When Jack McFarland took over the baseball program at Staples High School in 2005, he prioritized his list of challenges.
First, he faced the fact that Staples is located in Westport, square in the middle of lacrosse-obsessed Fairfield County in southwestern Connecticut.
“Part of competing on the field is first competing for the young athletes available to you,” McFarland said. “That means getting the local kids hooked into baseball at 5, 6, 7 years old. We do clinics, get the hats and T-shirts out there. We have a nice park with a big left field wall we call the Blue Monster. Making baseball fun for the kids early is an ongoing effort, but we have to keep that effort up.”
McFarland also immediately prioritized improving the school’s baseball facilities.
