A 19-year-old baseball player from Central Penn College has died after being struck in the face by a illegally built dugout at 7th and Radnor Ball Field.
Central Penn President Linda Fedrizzi-Williams said in an email Wednesday morning, that Angel Mercado-Ocasio was “a promising young athlete who senselessly lost his life while helping others enjoy the sport he loved so much.”
Central Penn Head Baseball Coach Bob Stern said Mercado-Ocasio was a great student, a great player, but most importantly, “the most likeable player on the team.”
Officials say the dugout was not the college’s and Mercado-Ocasio was not injured while with the baseball team. He was volunteering as part of a community baseball program in Harrisburg at the time of injury.
A 19-year-old baseball player from Central Penn College has died after being struck in the face by a illegally built dugout at 7th and Radnor Ball Field.
Central Penn President Linda Fedrizzi-Williams said in an email Wednesday morning, that Angel Mercado-Ocasio was “a promising young athlete who senselessly lost his life while helping others enjoy the sport he loved so much.”
Central Penn Head Baseball Coach Bob Stern said Mercado-Ocasio was a great student, a great player, but most importantly, “the most likeable player on the team.”
Officials say the dugout was not the college’s and Mercado-Ocasio was not injured while with the baseball team. He was volunteering as part of a community baseball program in Harrisburg at the time of injury.
The incident happened after city officials requested a local baseball team remove dugouts that were built without the city’s permission.
One of the dugouts hit Mercado-Ocasio in the face as he was tearing it down.
Officials say Mercado-Ocasio lost a large amount of blood and was rushed to the hospital in critical condition.
“It is with heavy hearts that we offer our sincere sympathy to Angel’s family, friends, teammates and coaches, who will bear the burden of his absence most acutely. We as a community will come together to remember him, support each other and heal, and to live a life of purpose, because it can disappear in a second.
We ask everyone to join us in praying for Angel, his family, his friends and his teammates, who are struggling right now to cope with the profound heartache that only comes with the loss of someone who was loved so much.”
“We are devastated to learn of the passing of Angel Mercado-Ocasio. Anytime someone passes, we lose a little bit of who we are. It hurts even more when it’s one of our own. Angel was our son; a proud Harrisburg Cougar, and a stand-out, promising young athlete. He died helping others around the sport he loved. It’s heart-wrenching. Angel embraced so many people and now we need to embrace his memory. We ask everyone in the community to pray for his family, his friends, and his teammates, as we get through this impossibly difficult time together. The City of Harrisburg would like to extend our sincere condolences and prayers to the family.”
The Cumberland County Coroner’s Office says Mercado-Ocasio died just before 11:15 PM on Tuesday.
A GoFundMe has been established to help with Mercado-Ocasio’s funeral and medical expenses.