Maureen Barron, who led the Bangor High School girls softball team to a berth in the Class A North semifinals in her first season as the head coach, has stepped down.
Barron, wife of former University of Maine women’s and men’s head basketball head coach Richard Barron, had the opportunity to coach her twin daughters Lane and Rae this spring.
Both will be attending Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, this fall.
Barron guided her Rams to a 10-6 regular season record, highlighted by a 3-2 win over defending state Class A champion Skowhegan. Bangor was upset by No. 9 seed and eventual regional champ Messalonskee of Oakland 4-2 in the Class A North semifinals to conclude a 12-7 campaign.
Bangor earned the fifth seed in Class A North and beat No. 12 Mt. Blue of Farmington 10-0 in its first round game before upsetting No. 4 Hampden Academy, 4-0, in the quarterfinals.
Hampden Academy had won both regular season meetings.
Barron said she had a “lot of fun” coaching her daughters and the team.
“I really enjoyed it and I liked working for the high school,” said Barron, who was an education technician at the Fruit Street Elementary School in Bangor.
“I had a great group of girls to work with. Everyone wants to go all the way but we had a great season.
Barron and her family are relocating to South Carolina in August.
“We’ve spent a lot of time down there,” Barron said.
Bangor High School athletic director Steve Vanidestine said she was an outstanding coach and she will be missed.
“The thing that impressed me the most was that she provided our girls with an outstanding experience,” Vanidestine said. “She is a sweet person. I can’t say enough good things about her.”
He said the players thoroughly enjoyed playing for her.
“I wish we could have kept her,” he added.
The new coach will inherit a team that loses just two starters, the Barron twins. Lane was the team’s pitcher and Rae played first base.
Lane Barron was a second team All-KVAC Class A selection.
Maureen Barron brought an impressive resume to the Bangor dugout.
As the head softball coach at Princeton University, she led the Tigers to four Ivy League championships, which earned them berths in the NCAA Tournament.
As a pitcher at Princeton, she guided the Tigers to three NCAA berths and two College World Series appearances.
She served as the interim softball coach at the University of Maine in the fall of 2011 after Deb Smith resigned.
Lynn Coutts was hired to replace Smith in November 2011.
Barron followed Don Stanhope as the coach at Bangor High. Stanhope produced a 175-81 regular season record in 16 seasons as the head coach of the Rams.
Vanidestine said he will probably look to fill the position later this summer.
Barron’s husband was fired as the men’s coach in February and he has since been replaced by Chris Markwood.