By Gloria Austin
Staff Writer
The Southern Aroostook Warriors will have a new, very familiar coach at the helm this baseball season. On Monday night at the RSU 50 school board meeting, David Day was appointed as Southern Aroostook varsity baseball coach.
Day will replace longtime coach Murray Putnam.
Day has been working as junior high baseball coach for the last four seasons for Southern Aroostook. He has nine years of high school coaching experience.
“We did have four candidates for that position,” said RSU 50 Superintendent Larry Malone. “All four candidates were interviewed.”
Putnam was relieved of his duties May 15, 2012. He was on administrative leave after an alleged incident was reported to school officials, which reportedly happened on the annual baseball trip to Boston in April.
Putnam had coached the Southern Aroostook varsity baseball program for 44 years. His teams won Eastern Maine championships from 1977-79; 1984; 1986-89 and 1999, along with state titles in 1984, 1987-89 and 1999.
Last season, Robert Betschner, who also coaches the school’s softball team, along with Day handled the coaching duties and SACS Principal Jon Porter took on the athletic director duties.
There are no appointments for Southern Aroostook junior high baseball or softball. Athletic Director Porter, also high school principal, wants to follow up with those nominated.
At Katahdin High School, all spring coaching positions are filled, with Marty McCarthy back as varsity baseball coach and Terry Duffy, leader of varsity girls softball.
