DANVERS — He’s only a junior, but St. John’s Prep infielder DJ Pacheco’s future plans are already sealed. Pacheco, a Danvers native, announced his commitment to continue his baseball career at Division I University of Richmond this week.
“I chose Richmond because the campus is beautiful,” Pacheco, who also plays hockey at St. John’s, said. “The moment I stepped on it, I knew it was the right place. The facilities are top of the line. It’s a great school that’ll prepare me for the future. The coaches at Richmond are phenomenal. College baseball in Virginia is the best of the best so I’ll be competing against some of the best players in the country.
“Now I can kind of completely focus on helping St. John’s win,” Pacheco said. “Now I can just enjoy the game. When college baseball comes I know I’ll have a great program to play for. I’m really looking forward to it.”
During the recruiting process, Pacheco also considered committing to nearby Northeastern and UMass Lowell. In the end, Pacheco felt Richmond checked off all the boxes.
“I was looking for a Division I program that played really good baseball and gave me a good opportunity to play as soon as I got there,” Pacheco said. “I was also looking for a program that had connections with the Cape Cod League so I could play there when I get into college.”
Pacheco joins a growing group of Eagles that have earned Division I scholarships in recent seasons. Lynn native Max Gieg, a relief pitcher who graduated this past spring, also committed after his sophomore season when he chose Boston College two summers ago.
“I talked to Max during the season,” Pacheco said. “He stayed Northeast because he felt that was the best fit for him. He kind of just told me to find a place where I’ll feel comfortable, a place where I’ll enjoy the game. He told me to find the best fit.”
Pacheco also sought the advice of St. John’s coach Dan Letarte.
“He helped me out a ton,” Pacheco said. “When I was a freshman, he called me into his office. He asked me what schools I was interested in. He reached out to college coaches and got my name out there. He helped me a lot during the recruiting process.”
“DJ’s the kind of player that tries to put his team in a position to win,” Letarte said. “He can play multiple defensive positions and is a tremendous athlete. I see good numbers coming next season in terms of power and driving in runs.”
This past spring, Pacheco hit .300 with five RBI. He posted an impressive .387 batting average with runners in scoring position. Pacheco’s contributions helped St. John’s reach the Division 1A ‘Super 8’ final, where the Eagles fell to Merrimack Valley powerhouse North Andover.
“I thought it was a great year,” Pacheco said. “I learned a lot about how to play the game at that level. I’m going to take that and use it next year to try and help this team win a ‘Super 8.’ I think that’s everyone’s mentality. We’re looking to learn from the past, move on from it and try to help this team win.”
Pacheco’s confident the Eagles will be back in the thick of things next season.
“We’re losing a great senior class but we have a great junior pitching staff that’ll come in,” Pacheco said. “We have a lot of new guys that are going to come in and help out. I think we’ll have a really good shot next year.”
