Page 16 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 21, 2021 7th Annual Christie Serino Baseball Classic set for Saturday Field includes host Malden HS, Somerville, Salem Academy and Winthrop By Jason Mazzilli C hristie Serino is one of the most influential and most revered coaches and mentors in the region's history on the high school and college sports scene. He coached hockey at Saugus High, Malden Catholic, UNH and Merrimack College, as well baseball for many of his five sons' teams as well as at University of New Hampshire. On Saturday, for the seventh time, the late Coach Serino's legacy will be honored again with the playing of the 7th Annual Christie Serino Baseball Classic, where four teams will compete for the 2021 Championship. This will be the first time since the 2019 season the Classic will be held, having been sidelined along with the entire rest of the high school season in 2020. Malden High School Head Coach Steve Freker and the Golden Tornado baseball squad will host the Doubleheader action on two adjoining Malden fields, Maplewood Park and Rotondi Field, beginning at 11:00 a.m. with firstround action. The Championship Game is set for 1:30 p.m. at Maplewood Park featuring the two first-round winners, with a Consolation Game on the adjacent field. Malden High will play Salem Academy at 11:00 a.m. at Maplewood Park in one firstround matchup, while Somerville High and Winthrop High will face off at 11:00 a.m. at Rotondi Field at Howard Park. Coach Freker said it has been an honor to memorialize Coach Serino all of these years. "He was a leader and mentor to hundreds of athletes and coaches. There is really no one in this region who has made such an impact on so many lives in the high school and college ranks," said Coach Freker, who is now in his fifth year at Malden High, returning after an 18-year absence. He was the head baseball coach at Saugus High from 2014-2016 and head baseball coach at Malden Catholic from 2000-2012. He coached baseball at Malden High from 19851999 previously. While at Malden Catholic, Freker served under Serino SPORTS | SEE PAGE 23
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