Bangor natives headline the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame class of 2024

The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame announced its class of 2024 on Thursday, featuring three Bangor natives — Jeff Fahey, David Mansfield and Ron St. Pierre — along with eight other valued ambassadors of the sport.

Scheduled to be inducted in Portland on October 27, the 11 inductees — Fahey, Mansfield, St. Pierre, Ron Farr, Peter Franchetti, Andrew Hanson, Jared Lemieux, Tony Miner, Greg Norton, Gil Perry (posthumous) and Dana Verge — have shared decades-long success as players, coaches, umpires, administrators and benefactors.

“The Hall is dedicated to preserving and promoting the rich history of baseball in Maine and honoring those who have had a lasting impact on it,” the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame’s website says. “From sandlot to Hadlock, the [inductees] have all contributed abundantly to weave the rich tapestry that is baseball in Maine.”

Mansfield and St. Pierre coached the 1989 Bangor West 11-12-year-old all-star team alongside Stephen King and Neil Waterman, which went on to win the state championship and qualify for regionals in Bristol, Connecticut. That team inspired Stephen and Tabitha King to build Shawn T. Mansfield Stadium — dedicated to David’s late son — where future generations of Bangor youngsters could engage in America’s pastime.

Since 1992, Mansfield Stadium has been the home field of the Bangor High School Rams, the Bangor Junior & Senior League, and the Bangor Comrades American Legion Team. From 2002 to 2016, Mansfield was also graced by future Major Leaguers during the annual Senior League World Series, which was moved to South Carolina in 2017.

To this day, Mansfield and St. Pierre oversee maintenance of Mansfield Stadium, and are the recipients of this year’s President’s Award for outstanding contributions to Maine baseball.

Jeff Fahey has been the bridge between multiple generations of Bangor High School baseball, winning the 1982 Class A state championship as the Rams’ center fielder and later coaching the Rams to four more state titles in 2006, 2014, 2015, and 2016.

Fahey retired with an all-time managerial record of 246-50, passing the torch to his pitching coach and fellow Bangor alumnus Dave Morris (class of 1985), who has since coached the Rams to their 17th and 18th Class A state titles.

The Maine Baseball Hall of Fame will also induct four former high school and collegiate baseball stars in Tony Miner of Cony and the University of Southern Maine, Andrew Hanson of Greely and Princeton University, Jared Lemieux of Maranacook and Bowdoin, and Greg Norton of South Portland and UMaine.

A two-time All-American at USM, Miner led the Huskies to the NCAA Division III national title in 1997, and later played three years of professional baseball in the Cleveland Indians organization as a corner infielder.

Hanson was an All-State selection at Greely, and led the Rangers to their first ever state championship in 1997 as a senior. He went on to star at Princeton University where he earned All-Ivy League honors as an outfielder, and later played three years of semi-professional baseball.

Lemieux was a two-time state champion at Maranacook and four-time All-NESCAC first-teamer at Bowdoin, holding the Polar Bear records for hits (184) and runs (148). After graduating from Bowdoin in 2006, Lemieux played professionally for 5 years in the Canadian American Association as an outfielder.

A 2002 Mr. Maine Baseball award winner, Norton was a right-handed pitcher who holds UMaine’s record for most career starts (50) and is tied for most career wins (27). He had a 2.97 ERA as a freshman in college, and pitched eight career complete games for the Black Bears.

Rather than starring at the collegiate level, Gil Perry of Waterville (1910-1986) made a name for himself as a semi-professional baseball player in central Maine, beginning in the late 1920’s until the late 1940’s.

A pitcher for the Waterville All-Stars, Winslow Taconnets, Fairfield All-Stars and Keyes Fiber Nine (Fairfield) among several other teams, Perry threw two no-hitters in his career, and was offered a contract from the Washington Senators (now Minnesota Twins) of the MLB. Perry served as a player-manager toward the end of his tenure, guiding the Keyes Fiber Nine to a Triangle Baseball League Championship.

After his playing career, Perry continued serving as president of the Triangle Baseball League, manager of the Fairfield Fire Department softball team and umpire-in-chief for a local Little League.

Farr of Portland, Franchetti of Wilton and Verge of Washington are also distinguished for their contributions since retiring as players.

Farr coached in the Portland Little League for 62 years, and has garnered a reputation for himself as a stickler for fundamentals, winning 14 league championships and three state championships. In the late 1990s, Farr coached Portland native Ryan Flaherty, who went on to play seven years in the Major Leagues and is currently the bench coach for the Chicago Cubs.

In April 2022, Farm Field at Payson Park in Portland was renamed to Ron A. Farr Field in his honor.

Franchetti umpired at the high school and collegiate level for 43 years, working

a total of 1,765 games including 10 high school and 8 American Legion state championships. He served as a high school football coach for more than 25 years.

Verge has spent 70-plus years as a player, coach, umpire and administrator for District 2 Little League covering Knox, Lincoln and Waldo counties. He was a multi-sport standout at Medomak Valley High School in Waldoboro.

This story was updated to correct the year Mansfield Stadium became the home field of Bangor High School.