MHS Grad Appointed Head Baseball Coach

Former Mustang baseball star Nick Tucci. Photo courtesy UConnHuskies.com.

Story Updated 6:47PM Wednesday, January 9, 2008

– Allison Goldsberry

Former Mustang baseball star Nick Tucci will lead his alma mater’s baseball team as head coach this spring.

Tucci, currently a Social Studies teacher at Medford High School, will take over for Paul Mattatall, who served as Tucci’s coach.

“He [Tucci] is doing a fine job as a social studies teacher and we think that his knowledge of the game and his ability to relate to our athletes will help him be successful as the coach of the Mustangs,” said School Superintendent Roy Belson.

Tucci said he is honored to be following in the footsteps of previous coaches that served as mentors to him, including Mattatall and MHS submaster David Polcari.

“I’m really excited for the opportunity. I’m looking forward to continue the great tradition that is Medford baseball,” said Tucci.

Tucci hopes to build the team up to championship level and will immediately begin focusing on creating a strong feeder system so talented athletes will stay in Medford rather than head to popular Catholic school rivals such as Malden Catholic and St. John’s Prep. To that end he will create a middle school program aimed at enticing kids to play ball at Medford High School.

Tucci will get to work right away, as the Mustang baseball winter program starts next week. He said he would like to see the team finish above 500 and make the state tournament as soon as this season.

As a Mustang Tucci was a three-time Greater Boston League all-star, two-time MVP, two-time Massachusetts All-Star, and twice made both the Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic teams. Tucci finished his senior season with an 8-1 record and a 1.25 ERA. He allowed only 9 walks and had 116 strikeouts- more than any other high school pitcher in the state that year.

Tucci continued his baseball career at the University of Connecticut, where he had two standout seasons before becoming sidelined with an arm injury. He was later drafted by the San Diego Padres and played with the team during the summer of 2006.

Tucci has served as an assistant coach to the baseball team since December 2006. He currently teaches World History at the high school, a position he began last fall.