The NAIA announced the 2021 Preseason Baseball All-America Team Monday ahead of the 2022 campaign. The 17-player list, selected annually by the NAIA-Baseball Coaches Association (NAIA-BCA) All-America Committee, featured Central Methodist senior ace Nick Merkel.

The 2021 NAIA and ABCA Second-Team All-American made an immediate impact in his first full season with the Eagles this past spring. The 2021 Heart Pitcher of the Year set several notable single-season records with Central, including strikeouts (125), wins (14), and innings pitched (96.2). He finished the year with a 2.14 earned run average and recorded double-digit strikeouts on three different occasions. His 14 wins were tied for the most in the nation.

Merkel set a career-best with 14 strikeouts against Clarke (4/30) and earned two wins in the Avista NAIA World Series against IU Southeast (5/29) and Lewis Clark State (6/2). For his performance in Central's first-ever World Series appearance, Merkel was named to the all-tournament team. 

CMU is coming off its best season in program history, winning both the regular season and conference tournament championships, and posting a national runner-up finish at the World Series, the best postseason finish of any CMU baseball team ever.

The Eagles will open the 2022 campaign with a weekend series against Our Lady of the Lake Friday, Feb. 4 at 1 p.m. in San Antonio, Texas.