by Brendan Akashian

This year, InsideLowell is excited to feature Boomer Athletics, a non-profit travel baseball and softball organization based in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a mission to provide a high-level baseball and softball experience for student-athletes in the Lowell community.

The program currently features 9 baseball teams ranging from ages 8-16 years old and 4 softball teams with ages 8-14 years old. In total, they serve over 150+ student-athletes in the Lowell community.

As the weather turns, let’s highlight the talented players in our community getting ready to take the fields across Lowell against the best competition in New England.

Baseball

2024 8U Development Team – Baseball

Promising newcomers: Matthew Crowley, Eamon Gilday, Jack Lenzi, Landry McFadden, Xavien McLellan, Luke Morris, Cody Royal, Brady Snow, Brock Upton

Coach Mike Upton (Bryant ’06): “Our Development Team is a group of kids motivated to improve and they have all worked hard this winter. We will continue their development throughout the spring to build a strong pipeline of Boomer Baseball players for years to come.”

2024 9U Baseball

Promising newcomers: Boomer Akashian, Brian Barry, Jackson Brown, David Cespedes, Blake Doucette, Jack Durkin, Kaleb Pigeon, Angelo Santiago, Knoxx Seng, Jax Silva, Quinn Smith, Will Tobin

Coach Brendan Akashian (Holy Cross ’08): “Our 9U team is full of players facing the top competition at their age bracket across New England for the first time. During the year, this group will improve considerably and look to get this 9U level to the state championship game for the third year in a row.”

2024 10U Baseball

Returning players: Sean Drinkwater, Thomas Florence, James Kane, Emily LeLacheur, Jacob Marion, Zahir Rodriguez, Lucas Ros, Ryder Swett, Frank Ventura Jr, Harry Zahareas

Promising newcomers: Victor Bellerose, Kal Eng, Jacoby Romanowsky, Jack Royal

Coach Bill Florence (Bridgewater State ’06): “The Boomer 10U Baseball team is excited to get into its upcoming schedule. A true team top to bottom where each player will undoubtedly contribute to its success this season. With ten returning players, we hope to build on a strong run from last year when we lost in the Division 1 State Championship game. Competing this year in the Select Baseball 10U Elite Division will be a good challenge for our players. Through our indoor workouts this winter, the players have shown themselves to be hard working, dedicated, and most importantly, great teammates. I know the players are excited to compete and represent the City of Lowell and the Boomer Baseball program with pride and a Play Fast attitude.”

2024 11U Baseball

Returning players: Emilio Cespedes, Jack Duffy, Drew Durkin, Merryn Kay, Logan Kelly, James Mangiaratti, Matthew Matos, Wesley McDonald, Matthew Rurak, Harry Shea, Finn Stevens

Promising newcomers: Aleksi Romanowsky

Coach Joe Kelly (Northeastern ‘07): “Boomer 11U has high expectations as we look ahead to this season. I am incredibly excited about the potential of this team and the opportunities that lie ahead. Our returning players plus our newcomers create a roster brimming with talent. From power hitters to ace pitchers, every player brings something special to the game. This team’s tremendous hard work and dedication during our offseason preparations hope to bring us success on the field.

2024 12U Baseball

Returning players: Yoden Arias, Tyler Durkin, Keegan Foley, Ryan Galvin, Sam Hines, Michael Martinez, Conor McNamara, Jake McNeil, Bryceson Silva, JC Sotirakos, Owen White

Promising newcomers: James Marion, Logan Thurston

Coach Brian Durkin (Boston College ‘03): “Boomer 12U is looking to build off a strong finish to the Select Season in 2023 winning the Silver Bracket Championship. We will rely on our established core to lead us into the 2024 Select Season as we look to establish early momentum. The boys are fired up to compete and play fast.”

2024 13U Baseball

Returning players: Luke Floor, Ryan Foley, Tim Franks, Griffin Graham, Deon Hoeun, Dylan LeLacheur, Brady Meade, Nathan Norman, Kingston Phouvong, Michael Rillovick, Cooper Snow, Connor Stevens

Coach Chris Snow (Bates College ’99): “Our 13U team comes into the season having had a great winter. They worked hard improving core strength and agility in anticipation of the move up to the full-sized diamond. The team has been playing together for years and enjoy competing with, and for, each other. The players and coaches are excited to begin the season and look forward to competing once again in the Select League’s Elite division.”

2024 14U Baseball

Returning players: Brennan Abrams, Yorian Arias, Zachary Chachus, Quinn Conley, Cam Gabriel, George Grillakis,

Promising newcomers: Nolan Allen, Kieran Donahue, Jose Lopez, Thomas Shay, Melchizedek Vann, Michael White

Coach Tim Shay (Lowell High ‘96): “This 14U Boomer squad is hungry to set an aggressive and competitive tone to start our season. After a winter of preparation indoors, these young men have laid the groundwork to accept the challenge that the first year on a full-sized diamond will present to them, a first for many of our players. This coaching staff is excited to shepherd the development of our players toward a season emphasizing etiquette, attention, speed, and effort. We hope to prepare our players for the adversity that not only a baseball game can bring them but life as well. Rising to these challenges will create a successful season.”

