THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 19, 2024 Page 9 BASEBALL | FROM PAGE 1 Pine Banks Park in semifinal and fi nals action, beginning at 11:00 a.m. East Boston High School, the two-time defending champion, will play the Greater Lawrence Tech Reggies at 11:00 a.m. at Kezer Field at Pine Banks in one matchup, while Malden High and East Boston High will face off at 1:30 p.m. at Pine Banks in Game Two. Malden High played Greater Lawrence Tech on the road Thursday, after Advocate press time, in the fi rst game of the tournament. Malden High Head Coach Steve Freker said it has been an honor to memorialize Coach Serino all of these years. “He [Serino] 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 8th year at Malden High, his second time around as head baseball coach of his alma mater. He was the head baseball coach at Saugus High from 2014-2016 and head baseball coach at Malden Catholic from 2000-2012, all of the years Coach Serino was Athletic Director. Freker coached baseball at Malden High from 19851999 previously, this being the 39th year coaching high school baseball. He was inducted into the Bro. Daniel Cremin Malden Catholic Hall of Fame and then The 10th Annual Christie Serino Memorial Baseball Tournament is being held in Malden today, featuring host Malden High, East Boston and Greater Lawrence Tech. (Courtesy Photo) the Bay State Games Hall of Fame in 2022, Mass. State High School Coaches (MBCA) Hall of Fame in 2016 and the Malden High Golden Tornado Hall of Fame in 2007. While at Malden Catholic, Two of the late Coach Christie Serino’s sons played locally at Malden Catholic: Anthony Serino (left) and Nick Serino (right). Nick, a 2007 Malden Catholic graduate, starred at UMass Amherst and later played professionally in the Toronto Blue Jays organization. Tony Serino, a 2009 Malden Catholic graduate, also played at UMass Amherst. Malden Catholic baseball went 70-27 in the four seasons from 2006-2009 when the Serinos wore the Lancer uniform under then Head Coach Steve Freker, whose Malden High team hosts the Christie Serino Classic today. (Courtesy Photo) Freker served under Serino, who was athletic director at the time, and also coached two of Coach Serino’s sons, Nick and Anthony. Both of the sons were D-1 scholarship baseball players at UMass Amherst. Nick Serino went on to the professional ranks with the Toronto Blue Jays organization, one of eight professional MLB baseball players from Malden Catholic from 2003-2012. “We started the Serino Classic in 2014 at Saugus High and it was such a big success we brought it to Malden High when we returned here,” Freker said. Malden Mayor Gary Christenson has attended all the tournaments held in Malden since 2017 and was expected to deliver the fi rst pitch today. **** SERINO CLASSIC HISTORY Held in Saugus: 2014, 2015, 2016 Held in Malden: 2017 – Malden HS 2018 – Malden HS 2019 – East Boston 2020 – No classic-COVID-19 2021 – Winthrop 2022 – East Boston 2023 – East Boston
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