LYNN — The Lynn Tech baseball team has a new head coach, a new philosophy and a new fire in its belly to get the 2022 season underway.
“I know I can speak for myself when I say I’m incredibly excited to get this season going, and I know the guys feel the same way,” said first-year head coach Eddie Lewis. “Playing in that first game is all that the guys have been talking about for the past few days.”
Lewis takes over after spending several years as the junior varsity coach, and he’s excited to bring his brand of baseball to the varsity level with kids he’s known for quite some time.
“The guys are definitely still getting used to things as we’ve had a bit of a culture change, but things are going well early on,” said Lewis. “We’ve got some really talented guys — some guys who can throw and some guys who can hit — but at the same time, we’ve got to see them go out there and do it.”
There are a number of talented players returning for the Tigers this year, and many of them will be on the mound. Ben Tartarini, Will McCafferty and Kolby Bucklin are all back to bolster the starting rotation, while Lewis noted that freshman Jared Paone is someone to keep an eye out for a potential breakout season.
As for the offensive side of the ball, guys like Bucklin, Paone and Domenic Giordano — who was the Item/Agganis Defensive Player of the Year in football this past fall — will lead the way. Giordano will be the starting catcher for the second straight year.
In terms of practice, it’s been a tight turnaround for the Tigers. The team went through three full days of tryouts before finalizing the roster and beginning full practices, meaning that Lewis has only had his squad for five full days — with no scrimmages.
“It’s obviously a tight squeeze, but I’ve been really impressed with how far the guys have come in the short time we’ve had together,” said Lewis. “It takes time to fit into the system, but the guys have been enthusiastic every day and it’s been great working with them.”
Another team-building and conscience-building exercise Lewis had his players do in the preseason was something he calls “Community Giveback,” which includes things like helping run baseball clinics for kids.
“This is what it’s all about — helping the younger kids learn the game and showing the younger guys on the team that community outreach is a key part of being a student-athlete,” said Lewis. “It also allows our guys to learn from everyone else running the clinics and build themselves up.”
Tech opens up its season Tuesday afternoon (4) against KIPP.
“Baseball season is here and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Lewis.
