Head Baseball Coach Edgin Eyes Goals Outside the Park for His Players

By Lisa Tedrick Prejean

Mercersburg Academy Head Baseball Coach Josh Edgin ’06 looks outside the park as he instills a strong work ethic in his players.

“Respect, work hard–those two things go an extremely long way in life, no matter what job you’re doing. As far as life lessons go, those would be the two biggest things that I try to convey to them,” said Edgin, who joined Mercersburg in 2022 as the assistant manager of athletic facilities. “Nothing worth wanting will be handed to you. If you’re aiming to go to the upper echelon of whatever it is you choose to do, at some point you’re going to have to work your tail off to get it.”

As a former Major League Baseball player, Edgin ought to know. He was drafted by the New York Mets in 2010.

“It was a childhood dream coming to reality,” Edgin said of his experience in the major leagues. “It was very difficult, especially family-wise, a lot of traveling. It was basically experiencing the world using a baseball, and learning, meeting people from every facet of life chasing the same dream. It was a whirlwind at times, and it was comfortable at times. There was always someone chomping at the bit to take your spot, so there was an extra drive in the matter. Overall, I wouldn’t change any of it. It was an awesome experience.”

After graduating from Mercersburg,

Edgin attended The Ohio State University, where he played baseball. After two-anda-half years at Ohio State, he transferred to Francis Marion University in Florence, SC.

He played two seasons at Francis Marion. He was drafted his first season there by the Atlanta Braves in the 50th round, but opted not to join that organization.

“Then in my senior year, I got drafted by the Mets in the 30th round,” Edgin said.

He played baseball professionally for nine years with the Mets, Nationals, and Orioles systems, including five years in the major leagues, before retiring in 2019.

Recognizing that “baseball is the hardest numbers game in the world,” Edgin uses the skills he learned playing professionally as he works with Mercersburg players.

“If you can get a hit three out of 10 times, that’s Hall of Fame numbers,” Edgin said, contrasting that outcome with a comparison relatable to students: “That’s 30% in a class. You’re going to fail more than you succeed. Baseball prepared me and helped me understand how to fail, knowing that after that, I will succeed eventually.”

As Edgin works with his players, he hopes they learn that baseball shouldn’t be their main focus in life, but it can lead to amazing opportunities in college and professional play.