Malden High Baseball Coach reaches 400-win milestone

Winningest high school coach in city history is one of only 40 statewide, ever, with 400 HS baseball coaching victories

By Jason Mazzilli

Freshman Ryan Bowdridge spun a two-hit shutout with 12 strikeouts to lead the Malden High School baseball team to a 10-0 shutout win over visiting Everett on Wednesday at Pine Banks Park in Malden. The Greater Boston League victory was the 400th in the career of Malden Head Coach Steve Freker.

“I told the kids, the most important thing is that we got the win,” Coach Freker said. “I thought we played our best game of the year today … But personally, I’m thrilled because it means I’m still involved in this sport after so many years.”

Freker, a Malden High alum who was inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association (MBCA) Hall of Fame in 2016, has coached high school baseball for 39 years across stops at both high schools in Malden – Malden High and Malden Catholic – as well as at Saugus High for several years. He has also been inducted into both the Malden High School Golden Tornado Hall of Fame (in 2007) as a coach for baseball, basketball and football and the Brother Daniel Cremin Malden Catholic Athletics Hall of Fame (in 2023) as a coach in baseball and football.

It’s the relationships that keep him coming back. “The best part of it all is making a difference in the players’ lives and their families’ lives,” Freker said. “I’m very, very grateful for that.”

Coach Freker started coaching high school sports at Malden High School in the fall and winter of 1982, in football alongside the legendary, late Tornado Head Coach Paul Finn and then in the winter in basketball with former Malden basketball Head Coach Jay Sweeney. He coached baseball with Shawn Brickman for several seasons beginning in 1985 and then right through the 1990s until 1999, when he moved on to Malden Catholic from 2000-2012. Malden High won the GBL title in 1985 and 1994, in 1994 setting a school record for wins in a season with a 21-3 mark. At Malden Catholic, under Coach Freker, the Lancers won nearly 200 games in 13 seasons, the Division 1 State Baseball Championship in 2003 and the only Catholic Conference Championship in 25 years in 2008. In 2008 Malden Catholic set a school record season wins: 23-2.

He returned to Malden High in 2017 and has been coaching since, leading Malden back to the State Tournament for the first time in 12 years. At 6-3 heading into Friday’s game versus Medford at 7:00 p.m. at Morelli Field in Medford, Malden is seeking a second straight State Tournament appearance for the first time in over 20 years.

In 39 seasons coaching high school baseball, Coach Freker’s teams have appeared in the MIAA Division 1 State Baseball Tournament 31 times. Freker has the most high school coaching wins combined in city history and is the only coach to have led teams to league championships at both Malden High and Malden Catholic, as well as set school records for baseball wins in a season at both schools.

Coach Freker is the only high school coach in Greater Boston League history to have coached two players who pitched in Major League Baseball – Kevin McGlinchy (1999-2004, Atlanta Braves, Tampa Bay Devil Rays) and Rich Barker (1998-2000, Chicago Cubs) – and who won a National League Pennant and pitched in the World Series (Kevin McGlinchy, 1999, Malden High alumnus Class of 1995). Barker was a 1991 Malden High graduate. Between Malden High (7) and Malden Catholic (11), Coach Freker has coached 18 players who have either been drafted (15) or signed as a free agent and played professional baseball, the most players to the professional ranks of any coach in New England over the past 35 years. Coach Freker has also coached well over 125 players who have gone on to play college baseball, many of whom were Division 1 and Division 2 scholarship players.

Coach Freker also coached for three seasons at Saugus High (2014-2016), where he guided six players to the college ranks, the first Saugus High players to make that jump in 20 years. The combined number of college players produced is one of the highest of any three schools combined over the last 35 years.

“I have been fortunate to have had the privilege of coaching some fantastic players – some of the best players in their school’s respective history – and also had some remarkably dedicated assistant coaches, including my assistants this season, varsity assistant Mike DiCato and Phil Cook and JV head coach Mike Nicholson,” Freker said.

“Mike DiCato (2010-present) and former assistant coach Dave Lightbody (2000-2012) were with me the longest [and have] been instrumental in many of those wins and have been so valuable with their knowledge and compassion for the game and the kids,” Freker said. “I am also so grateful to my past and present Athletic Directors. Malden High AD Charlie Conefrey and Malden High principal Chris Mastrangelo brought me back here in 2017 and it was the best move I have made and he has been so supportive, every day I have been here.”

“Rick Mazzei hired me at Malden Catholic in 2000 and took a chance on an outside guy and then the late Chris Serino trusted me to coach his own sons as the Athletic Director,” Coach Freker added. “I am also very grateful and appreciative to Mayor Gary Christenson, Malden’s biggest sports fan and former Malden Mayors Richard Howard, Ed Lucey and the late Jim Conway. They have all gone out of their way to acknowledge our successes and offer guidance and support, always.”

“It’s been a great ride and it’s still going, that’s the best part,” Coach Freker said.