LYNNFIELD — It’s official. Lynnfield’s Madux Iovinelli, a rising senior and baseball and football team standout, knows exactly where he will be when he goes to college in a little less than a year. He will be heading south to play Division 1 baseball at High Point University. The lanky 6-foot-4 lefty, who plays first base when he isn’t pitching, said it took just one visit to the High Point, North Carolina campus to fall in love with the school.
“I loved it right away and that one visit was all I needed. I had visited other schools, but frankly, it just really blew the other schools that I was considering away. I loved the campus. I loved the coaches and entire staff. I loved the warm weather. It just had everything I was looking for. I also felt that even if I were to get injured and maybe not be able to play, I would still be there for the academics. I want to be sure to get that education, so that is my real priority.”
Iovinelli, a perennial honor roll student at the high school, plans to study business at High Point. He said he was being recruited by Quinnipiac, Fairfield and the University of Maine, among others, before deciding on High Point. He describes the Panthers’ program as “up and coming.”
“They were 35-27 last year and even knocked off Vanderbilt in the NCAA Regional Championship, so I am pretty excited to be a part of that,” he said.
Truth be told, Iovinelli had a breakout year as a junior. He batted .486, banged out 34 hits, five home runs with 19 RBI and 10 stolen bases. He was just as impressive on the mound. In seven appearances, he posted a 4-0 record with a 0.85 ERA. He struck out 45 batters and walked only 13. One of his best efforts came in a clutch 2-0 win over Oxford in the second round of the Division 4 state tournament.
Lynnfield High baseball coach John O’Brien said Iovinelli’s strengths are his ability to hit for power, baserunning in terms of both speed and instincts, his arm, and a “great move to first base, being a lefty. And he just throws strikes.” He said he thinks Iovinelli will see time at first base and outfield and maybe some pitching for the Panthers.
“He wanted to play in warm weather and he wanted Division 1, so he went down there for a visit and instantly loved the campus and coach,” O’Brien said. “The coach really loves the way he hits for power, so it’s a great spot for him.”
Iovinelli was quick to credit O’Brien for helping him navigate through the college recruiting process.
“I can’t thank him enough,” Iovinelli said. “He’s helped me all three years every step of the way to help me get recruited and noticed.”
Make no mistake: Iovinelli is easily noticed. He wears hot pink gloves and cleats in honor of his mother, Stephanie Harris, who died of lung cancer in 2019 when Iovinelli was in middle school in California. He spent a year living with a California family before the arrangement ended.
Enter the Jacqui and Jim Driscoll family. Jacqui Driscoll and Harris grew up together in Wakefield and were best friends in high school. Their friendship grew stronger several years later after Jacqui moved to California. After learning Iovinelli needed a place to call home, the Driscolls brought him back to Lynnfield the summer before his eighth grade year to live with them.
“I am at a loss for words for how grateful I am to them for taking me in after my parents passed,” Iovinelli said. “I was only 11 or 12, so it was tough and I needed someone to welcome me in and that’s what they did. They did a great job. It was tough, but knowing I had people who were looking out for me is very special. My mother and Jacqui were best friends in high school, so she stepped in. For what they have done for me, I want to make them proud.”
Jacqui Driscoll said her family wouldn’t have it any other way. She is grateful to the community for its help easing Iovinelli’s transition to a new school and family 3,000 miles away.
“It was hard for him, but the teachers, coaches and families in Lynnfield were just great – making him feel he belonged here,” Jacqui Driscoll said. “We could not be more proud of what Madux has done in such a short time. He is one resilient kid who deserves all the credit for the person he’s become and we are so happy for him now that he knows where he will be going to school.”
For now, however, Iovinelli is focused on the Pioneers’ football team and how he can help bring the program to the next level.
“It was tough, the way the baseball season ended, but it’s a game that when you make mistakes, you pay,” he said. “But that’s behind us, and now, all we can do is to make sure we work hard together and remain focused on football. I think we have the talent and leadership to be successful, so right now, the only thing on my mind is do what I can to make that happen.”
Considering the challenges Iovinelli has already overcome in his young life, bet on it.
