Joe Kuras, General Manager & Bench Coach
Joe Kuras joined the inaugural team in ’97 as an Assistant Coach. He assumed control of the team in 2000 as Owner/General Manager, and remains as an assistant coach as well. A native of Grafton, Joe played Junior High and JV baseball at Grafton Junior and Senior High School. He played in the Grafton Men's Softball League for 20 years, and was a league officer for 10 years. Joe also served the Grafton Little League for 10 seasons as a coach, vice president and president.
Joe and his wife, the former Maryellen Jarzobski, have 3 grown children - Jonathan, Jillian and Justin; and three grandchildren, Noel, Bradley & Elena. He is a Client Requirements Manager for Booz Allen Hamilton of McLean, Virginia and serves as the Treasurer of the Polish National Home Association in South Grafton. Joe was a contributing writer for the 2005 edition of "The Red Sox Fan Handbook - Everything You Need To Know To Be A Red Sox Fan ...Or To Marry One". He also co-authored "A History of the Polish American Community of South Grafton, Massachusetts" in 1999. For 10 years, he was the minor league correspondent for "A Red Sox Journal", a publication of the Buffalo Head Society.
Rick Allain, Field Manager & Head Coach
Rick Allain joined the club in 2000 as the Third Base Coach. In 2008, Allain was promoted to Field Manager and Head Coach.
The Grafton native first cut his teeth on a baseball in the Grafton Little League. As a teen, he participated in Babe Ruth baseball in town. In high school, Allain pitched, played the outfield, first base and third base for Blackstone Valley Tech. He played in the Grafton Men's Softball League for 15 years.
Rick is also known as one of the best third base coaches in the area with his knowledge the game and its intricate strategies. He is a master at fundamentals, mechanics and strategy.
Rick is a Graphics Design Instructor at Joseph P. Keefe Technical High School in Framingham. He is a Captain on the Grafton Fire Department and a member of the Knights of Columbus. Rick is married to the former Celeste Berube. They have two grown children - Matt and Tiffany, and one granddaughter, Sadie Renee.
Steve Barker, Pitching Coach
Steve Barker returns to the Lake Sox in 2008 as Pitching Coach. Barker pitched for the L’Sox from 2000 – 2001 and served as Co-Captain of the team in 2001. He was a league All Star both years. Barker ranks 4th on the team’s all-time list with an opponents’ batting average of .199. He is the team’s single-season strikeout king with 49 K’s and hurled a no-hitter vs. Hudson in 2001.
After a standout career at Grafton High, Barker cracked the starting rotation at Worcester State College and posted a perfect 4-0 record in 2005. Barker was a starting pitcher for Clinton in the Stan Musial League and hurled a playoff no-hitter.
