Former Carson High grad named second team all conference

Joe Mercer, a sophomore at American River College in Sacramento, Calif., was named to the Bay Valley Conference second team. Mercer, a 2000 Carson High grad, batted .351 with seven doubles for the Beavers, who advanced to the Northern California Regionals. American River, who went 32-10 during the regular season, went into the postseason ranked No. 3 in Northern California.

Mercer, one of only four players to letter all four years at Carson High under coach Ron McNutt, was drafted by the San Francisco Giants in the 30th round of last June's MLB draft. He was selected as a draft and follow, which means the Giants could sign Mercer this summer to a contract. Junior college players can sign after their sophomore years but division I players aren't eligible for the draft until after their junior years.

Mercer, who went 26-for-74 with 18 RBIs this past season, was a first team all conference catcher at Carson. During his senior year, Mercer batted .507 with 34 RBIs and broke record for most doubles (20) in a season and also led the team in runs scored (30).