The Emerson College baseball team is set (for) their first game of the season. A season opener is always exciting, but the ingredients for this one include some special sports pixie dust.
(Emerson) introduced Billy Uberti as the new head coach of Lions baseball in early February.
Uberti has nothing but good things to say about his six-year tenure at the helm of his alma mater, which included a program-best 25-16 record for Lasell's Lasers last season. Still, he left no doubt about where he stands in the upcoming showdown.
"The hardest thing I ever had to do was leave [Lasell], but I'm on Emerson now," he said.
With less than three weeks between the official hiring announcement and the team's first scheduled game, the timeline alone has been an early challenge for Uberti. As he's settled into an office that isn't yet quite as organized as he'd like, he has dedicated his time to creating schedules, touching base with potential recruits, and of course, getting to know the team.
"The individuals seem very motivated; it seems like they want to be pushed, which is what I was hoping for," Uberti said. "It seems like a really good group."
In addition to a positive first impression of the team itself, the 35-year-old Newton native's eyes lit up when talking about the location and feel of Emerson as a whole.
"Ever since I stepped foot on Emerson, I felt the excitement of the campus. The creativity of the students has been super impressive to me," Uberti said. "This is a school that's known all over the world, so it gives me the impression that I can build a baseball program here."
Building a program the way Uberti wants starts with changing the culture as fast and effectively as possible — a goal the team is already getting a good sense of.
Braeden O'Connell, one of the team's captains, talked about how Uberti is constructing a team that is focused on a "blue-collar culture, and a winning culture."
"He wants to be the best team, and he's coming in to compete, which is what we need," O'Connell said.
Those types of changes take work, and Emerson is wasting no time. Many players have said that practices already feel more meaningful.
"Practices are like [putting our] nose to the ground, and we're just off running," O'Connell said. "He calls us out if we're doing something wrong, which I think is great. He keeps us accountable and we can keep him accountable."
But culture isn't the only thing changing. Uberti said he is looking to bring his own "Billy brand of baseball" to the Lions' play style, with an emphasis on aggressiveness and a balanced effort on both sides of the ball.
"[Batter] one through nine is going to be able to put bunts down," Uberti said. "I like having an athletic team. We're going to be really focused on throwing strikes, playing defense at a high level, and executing team offense."
Execution often comes down to details. Something that, according to junior infielder Torin McCann-Braun, Uberti has covered, and then some.
"The biggest change we've seen as upperclassmen was how detail-oriented he is, and just the desire for us to do the little things correctly both on and off the field," McCann-Braun said.
"Oh my god, we had a bunting practice and he stood in front of us while we bunted to make sure we bunted at the right spot, our feet were in the right spot, and our hands were in the right spot," laughed O'Connell.
Uberti's philosophy has been developed from a lifetime of playing and coaching baseball. His prior coaching experience includes successful stints with the Martha's Vineyard Sharks in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League, Suffolk University (where he fell in love with Boston), and East Georgia State University, in addition to his extensive time with Lasell as both a student and a coach.
"The thing about coaching is you learn something new every day, and I've been doing it for 10 years now … you do the math," Uberti said.
While both Uberti and the team acknowledge the time it takes to build something great, they're optimistic about being competitive this season after an 8-22 campaign in 2025.
"The best year for us would be a winning season or even making playoffs," O'Connell said. "A success for me would be [contributing to] the culture change, bringing some confidence to the guys, and having a lot of fun."
Uberti agrees.
"If we can focus on the process, results will take care of themselves," he said.
Even McCann-Braun, who suffered a hand injury that will cause him to miss extended playing time this season, has completely bought into the future of Emerson baseball.
"Everybody wants to be included in this project. Even if I won't be contributing on the field, I want to contribute in any way I can off the field to help this team in any way possible," he said. "That's just a testament to [Uberti]."
Beyond Emerson's opening matchup against the team Uberti built, they'll take on a slew of non-conference opponents. This includes local matchups against Elms College and Framingham State University, and embarking on a spring break trip for a stint of games in Davenport, Fla. Then they ship back up to Boston to begin NEWMAC play across the river at MIT on Tuesday, Mar. 24.
The college also gave its thanks to Henry Butterfield, who assumed the role of interim head coach to steady the ship during the transition period, as well as previous head coach Nick Vennochi, who spent 10 seasons with Emerson.
The team said they know they will face obstacles this season, including a smaller pitching rotation and their 45 minute commute to home games in Northborough. But they got their leader, and that goes a long way towards ensuring a smooth ride.
