introduction to the college or university,” says Conklin. This is a wonderful, unique opportunity being granted to students. “My biggest advice is to ask the questions that matter to you, this is the time to ask where we encourage students to be a bit selfish. It is about you, it is about your goals, your education. There are no silly questions, if it’s important to you, it matters,” Conklin advises. Previous Previous Next Next

Cole Piraino ’26  < Back The future is now Cole Piraino ’26 Oct 6, 2023 Though junior varsity teams rarely bask in the spotlight, the teams feature multiple talented players who will eventually represent the Blue Storm in varsity athletics. Mercersburg Academy’s boys junior varsity soccer, girls junior varsity soccer, and girls junior varsity tennis teams have all competed in several games and matches so far this season. The boys junior varsity soccer team has shown lots of growth throughout the season. Coaches Eduardo Magalhães and Glenn McKevitt have focused on creating an honest and successful squad. They’ve made it the team's mission to play soccer properly by practicing tactical strategies. Since every member of the team is hungry for victory, they have been taking their practices seriously. They have been particularly working on stamina and communication skills. The team suffered a tough opening of the season, losing its first four games. However, as the team is younger than last season, with lots of freshmen and sophomores, developing experience as a squad has been the key to later success. With the experience of prior games under their belt, the team defeated local rival St. James School, 5-1. Anderson Wang ’26 said, “A determining part in our victory comes from our improvements in being selfless on the ball.” The rest of the season looks bright and is something to be excited about. The girls junior varsity soccer team had a similarly rocky start, going scoreless in its first two games. Many of the girls junior varsity soccer players have barely ever played soccer before, but luckily the team dynamic is growing quickly. They finally scored against Madeira School in their third game to claim a win in the M Cup. With four more games left in their season, the team is more hopeful than ever. Key player Anneliese Iasiello ’26 said, “As a team full of people who are new to the sport, we’ve come a long way in finding everyone's strengths. There's a lot to look forward to in our future because we have a lot of potential. I think that we can win a few more games and grow the team bond.” To continue the pattern, the girls junior varsity tennis team hasn’t had an easy start either, but they are beginning to find their way. They fought hard in their match against Washington High School and won 7-4 on the road. Coach Jeff Cohen iss very happy with this year’s team and their performance in both practices and matches. He said, “We don’t always end up victorious in our matches, but we have learned a lot about tennis. I’ve consistently had a good time working with the girls.” Most importantly, the players are enjoying playing tennis and fighting to win along the way. Previous Next

Lisa Wei '26 < Back Roommates 4ever Lisa Wei '26 Nov 3, 2023 As many students at Mercersburg Academy know, it is rare to maintain a harmonious relationship with your roommate… especially for four years. This year, there are three pairs of four-year roommates in the Class of 2024: Crystal Yuen and Catherine Kidd; Erika Sowah and Olivia Wetzel; and Haris Yahaya and Dave Nguyen. Many of the four-year roommate pairs suggested how communication helped with their relationship. “I think it's really important that [roommates] try to work through their differences early, and not let the small issues become problems,” said Yuen. There are other factors, such as compatibility, which help strengthen relationships between the four-year roommates. “Our personalities matched, and we both know and respect each other’s schedules,” said Nguyen. “We’re really similar and we understand each other really well,” said Wetzel. However, it is also possible to be very different and keep a harmonious relationship throughout the years.“We work together really well despite having different personalities. Like, we both like the room cold and we respect each other,” Kidd said. Spending so much time together, the roommate pairs have created many memories in the dorms over the years. “My favorite memory was probably Just Dance from last year. We played Just Dance in our room and kept bumping into each other which was really fun,” said Wetzel. Many favorite memories were made during freshman year. “During quarantine in freshman year, Crystal and I stayed up until 3 AM to write letters to our dorm. We played a lot of music and had a lot of fun. That was probably my favorite memory,” Kidd said. “I remember watching the NBA playoffs freshman year. That was fun,” said Yahaya. “My favorite first memory was probably us binge-watching the Harry Potter series in freshman year because I hadn’t watched it yet so she forced me to watch it. We probably watched like three movies that night,” said Sowah. Of course, in all roommate relationships, there is always one friend who does better on room checks than the other. “Olivia does better on room checks than me,” said Sowah, laughing as she spoke. “I definitely do better on room checks. We almost failed because of Dave last night,” Yahaya said. Previous Previous Next Next

Johanna Lee '25 < Back Edgin' the way to victory Johanna Lee '25 Apr 14, 2023 Blue Storm baseball has gotten off to a promising start to the season, posting a 5-3 record after a four-game winning streak. The team played in the Reisner-Gift Invitational Tournament this past weekend and protected the house with two wins. Throughout the games, head coach Josh Edgin ‘06 emphasized the importance of players’ attitudes off the field and in-between innings to convey that baseball is more than a win or a loss. The team is looking to build on its early success and continue to grow and improve throughout the season. “The first few games have been great. We learned some things about our team and will use what we learned to continue to grow and get better,” said Edgin. While the team is facing some challenges with an uncharacteristically small roster and an upperclass-heavy team, they remain optimistic and eager to compete. “The only thing that has changed has been the number of students that want to play baseball. We had a JV team when I was here. Now we only have one team," noted Edgin. “But I'm excited to see how the year plays out. The first year is always a fun year, especially getting to see how we match up in the MAPL.” The team relies on its experienced, older players, who are expected to lead the team both on and off the field. "Our key players are our seniors. They will carry our team wherever we go," said Edgin. The team has also seen strong performances from its pitchers, including Matt Archibald ‘23 and Arjun Patel ‘23, both of whom have helped the team win multiple games. Ryan Maclnnis, ‘23 said, "So far this season, Archibald is pitching insanely well as is Patel. Our catchers have put in a lot of work this offseason and it is very noticeable. At this point, we as a team have a few adjustments to make to keep winning, and once those are made, we are definitely going to be a dangerous team.” Despite the individual nature of baseball, the team prides itself on playing as a cohesive unit and putting forth the extra effort. "Being coached by a former big leaguer is very different and you are always learning. Coach Edgin's knowledge of the game is almost overwhelming at times but his advice always works. I think the difference is in the details of hustling on and off the field, how we warm up and prepare for a game. Baseball is commonly thought of as a very individual game but Mercersburg plays as a team," added Maclnnis. The Blue Storm baseball team has proven successful so far this season with new spirit and energy brought by Edgin. The team seems poised to make a deep run in the MAPL, and their early success and dedication to teamwork is well-improving their chances of achieving their goals. Previous Next