The North Shore Navigators have committed a league low 23 errors this season, and when it comes to operations at Fraser Field, the ship is sailed with the same rigor.
In the Navs’ third year in Lynn, General Manager Bill Terlecky said he is pleased with the progress of the franchise on all fronts.
“There’s been a good vibe around the ballpark,” Terlecky said. “I feel like we’ve turned a corner, the crowds have been good, and a lot of folks are leaving with smiling faces.”
College baseball summer leagues have a reputation for helping young athletes develop their game.
Likewise, students hoping to break into the other side of sports—such as media, marketing and leadership—have found opportunity at Fraser Field.
The team of 20 interns are an integral part of making Navs home games a communal source of fun and excitement—from Firework Fridays, to Kids’ Day, to orchestrating all the music and games between innings.
“It’s almost like a big college campus. The players are all in college, and all of the interns are college students,” Terlecky said. “It makes it a little crazy for us sometimes because they’re all new and we don’t really have any seasoned vets, but they pick it up quickly and it’s fun.”
Another eye-catching development this season has been Fraser Field itself.
The new AstroTurf has given game day a much-needed facelift, adding ease and subtracting time and energy that used to go into cleaning up the post-rain dirt and debris.
As Terlecky noted, it also supplies fans with more accountability.
“The fans know we’re going to play,” he said. “As long as it’s not raining at game time, it could rain in the morning, it could rain in the afternoon, and we’re playing at night.”
As for the team fans come out to support? Terlecky said their biggest concern right now is consistency.
“Some games the hitting is good and we don’t pitch, other games the pitching is good and we don’t hit,” he said. “We just have to put all parts of the game together and have everything clicking at the same time.”
The same ailment haunted the Navs Tuesday night, when they went head-to-head with the league-leading Worcester Bravehearts.
Starting pitcher Matt Rodriguez threw six scoreless innings. The Navs took a 1-0 lead when James Plaisted raced around the bases following Braveheart errors in the bottom of the sixth.
The Navigators would not score again, as the home team lost 2-1 to go 6-14 on the year.
“We haven’t played as well as we wished on the field—but I think that will come, as long as the guys continue to play hard and approach their work in a positive manner,” said Terlecky.