This week, a 19-year-old collegiate baseball player tragically passed away in Pennsylvania after allegedly suffering terrible injuries when a dugout fell on him, know the cause of death of Angel Mercado-Ocasio
Angel Mercado-Ocasio dies in a dugout collapse.
Angel Mercado-Ocasio, a freshman infielder at Central Penn College, was assisting a children’s baseball club at a park in Harrisburg on Monday when tragedy struck.
Harrisburg baseball player Angel Mercado-Ocasio cause of death, obituary, bio, age, family, college
Teammates and friends of 19-year-old Angel Mercado-Ocasio say they're devastated by his death.
The Harrisburg baseball player died late last night from a traumatic head injury suffered when a dugout he was helping to disassemble at a city park collapsed on him. @WGAL pic.twitter.com/jo6a8N5IOp
— Tom Lehman (@TomLehmanWGAL) May 24, 2023
19-year-old Angel Mercado-Ocasio died in the hospital last night after sustaining head injuries Monday night trying to deconstruct makeshift dugouts at the 7th and Radnor park in Harrisburg. Today, this small memorial was placed at the park to remember Angel. pic.twitter.com/OY8htmV2qe
— elisepersontv (@elisepersontv) May 24, 2023
According to Matt Maisel, a spokesman for the City of Harrisburg, 19 year old Mercado-Ocasio was attempting to remove an illegally constructed makeshift dugout from the field when a piece of it abruptly dropped and struck the baseball player. The adolescent was seriously injured and sent to the hospital, but, according to Maisel, he tragically lost suddenly at 11:12 PM on Tuesday due to head injuries.
For Central Penn College this season, Mercado-Ocasio participated in 17 games while compiling two hits, two RBIs, and seven stolen bases. He last put on the team’s uniform just a few days ago, on May 6.
Official statement from Central Penn College
In a statement released on Wednesday, Central Penn College President Linda Fedrizzi-Williams said, “The loss of Angel has left our Central Penn College family in mourning. We are grieving the sad death of a brilliant young athlete who was one of us who was helping others partake in the sport he so much loved. We were once just pals, but now we’re family.
“The baseball team was allowed to bid Mercado-Ocasio farewell on Tuesday,” claims Fedrizzi-Williams. He said, “No words are capable of conveying our grief.”
Power Five conference standings and brackets for the college baseball tournament
The road to Omaha and the College World Series has begun since the beginning of the college baseball season’s conference championships. Wake Forest, who leads the Atlantic Coast Conference, is ranked first in the baseball coaches’ poll, while the SEC has four of the top six teams, with Florida, LSU, and Arkansas placing second through fourth.
The last three World Series champions have all come from the SEC, with Ole Miss capturing their first title in 2022 after defeating Oklahoma in a two-game series. However, the Rebels had a difficult 2023 campaign, finishing 25–29. At 30–24, the Sooners have only slightly improved.
On Monday, May 29 at noon ET, the full roster for the NCAA college baseball championship will be decided. WatchESPN will stream the announcement live after it airs on ESPN2. The regionals commence on June 2 and the College World Series will start on June 16 respectively.