LYNN — For Swampscott’s Pierce Friedman to go back to a time when baseball wasn’t in his life, it’d be quite the haul.

From Little League all-star games (“Some of the best memories of my life,” he said) to his current stint with the Navigators, just hand Friedman a ball and, frankly, watch him go to work.

The Stonehill pitcher has one year of college ball under his belt, but his passion was born nearly a decade earlier.

“[Little League] taught me the ins and outs of the game and kind of really got me going,” said Friedman, who recalled winning championships with the A’s and Red Sox. “It taught me a love for the game.”

His next stop was Babe Ruth, coached by Fred Dubiel and Steve Correnti, whom Friedman also played for in Little League.

“[They were] teaching me everything I knew,” Friedman said.

Not only did youth baseball give him that curveball, but also, something bigger.

“Lifelong friends,” Friedman said. “All my close friends played Little League. Those guys are my life, really.”

He and his friends showed off some more at Swampscott High. Friedman was a team captain and MVP, as well as an all-conference player (Northeastern).

“All four years, [I] started on varsity,” Friedman said. “Coach (Joe) Caponigro was huge [and] gave me the opportunity I would’ve never had if he wasn’t a coach. It gave me the opportunity to stand out.”

Friedman still smiles thinking about his freshman year. Swampscott defeated Austin Prep in the semifinals.

“I didn’t play that game, but I was in the dugout in Melrose,” Friedman said. “I think we were down 3-1 or 3-2 at the time… Dylan January hit a ball about 500 feet that still hasn’t come down.”

Big Blue, big takeaways. Friedman credited Swampscott’s coaching staff for shaping him as a player, and man.

“[They taught me] a drive for being the best you can,” Friedman said. “Not settling for good, but always being the best you can, even through a four-hour practice.”

Also, how to cope with coaches at any level, adding you shouldn’t pay attention to how a coach is talking to you, but rather, what he’s saying.

“If he’s not yelling at you, he doesn’t care about you,” Friedman said.

When Stonehill recruited Friedman, it was a Division 2 program. Now at D1, the tougher competition didn’t faze him, really.

The right-hander started seven games, struck out 41 batters, led his team in ERA (3.59), and punched out 10 batters in one game against Central Connecticut.

“I couldn’t have been happier with the season I had,” Friedman said. “[It was] beyond what I ever expected.”

Friedman said that 10-strikeout performance showed him his potential.

“[It showed me] how good you can be,” said 6-foot-1, 175-pound Friedman. “You go look at that game and you’re like, ‘You’ve got it.’”

He’ll be back in Easton before you know it, but first, a summer with the Navs.

“I came to a number of games when I was young, just with my dad or at birthday parties and stuff like that, so it’s great to be able to come back and play for a team that I grew up watching,” Friedman said. “I love being with these knuckleheads, playing the game I love, and having a great time.”

His summer goals are to pick people’s brains, learn more about the sport, and work on some control issues on the mound.

“Play some good baseball, go home, go to sleep, then do it all over again,” Friedman said.