Clint began his baseball career playing in the El Dorado city recreational league while also playing for multiple traveling teams from around the area. He went on to play under Coach Brad Long for El Dorado High School from 1992-1995. Merrick, a right handed pitcher, still ranks among the leaders in many pitching statistical categories and his 8-0 mark his senior year ranks as the best single season record in EHS history dating to 1969. His career win-loss record of 11-3 is tied for fourth best and his 11 career wins are tied for 6th best. Clint also ranks in the top 15 in career ERA (2.34), single season appearances, career appearances, career strikeouts and career innings pitched. His career opponents’ batting average was .192 and he hurled 6 complete games with 75 strikeouts to only 43 walks.
In 1995, Clint was a unanimous selection as 1st Team All Ark Valley League and was named 2nd Team All-State Class 5A and the EHS Team MVP. Merrick was chosen to play in the KABC All-Star game played at Lawrence Dumont Stadium. That summer, as he had in prior years, Clint played for El Dorado American Legion Post 81 and helped lead them to a State Runner-up finish.
Following high school, Clint pitched at Butler County Community College for two years under Coach B.D. Parker. His freshman year, he mainly pitched out of the bullpen but worked his way into the starting rotation his sophomore year. In that 1997 season, he posted a 5-2 record including pitching the Grizzlies to a win in the Region 6 Tournament.
From Butler, Merrick went on to pitch for Kansas State University under Coach Mike Clark from 1998-2000. He saw action out of the bullpen as a junior. In 1999, he suffered a shoulder injury in the pre-season and was granted a medical red-shirt but was unable to fully recover, ending his career in 2000.
During the summers in college, Clint played for several teams including the Wichita Jets, Nevada Griffons and Salina Blaze. Clint now resides in Topeka, KS with his wife Jenny and four children, Caden, Mckenna, Peyton and Halle.
