Roberto Mercado

Roberto Mercado just completed his 11th season as head coach of the New Britain High School Hurricanes in New Britain, Connecticut.  The Hurricanes won the division championship in 2021.  In Mercado’s inaugural year (2011), the Hurricanes captured their first Conference Title since 1984 and also made the LL State Semifinals for the first time since 2001. Mercado also captured another Conference Championship in 2017 and Division Championship in 2018. Over his 11 years, he has coached 32 All-Conference players, 6 All-State players, and 3 Academic All-State Players. Mercado not only prepares players for the high school season, but also for playing at the next level. Twenty-five of his players have gone on to play at the collegiate level.

In addition to his New Britain High School coaching duties, Mercado is an assistant coach in the prestigious Cape Cod Summer Baseball League for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox. Since 2014, Mercado has coached 7 seasons under the direction of 2019 ABCA Hall of Fame Head Coach Scott Pickler. Mercado and Pickler won three Cape Cod League Champion Titles in 2014, 2015, and 2016. Mercado has coached 45 position players that have been drafted including MLB players Tommy Edman (Cardinals), Nico Hoerner (Cubs), Kyle Isbel (Royals), Kevin Smith (Blue Jays), Andrew Stevenson (Nationals) Connor Wong (Red Sox), and Donovan Walton (Mariners).

Over the 2017-2018 winter break, Mercado was given the honor of being the Head Coach for the Goodwill Series Games in Australia. Along with some of the best high school players in the United States, Mercado took on the National team from New Zealand and 2 teams from Australia over a 2-week period. Mercado was responsible for practices and coaching both teams (16U and 18U) from the United States.

Prior to coaching at New Britain High School, he coached the New Britain Fall Legion baseball program and won state titles in 2007, 2009 & 2010.

Mercado played collegiate baseball for Roger Bidwell and former Yarmouth-Dennis and current UConn assistant coach Chris Podezwa at UConn-Avery Point. He was a member of the NJCAA New England District Champions and NJCAA Region XXI Champions in 1999 and 2000. He won the Northeast Region Championship and earned a trip to the NJCAA World Series in 1999. The following year, Mercado garnered All-New England laurels as an outfielder. He later started in center field at Fitchburg State University and was named Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 2002.

Mercado also is the Dean of Students at New Britain High School and has been in that position since 2004.