PEARLAND, Texas — On a Pearland softball field, 9-year-old Mersadys Merchant is proving that determination and a big swing can turn dreams into reality.

“She just said, ‘I want to hit softballs,’” her parents, Jay and Krista Merchant, recalled. “One of the coaches saw her swing and said, ‘That’s a ballplayer.’”

Mersadys quickly made a name for herself, earning All-Star honors in her first two seasons.

This past season, she won her age division at Major League Baseball’s Pitch, Hit, and Run competition at Daikin Park, representing the Astros team championship.

“I was super surprised because there were a lot of good people there,” Mersadys said. “I didn’t know if I was going to make it or not.”

That win earned her a once-in-a-lifetime invitation: a trip to Game 2 of the World Series in

See Full Page