LYNN — Every baseball team has that player who brings the energy every single day. He’s the one always getting the team fired up, he’s the one yelling the loudest on the bench and he’s the one starting the chatter on the field. For the St. Mary’s baseball team, that player in junior Lee Pacheco.
“It’s a huge part of high school sports, starting chatter and picking up your teammates,” said Pacheco. “It’s always good to bring the energy to the game and to get excited out there.”
“He does that not only in games, but in practice too,” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana. “He’s always getting the guys up.”
But Pacheco isn’t just the energy guy for St. Mary’s, he’s a big contributor to the team’s success this year. Splitting his time between first base and the pitcher’s mound, the Salem native led the Spartans in RBI (24) and was second on the team in batting average (.346). On the mound, Pacheco appeared in six games and pitched 21 innings, going 1-2 with two saves.
“He’s a versatile player for us,” Dana said. “He played shortstop his first two years with us and now he’s over at first base playing great defense. He’s been the guy who has driven in the runs for us this year as well, and when we’ve needed him to he’s come in and pitched well for us.”
The pitching stats are even more impressive when you consider that Pacheco didn’t know how much he’d be able to contribute on the mound this year after suffering a dislocated shoulder during football season.
“I really didn’t know how much I’d be able to pitch coming into the season, I was doing physical therapy every day,” Pacheco said. “It was tough to work through, but I started feeling better and stronger and I haven’t looked back all year.”
Like some of his Spartans teammates, Pacheco is a multi-sport athlete at St. Mary’s. He never takes a break during the school year, playing football in the fall before moving on to basketball in the winter and then baseball in the spring.
“I think it helps bring out my competitive side even more, which is good for me,” Pacheco said about playing multiple sports. “It keeps me in shape all year and keeps my skills sharp, but the main things it does it help me keep my mental focus.”
“It helps give him confidence in big situations like the one we have Saturday,” said Dana. “He’s been in big games like this, seen how things go, and he can be prepared for what may happen.”
Playing multiple sports for St. Mary’s over the past few years, Pacheco has seen his share of big games — including state title games in both football and basketball. The experience, he says, is invaluable.
“It’s all about being prepared and not getting flustered when things don’t work out,” said Pacheco. “I’ve learned to never hang my head when the other team scores or makes a great play, because anything can happen out there.”
But for now, Pacheco is focused on his next baseball game — the Division 2 state championship game Saturday. Pacheco knows the Spartans have been working toward this goal for a long time, and he’s excited to put everything he has into the final game of the season.
“We just have to keep up the energy and keep picking each other up,” Pacheco said. “We have to keep playing good defense and our bats need to stay hot.”
Pacheco and St. Mary’s will take on Hopkinton in the Division 2 state final Saturday (noon) at Alumni Field in Lowell.