‘Promising young athlete’ dies after baseball dugout collapses on him, officials say

A college baseball player in Pennsylvania died after a dugout unexpectedly collapsed on him, university officials said.

Angel Mercado, a 19-year-old student-athlete at Central Penn College, was volunteering May 22 when the accident occurred, according to statements from the university obtained by McClatchy News.

While constructing a wooden dugout for a youth baseball league in Harrisburg, the structure collapsed, injuring Mercado, who later died, and one other person, university officials said.

“Our Central Penn College family is devastated by the loss of Angel,” the university president wrote in a May 24 email to students. “As friends who have become family, we are mourning the heart-wrenching loss of one of our own, a promising young athlete who senselessly lost his life while helping others enjoy the sport he loved so much.”

Mercado, a first-year student at the university, was from Harrisburg, according to the college’s athletics page. He was a shortstop and second baseman on the school’s Division II baseball team.

“We ask everyone to join us in praying for Angel, his family, his friends and his teammates, who are struggling right now to cope with the profound heartache that only comes with the loss of someone who was loved so much,” the president’s email said.

“Angel was a great competitor and played every game with an unmatched enthusiasm and energy,” a man, who said he umpired some of Mercado’s games, wrote on Facebook. “(He) always shook my hand before and after every game, whether his team won or lost.”

Counselors were made available on campus for grieving students, university officials said. The identity and condition of the second injured volunteer was not immediately clear.

Central Penn College is a private 4-year college in Summerdale, located about 110 miles northwest of Philadelphia.

This story was originally published May 24, 2023 at 1:51 PM.