LYNNFIELD — Let’s just say that 2024 has been a very good year if you happen to be Lynnfield High senior Tyler Adamo.
Last spring, in his second season on the Pioneers’ varsity baseball team, the shortstop had a breakout season, earning Cape Ann League Player of the Year and Daily Item All-Star honors.
This fall, Adamo kept the good times rolling as the starting quarterback on the Pioneers’ football team. The senior captain received the team’s Most Valuable Player award, the CAL Most Valuable Player award, and Daily Item Player of the Year. He shattered several school records for quarterbacks, including career passing yards (5,223), career touchdown passes (69), and single-season touchdown passes (33).
But there’s more. Adamo will be ringing in the New Year as the second member of the Class of 2025 who is committed to a Division 1 baseball program. While teammate Madux Iovinelli is heading south to play at High Point University, Adamo is going Ivy League and heading to New York City to play at Columbia University.
Adamo applied early-decision to Columbia and learned in mid-December that he had been accepted. He said it was a “huge relief” when he found out he was in.
“It was hard because, while I had committed to Columbia and Columbia baseball had committed to me, I still had to get in,” Adamo said. “I had coach (Brett) Boretti’s support, which I knew I needed to get in, but I still had to keep up my grades and still had to get that email from admissions telling me I was officially accepted. Honestly, that felt like a huge weight off my shoulders. I’ve known since I was in the fifth grade that I wanted to play baseball in college and being able to play at such a great school like Columbia is incredible.”
In addition to Columbia, Adamo considered several other schools that had reached out to him during his junior year, including Bowdoin, Tufts, Wesleyan, UMass Amherst, Bentley, and St. Anselm. Adamo said there were multiple reasons why he eventually decided on Columbia.
“There is a mix of everything. Columbia has a great academic reputation as one of the best schools in the country and I wanted to play for a historically good and winning program,” he said. “I also wanted to go to school in the city, so Columbia’s location fit that perfectly. I went to a camp in June and immediately loved the campus and everything about it, then had my official visit in mid-November and got to stay with the team. That was just an awesome experience.”
As far as position goes, Adamo thinks he has a shot at seeing time at shortstop, second base, or center field. He is undecided on a major, but is leaning toward business.
He credits Lynnfield High baseball head coach John O’Brien for helping him connect with several schools.
“He was the best throughout the entire process – the way he was constantly reaching out to other schools for not only me, but other teammates,” Adamo said. “I got great support from him. He helped establish the connections with the coaches and I cannot say enough about him and the way he supports all of us.”
“He’s just a terrific athlete,” O’Brien said. “Whether it’s a practice or a game, he goes at the same high speed full gore just like Jonathan Luders. He has a strong throwing arm and great hands and is a very good fielder. He had to play outfield his first year because we already had a very good shortstop. He throws 82 miles per hour and may do a little more pitching for us this spring.”
Adamo also excels in the classroom. A member of the National Honor Society, he takes a challenging course load that includes AP calculus, Spanish, psychology and AP literature. He is also a student council representative.
Adamo attended Phillips Andover as a freshman, where he played baseball and football, then transferred to Lynnfield High as a sophomore, where he played right field and batted leadoff. He said there were several reasons why he left Andover.
“There were many different reasons why I decided to transfer to Lynnfield High. I missed being at home with my friends. I missed the sense of community that Lynnfield has and I missed the fact that everyone comes out for home football games. Andover was great and I had great friends, but it was tough being a commuter. It’s just a weird dynamic that I wasn’t a fan of. There’s more balance at Lynnfield High,” Adamo said.
Adamo is spending the winter season working out to be ready for the spring season. He feels that, after losing in the second round of the state tournament last year, the Pioneers’ goal is to defend its CAL title and win a state championship.
“Last year did not end the way I hoped. It was heartbreaking and such a tough way to end,” Adamo said. “I’m glad I have another year and I do believe we can win it all. We lost a lot of good players in key positions, but I do feel this team has what it takes to win.”
