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Mercer soccer student-athlete dies after collapsing during pickup game Monday night

A graphic mourning the death of Baba Agbaje, 21, of Fayettville the night of April 10. Agbaje was a soccer player and finance student at Mercer University. He collapsed during a pickup soccer game and died later that night.
A graphic mourning the death of Baba Agbaje, 21, of Fayettville the night of April 10. Agbaje was a soccer player and finance student at Mercer University. He collapsed during a pickup soccer game and died later that night. Courtesy of Mercer University/Facebook

A Mercer University soccer player and student died Monday night after collapsing during a pickup game, according to the university.

Abdul Rasheed Babatunde “Baba” Agbaje, 21, of Fayetteville died at about 7:48 p.m. after he collapsed on Mercer’s intramural fields during a pickup soccer game, Bibb County coroner Leon Jones said. An ambulance took Agbaje to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The cause of death was undetermined and an autopsy was planned, Jones said.

“Our hearts go out to the Agbaje family on their tragic loss and ask the Mercer family to keep them in their thoughts and prayers,” said Mercer President William D. Underwood in a press release. “Baba was an outstanding student, having been named to the Southern Conference Academic Honor Roll, and was a valued teammate to other members of the soccer team. Words cannot convey the extent of our sadness over Baba’s passing.”

Agbaje was a senior and a finance student in the business school at Mercer. He joined the soccer team in 2019 and was part of their SoCon Tournament-winning squad in 2021.

“We’re heartbroken over Baba’s passing, and our hearts go out to his family and loved ones,” men’s soccer head coach Brad Ruzzo said in the release. “He was an incredible person who embodied what it means to be a Mercer Bear. Everyone who knew Baba loved him, and he was a blessing to coach. He will be greatly missed.”

The university encouraged students to seek counseling if needed as the school mourns the loss of Agbaje.

This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 10:21 AM.

MJ
Micah Johnston
The Telegraph
Micah Johnston is a general assignment reporter for the Macon Telegraph. A Macon native and Mercer University graduate, he joined The Telegraph in 2022. When he’s not writing about anything under the sun, you can find him obsessively following baseball, reading or playing drums.
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