LYNNFIELD — Another Lynnfield High baseball standout is headed to the collegiate big leagues.
Rising senior Anthony Grabau recently signed a national letter of intent to play Division 1 baseball at Fordham University. A member of the Atlantic-10 Conference, Fordham is the winningest college baseball program in the nation. Since its first regulation game in 1859, the Rams have won 4,586 games in 163 seasons, 1,000 more than second place University of Texas.
“I did know that stat and that’s just crazy,” said Grabau, who signed last Wednesday. “It was a pretty easy decision to make. I really like the campus. The fields are beautiful and I know it’s going to be a great home for me. And today, it just means a lot having so many of my friends, my peers and family who came out to see me in this great moment.”
Grabau said he also considered Seton Hall, St. Bonaventure and a couple of other schools before visiting Fordham and falling in love with it.
Lynnfield baseball coach John O’Brien said those other schools were “very interested in him,” but once he visited Fordham, it was a done deal.
“It’s a great opportunity for him in a first class operation,” O’Brien said. “You could see they really liked him and it’s a great spot for him. I think he’ll do very well there.”
In just his first season of varsity last spring as a junior, Grabau hit .406 with 28 base hits, 24 RBI and 12 extra base hits, two of them home runs. He scored 17 runs and stole 13 bases. His numbers earned him a nod to the All-Cape Ann League All-Star team. The third baseman was selected to play in the prestigious Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association’s Junior Select All-Star game last June where he knocked out two base hits.
Grabau will serve as captain of the 2024 Pioneers’ team along with David Tracy, Owen Mullin and Tyler Adamo. O’Brien said while hitting for average, Grabau also hits for power.
“He worked very hard between his sophomore and junior years, especially in the weight room, to become a fabulous player. He hit a ball against Archbishop Williams last year that was more than 400 feet,” O’Brien said. “And, he’s the kind of kid who always does what you ask of him and is always helping his teammates. That’s one of the reasons why he is a captain after only one year on varsity.”
“It’s definitely amazing to be a captain. I think that my teammates and my coach thought I was the best fit because I can really get my guys going,” Grabau said.
Grabau’s Canes New England club coach Stephen Gambale said, “He’s been with us for three years and is one of the hardest-working players I’ve ever seen. He’s driven and always wants to put the extra work in. What he’s done is an amazing accomplishment. It’s a testament to his work ethic. Fordham is a great baseball community and he’ll be a big asset to them.”
Grabau said that while he plays third base for the Pioneers, he expects to play either shortstop or second base at Fordham under head coach Kevin Leighton.
“I’ve played shortstop my whole life,” Grabau said. “When I originally visited the campus, coach Leighton took me and my parents around on a personal tour of the campus. He’s a very nice man, a great coach, and I really like him.”
Now that his college plans are solidified, Grabau said that, while his fellow classmates will have to sweat it out the next few months waiting for college acceptance letters, he feels a “big sense of relief. Now I can just work hard and focus on baseball and school now. It’s definitely an incredible relief.”
Grabau said O’Brien was instrumental in helping him navigate his way through the recruitment process.
“He definitely helped me and we spoke on the phone a few times with the Fordham coaches before they gave me an offer,” Grabau said. “Although I’ve been on varsity for only one year, I feel like I’ve known him forever. He’s a great coach.”
Even though it’s only early November, Grabau’s focus is already on the spring season, doing offseason workouts at the gym with a few buddies for three to four hours a day.
“We need to get stronger, to get better, and be ready for the spring season,” he said. “We lost a couple of seniors but other than that, we’re still going to be a pretty dangerous team.”
