LCA begins 11th season of “The Sandlot”

Annual baseball competition has brought the senior class together for more than a decade

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Several days of baseball fun are underway at Lexington Christian Academy with bragging rights on the line amongst the senior class during the Sandlot baseball tournament.

The competition is in its 11th season and was created by former LCA boy’s baseball assistant coach, Aaron Merz. In 2015, several seniors began to rally behind the school’s baseball team. Merz, who now fields his own team “No Merzy,” had the idea to honor those students and bring the senior class together each year.

Over time, the Sandlot has changed. In this year’s competition, like others in the near past, teams are managed by faculty and coached by varsity baseball players.

LCA plays a “regular season” this week and then has playoffs with a championship from Monday, May 19 to Wednesday May 21.

“The thing that I’m most proud of is that we have 41 senior guys who are eligible to play and 38 of them are playing,” said Merz. “It’s something they look forward to from the time they’re freshman to the time they’re seniors.”

“When you walk in on the first day of freshman year the first thing you think about is Sandlot,” said senior Andrew Maggard. “You go talk to all the senior teachers tell them that you’re coming up and are one of the best recruits. It’s amazing to be out here. It blew my expectations out of the water.”