In a very emotional acceptance speech, coach Merrill recognized and thanked family and friends who were in attendance and also thanked the many who had supported him throughout his time in Walkersville.

He also noted that growing up watching his childhood hero Willie Mays, he "liked baseball." While playing at the high school and collegiate levels, he "liked baseball." And in his days of coaching the young men in Walkersville he "liked baseball."

For those of us who know, admire, respect and love coach Merrill, it's obvious that baseball was and is his passion. We congratulate coach Paul Merrill on the distinguished induction to the MSABC Hall of Fame.

The 2007 Walkersville Lions’ Baseball season proved to be one of turning things around as they finished 12-12 and were West Region Runner-Ups.

The team was led by senior Ryan Kassab who batted .371 and went 4-3 on the mound. He led the team in homeruns with 5 and tied for the lead in runs batted in with 24.  Kassab’s homeruns moved him into a tie for second with Shawn Dewees on the all-time Walkersville single season list. As a pitcher he led the staff in strikeouts with 35. Kassab was not the only one to have a very successful year at the plate. There were four other players who posted a batting average over .340. They included senior Chris Kordek (.348), senior Nick Keefer (.360), senior Adam Shapelow (.362) and the team’s leading hitter junior Cody Blickenstaff (.378). Keefer tied Kassab for the lead in rbi’s. Shapelow led the team in doubles with 8. Blickenstaff led the team in hits with 28. Others contributing offensively were senior Jon Patino (.313) with 2 homeruns and seven doubles, junior Chris Dubé (.306) with 13 rbi’s, junior Alden Tuck (.310) with a .434 onbase percentage and senior Nate Miller (.306) with six doubles and a team leading 12 stolen bases.

The pitching staff was led by seniors Ryan Kassab and Chris Kordek and juniors Alden Tuck, Justin Denton and Zach Powell. Underclassmen Joey Zuniga and Alex Maymon showed promise in 2007 which bodes well for the 2008 season.

The following players received post season honors:

Ryan Kassab
1^st Team All-Area (Frederick News-Post), 1^st Team All MVAL Piedmont Conference, North Region All Star Team and West Team Mid-Maryland All Star Game.

Nick Keefer
2^nd Team All-Area (Frederick News-Post), Honorable Mention All MVAL Piedmont Conference and West Team Mid-Maryland All Star Game.

Adam Shapelow
2^nd Team All-Area (Frederick News-Post) and Honorable Mention All MVAL Piedmont Conference.

Chris Kordek
Honorable Mention All-Area (Frederick News-Post) and North Region All Star Team. 

Jon Patino
Honorable Mention All-Area (Frederick News-Post), Honorable Mention All MVAL Piedmont Conference, North Region All Star Team and West Team Mid-Maryland All Star Game.

Nate Miller
Honorable Mention All-Area (Frederick News-Post), Honorable Mention All MVAL Piedmont Conference and West Team Mid-Maryland All Star Game.