“Special”: A Sit-Down With Chris Katz
6/16/2026 11:00:00 AM | Baseball
MACON – Special (adj.): 1) distinguished by some unusual quality. 2) held in particular esteem. 3) designed for a particular purpose or occasion. 4) readily distinguishable from others of the same category.
What began as an "unoriginal" comment under his teammates' social media posts turned into the perfect description for Chris Katz' unforgettable season with the Mercer baseball team.
Katz set the single-season record with 82 runs scored, hit the second-most home runs in a single season (23), tallied the second-most total bases in a single season (174), tied for fifth with 51 walks and seventh with 74 runs batted in. Katz gathered a list of accolades in his short stint in Macon:
SoCon Player of the Year
NCBWA All-America Second Team
ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team
Baseball America All-America Third Team
ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region First Team
All-SoCon First Team
SoCon All-Tournament Team
"Those titles are pretty cool, and I am happy I can tell my kids about them one day," Katz said. "But honestly, I just hope that the guys in that locker room remember me as a good teammate and I hope to have a good relationship with them in the next coming years. I'm really proud of the bonds that I was able to build at Mercer and I just hope to keep growing them in the future."
When asked about those relationships, and the culture within the program, Katz spoke highly of his locker mates.
"It felt like we had 38 guys in the locker room that all wanted each other to succeed just as badly as they wanted to succeed personally," Katz said. "We had everybody in the dugout pulling in the same direction. Everybody was cheering for everybody else. It was a really selfless group."
As a unit, the Bears won a program-best 44 games, a single-season best 29 games at home, took home the Southern Conference Regular Season Championship, mashed a single-season record 130 home runs and ended the year with the highest RPI in school history. However, Mercer did not hear its name called during the Selection Show on Monday, May 25.
"I was disappointed. I was a little angry, a little upset and uh it took me a while to fully collect on my thoughts," Katz said. "But immediately I just wanted to tell my brothers that I loved them and that I appreciate them. I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. In my opinion, I think it was the best season in Mercer history, and we had the best team in Mercer history. In that moment, all I could do was tell the guys how much I loved them and how much I appreciated being able to suit up with them for 59 games. Man, that meant the world to me."
Katz spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Wake Forest before moving to Macon ahead of this past season. When asked why he made the move, Katz noted the culture within the coaching staff and the appeal of "Bear Ball."
"I could tell from the beginning that they were my type of people and, when I took a visit, I knew it was the right fit for me," Katz said. "They preached an old-school style of baseball that I grew up playing and felt extremely comfortable with. They emphasize doing the little things right. That's what Bear Ball is. It's making a hard turn and seeing if you can take an extra base. It's backing up the right bases when you're supposed to. It's simply playing the game the right way, playing the game hard and playing it selflessly."
The game of baseball can often be a roller coaster, with highs reaching the clouds and lows filling you with anxiety. For Katz, he noted that his faith keeps him grounded.
"My faith is a big part of my life and I hope it continues to grow going forward," Katz said. "It just gives me peace knowing that my identity is not in a sport, but in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My faith allows me to go out there with a clear mind and live with the results. The guys in our locker room shared that faith and shared that belief. Reid Fagerstrom would lead us in prayer and led our Bible study. He really helped me stay rooted in pursuing my faith throughout the year."
Katz's time with the Bears might have been short, but his impact that he left on the program will be remembered for years.
"I just want to say thank you to everybody involved with the Mercer program for taking a chance on me and for welcoming me in with open arms," Katz said. "I'm just extremely thankful I was able to be a part of such an incredible season and super grateful for the opportunity I was given to come to such a great university. I just want to say thank you to everybody."
What began as an "unoriginal" comment under his teammates' social media posts turned into the perfect description for Chris Katz' unforgettable season with the Mercer baseball team.
Katz set the single-season record with 82 runs scored, hit the second-most home runs in a single season (23), tallied the second-most total bases in a single season (174), tied for fifth with 51 walks and seventh with 74 runs batted in. Katz gathered a list of accolades in his short stint in Macon:
SoCon Player of the Year
NCBWA All-America Second Team
ABCA/Rawlings All-America Second Team
Baseball America All-America Third Team
ABCA/Rawlings Southeast All-Region First Team
All-SoCon First Team
SoCon All-Tournament Team
"Those titles are pretty cool, and I am happy I can tell my kids about them one day," Katz said. "But honestly, I just hope that the guys in that locker room remember me as a good teammate and I hope to have a good relationship with them in the next coming years. I'm really proud of the bonds that I was able to build at Mercer and I just hope to keep growing them in the future."
When asked about those relationships, and the culture within the program, Katz spoke highly of his locker mates.
"It felt like we had 38 guys in the locker room that all wanted each other to succeed just as badly as they wanted to succeed personally," Katz said. "We had everybody in the dugout pulling in the same direction. Everybody was cheering for everybody else. It was a really selfless group."
As a unit, the Bears won a program-best 44 games, a single-season best 29 games at home, took home the Southern Conference Regular Season Championship, mashed a single-season record 130 home runs and ended the year with the highest RPI in school history. However, Mercer did not hear its name called during the Selection Show on Monday, May 25.
"I was disappointed. I was a little angry, a little upset and uh it took me a while to fully collect on my thoughts," Katz said. "But immediately I just wanted to tell my brothers that I loved them and that I appreciate them. I felt an overwhelming feeling of gratitude. In my opinion, I think it was the best season in Mercer history, and we had the best team in Mercer history. In that moment, all I could do was tell the guys how much I loved them and how much I appreciated being able to suit up with them for 59 games. Man, that meant the world to me."
Katz spent the first four years of his collegiate career at Wake Forest before moving to Macon ahead of this past season. When asked why he made the move, Katz noted the culture within the coaching staff and the appeal of "Bear Ball."
"I could tell from the beginning that they were my type of people and, when I took a visit, I knew it was the right fit for me," Katz said. "They preached an old-school style of baseball that I grew up playing and felt extremely comfortable with. They emphasize doing the little things right. That's what Bear Ball is. It's making a hard turn and seeing if you can take an extra base. It's backing up the right bases when you're supposed to. It's simply playing the game the right way, playing the game hard and playing it selflessly."
The game of baseball can often be a roller coaster, with highs reaching the clouds and lows filling you with anxiety. For Katz, he noted that his faith keeps him grounded.
"My faith is a big part of my life and I hope it continues to grow going forward," Katz said. "It just gives me peace knowing that my identity is not in a sport, but in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. My faith allows me to go out there with a clear mind and live with the results. The guys in our locker room shared that faith and shared that belief. Reid Fagerstrom would lead us in prayer and led our Bible study. He really helped me stay rooted in pursuing my faith throughout the year."
Katz's time with the Bears might have been short, but his impact that he left on the program will be remembered for years.
"I just want to say thank you to everybody involved with the Mercer program for taking a chance on me and for welcoming me in with open arms," Katz said. "I'm just extremely thankful I was able to be a part of such an incredible season and super grateful for the opportunity I was given to come to such a great university. I just want to say thank you to everybody."
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballSunday, May 10
Saturday, May 09
Saturday, May 09
Sunday, May 03
