Merrill faced a tall task coming into TCU’s program as a shortstop. He was following one of TCU’s best to ever play that position in Keaton Jones. But Merrill came to TCU for a reason out of Iowa Western Community College. He grew up in Omaha watching the College World Series every year, and he wanted to play for a program that would give him the chance to play in front of his hometown crowd. He ended up getting to do so not once, but twice.
In his junior year (2016) he started 51 games at shortstop as part of 53 appearances on the season.