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Baker Makes an Impact as a Baseball Coach in Madison

After playing four years of baseball at Branford High School, Bryce Baker stepped away from the diamond and was unsure about his future in the sport. Bryce was then offered a role to coach in Madison Little League, leading him on path to become the freshman baseball coach at Daniel Hand High School—a position that Bryce feels incredibly grateful to have received.

Bryce grew up playing baseball in Branford, where he still resides. He started with tee-ball and worked his way up through the town’s travel league before playing four years of high school baseball for the Hornets. He also played for the Connecticut Bombers from ages 8 to 12.

As he was playing baseball, Bryce learned about attitude and how to bounce back from struggles. Throughout his playing career and now as a coach, Bryce says that the ideals he’s learned from the sport of baseball have helped define him as a person.

“Attitude and respect are two of the big things baseball will teach you,” says Bryce. “You fail 7 out of 10 times at the plate, you’re still really good. A lot of these kids are discouraged when they don’t get a hit every at-bat. It’s important to be able to not only teach them the game, but teach them life lessons. When you get knocked down, you got to get up. It’s how you respond.”

Bryce graduated from Branford High School in 2016. He was a varsity starter in his junior and senior years and served as a captain during his senior season. Prior to graduation, Bryce played two years for Branford’s Senior American Legion team. Then, when he was attending UMass Amherst, Bryce returned to play another season in Branford’s Legion program.

Bryce says that playing baseball in Branford taught him a lot about hard work. He understood the time and effort that it took to reach the varsity squad. Bryce knew that, above all else, his work ethic would help him achieve his varsity goals.

“Hard work beats anything else,” Bryce says. “For most kids, the goal is to one day play varsity baseball. It’s easy to slack off during high school. You want to be with your friends. But you have to work hard for what you want. If you’re working hard and you prepare yourself, you set yourself up to succeed once you’re at the varsity level.”

During Bryce’s first two years with the Branford Senior Legion team, Kyle Heins served as one of his assistant coaches. Heins then became Branford’s head coach when Bryce returned to play as a college student. Heins quickly saw the type of player that Bryce was on the baseball field. Heins says that Bryce has been able to successfully transition the skills that he showed back then into his new role as a coach.

“Bryce is an amazing coach. He builds relationships with the kids at the youth and high school level,” says Heins. “He understands the games, and it’s never not fun when it comes to Bryce and how he coaches. He’s a good friend and someone I respect on and off the field.”

After graduating from Branford, Bryce went to UMass Amherst and graduated with a degree in sports management in 2020. Bryce says that his experience in baseball helped him achieve his career goals. However, outside of his stint with Branford Legion, Bryce’s time on the baseball field had come to a close once he went off to college.

That all changed when Bryce’s former Branford teammate, Jason Vitale, reached out to him about coaching in Madison Little League. Vitale served as the head coach of the Madison Senior Legion team this summer. Bryce took Vitale up on his offer and became the head coach of Madison’s 14-U baseball team in the fall of 2020.

Bryce had never sought out a coaching role, but loves baseball and has a great knowledge of the game. When Vitale made him the offer, Bryce knew that he had to go for it.

“It was always a thought. I love being around the game so much. But I went to school never really thinking that was an option,” Bryce says of coaching. “I always had a pretty good baseball IQ. I understood the game really well. When the opportunity presented itself, I thought I was prepared and capable of doing a decent job. It was never something I went after, but now that I do, I love it.”

Bryce wanted to ensure that both he and his players were having fun during his first year of coaching. It was a bit of a test run as Bryce wanted to make sure that he had his bearings underneath him as a coach. In the end, Bryce felt that his first season was the best he could ask for and knew that coaching in Madison Little League had helped him become a better leader and mentor.

During the winter of 2021, Bryce was approached by Travis LaPointe, the head coach of the Hand baseball team. LaPointe offered him the role as the freshman baseball coach, and Bryce has been in the dugout with the Tigers ever since.

Bryce has an opportunity to work alongside experienced baseball coaches at the high school level. He feels that this makes him a better coach. Bryce likes coaching in a competitive environment at Hand and enjoys creating relationships with the Tigers’ ballplayers.

“It’s awesome to be able to build relationships with those kids. I want to go out there and practice hard. I want to win,” Bryce says. “To have that atmosphere in high school, especially at Daniel Hand, is awesome. The coaches there are unbelievable. I’m able to learn more from coaching high school. I’m with veteran coaches who have done it for years.”

In his role as the freshman coach, Bryce strives to do everything he can to prepare his players for their jump up to the varsity level. Bryce went through the journey himself and knows what it takes to make it there. One of Bryce’s main goals as a coach is to help his players realize what they need to do to succeed as a Hand baseball player.

“My job at the freshman level is to prepare these kids to move up the ranks and, hopefully, play varsity one day. My job is to be the guy who introduces them into the program and show them how we operate,” says Bryce. “It’s the same from varsity down to freshman. My biggest goal is to prepare these kids for the seriousness of a varsity sport.”

After working with him for the past two seasons, LaPointe feels confident that he made the right decision in bringing Bryce aboard the Tigers’ coaching staff. LaPointe says that Bryce brings great energy to both programs that he coaches in Madison and is a wonderful addition to the baseball community.

“Bryce has been a blessing for our Madison baseball community. He is energetic, passionate, and patient, which makes him a great role model and mentor for the young men that he coaches,” LaPointe says. “I am really lucky to know him and coach alongside him.”

As much as he loves baseball, Bryce never though that he would have an opportunity to coach. Bryce felt grateful when Vitale helped him get started and texted him weekly just to thank him.

After making an impact as an athlete in Branford, Bryce now has a chance to influence Madison’s youth while coaching a sport that he loves. It’s a role that Bryce feels proud to be in and one that he holds dear.

“I truly do love it. I didn’t think this would be an opportunity I’d have,” says Bryce. “I’m just extremely grateful, and it has been the most fun I’ve had in a long time. To be able to coach, have fun doing it, and be around great kids, I’m just really grateful for those experiences and opportunities I’ve had.”