Rosewood's Chapin, Neal, Mercer all headed to William Peace University

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on June 1, 2016 1:48 PM

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rcoggins@newsargus.com

Inseparable since childhood, Rosewood's trio of Ethan Chapin, Nick Neal and Jeremy Mercer fully intended to part their separate ways upon graduation from high school.

Not so fast, my friend.

They'll be together four more years -- at William Peace University. Each signed to play for the Pacers in their respective sport(s) Tuesday afternoon -- Chapin in baseball/soccer, Neal in baseball and Mercer in golf.

Neither Neal or Mercer intended to play in college.

In fact, baseball wasn't on the radar for Neal until this season. The lanky right-hander had drawn spot starts during his junior campaign and wasn't able to develop a rhythm on the bump.

That changed during summer league ball. Neal ate up plenty of innings and was more concerned with the "getting better factor" than overall results.

"Last year, I wasn't really able to find a flow," Neal said. "This year, I kind of broke out and showed if I had a chance (to pitch), I could prove myself. It was a matter of getting into a rhythm, starting once or twice a week and getting more accustomed to things."

Neal compiled a 5-1 record and 1.45 earned run average (ERA) in 43 1/3 innings of work. He retired 56 opposing batters on strikeouts and helped lead the Eagles to a second-round appearance in the N.C. High School Athletic Association Class 1-A playoffs.

An admitted perfectionist who doesn't grasp failure well, Neal has one key goal -- lengthen his stride off the mound that will not only increase his velocity, but help him better locate his pitches.

WPU just completed its second full season of competition in the Division III USA South Conference. The Pacers finished 10-26 overall with all 10 wins coming on their home diamond -- the USA National Baseball Training Complex in Cary.

Mercer almost packed away his golf clubs once he had been accepted at Appalachian State. He still felt the sting of Rosewood not advancing to the state tournament a year ago.

Midway through the season, his demeanor changed on the links. He found his consistency again and helped lead the Eagles to the NCHSAA Mideast Regional championship.

Still, there's room for improvement. Mercer is strong from tee to green, but struggles with his putting game.

"I feel like putting is how you score in golf," Mercer said. "A lot of people say that you drive for show and putt for dough. So that's what I worked on this year to really step my game up. If you had told me 10 years ago when we were all playing coach-pitch that I was going to college to play golf, I would have told you you're crazy."

Mercer, like Neal, joins a growing a program.

The Pacers put four juniors and one senior on the links this past season. Their best finish was a fourth-place showing at the N.C. Wesleyan Don Scalf Memorial.

Chapin had a memorable -- and busy -- senior year.

The multi-sport athlete helped Rosewood establish a single-season record for victories (17) in soccer with a 27-goal, 16-assist performance on the pitch. The Eagles advanced to the eastern semifinals for the first time in school history.

He helped guide RHS to the postseason in basketball and baseball. Chapin logged a .316 batting average for his career and finished with 37 stolen bases in 42 total attempts on the diamond.

His two biggest moments, however, occurred in football and track -- two sports that he had never played. Chapin wanted to play football with his younger brother, Tucker. The duo helped the Eagles stun then No. 1-ranked James Kenan, 35-34, on a last-second field goal last fall.

And he opted to run the relays in track to help fill the voids left by two seniors who graduated in 2015. Chapin wound up a state champ in the 4x4 relay with teammates Alex Godwin, Montonio Wheeler and Zack Barnes.

"It was tough, but I had a great time doing all of them," Chapin said. "I still found a way to make it work, practice and stay in condition during the season. I'm a quality player, I work hard and do my best whenever I'm on the field.

"I think I can have a good freshman year."

And spend more time with his childhood buddies.