Professional baseball player becomes varsity baseball coach

A 24-year-old retiree from professional baseball Eric Shaffer reminisces on his old pitching days. Shaffer pitched for the Youngstown State University Penguins and the Evansville Otters in the Frontier League. His current work for the Bath Police Department could not fill the void that baseball left when he retired from playing. Then he decided to take on coaching, and filled the void that the game had left.

Shaffer recently became the head pitching coach at Revere High School. Shaffer previously coached the pitchers at Norton High School while maintaining his job as a police officer for the Bath Police Department. Introduced to the game of baseball at the age of four, and the sport has remained a part of his life ever since.

Shaffer discussed what made him want to first start coaching.

“Once I had to retire when I was 24, I took a couple of years off where baseball was missing and I thought that I needed it. Currently, I enjoy coaching more than I do playing. I love helping young kids as not just a baseball player but as a person in general. I’m very competitive and I got to get that competitive spirit back again. I just love the game so much, and this was the best way I could get back with the game and keep on being a part of it,” Shaffer said.

Shaffer explained his past coaching experiences since he retired from playing.

“I have been coaching for seven years and I started out coaching a youth program in Hudson [of] thirteen year olds in around 2010. From there I was the [Junior Varsity] head coach for Norton and also the pitching coach. Last season was my first season coaching for Revere,” Shaffer said.

Revere High School math teacher and fellow coach Stephen Wido explained how Shaffer’s college and professional baseball experience has helped himself grow as a coach.

“[Shaffer has help me become a better coach] because he has been a part of other programs that have been very successful so he has an idea of what has worked for him before and what [has not] worked. With me being new and only coaching at Revere, [I have] played elsewhere but not coached elsewhere. Him coaching at Norton and playing at Youngstown State helped me out just to get a wide variety of opinions,” Wido said.

Senior baseball player Cam Maffei described Shaffer’s coaching style.

“[Shaffer] is a very calm, relaxed worker and gets work done in the process. [This] is a good style to have as a pitching coach,” Maffei said.

Maffei also mentioned a typical practice that Shaffer runs.

“Normally we stretch first, and then use bands to loosen up [our arms]. Then [we] start throwing with the other pitchers, then do drill, and go to the bullpen and start doing in-game style pitches,” Maffei said.

Shaffer will continue his coaching career at the high school while balancing his time with his police work and his family life. With the future in mind, he hopes to eventually coach his young son in the game of baseball and possibly move on to coaching college teams after he retires from being a police officer.