Old Colony baseball swings into winning early season

ROCHESTER — After a month of practice and a 2-0 record, the Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School baseball team is off to a strong start.

A solid group of returning players have helped the team hit the ground running, with new players learning quickly and pulling their weight as well, Coach Craig Lincoln said.

“Players have engaged at a high level — working on playing baseball the right way, showing up with good work ethic every day — and been a fun group to coach so far,” Lincoln said.

As a teacher at the school, he said seeing players in class and on the field makes his job as a coach easier. He said he appreciates consistently working with them as players and students, giving them the same routine and structure while still having fun.

Lincoln said the team has a mix of serious and playful members, but they are all willing to put in the work during games and practice because they want to win.

Senior Marc Donati, of Rochester, said his goal for the season is to win games and make it as far as possible in the playoffs.

Donati has played the game most of his life, and said his teammates have been the highlight of his high school career.

“We make fun out of everything, and even when times are tough, we still find a way to make it good,” he said.

Camden Vallee, a sophomore also from Rochester, said the encouragement he gets from his teammates helps him move forward during difficult plays.

He said this helps the team pull ahead when it’s down and keep a positive outlook.

“We're always picking each other up. Everyone's always like, ‘Hey, you're good, keep your head up,’” Vallee said. “It's like a family, almost — we're always there for each other.”

Junior Aiden Deree plays a key role in maintaining that dynamic. The Rochester native is the team captain, and came to practices when he was in middle school before joining the team in ninth grade. 

Deree said his favorite part of playing on the team is the close bond they members share,  fostered by team dinners and trivia nights, and takes his role as a leader seriously.

“You’ve got to lead your team, keep them focused, try to keep everyone involved and show everyone how it's done,” he said.

Lincoln said as much as he wants to see his players win games, his job is all about growth.

“Ultimately we started with 15 guys, and we want to end with 15 guys that have learned more about baseball and about themselves, to become better players and better people,” he said.