LYNN — With a new face at the helm of the program, there’s plenty of optimism making its way through the Lynn Tech baseball team.
New Tigers coach Rich Germano, who was at the helm of the junior varsity team for the past two seasons, takes over the varsity team this spring. Germano is a 1987 Tech graduate who played baseball and hockey in his days as a student athlete.
With younger players making progress through the preseason, Germano’s excited to get the year started.
“I have a great relationship with all of the kids,” Germano said. “They’re a great group of kids. I’m very fortunate to be working with all of them.
“We have a lot of young players coming up,” Germano added. “We have some freshmen who might break the starting lineup. They’re extremely talented. We plan on turning things around quickly.”
Players to keep an eye on this season include junior outfielder Kenny Moore, sophomore catcher Byron Garcia, junior second baseman Chris Tejada, freshman utility player Jared Moore, senior third baseman Serey Eang and sophomore infielder Divanny Ortega. A few of them haven’t played varsity baseball yet but have looked impressive during preseason practices.
“There’s great talent coming up,” Germano said. “We have some younger players that are looking to crack the starting lineup. We’ll see how it goes but I feel strongly that we’ll be able to compete this season.
“They’re all great kids,” Germano added. “We have a great nucleus. They’re a great group of kids. We’ll have to coach up the younger kids a little bit but I think we’ll be alright.”
On the mound, the Tigers will rely on junior pitcher Johan Ortega to be their ace. Germano has no shortage of confidence in handing Ortega the ball.
“We’re in a great spot with him,” Germano said. “He has great velocity and he spots his pitches well. He has a great curveball. We have Serey as our No. 2 right now and Jared might be our No. 3. Jared’s going to be something to watch. Johan’s a great pitcher. Everytime I throw him out there, I feel comfortable with him.”
One of Germano’s key focuses through the early going has been coaching up the Tigers bats. Tech struggled at the plate last spring and Germano’s looking to see the offense improve this time around.
“The bats are key for me this year,” Germano said. “I sat down and talked to the players about that. We’ve been indoors and we have a batting cage. We’ve been focusing on hitting a lot this season. We’re hoping to turn that around.
Germano added, “Our No. 1 focus has mainly been hitting. We’re working on the basic things, situational baserunning and things like that. We’re working with the younger kids on where to be, where to be when the ball’s thrown and what to anticipate. We’ll see what the kids are like when they get outside and star hitting live pitching, hopefully this weekend.”
Tech’s biggest challenge this preseason has been battling with the inclement weather. The Tigers will be outdoors for the first time this morning (9) when they host Swampscott for a scrimmage at Fraser Field.
“The kids are itching to get outside and get the season started,” Germano said. “They were trying to get outside a few days ago, even in the snow. They’re very excited to get outside and start the season. It’s kind of tough being indoors. Other than that, I’m happy with where they’re at. It’s a great group of kids and I’m looking forward to the season.”
Despite being limited indoor practices, Germano’s pleased with his early impression of the team.
“We’re working on fundamentals and pitching,” Germano said. “We have a great facility with a batting cage and a mound. I feel ok. It’s a lot different compared to when you get outside and you can hit some fly balls. The kids look decent so far.”
The Tigers open the season Wednesday afternoon (4) at Minuteman.
