Navigators open tonight with high hopes of success

LYNN – Don’t let Friday’s torrential rains dampen your confidence. If it ends when the forecast says it does (early today), and the sun comes out, the North Shore Navigators will play what is now their season’s opener tonight (7) at Fraser Field against the Wachusett Dirt Dawgs.View photo galleryThe Navigators, in their second year under the ownership of Chicago attorney Patrick J. Salvi, were to open in Pittsfield Friday night, but the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea put the kibosh on that.Still, general manager Bill Terlecky is confident about tonight.”This field actually drains well,” says Terlecky, who came on board last year when Salvi took over ownership. “Once we get the standing water off the field, and especially if we get some sun and it warms up, we should be good to go. I watched a few times earlier this spring, when it wasn’t as warm, and this field turned around real quick.”The Futures Collegiate Baseball League, in which theNavs play, mandates that at least half the time be from the area or play for a school nearby. The Navs will feature several homegrown players, including high school seniors Riley MacEachern of Saugus and Kyle Devin of Lynn; Kyle Gauthier (Classical/Hartford University), and Joe Gruntkosky (Peabody) and Alex Markakis (Lynnfield/St. John’s Prep), both of whom went to St. Joseph’s College.Markakis and Gruntkosky are the “grizzled veterans,” although at the age of 21, that may be a stretch. Still, by virtue of having been here last year, he knows the ropes and he’s anxious to share the information.”I’m definitely looking forward to leading the team,” he says. “I like being a clubhouse guy. The atmosphere is pretty good now, and I hope it stays that way.”I’m looking forward to it,” he says. “There’s pretty much a new group of guys, and they look like they have a lot of potential.”Gauthier pitched for Hartford University this spring.”I thought I did all right,” he said. “Obviously, I was only a freshman, but I got a lot of playing time, so I have no complaints.”He is the second of his family to play for the Navs. His older brother, Bryant, was on the team when it won the New England Collegiate Baseball League title in 2010. His middle brother, Tyler, played in the NECBL last year.”I miss playing here,” said Gauthier, who was a star pitcher and first baseman for Classical. “I loved playing here.”The other half of his high school batter is Devin, who will be attending Stony Brook in the fall, along with MacEachern.”Coming right from high school, this is going to be a challenge,” said the Classical senior, who graduated Friday. “But it’ll help me get ready for the fall, when I go away to college.”I’m going to have to be like a sponge this summer and take it all in,” he said. “But at the same time, I want to play too. I’ll be probably the youngest kid on the team. And for Riley and me, playing here this summer, and then going out to Stony Brook ? that’s going to be awesome.”In his first year leading the Navs will be former Peabody High player Jon Cahill, who was an assistant last year. He played both at Peabody and then UMass/Lowell.His philosophy is simple.”There’s going to be a pretty long leash on the guys,” he said. “It’s summer, and while we want to play and learn, we also want to have fun and put on a good show, too. But we want to play good baseball.”Cahill says different players have different needs, and it’s up to him to get to know them and to make sure those specific needs are met.”I have to have the trust of the coaches,” he said. “They have to be able to trust me so that they’ll know we’ll do right by the players and return them perhaps a little better in some areas.”Baseball is baseball,” he said. “It’s all about learning and making adjustments.”Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].