CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Lesley University Director of Athletics Dan Campagna has announced the appointment of Cody Mercier as Head Coach of the Lesley University Baseball program, effective October 2, 2024.
"I am very excited to be joining the Lynx family and getting the opportunity to be a part of such a prestigious University," said Mercier. "I want to thank President Steinmayer and Athletic Director Dan Campagna for this amazing opportunity."
Mercier takes over the helm of Lynx Baseball following six years in the private sector, AAU scene and high school landscape where he served in various roles. Most recently, he was a Head Coach for the Merrimack Valley Prospects AAU program, taking pride in developing young student-athletes physically and mentally both on and off the field. He also spent three years with the Pure Baseball AAU program serving as both a Head Coach and Private Hitting Instructor, developing minds of the game but also teaching life lessons that can coexist within baseball and everyday life. Mercier was also a member of the Reading High School coaching staff for three years and has served as a Personal Hitting Coach to athletes ranging in ages from 14 to 22 since 2018.
"Cody's energy and excitement for this role was contagious during the search and we got a glimpse of a great competitor that is going to push the program to new heights," said Campagna.
As a collegiate baseball player, Mercier attended Fisher College where he was inducted into the Falcons Hall of Fame as part of the 2023 Induction. He was a four-year starter in the outfield and over 170 career games, Mercier collected 176 hits with a .324 career average, .442 on-base percentage and.555 slugging percentage. He was a five-tool player scoring 152 runs, driving in 107 RBI, drawing 101 walks and stealing 60 bags. The lefty could also hit for power, collecting 38 career doubles, 14 triples and 23 home runs. He was named to the Association of Independent Institutions (A.I.I.) All-Conference squad his sophomore, junior and senior seasons and over his career led the Falcons to 106 wins and four berths in the A.I.I. Conference Tournament as well as the NIAC Tournament Championship his senior season.
"This is a dream job for me, and I will do everything I can to contribute to the great culture already created at Lesley. My coaching staff and I will build a winning formula and help mold these student-athletes on and off the field. Our team-first approach will be predicated on hard work, dedication, and the willingness to improve every day in the classroom and on the field," said Mercier.
A three-time Fisher captain, Mercier was named the Fisher College Athlete of the Year his senior campaign and graduated as the all-time leader in Home Runs, Triples and Walks. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice while minoring in Sports Management.
In addition to his baseball background, Mercier boasts professional experience in enterprise resource planning recruitment as well as some supervisory work at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Lesley University is a proud member of the North Atlantic Conference (NAC) and proudly graduates more mental health professionals and specialized education teachers than any other college or university in New England. Located just outside Boston and spanning from Porter Square to Harvard Square in the vibrant city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, Lesley extends the NAC into one of the most dynamic learning environments in the country.
Lesley is renowned for its unique portfolio of programs focused on Education, Mental Health and Well-Being, and Art and Design. The university also offers Business and Liberal Arts programs that support these key disciplines and a special program, the Threshold Program, for neurodiverse individuals to learn on-campus or be supported in independent living and working. More than half of Lesley's student population of 4,500 are graduate students.
Celebrating over 25 years of excellence, the North Atlantic Conference was founded in 1997 as the North Atlantic Women's Conference (NAWC) to provide opportunities for female student athletes to compete in postseason tournaments. The NAWC added men's sports and was renamed the North Atlantic Conference in 1999. The NAC currently sponsors 18 men's and women's championships as members of NCAA Division III, including baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men's golf, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's swimming & diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's outdoor track & field, and women's volleyball.