mobanmarketSWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott High baseball team will play its home games on DeFelice Diamond starting this spring after the Select Board on Wednesday voted unanimously to rename the field in honor of longtime coach and program supporter Frank DeFelice.
A member of the Massachusetts Baseball Hall of Fame, DeFelice coached for 35 years in the program and guided the Big Blue to a state championship in 1993. He also won four Division III titles, two Division II titles and was an eight-time Northeastern Conference champion.
DeFelice also coached baseball as an assistant at Endicott College and football as an assistant at Bentley University.
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The proposal was brought to the Select Board by former players and friends, including current Swampscott High coach Joe Caponigro, who said that DeFelice was unaware of the campaign as he’s dealt with health challenges.
“I played for Coach DeFelice, I coached against Coach DeFelice and now I’m the coach of Swampscott High baseball,” Caponigro said. “Coach has had some tremendous accomplishments. Not just wins and losses, state championships. But just the profound impact that he’s had on students and student-athletes. This I think it’s long overdue. I think now is the time to do it.
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“He’s an icon.”
Former players were among those who attended Wednesday night’s meeting to speak in support of honoring the legendary coach.
“His accomplishments aside — which would be enough to warrant something (like this),” said Steve Bulpett, a former Swampscott High baseball player and longtime Boston Celtics beat writer, “it just struck me that his continued support for the program, always being there, always offering help.
“Carving out this slice for Coach DeFelice, whom I have known since I was very young. Always appreciated him even when he was yelling at me. It’s time to do this.”
Caponigro offered that DeFelice has continued to send a check to benefit the program each year.
“He still backs everything we do with Big Blue sports and baseball,” Caponigro said.
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
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