Merced High celebrates three senior athletes signing with four-year colleges
It was a special day at Merced High as the Bears family celebrated three of their athletes signing national letters of intent to play football and softball in college on Wednesday.
Senior Seth Scheidt is headed to Fresno State to play linebacker. Bears teammate Evahn Perez signed with Cal Lutheran University as a receiver.
Ellie Alvarez also accepted a softball scholarship to Cal State San Marcos.
The three seniors were honored during a ceremony in the school’s new gymnasium.
Scheidt
Seth Scheidt couldn’t pass up the opportunity to play Division I football. The Merced senior is headed to Fresno State as a preferred walk-on.
As a preferred walk-on, Scheidt won’t receive a scholarship, but the coaches are reserving a roster spot on the team for him.
Scheidt, who is the youngest son of longtime Merced coach Rob Scheidt, was originally offered the preferred walk-on spot by Kalen DeBoer, however DeBoer and some of the Bulldogs former coaches left for the University of Washington.
“Coach (Jeff) Tedford) came in and kept the offer on the table,” Scheidt said. “I’m really excited. It’s always been my dream to play D-1 football. They’re offering me a spot for a reason. I have the confidence and belief that I can play there.”
Scheidt was an all-Central California Conference first-team selection at quarterback and linebacker. He was the Merced Sun-Star Football co-Player of the Year along with Bears teammate Jaylen Thao-Booth.
Scheidt is headed to Fresno State to play linebacker.
“It’s going to be nice to focus on one thing,” Scheidt said. “I don’t have to worry about playing quarterback. I feel like I’ve learned to be a pretty good quarterback. I’m excited to play linebacker and learn everything I can.”
Scheidt plans to major in history with plans to become a teacher and coach in the future.
Scheidt is excited to find a college close to home.
“I’m a home body,” he said. “I like going to a place this isn’t far from home. I like that Fresno State has been really successful. A lot of their new coaching staff has either played at Fresno State or coached at Fresno State before. They have that Fresno State connection and I like that close connection.”
Perez
Perez will join former Merced High teammate Desmond Thompson at Cal Lutheran University. Perez says Thompson has enjoyed his experience there and was influential in Perez committing to the school in southern California.
“I’m really excited that it’s not too far from home,” Perez said. “I’m excited that I get to play with a former teammate and I get to meet new teammates.”
Like Scheidt, Perez was an all-CCC first-team selection at receiver and was named to the Merced Sun-Star All-Area team after helping lead the Bears to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game.
Perez played varsity for three seasons at Merced. He’ll play in a familiar offense at Cal Lutheran.
“I like that they run the spread offense,” he said. “They really convinced me I can make a change in their offense and with their team.”
Perez compiled a 3.8 GPA at Merced High and plans to major in history in college. Like Scheidt, he hopes to become a teacher and football coach in the future.
Perez says the signing ceremony was special as he thought about everything he had to overcome to make one of his dreams a reality.
“I was really just bringing it all back in my mind,” Perez said. “I had to overcome COVID. My junior year was tough because we lost my grandmother to cancer. I thought about how my academics and football have helped create this opportunity for me.”
Sharing the moment with a friend also made it special.
“It’s something Seth and I have talked about for a while,” Perez said. “For it to finally happen was really a surreal moment.”
Alvarez
Playing college softball has been a goal for Alvarez since she started playing travel softball. That’s why signing with Cal State San Marcos was a special moment for the Bears catcher on Wednesday.
“I’m really excited,” Alvarez said. “It’s been a dream of mine for a long time. Ever since I started playing travel ball I would think about it. I’m happy for the opportunities softball has brought to me.”
Alvarez becomes the third current Merced High softball player to commit to a four-year school. Alvarez joins fellow seniors Trisha McClesky (Cal State Fullerton) and Ava Brown (Idaho State) as future collegiate players.
Alvarez was one of the top hitters in Merced County last season, hitting .476 with nine home runs and 31 RBIs in just 13 games last spring.
Alvarez caught the attention of the Cal State San Marcos coaching staff during a travel ball tournament. She fell in love with the university after a December visit.
“I really liked the coaches and their coaching style,” she said. “I love the location. I love that the beach is 10 minutes away. The campus was pretty.”
Alvarez had a 4.12 GPA at Merced and plans to major in psychology.
She said the best part about the signing ceremony is sharing the moment with the people close to her.
“It’s exciting to share with my family and people who have supported me,” Alvarez said. “To have my friends and softball teammates also means a lot to me.”