2024 15U Baseball

Returning players: Josh Boucher, Sean Dolan, Shawn Hines, Fradiel Matos, Brayden Rivard, Chad Vigeant, Liam White, Deron Xaykosy

Promising newcomers: Rylan Aylward, Josh Harrington, Nathan Harrington

Coach Brian White (Colgate ’99): “Many of our 15U players will be completing their first season of high school baseball during the spring months. I am excited to see how they develop during the high school season. We have several returning players from last season plus a couple of fresh faces that will hopefully help add to the success we have seen over the past few years.”

2024 16U Baseball

Returning players: Ned Akashian, Liam Conley, Ben Durkin, Keegan Hunt, John Keefe, Brenden Modeski, Will Morgan, Kelvin Perez, Andrew Reid, Jovani Ubri

Promising newcomers: Riley Johnson

Coach Brian Akashian (Holy Cross ’01): “All of our players worked hard this winter to prepare themselves for the upcoming high school and travel ball seasons. We will have players playing varsity baseball for Lowell High School, Central Catholic High School, Chelmsford High School, Dracut High School, and Middlesex School. This age group is the original Boomer Baseball squad and has been a top team in the Select Baseball League since 2018.”

Softball

2024 8U Softball

Promising newcomers: Murphy Akashian, Ellen Barry, Vivian Brown, Elliot Corbin, Shea Duffy, Mackenzie Favreau, Kathryn Florence, Emmagrace Glavine, Avery Kalitka, Ashlyn Lappin, Kailyn Lappin, Kat McCann, Stella McCoy

Coach Sarah McCoy (UMass Lowell ‘05) /Stephanie Kalitka (Salem State ’06): “Our 8U softball team has been putting in tremendous effort to develop the fundamental softball skills required for the game. The girls have been displaying remarkable progress in their hitting, catching, and throwing abilities, while also gaining a sense of comfort and confidence in themselves and their teammates. Alongside their personal growth, the girls are coming together as a cohesive team, demonstrating support and respect for one another. We are looking forward to applying the skills we have acquired at our indoor workouts on the field this coming spring.”

2024 10U Softball

Promising newcomers: Jane Autio, Stella Espinola, Olivia Gallo, Sofia Grillakis, Lilac Iverson, Nora Kelly, Hazel Koch, Ellie Logan, Lila Montgomery, Madison Parker, Zoey Rourke, Vivian Straker

Coach Emily O’Brien (UMass Lowell ’17): “As we start our softball program, this will be the first experience for many of our girls on the tournament circuit. Our team has put in quality indoor hours this winter and we are excited to see the continued improvement of our team as we head outside in the coming week.”

2024 12U Softball

Promising newcomers: Kali Borrelli, Grace Duncan, Grace Frost, Aubriella Greene, Natalee Hamel, Blake Malvesti, Sophie Ouellette, Aladis Pimentel, Layla Roun, Misha Santiago, Shea Sullivan

Coach Lizzy McQuaid (Trinity ‘16): “We have put together a great collection of enthusiastic players that have strived to improve their game all winter after coming together as a team for the first time this past Fall. In year one of this team, we are looking to continue to develop strong student-athletes on and off the field.”

2024 14U Softball

Promising newcomers: Madeline Akashian, Anna Autio, Mia Climo, Allison Daneau, Dahlia Lugo, Juliana Marion, Kayla Moriarty, Kiley Nunan, Gabriella Olmo, Catelyn Steen, Maura Tobin, Madeline McQuaid

Coach Tori Alcorn (UMass Lowell ’17): “We are fortunate to bring together a collection of talented players to our newly created program. We are excited to watch them come together on the field after a strong winter of development.”

View from the Program Directors

Brendan Akashian, Baseball: “We have done an excellent job of attracting talented coaches across the city to come together in a volunteer capacity for the benefit of our baseball community. The model we have created allows our kids to develop their skillsets in both the recreational and travel baseball models, while bringing together players and coaches from across the city to develop and showcase the finest players in our community. Our program took a large step forward this year by opening our new training facility (The BRUCE) on Lawrence Street, where we have been able to take our player development to the next level. We look forward to continuing to experience the baseball success we have had in recent spring and summer seasons and are excited to show off our program to surrounding organizations when we host our Memorial Day Tournament at the end of May.”

Lizzy McQuaid, Softball: “As we embark on our first year as a softball program, I am really excited about the players, coaches, and parents we have brought together to establish a softball program we can be proud of. We have been working hard to make developmental gains indoors at our new facility, but we are extremely excited to get outside and show off our hard work. I look forward to the continued development of our girls through the spring season.” 

Get to know a Boomer Athlete!

Name: Lucas Ros
Team: 10U Baseball
Position: Catcher/OF
School: Dr. Gertrude Bailey Elementary School
Favorite Lowell Restaurant: 1981 Ramen Bar
Favorite Folk Festival Food: Laotion
Favorite Lowell Team: Mass Pirates
Favorite baseball memory: Winning the 2023 9U Cal Ripken State Championship!