TRUMBULL—In the spring of 2004, a young athletic director named Mike King hired Tom Pia to coach softball at his school.
This week, King hired Pia again.
Pia, who has coached at Westhill High School in Stamford for the past 21 seasons, has been hired by King to become the new varsity softball coach at Trumbull High School.
King and Pia both confirmed the news on Wednesday.
“Coach Pia is one of the top coaches in the state,” King said. “He brings a wealth of wisdom, experience and enthusiasm. His passion for softball is impressive. I think he is a great person to carry on the strong softball tradition in Trumbull.”
For the coach, however, after more than two decades at one school, it was not an easy decision to make a move.
“It’s the toughest decision I’ve ever made,” Pia admitted.
Pia will replace former Eagles coach Jacqui Sheftz, who stepped down after 10 seasons in Trumbull. She led a senior-less THS squad to the FCIAC semifinals last season. The Eagles lost to eventual state champion Cheshire 4-3, in the second round of the Class LL tournament.
With all those players coming back, Pia knows he’s joining a deep program with a lot of talent.
“They’re going to be competitive against whoever they play,” Pia said. “It’ll be fun. When your adrenaline is flowing and your heart rate is up to 113 in the middle of the game, that’s fun.”
Pia has won more than 250 games in his career but redistricting in the city of Stamford hurt the Vikings athletic program and the last few years have been a struggle.
The Westhill program, however, will forever be in Pia’s heart.
“I like purple,” Pia quipped about changing color of his gear. “After 21 years at Westhill, I didn’t feel like it was a time for a change, but it was time for a challenge. I’m in the twilight of my career and yeah, if I’m going to do this, I would like a challenge.”
In Pia’s first year at Westhill, his youngest daughter was on the team.
In so many of the ensuing years, his oldest daughter would bring his grandchildren to his games.
“That school means everything to me,” Pia said. “I was emotional deciding, and you still say to yourself, ‘Did I make the right decision?’ It’s like buyer’s remorse.”
One look at the Trumbull roster, however, made the decision a tad easier.
Maren Jones and Kylie Lucia were both All-FCIAC first team selections last season while pitcher Madison Pippa, who easily could have been a first-team choice, was selected to the All-FCIAC second team.
Brianna Potok and Ella Ferris were both All-FCIAC Honorable Mention choices, as well.
“You have talent at all nine positions and I’m sure you have a talented bench,” Pia said. “They’re talented. The run well. They throw well. They’ve got one of the better pitchers on the mound. They’re always strong up the middle. They’re a good team.”
Pia adds that he has been blessed to have coached under two athletic directors—King and Westhill’s present-day AD Dick Cerone—who stick up for their coaches.
“They have your back,” Pia said. “That’s extremely important as a coach. I wouldn’t have gone to any other school because of that.”
Coincidentally, in Pia’s first season at Westhill, the Vikings lost the FCIAC championship game to Trumbull.
Pia would soon bring some hardware back to the ’Hill, however, as the Vikings won back-to-back league titles in 2008 and ’09, and took runners-up honors in 2012 and 2017.
The Vikings won a state championship in 2010 and finished as the state runner-up in 2011.
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