Will Lacker ’09 (baseball)

Just because he was nice did not mean he played nice.

Former pitcher Will Lacker, who graduated in 2009, is remembered by varsity baseball coach Joe Campagna as a likeable guy on the quieter side, who demonstrated that actions spoke louder than words.

“He wasn’t the ‘rah-rah’ type of guy,” Campagna said. “But he was a leader on the field and he was a bit of a bulldog once he got to the mound. His personality came out there. That was kind of his domain and where he felt comfortable.”

According to Campagna, he won the respect of his teammates with his pitching skills and his personality.

“He was elected captain, which always goes to show you that other players respected him,” Campagna said. “He led most by example. The other guys looked up to him especially as the ace of the pitching staff. You always look up to that guy because he’s the guy that gets you going.”

Lacker was gifted with a natural arm, but he still worked throughout his sophomore and junior years to reach the level that he was at in his senior year. Throughout the years, he developed both mentally and physically.

“Will was a really nice guy, so he needed a little more mental toughness, which I think he got, and just a natural maturity that you get in high school,” Campagna said. “He worked out quite a bit and physically became stronger, but he had a good natural arm to start with. He was good as a sophomore, pretty good as a junior, and very good as a senior, so he made a natural progression.”

Some of Lacker’s most memorable career games include a game against Boston Latin. Lacker was a relief pitcher. With the bases loaded, he struck out a player to put away the inning. During a game against Walpole, he struck out 14 players in what Campagna called “a dominating performance.”

Both on and off the field, Lacker was successful. A number of schools called Campagna about Lacker, but Lacker had his heart set on the Ivy League, and eventually was recruited by Brown University.

“Getting into the Ivy League and pitching at that level is a real accomplishment,” Campagna said. “That’s a good baseball league. I think he left behind a continuing legacy that we have good solid student-athletes. Kids that do really well in classroom and out as teammates make my coaching job very enjoyable.”