John Merkh enters his third season with the Neumann Knights baseball program and his fifteenth season of coaching at the collegiate level. Merkh serves as the Knights 3rd base coach orchestrating the offense and primarily works with the hitters, infielders, and pitchers as well as coordinating the Knights recruiting efforts.
Since arriving at Neumann, the Knights have compiled a 47-28-1 record. During that time seven Knights have received All-Atlantic East team selections, three ABCA Rawlings All-Region selections, and in 2025 Thomas Carroll was selected as the unanimous Atlantic East player of the Year. The Neumann Knights were also awarded the Atlantic East Coaching Staff of Year in 2025.
Over the past two seasons, the Knights have had numerous players break both single season and career records here at Neumann. In 2025, Brandon Colon broke the single season doubles record. (18) Donovan Brooks broke the single season stolen base record. (35) While Joe Boccio broke the single season hit by pitch record. (18) In 2026, Donovan Brooks broke his own single season stolen base record again, (37) While breaking the career stolen base record. (83)
Prior to arriving in Aston, Merkh served as the head assistant and recruiting coordinator at Rutgers Camden (2023-2024). During his two seasons he helped take the Scarlet Raptors posted a 48-33 record and helped the Scarlet Raptors to their first NJAC tournament appearance in over a decade.
Before his time with the Raptors, Merkh spent three years with the Knights former conference rival, Immaculata University as the head assistant and recruiting coordinator (2019-2022). In 2022 the Mighty Macs broke their program single season record for wins with 29. The Mighty Macs also won the Atlantic East Conference for the first time in school history and hosted their first NCAA Regional. Immaculata also received votes in the D3 baseball poll for the first time in program history as the team broke various offensive records. Merkh and the rest of the Mighty Macs coaching staff were awarded the 2022 Atlantic East Coaching Staff of the Year.
Prior to joining the Mighty Macs, Merkh served as the pitching coach at Stockton University in 2019. Merkh helped the Ospreys get off to their best start in school history (10-0). The Ospreys also received votes in the D3 Baseball Poll for the first time in school history.
Merkh started his coaching career in June of 2012 as the pitching coach at Camden County College in New Jersey. In 2013, the Cougars won the Garden State Athletic Conference and finished as the Region XIX runner-up with a 38-7 record. After the 2013 season, Merkh was promoted to the head assistant position and recruiting coordinator position where he held that title until he was promoted to the Head Coach of the Cougars in the fall of 2016. In his two years at the helm, Merkh led the Cougars to back-to-back Region XIX Playoff appearances and in 2018 the Cougars won 30 games in a single season for only the fourth time in school history.
Merkh graduated summa cum laude from Liberty University in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. He resides in Atco, New Jersey, with his wife Brittany and his three sons Jackson, Hunter, and Brady.
