Gaw to be inducted into Maine Baseball Hall of Fame
Longtime Piscataquis Community High School baseball coach Dave Gaw of Guilford is among 11 people who have been selected for induction into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame will welcome its new members at its 47th annual induction ceremony and banquet to be held Sunday, July 16 at the Holiday Inn By the Bay in Portland.
Gaw was a two-time All-State Series selection at the University of Maine (1962-63) and he coached at PCHS for 23 years. His Pirates compiled a record of 309-119 with no losing seasons, winning several Penquis League championships.
The other honorees are Gil Arnold, Dennis Damon, Dave Littlefield, Ben Lowry, Paul Mitchell, Brian O’Gara, Dave Paul, Elmer Rising, Derek Soule and Dan Warren. Arnold and Rising are being recognized posthumously.
Paul, of Veazie, was a three-sport standout at Orono High School and coached the Old Town-Orono American Legion team to three state titles. He serves as Zone 1 commissioner for Maine.
Damon, of Trenton, founded the Acadians American Legion team and has served as the American Legion State Field Director for 22 years.
Arnold, of Mattawamkeag, was the premier pitcher of his era on the Mattawamkeag Merchants during the heyday of town team baseball.
Mitchell, of Waterville, was an outstanding second baseman for the University Maine from 1946-48. The Paul Mitchell Batting Pavilion at the university was dedicated in his honor.
Littlefield, formerly of Portland, was general manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates and currently serves as a major league scout for the Detroit Tigers.
Lowry, of Bridgton, was a three-time all-state selection at Falmouth High School and compiled a .426 career batting average at Colby College in Waterville.
O’Gara, formerly of Westbrook, has worked in the Commissioner’s office of Major League Baseball for 23 years as vice president of special events.
Rising, of Rockland, was undefeated as a schoolboy pitcher at Rockland High School in the 1920s and later pitched for the semi-pro Easterns.
Soule of Cumberland, was an all-conference infielder at Greely High School and has coached the Rangers for 17 seasons, winning four state championships.
Warren of Scarborough, was general manager of the Libby-Mitchell Post American Legion team for 17 years and founded the Southern Maine Kids Travel Baseball League.
Observer file photo/Stuart Hedstrom
MAINE BASEBALL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE — Field namesake Dave Gaw takes a look at the sign for the Dave Gaw Diamond in Guilford, unveiled during a surprise ceremony as part of the Bicentennial Piscataquis River Festival last July. Gaw coached the baseball team at Piscataquis Community School for over two decades, and he will be among the inductees in the Class of 2017 of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame. The effort to name the baseball field in Gaw’s honor was led by Andy Lovell, standing to the right of the sign, a former player of Gaw’s.