Hard Working Iovino Staying Close To Home At Merrimack

Jack Iovino OF / 1B / Medfield , MA / 2024

MEDFIELD, Ma. - When college baseball started to become a realistic possibility, Jack Iovino made a decision.

“Since I was a little kid I’ve wanted to play baseball for as long as I could,” the Medfield High School senior reflected. “I remember at 9-10 playing for a club team and thinking this is what I want to do. I started my freshman year and I really wanted it. After that I sacrificed a lot. I sacrificed my junior basketball season to work on hitting, fielding and strength work. I sacrificed weekends with buddies. You have to sell out for what you want to do. But it will be worth it.”

A commitment to Merrimack is proof for the 18-year-old.

“Interest started my club season the summer going into junior year,” Iovino related. “Coach Matt Greenberg had a connection with their coach and he saw me a few times. Then this year he saw me in the state finals and that put me on their radar.

“I got the ball rolling with them in the summer. At a tournament in Maine the coach liked what he saw. I got connected with (head) coach (Brian) Murphy and went on a visit where he showed me around. He said I’d been on their radar since sophomore year. I was pleasantly surprised. I liked the coach and the guys I met.”

An offer came at the end of August and Iovino eventually decided on the university located an hour from home over the likes of Salve Regina, Maine and Elon.

“Originally I wanted to get out of Massachusetts but after a while I wanted to stay closer to home,” pointed out Iovino, who found Merrimack to be the perfect fit.

“I really like the coaching staff with what coach Murphy has going on the next few years,” Iovino said. “I want to be part of that, it’s trending upward. I also really like the campus feel there.”

Merrimack is happy that staying in Massachusetts is now right for Iovino.

“They like that I’m tall and on the faster side with my speed,” the 6-5 185-pound outfielder noted. “They feel I have a good bat and like that I’m athletic.”

Improvement has proven beneficial over the past year.

“I have a lot more confidence whether it’s at the plate or in the outfield or on the bases,” Iovino said. “I just try to control the controllables and not worry about the uncontrollables.”

The recruiting process was a “mixed bag” according to Iovino.

“I started earlier than recommended,” Iovino related. “It was stressful my freshman year but better more recently. I did a PBR showcase in June and it was mostly what I did with my club team and with the PBR recruiting platform for coaches to view along with connections of my coach that helped my recruitment.”

Iovino pointed to former high school teammates Scott Donahue (UMass Lowell), Jack Collins (Union College), Thomas Shurtleff (Penn) and Jack Goodman (Northeastern) for leaving their mark before heading off to college to play baseball.

“I can name a million guys, there were a lot of them I looked up to, but these were some of the main ones that kept me motivated,” Iovino noted.

Now Iovino will soon join them as a college baseball player.

“It’s hard to explain, it’s not relief it’s that I’m wanted by somebody to showcase myself,” Iovino said of the feeling he had after making a commitment. “It’s nice to see all the work I put in the last four or five years pay off and I’m going to some place I really want to be.”

The Medfield senior believes he can be a huge asset to the program that will begin playing in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in the 2024-25 school year.

“I’ll definitely bring a hard-working mentality, someone wanting to be around the sport all the time,” Iovino said. “Someone who does all the things, putting in the extra effort to get one or two percent better every day.”

A major in business and finance is on the horizon for the 3.35 student, who was recruited as an outfielder but can also play first base.

“I’m looking forward to playing great competition on a really competitive team,” Iovino concluded. “Having fun, meeting new guys and enjoying that competitive feeling.”