LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield senior Luke Martinho has plenty to offer on the baseball diamond. An outfielder and pitcher, Martinho was set to be a captain for the Pioneers before his junior season was canceled at the start of the pandemic.
But when it came to looking for a place to continue his playing career, it was what was happening off the field that limited his options.
“My grades just weren’t very good so that shut off a lot of my options in terms of colleges,” Martinho said.
That reality made it clear to Martinho that he would need to find a spot to sharpen his skills off the field just as much, if not even more, than on the field after high school. And he found just the place at Bridgton Academy, a college-preparatory school in Bridgton, Maine, where he’ll be playing ball next year.
“I had already looked into (Bridgton) and went on a campus tour before the quarantine started,” Martinho said. “It turned out that I was fortunate that I started looking then when things started to close down.
“It felt comfortable,” Martinho said. “It’s a small school and I feel like it’s a good place for me to learn.”
Being able to put his time in the classroom at the forefront while also shaping into the best player he can be on the field was at the top of Martinho’s list, and that’s what the program at Bridgton is all about.
“Their program really stood out because their only goal is to help you,” Martinho said. “Obviously they want to win games, but their No. 1 thing is setting you up for the opportunity to get into any college you can. They help you play up to the highest level you can and make sure your grades are there as well.”
It’s an opportunity that Martinho, along with most spring student-athletes, have been itching for after a year that’s felt like an eternity.
When baseball was canceled earlier this year, Martinho did all the work he could on his own. Eventually he got the chance to hit the diamond again for a in the Northeast Baseball League, which popped up to give players a chance to play this summer.
“That whole time was tough,” Martinho said. “The Northeast League didn’t even start up until the beginning of June and before that it was really just working out in the house. I bought a net to hit into and there was a lot of playing catch with my dad, just doing whatever you can.”
Now Martinho has plenty of hope that he’ll rejoin his Pioneers teammates on the field this spring for his senior season.
“As of now it’s supposed to be a 20-game season,” Martinho said. “There probably won’t be a state tournament but there might be a small bracket just for the North teams. So our No. 1 goal will be to win the North.”
Hopefully this spring can be a good jumping off point for Martinho, who still has high goals set for Bridgton next year and beyond.
“Obviously my main focus is going to be on my grades and getting those up at Bridgton,” Martinho said. “But it’s also good to go there because there’s a high level of competition. My goal is to play for a Division I or II school eventually and the competition I’ll see playing there is one of the biggest things for me.”