2015 1st-team All-BIG 8 Conference infielder Steve Mercado (Antelope) has signed a National Letter Of Intent (NLI) to play at UC Riverside next season, Head Coach Doug Jumelet announced on Thursday.  Mercado earned the respect of the other BIG 8 coaches through his tenacious style of play which saw him make just 5 errors and record one of the best fielding percentages ever by a Beaver.  His fielding % of .977 was tops in the league, 5th best for infielders in the state,  and his 129 assists was in the top 10 in Northern California.  He started 13 games at SS for the Beavers and 23 at 2B in 2015.  He hit .260 on the season with 17 RBI splitting time between the leadoff and #2 spots in the order.  He added 5 stolen bases and walked 15 times while only striking out 11 times.  "Steve will surely be missed, but as a UCR alum, along with Coach Fitzgerald, I think I can say that we will both be proud to be alumni of the same institutions as Steve, ARC and UCR", said Head Coach Doug Jumelet.  "He did everything that we asked of him for two years and he is the only player in my 12 years as head coach to have started every game of his two year career.  I am really happy for him and look forward to seeing him play in the Big West Conference."