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Community marks Independence Day Bloomington residents young and old gathered this week to celebrate Independence Day with different activities. These festivities included a block party, fireworks show, concert and parade on Tuesday and Wednesday in the downtown part of Bloomington.
PHOTOS BY MATT BEGALA AND DOMINICK JEAN
Top Members of the local Girls Inc. of Monroe County wave and yell out the window of their red bus at those watching the Bloomington Fourth of July Parade. Girls Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to helping young girls overcome stereotypes. Top Left A woman dressed as the female embodiment of justice walks down Kirkwood Avenue as part of the Bloomington Fourth of July Parade. She was marching with the Moms Demand Action For Gun Sense in America, a group which advocates for better gun control laws. Top Right Members of American Legion Post 18 wave to the crowd during the Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday as they make their way down Kirkwood Avenue. Bottom Left Members of the 2018 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders march in the Fourth of July Parade on Wednesday. Dancers, community groups and local politicians also participated in the parade. Bottom Right During the Bloomington Fourth of July Parade, a firefighter bumps fists with a little girl near the Monroe County Courthouse. The parade celebrating Independence Day involved around 90 different entries with hundreds of people lining the streets to watch. See page 4 for related photos.
BASEBALL
Jeff Mercer announced as new IU baseball head coach By Auston Matricardi and Cameron Drummond sports@idsnews.com
Hoosier baseball fans won’t have to wait any longer to find out who will replace Chris Lemonis as head coach in Bloomington. On Monday, IU announced Jeff Mercer will be the school’s 25th head baseball coach. The 32-year-old Mercer spent the last two seasons as the head coach at Wright State, his alma mater, in Dayton, Ohio. During this period, he led the Raiders to a 77-38 overall record. Wright State also appeared in national top 25 rankings under Mercer and appeared in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, losing in the Stanford Regional. Mercer also won a Horizon League regular season and conference tournament title while at Wright State. Despite his short track record, Mercer is considered by many to be an up-and-coming coach. He was named the 2018 Horizon League Coach of the Year and developed 12 players who he has recruited into MLB draft picks since 2015. Before becoming the Wright State head coach, he was an assistant coach with the Raiders from 2014-16. Prior to his return to Wright
State, Mercer spent two seasons as a volunteer assistant coach at Western Kentucky in 2012 and 2013. He was also a volunteer assistance coach in 2011 at the University of Michigan. He spent the 2010 season as a graduate assistant coach at Ohio Northern University. During his collegiate career, Mercer played two seasons at the University of Dayton before transferring to Wright State, where he was twice named a first team AllHorizon League honoree as a first baseman in 2008 and 2009. "Jeff Mercer quickly rose to the top of an impressive field,” IU Athletic Director Fred Glass said in a IU press release. “I have no doubt that he is the right person to build on the success of Indiana baseball, including taking us back to Omaha." In becoming the head coach of the IU program, Mercer returns to his home state. The coach is a native of Bargersville, Indiana, which is northeast of Bloomington. His father was an assistant baseball coach at IU from 1988 to 1989 and helped found the Indiana Bulls AAU baseball program. "I have loved baseball and the state of Indiana my whole life, and it is an honor to be the head baseball coach of the state's flagship institution," Mercer said in
PHOTO BY EVAN DESTEFANO
The IU dugout watches an IU at-bat during the game against Indiana State on April 10 at Bart Kaufman Field. IU hired Wright State's Jeff Mercer as its new head coach Monday.
the press release. "With the talent that the Midwest is producing, top-notch facilities, the commitment of the school and our ability to recruit and develop players at the highest level, the sky is the limit for IU baseball. I cannot wait to get to work." According to reports, IU and Mercer agreed to a five-year
contract with a base salary of $225,000. "After speaking with Coach Mercer, it became very obvious that our program will be in great hands," senior pitcher Pauly Milto said in a press release. "His confidence, experience, competitive mentality and strong urge to win proved to me that we will be
successful next year. I'm excited not only for this upcoming season, but for the future of Indiana University baseball as I believe Coach Mercer is here to stay and take this baseball program to the next level." Mercer will be formally introduced at a press conference later this summer.