New St. John’s baseball coach embracing ‘tradition of excellence’

By Bill Doyle
CFP CORRESPONDENT

With a first name like Casey, it makes sense that Casey Cummins chose to have a career in baseball.
“It was predestined,” he said.
Baseball fans know all about the famous baseball poem, “Casey at the Bat,” which was written by Ernest Thayer, who grew up in Worcester. Casey Stengel, who made his managerial debut with Worcester in the minor leagues, managed the Yankees to seven World Series championships in the 1940s and 1950s.
“My dad picked my name out of the baseball encyclopedia,” Mr. Cummins said. “My parents said the first time I went out of the house as a baby was to McCoy Stadium [former home of the Pawtucket Red Sox].”
Ever since he began attending St. John’s High School baseball games in Shrewsbury when he was 9 or 10, Mr. Cummins wanted to play baseball for the Pioneers. After he graduated from St. John’s in 2008, he began thinking about becoming the head baseball coach one day. That day arrived on Oct. 2 when he was named head coach, replacing his former coach, Charlie Eppinger, who stepped down.
Mr. Cummins, 33, of Leicester comes from a baseball family. His father, Tim, coached him and his brother, Micah, when they were young, coached Stan Musial Baseball in their hometown of Auburn and the Auburn Legion team, and has scouted for several major league baseball teams, most recently for the San Francisco Giants. In addition, his mother, Lynn, helped his father run the Boys of Summer Baseball Camp for eight years.
Mr. Cummins’ wife, Laura, knows about baseball too because her brother, Jeff Bercume, played for St. John’s and Merrimack College before spending a couple of years in the Oakland A’s farm system.
The Cumminses’ 5-year-old son, Kyle, plays in the coach pitch division of the Leicester Little League and chances are their 2-year-old daughter, Caroline, will play softball in a few years. Kyle attends Venerini Academy. Laura graduated from Notre Dame Academy.
“We are big believers in that Catholic school education,” Mr. Cummins said, “and those values that are taught at those institutions.”
Mr. Cummins taught at Sutton Middle School for eight years and served as head coach of the Sutton High baseball team the past four, leading the team to the Elite 8 in 2022. However, he jumped at the chance to teach social studies at the St. John’s middle school this fall. He hoped to help Mr. Eppinger  with the baseball team, but he was hired for the head coaching job after Mr. Eppinger stepped down.
“Maybe call it divine intervention, I don’t know,” he said.     “Timing is everything in life and I’m fortunate to be in the right spot at the right time.”
Mr. Eppinger still teaches at St. John’s and Cummins appreciates that he’s helping him take over the program and taught him to be organized and prepared.
“Casey is a great choice for the St. John’s baseball program,” Mr. Eppinger said in a statement. “He has an infectious passion and enthusiasm for the game and will be an excellent coach and role model both on and off the field. I’m excited for Casey and look forward to the program’s continued success.”
Mr. Cummins pitched in relief for Mr. Eppinger and the Pioneers and in his junior year they reached the Central Mass. semifinals.
“I wasn’t a super star,” Mr. Cummins said, “but someone that had to work hard to make the team as a junior.”
John Andreoli Jr., Chad Gallagher, Nick DeProspo, Garret Smith, Kevin Quaranto and Joe Green, who played baseball with Mr. Cummins at St. John’s, all went on to play in college or professionally, but Mr. Cummins did not. He was cut from the varsity at Merrimack College, so he formed a club team, giving him his first coaching experience.
“Not making the college team at the time was devastating,” he said, “because baseball is such a big part of my life.”
He was determined to keep active in baseball and he asked Mr. Eppinger if he could assist him at St. John’s and he did in 2009, 2010 and 2013.
Mr. Andreoli is one of the many St. John’s alums who have reached out to Mr. Cummins with their support after he was hired. Mr. Cummins hopes to have St. John’s baseball greats attend practices and games.
Over the years, Mr. Cummins assisted the coaching staffs at St. John’s, the Cape Cod League’s Bourne Braves, Central Mass. Thunder AAU, West Boylston Legion, Worcester Bravehearts and Nichols College, primarily as a pitching coordinator.
“I’ve seen some great years as a player and a coach with St. John’s,” he said, “and unfortunately, I’ve seen the other side, which I think is important as a coach. It’s not always going to be easy.”
He plans to stay at St. John’s as long as he can. He’s only the fourth head baseball coach at the school since 1988, following Bill White (249-120 from 1988-2005), George Reidy (42-9 from 2006-2007) and Mr. Eppinger (289-121 from 2008-2023). Mr. White coached St. John’s to the Division 1 state title in 2002 and Mr. Eppinger coached the Pioneers to the Super 8 state championship in 2017.
“As a program, we need to embrace that tradition of excellence that has been built before us,” Mr. Cummins said.
“Casey’s pride for St. John’s, his experience and his dedication to our mission as a school,” St. John’s headmaster Alex Zequeira said in a statement, “made a strong impression on our [search] committee. We hired a great ‘baseball guy’ who understands the game and the important role that athletics plays in the formation of boys and young men as Pioneers.”