By Sean Flannelly — Correspondent
In his second interview for the head coaching job at Concord-Carlisle High School, Matt Trotta faced a tough crowd: He had to answer not only to athletic director Aaron Joncas but also to the full returning baseball roster.
“The amount of trust and confidence Mr. Joncas has in his student athletes here, specifically in the baseball program … that was huge to me,” Trotta said.
The experience was a little intimidating, but he tried to stay as casual as possible and meet the players “eye to eye.”
“A lot of the kids and myself left a little excited,” Trotta said.
Coming off his time as Tewksbury High School’s assistant pitching coach, the Westford native will take the mantle of CCHS’ head coach this season. He also runs his own baseball business, Trotta Pitching.
An egalitarian approach
Trotta said he believes in treating all players as equals on the baseball diamond and providing coaching help and attention to players who might not otherwise receive it.
“Late blooming is very, very possible in high school sports,” he said. “[I’m] providing kids what I always wanted out of a coach.”
Trotta said his coaching philosophy can be called “aggressively smart,” meaning all of his decisions must have a purpose and a plan.
He intends to prioritize pitching and players’ fielding skills this spring.
“Because I have that pitching specialization, I think it’ll go pretty smooth; I think it’ll be a little bit more tactical,” he said.
Trotta likes the “raw potential” he’s seen so far on the roster, but the team needs to develop confidence and on-field intelligence to make their mechanics work every game.
Wasting no time
The new coach worked last fall with some juniors and seniors in a two-county Sunday baseball league.
Speaking with the Bridge on March 14, Trotta said he anticipated having lots of seniors and returning players on the varsity team.
“There’s a lot of potential there to surprise a lot of people in the Dual County League, especially with the experience that we have at that level,” he said.
Senior Jayden Lopez will be “a high-impact offensive piece” on the spring team, Trotta said, along with junior Jason Herz, who “seems like a very tactical individual” and is a strong hitter and outfielder.
“This whole entire senior group is pretty awesome,” Trotta said. “They want to put in a lot of hard work for each other and themselves.”
He’s looking forward to his athletes’ hard work in the offseason paying off. The captains ran optional practices for players. Tryouts began March 17 with plans in place to hold scrimmages at the end of the week.
“I’m excited to see their change in work ethic from day one take place in the field,” Trotta said.
The team will have its first game on April 6 against Wayland at the College of the Holy Cross.
Optimistic outlook
For fun, Trotta hosts a Red Sox podcast, “SoxHub,” with his friend Brandon McAlary.
Though the Sox finished at .500 and missed the playoffs in 2024, Trotta said there are things to look forward to as baseball season begins.
“A lot of positivity going into next year, especially with the young guys from Worcester,” he said.
Trotta’s key themes are focusing on the positive and the potential. Baseball is a game with a lot of failure, he said, but players have to “trust the process” anyway, a lesson that goes beyond just baseball.
“The classic line — ‘You can fail 70 percent of the time and still be a Hall of Famer’ — that’s very true to life,” he said. “One day, that wave’s gonna crash for you in a good way, and it’s going to hit.”
Laura Hayes contributed reporting.
