Mom struggles watching son, husband

Seated behind home plate, in a neutral white shirt, she had the same feeling as the two head coaches that embraced at home plate.

“It didn’t feel great,” Guerriero said. “I wanted them both to win and didn’t want either of them to lose. I’m glad it’s behind us. But I am very proud of both of them. Their love for the game of baseball and each other was clear to everyone there.”

It’s fair to say that no fan in attendance was more emotionally invested in the outcome between her husband, Neville head baseball coach Paul Guerriero, and her son, Pineville head coach Cullen Guerriero.

In his first season as Pineville’s head coach, Cullen Guerriero, 24, had the opportunity to coach against his alma mater, former high school head coach and his father.

“That’s the trifecta,” Cullen Guerriero said. “It was a mix of emotions. It’s obviously cool getting to coach against my role model and the guy I’ve wanted to be like my whole life, you know? Stepping out at home plate and smiling and hugging, that’s something that I’ll never forget. But I told everybody afterwards, I’m not a big fan of playing against him.”

Pineville rallied back from a 4-1 second-inning deficit to beat the Neville Tigers, 8-4, Tuesday night. It marked a significant win for a Pineville team looking to rebuild under a young head coach, sure, but it also started what the father-son duo hopes to become an annual series.

“We’ve been playing them every year with a home and home, and we’re going to keep that going,” Paul Guerriero said. “We came to their place this year, and they’ll come to ours next year. There are weird emotions because you want to win, but at the same time, we don’t want to see each other lose. He texted me after the game and said he didn’t like playing against his dad. There’s always that part of it, but the whole competition of it is fine.”

Cullen Guerriero believed it would get easier as the years pass. In his mind, the first time was always going to be strange. And that’s not just because he’s coaching against his dad. He’s also playing against kids he follows both on the Neville Tiger Network and on Gamechanger, which allows fans, players and coaches to track games live.

“I watch almost all of their games that I can, and if I don’t, I keep up with them on Gamechanger,” Cullen Guerriero said. “So I feel like I know all of the players too. That’s kind of cool.”

Thinking back to his first year as a head baseball coach, Paul Guerriero estimated he was around Cullen’s age when he assumed top coaching duties. There are obvious challenges that come with being a young head coach, but Cullen felt he was more accustomed to the those simply because he’s been going to the ballpark with his father since he was 2 years old.

“It’s definitely a challenge, but the great thing is I’ve been around one of the best in the game my whole life,” Pineville’s newest skipper said. “It’s great having that resource, and having him to lean on and ask questions. I’m always bouncing questions off of him. I feel like the challenge is establishing our standard and building those relationships in a different way than somebody like my dad that is in his 50s. I graduated in 2017, so I’m right out of it. I understand what the players are going through.”

In Pineville’s comeback victory, the Rebels attacked fastballs and swung the bat well to come away with the midweek victory. That’s something Cullen Guerriero felt his father would appreciate. And he was right.

“I was disappointed in the way we competed because we scored four runs in the first two innings and then just shut it down and let them fight back,” Paul Guerriero said. “We didn’t respond well, and I was disappointed in that. But I was proud of the fact that his guys kept fighting. He got a lead and extended it. That’s a staple in what we teach. “