After the Baldwin Wallace men’s lacrosse team heard news in mid-July that former coach Trey Keeley would be leaving the team and taking a position elsewhere, the team has begun fall practices under new head coach Tony Tatro. 

 Keeley announced to the team via Zoom over the summer that he had accepted an assistant coaching position with the Men’s Lacrosse team at Division I Cleveland State University. Throughout the rest of the summer, Tatro, then assistant coach, took over as acting head coach and liaison the school searched for a new head coach before eventually settling on Tatro. 

“The relationships between the alumni, myself and the current players — we are family,” Tatro said. “All of those relationships start well before they step foot on George Finnie Stadium with a lacrosse stick…To be able to stay here at BW and fulfill my promises to these players is an opportunity I do not take for granted.” 

During the coaching search, the team held multiple question and answer sessions with several possible new head coaches. Meanwhile, the men’s lacrosse team had already gone through several team outings, lifts, and practices with Tatro acting as head coach.  

Tatro was officially named head coach by athletic director Steve Thompson in September. Under Tatro, the team can continue with their “fall ball” session as they have every year as a precursor to the regular season that will start early next year. 

Tatro has served as the assistant coach for the BW Men’s Lacrosse Team for the past six years. He also recruits prospective student athletes for the team. Staying at Baldwin Wallace with the lacrosse team was important to Tatro for many reasons.  

“I love Baldwin Wallace, the town of Berea, and this program,” Tatro said. “I made a promise to each of them in the recruiting process to help them become a better person every day, academically, socially, and athletically.” 

In September, the team took part in the Empower Sports Annual Fun Run, a race put on by the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo which raises funds to directly benefit the Empower Sports programs for athletes with disabilities. 

Expectations for this year’s lacrosse season are high. The team has come off a hard loss in the OAC lacrosse championship last May and they hope to avenge the title this year.  

“We return multiple All-OAC players,” Tatro said. “Our roster is filled with talent top to bottom.”  

Tatro says that what excites him most this season is the level of competition in practice.  

“Our team understands the importance of honing our relationships and skills in the 2-3 hours we have together each day,” Tatro said. “The competition and attention to detail on the practice field will lead to exciting opportunities and new challenges for our program.”