The St. John’s Prep baseball team has produced yet another Division 1 college commit, as senior third baseman Tyler MacGregor has made the decision to play his college ball at Columbia University in New York City.
“It’s an amazing feeling, a dream come true for me,” MacGregor said. “It’s the right decision for me all around, both for baseball and for school, so I’m very excited to start that next chapter.”
MacGregor, who resides in Peabody, started to catch eyes this past spring during his junior season, when he hit for a .424 batting average with four home runs and 30 RBI with 20 runs scored. But the real key for MacGregor was his ability to hit with runners on base, racking up an eye-popping .543 average with runners in scoring position.
“He’s one of the best opposite field hitters I’ve ever coached,” said Prep coach Dan Letarte. “He’s great at making contact and he can really put the ball anywhere on the field, which is such a great ability to have.”
Letarte, who knew MacGregor long before he started coaching him at St. John’s, knows that he has put in the work to get to where he is today, both on the field and in the classroom.
“The term ‘student-athlete’ is very appropriate for him, he’s worked his butt off in school, gotten academic awards and things like that,” said Letarte. “And then on the field, I mean, I’ve known him since he was seven or eight years old because he’s good friends with my sons, and let me just say that nothing was handed to him and he’s earned everything he’s getting.”
MacGregor acknowledges that finding the balance between school and baseball has been a grind, but it doesn’t phase him.
“Just dealing with time management and things like that, I’ll be honest it’s tough at times,” he said. “But this is what I wanted, so I’ve got to put in the work.”
MacGregor is the fourth member of the Eagles baseball team to make a commitment to a Division 1 college program, with the others being outfielder Mike Yarin (University of Connecticut), pitcher Jake Sanderson (University of Connecticut) and catcher Alex Lane (Bryant University).
“We don’t have any excuse to lose now,” Letarte joked when asked about his team for the upcoming season.
“We just have a lot of talented guys on the team, and I’m happy for all of them,” MacGregor said. “I can’t wait to get back on the field with them and hopefully take home a state title this year.”
And that’s the key for MacGregor, keeping his eyes on the upcoming season.
“I am happy that this school decision is over with and it’s not hanging over me,” MacGregor said. “Now I can just focus on my schoolwork and baseball and won’t have to stress over that decision. It can be all about winning.”
St. John’s came up just short of a state title win last season, making it all the way to the Division 1A Super 8 final before losing to St. John’s of Shrewsbury. MacGregor, whose game improved over the course of the season thanks in part to guidance from older players, is itching to get back on the field to give it another shot.
“Last year’s team was a great group and a lot of the seniors really helped me in all parts of my game, which I’m always appreciative of,” MacGregor said. “Now all the returning players are fueled by that loss in the Super 8, and I know we’re all dying to get back out there.”
Letarte is excited as well, and he’s looking forward to seeing MacGregor grow more as a leader and as a ballplayer.
“As a senior on the team now, he’s certainly going to be looked to for leadership and things like that, which he’s ready for,” Letarte said. “On the field, I’m confident he’s going to work as hard as ever to be great and to help us win.”
MacGregor is confident too, not just in himself but also in his team.
“We’ve got a lot of great players, and we’re all hungry,” he said. “I’m confident we can get back to the Super 8 and take it this year.”