Haverhill, MA (June 30, 2026) – Northern Essex Community College Director of Athletics Dan Blair has announced the resignation of head baseball coach and assistant athletic director Jeff Mejia, as he becomes the head coach of NCAA Division I Merrimack College.
Additionally, Blair has announced that assistant coaches Brian Sankey and Tyler McDonald have been named Interim Co-Head Coaches effective immediately. 
Hired prior to the start of the 2013 season, Mejia compiled a record of 362-154 and led the Knights to 10 trips to the NJCAA World Series, earning regional coach of the year honors on 11 occasions.
“I’d like to thank Coach Mejia for his dedication to the program and the student-athletes over the last decade plus and wish him the best as he moves on to Merrimack. We’re grateful for the impact he has had on the NECC program and we look to continue building off that foundation”, stated Blair. “We have a great group of returners and incoming students, and I have no doubt in the ability of Brian and Tyler to lead us through the summer while we conduct our search.”
McDonald has served as an assistant for the previous two years, after playing two seasons for NECC, serving primarily as a relief pitcher before continuing his career at Franklin Pierce, where he graduated in 2024.
Sankey joined the program this spring in a volunteer role. A four-year standout at Boston College, graduating in 1996, he is a member of the Eagles Athletic Hall of Fame and a 32nd-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1996 MLB Draft. He’s made three coaching stops at the high school level and served 18 years as an MLB scout for both the Atlanta Braves and Milwaukee Brewers.
A national search for the Knights’ next baseball coach and assistant athletic director is underway.
