Greenville’s Ritchie among Maine Baseball Hall of Fame selections

Former University of Maine stars Rick Lashua, Joe Drapeau and Tim Scott are among nine baseball standouts who have been selected for induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.

Also set for enshrinement are Tim Olore, Mike Parquette, Loren Ritchie, Harvey Shapiro, Frank Watson and Mike Verrill.

The men will be honored on Sunday, July 28 at the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame’s annual induction ceremony and banquet scheduled for the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland.

Ritchie, of Greenville, was a slugging outfielder for the Guilford Advertisers, one of Maine’s storied semi-pro teams during the heyday of town team baseball.

Lashua, who grew up in Danville, hit .337 in four College World Series appearances with UMaine from 1981-1984. He was an ECAC All-North pick in 1984 and was named to the NCAA All-Regional team in 1982 and 1983.

Biddeford native Drapeau was a four-time America East All-Conference selection at UMaine (2000-2003). He compiled a .334 career batting average and ranks second on the Black Bears’ career lists for home runs (50) and runs batted in (196). He’s also fifth with 58 doubles.

Ellsworth native Scott was a first-team America East All-Conference selection at second base for UMaine in 1990 and 1991. The former Ellsworth High School star also played two years professionally in the Rockies organization after being taken in the 36th round of the 1992 amateur draft.

Olore, of Presque Isle, was the baseball coach at Presque Isle High School for 28 years. His teams won 267 games and five conference regular-season titles with a regional runner-up finish in 1991. The three-time league coach of the year also is a member of the Presque Isle and University of Maine at Presque Isle sports halls of fame.

Parquette, of Augusta, one of Maine’s pre-eminent umpires, enjoyed a 38-year career at the high school, college and professional levels, including appearances in the NCAA regionals and the College World Series.

Shapiro, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, was the head baseball coach at Bowdoin College for 15 years. His teams won nine Colby-Bates-Bowdoin titles. He also has 484 career wins managing in the prestigious Cape Cod League.

Watson, of Portland, was a two-year starter at the UMaine before transferring to the University of Southern Maine in Gorham where he was an all-Conference and NAIA All-America selection.

Verrill, of Bradenton, Florida, coached high school baseball at Maranacook and Messalonskee high schools for 14 years and was the founder of the Apple Valley Babe Ruth League in Central Maine. He was a charter member of the Maine Baseball Coaches Association.

Lester Jordan of Cape Elizabeth, who coached the 1951 Suburban Little League All-Star team to the Little League World Series, will receive the Sonny Noel President’s Award for meritorious contributions to Maine baseball.