Former MLB draft pick Morreale takes over Framingham High baseball

A well-traveled former MLB draft pick is taking over the Framingham High baseball program.

Nick Morreale, who played in the 2017 World Baseball Classic and recently assisted Framingham State to its first conference title, is just the third coach to lead the Flyers since 1984. He succeeds Matt Milano, who took over for Mass. Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dan Avery in 2019.

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Avery, who still coaches soccer at the school, won 376 games after he was hired in 1984. Framingham High athletic director Paul Spear said Morreale was chosen out of an impressive lineup of possibilities.

“I’ve never had as deep a pool of candidates for a position as I did with this baseball opening,” Spear said in a text message. “The overall mix of Nick’s experience and the fact that he has settled into the Framingham High School community made his the ideal candidate.

Morreale, 38, is a trilingual English teacher at FHS and brings a world-wide and local experience to the position. He played professionally in Italy and Germany for eight seasons; served as the bullpen catcher for the Colorado Rockies; and worked with the grounds crew at Fenway Park.

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“Having the privilege of teaching in the district allows me to build meaningful connections with our student-athletes every single day,” he said in a press release. “My vision is to build a program the reflects the tenets of the community that we represent: hard work and relentless determination.”

After earning Player of the Year, All-American, All-state and three All-Conference selections at Vernon Hills (Ill.) High School, he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 46th round of the 2006 MLB Amateur Draft. Morreale chose the college route instead, playing for Mesa (Ariz.) Community College and Northern Illinois University.

He graduated from Arizona State University in 2011 and was the Rockies’ bullpen catcher for the next two seasons before heading overseas. A pitcher, first baseman and catcher, he made the All-Star team his first five seasons with T&A San Marino in the Italian Baseball League. He twice played in the Italian Baseball Series and won a European Championship.

In his final season, 2021, he earned the win on the mound and drove in the go-ahead run in the last game of the season. He also worked in Denmark for Trackman, which specializes in portable tracking products various sport.

Morreale only recently began his coaching career, but has already accumulated an impressive list of superlatives. He assisted Sean Callahan at Framingham State in 2023 as the Rams won their first-ever MASCAC title. A year later, Morreale joined the staff at Stonehill College, which was in the process of moving up to Division 1. The Skyhawks made their first Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament appearance in 2025 after winning 21 games.

He had also coached at the youth level for GBG Hawks.

‒Contact Tim Dumas at tdumas@gannett.com. Follow him on Instagram at tdumas1 and X, formerly known as Twitter, @TDumas2112.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Former MLB draft pick Morreale takes over Framingham High baseball