A familiar face will take over as the Thornton Academy baseball coach next spring.
Ray Petit, who served as an assistant coach for the past nine seasons, was officially named head coach for the Golden Trojans on Monday.
Petit will take over for Greg Paradis, who stepped down as coach after nine seasons. Petit served as the pitching coach for the Trojans this past spring.
“I was pretty happy,” Petit said when hearing the news. “I had been there nine years with Greg. He got the program going in the right direction, he’s done a real good job. I was just happy that someone from his staff was taking over as coach, and hopefully things go the same way.”
Petit also serves on the Western Maine Board of Football Officials and the Western Maine Board of Baseball Umpires.
Petit has already experienced success as a head coach, leading Fayette-Staples to a Zone 5 championship and a trip to the Maine American Legion state tournament this summer.
Though the Trojans lose six seniors, including ace pitcher Keegan Sullivan and outfielder Steve Trask, they return with a strong nucleus of players for next season. First baseman Alex Newton hit .360 with 17 RBIs during the regular season, and shortstop Sam Canales hit .357 with a home run and 14 RBIs. Jeff Gelinas, who nearly threw a no-hitter against Westbrook in his first varsity start last season, will return to the starting rotation after posting a 2-1 record and a 3.78 E.R.A. this spring.
Thornton Academy finished with a 10-6 regular season record, including a win Biddeford, the Maine Western Class A champions, but were unable to get into the playoffs.
“I’m very excited,” Petit said. “We’ve got a great group of kids. Actually, I’m pretty lucky to be stepping in a spot like this.”
Petit said while the strategy may change slightly, the overall philosophy will remain the same at Thornton.
“We have similar coaching styles, I did learn a lot from him,” Petit said. “We differ a little bit offensively. I’m a little more aggressive on offense. As far as running the program, we’re pretty much the same.”
— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.
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