Ex-Malden Catholic coach Freker gets Saugus baseball job

SAUGUS – Steve Freker, who coached the Malden Catholic baseball team to a state championship more than a decade ago, and consistently had the Lancers at or near the top of the Catholic Conference, has been named head coach at Saugus High, athletic director Rob O’Leary announced Friday.”I couldn’t be happier with the quality of coach we got,” said O’Leary. “On paper and on the field, he is second to none.”Freker, who has coached at both Malden and Malden Catholic, takes over for Tom Gaeta, who resigned at the end of last season.”We want to thank Tom and his assistants for putting us in a position where someone of (Freker’s) caliber would consider applying for the baseball job,” said O’Leary.”We are looking forward to getting started,” he said.Freker coached at Malden Catholic while Saugus’ Christie Serino was the athletic director. He will be adding Serino’s son, Anthony, as his primary assistant. Freker plans on adding another assistant as well, O’Leary said.”Steve has an electric personality, and I think he will be awesome for Saugus baseball,” O’Leary said.Last season, the Sachems were 11-9 during the regular season, but lost their first tournament game to eventual sectional champion Whittier in extra innings.Freker’s Lancers won an improbable state championship in 2002, defeating Peabody (which had Jeff Allison on the team) in a rain-soaked Division 1 North final … a day after the Tanners had eliminated St. John’s Prep. The Lancers then eliminated Xaverian in the state semifinal before winning their title.Among local athletes Freker coached at Malden Catholic was Saugus Little League World Series star Dario Pizzano, who is currently in the Seattle Mariners’ minor league system.Freker is the secretary/treasurer of the Mass. State Baseball Coaches Association, and is also, along with Lynnfield’s John O’Brien, one of the clinic registration coordinators.While at Malden High, Freker coached Kevin McGlinchy, who later played for two seasons with the Atlanta Braves.