WESTBROOK – While there will be a new man in charge of the Westbrook baseball team when the season gets going next month, it won’t be a totally unfamiliar face at the helm.

Greg Souza, who has been involved in many different facets of Westbrook baseball over the years, will be taking over the Blazes, replacing Mike Rutherford who resigned last fall.

Souza, who is employed by Stone Coast Mortgage in Westbrook, has worked with the Westbrook High School team in the past, serving as an assistant coach as well as a JV and freshman coach. He left the program last year to join the St. Joseph’s College baseball team as an assistant under Will Sanborn.

Souza has also coached American Legion baseball in Westbrook and he was also a coach on the Westbrook Babe Ruth team that came within one game of winning a national championship in 2008.

Souza recently spent some time with the American Journal talking about his coaching career and his plans for the season.

Q: What got you started in coaching?

A: I loved the game and I had great coaches in high school. I loved the game of baseball and I did the little things to get better and I loved (working with) kids.

Q: What have been some of the highlights of your coaching career?

A: Obviously the Babe Ruth team, going to the nationals and finishing second there. Coaching at St. Joe’s last year, and we went to the regionals and finished third.

Q: What drew you to St. Joe’s?

A: I wanted to better prepare myself and learn more. I love the way (Sanborn) coaches, it’s old-school. You’re a person first and you better play the game right.

Q: Why did you leave St. Joe’s?

A: I left to take this position. This is the only place I would have come back to. I’ve actually been waiting for this job for a while.

Q: What do you enjoy most about coaching?

A: The teaching and when you see a kid that you can make a difference in their life. When you see them improve and you talk about something at the beginning of the year and you see them doing it, and they know they’ve done it (right) and you see the joy on their face and they know that they’ve accomplished something. You feel like you’ve made a difference.

Q: What are your goals for this season?

A: My goal is to make the playoffs and have a competitive team on the field every day. Then, once we get into the playoffs, it’s one game at a time.