DANVERS — St. John’s Prep pitcher Matt Remley won’t have to worry about his future plans when his senior baseball season rolls around next spring. Remley, a North Andover native, made his college plans official when he announced his commitment to Division I Holy Cross earlier this week.
A two-sport athlete who captains St. John’s golf team, Remley also drew the interest of UMass Amherst, Babson, Emory (GA) and Denison (OH). A visit to the school’s Worcester campus and close communication with Crusaders coach Greg DiCenzo left Remley leaning toward Holy Cross.
“Coach DiCenzo brings great energy,” Remley, a right-hander, said. “I love his energy as a coach. That’s the type of coach that I need in order to succeed. The campus is beautiful. I’ve always wanted to be a lawyer. They have a great pre-law program there. Those were the reasons that drew me to Holy Cross.”
Academics were the top priority as Remley weighed his options.
“From the beginning I always put school first. I wanted to find a school with great academics,” Remley said. “I wanted a school with great baseball, so I always put academics first.”
Remley’s the fourth St. John’s player to announce a college commitment over the past month. Teammates DJ Pacheco (Richmond), Will Frain (UMass Amherst) and Joe Castrichini (Stonehill) will also continue their careers in college.
“I think next year we’ll be really good,” Remley said. “We’re going to bring a lot of firepower next year. Everyone at St. John’s works hard. We have such great chemistry. There’s a reason we call each other ‘brothers’ and I actually that’s true.”
The 2019 season was Remley’s first on St. John’s varsity team. In eight appearances, he went 3-2 with a 1.29 ERA over 21 2/3 innings of work. Opposing offenses batted just .216 against him.
“Matt has tremendous potential and is highly projectable,” Eagles coach Dan Letarte said. “He’s 6-foot-3 with great, clean arm action. We’re expecting a big senior year from him. He’s a great teammate and his work ethic is off the charts.”
His junior season was cut short when he suffered an arm injury during a late-season start at Gloucester. But overall, Remley felt 2019 was a step in the right direction.
“(The 2019 season) went really well,” Remley said. “I got a lot more innings than I expected. I worked hard and earned those innings. I got injured during my last start and missed the ‘Super 8.’ That was tough because I couldn’t pitch against my hometown but I got through it.”
Remley’s three-pitch array includes an 87 MPH fastball, slider and change-up. With one more year of varsity baseball to fine-tune and sharpen his game, Remley feels he’ll be ready to compete for playing time when he gets to Holy Cross.
“We play at the highest level in Massachusetts,” Remley said. “The Northeast is an awesome baseball region. To be able to play at the highest level and compete, that’s definitely going to help prepare me for the next level.”
