MALDEN — When Luke Fredette first pulled up to a tucked away Rotondi Field, he didn’t truly know what to expect. The Waltham baseball star was set to take the diamond with some of the best players in the state, and there was pressure to perform.
Yet, if there truly were any pregame jitters, you would not have known it given how he proceeded to play. Fredette finished 2-for-2, driving in a pair of runs to lead Team West to a 4-1 victory over Team East in the 2023 Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association’s Junior Select All-Star Game.
“I was just looking fastball the whole time,” Fredette said afterward. “Then I just got it. I was looking to put it in play, and it landed in the right spot.”
Fredette was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his efforts, and his squad needed every run he could manufacture. Team East took an early lead in the second inning, as Somerville star Ian Born drove in a run with a fielder’s choice to make it 1-0.
Later on in the bottom of the third however, Fredette stepped up to the plate with a runner on. He proceeded to crank a mammoth triple to center, tying the score at 1-all.
Team West was far from finished. After a few more runners were able to reach, Greenfield’s Mike Pierce connected on a sac-fly to put his group ahead, 2-1.
Then, just when it seemed like Team East was about to get out of the inning with a grounder from Lynnfield’s Dave Tracey, a wild throw to first extended the frame, and allowed another run to cross for Team West. When the dust finally settled, it was a 3-1 ballgame.
When Fredette stepped back up to the plate in the sixth inning, he roped an RBI single up the middle to provide his squad a comfortable lead at 4-1, one which it would never surrender.
Leominster ace Angel Baez was named the Pitcher of the Game for Team West, as he fired two innings of one-run ball, allowing just one hit and while striking out two.
“I thought my fastball was pretty firm,” Baez said. “Just giving me a lot off the plate. Thought I hit that spot. Slider was pretty good. Changeup and curveball could use some work, but overall, good.”
According to MBCA Treasurer and All-Star Game Coordinator Steve Freker, over 30 college coaches and scouts took in at least one of the three games, the perfect showcase for some of the state’s best.
Leominster coach Rich Barnaby served as manager for Team West during the victory, and was thrilled to see some of his own players receive great recognition. However, he was also excited to simply help continue to grow the game of baseball in Massachusetts with the MBCA.
“That’s why we do this,” said Barnaby. “It’s all about the players. That’s why we’re all involved in this. What can we do to make the best environment for the players in Massachusetts? That’s why we signed up for this. The MBCA does a great job with this game, the sophomore game, the senior game. Anyway we can promote our players, get them in front of college baseball coaches, we’re happy about that.”