SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State baseball recently received National Letters of Intent from a pair of junior college standouts - right-handed pitcher Dan Merrill from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and outfielder Jake Grauberger from Johnson County Community College.

Dan Merrill (RHP, 6-4, 200, Tulsa, Okla., Northeastern Oklahoma A&M)
One of the top strikeout pitchers in the junior college ranks, Merrill ranked fifth nationally with 14.83 Ks/9 this spring, fanning 89 batters in 54 innings. He fired a pair of shutouts and was the NJCAA National Pitcher of the Week after allowing just one hit and striking out 20 over 10 innings in starts against Coffeyville and Kirkwood in late February. As a freshman, Merrill struck out 22 in 17 innings for NEO.

Merrill was homeschooled in Tulsa, Okla., earning Homeschool World Series All-America honors as a senior and helping his team to the 2016 national championship.

Assistant Coach Paul Evans on Merrill:
"Daniel is a 6-foot-4, 200-pound RHP that has a chance to come in and compete for a starting role. This spring he had 13 starts showing durability and 89 Ks in 54 innings pitched shows he has the stuff to compete at the D1 level. He's an upper 80s arm with a great feel for spinning the baseball."


Jake Grauberger (OF, 5-9, 180, Lee's Summit, Mo., West HS, Johnson County Community College)
Grauberger is a versatile outfielder who hit .430 with 38 extra-base hits in 65 career games at JCCC. He hit .423 with 12 homers, 52 RBI and a .761 slugging percentage as a sophomore, helping the Cavaliers to their best start in school history in 2021 at 25-0. As a junior college freshman, Grauberger hit .467 and slugged 1.167, collecting five home runs and 23 RBI in 30 at bats during the shortened season. He was also a NJCAA All-Academic third-team member in 2020.

The right-hander was a four-year starter and 2019 graduate of Lee's Summit (Mo.) West High School, earning all-district honors his final two seasons. He also played linebacker and safety on the football teams and earned MHSBCA Academic All-State honors as senior.

Assistant Coach Matt Lawson on Grauberger:
"Jake is a strong, athletic ballplayer who brings toughness and experience to our group of outfielders next year. He showed he can do a little bit of everything offensively at Johnson County where he consistently drove the ball and stole bases at the top of their order. Jake's ability to run and throw should allow him to slot into any of the three outfield positions."

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