Classical tabs Erica (Sonia) Richard as new softball coach

LYNN – The Classical High softball team will begin a new era this spring.
Erica (Sonia) Richard has been hired as the new Classical High coach, replacing Chris Warren, who led the Rams to four Northeastern Conference titles during his 15 years at the helm. Warren stepped down this summer after taking a vice principal?s job at the school.
Richard is a familiar face on the high school sports scene. She played softball, soccer and basketball at St. Mary’s before graduating in 2006. For the past seven years she has served as a junior varsity softball coach for the Spartans, as well as an assistant varsity soccer coach.
Richard has had a momentous few days, in addition to becoming the Rams? new coach. On Monday, she gave birth to a daughter, Avery, the first child for Richard and her husband, Dan, who played baseball and soccer for Classical.
“You can’t ask for a better week than that,” Erica Richard said.
Richard will inherit a program that has enjoyed great success over the past 15 years. The Rams have only failed to qualify for the state tournament twice during that span and heading into the 2013 season, Classical had a Northeastern Conference winning streak that finally ended at 41 games.
Classical High athletic director Bill Devin and principal Gene Constantino believe Richard will be an excellent addition for the program.
“I think she has a solid foundation,” Devin said. “I think she’ll be a really good fit.”
Warren has a strong coaching resume, Devin said.
“I think Erica will step in and grow the program,” he said. “She has such a passion for the game.”
Richard?s knowledge of the game and her ability to manage were key in her selection, Devin said.
“I think her personality and her style will mesh with the program,” he said. “(The players) expect to do well and I think Erica is the right person to keep that going.”
Devin said it can be difficult for a new coach to step into a program that’s been successful. But he believes Richard will make it her own.
Richard, an eighth grade English teacher at Thurgood Marshall Middle School, is excited to have the opportunity to be part of a winning program. The time was right, she said, to step up to a varsity head coaching role.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” she said, adding that what makes the program special is that the players do more than just show up for the games and practices.
“The kids are really a family,” she said.
Which is an atmosphere she wants to continue.
Richard played outfield at St. Mary’s and later played a year of softball at Salem State.
Constantino was very impressed with Richard during the interview process and, like Devin, believes she developed a good coaching foundation working with St. Mary’s coach Colleen Newbury.
“She’ll be her own person and make it special for the girls,” Constantino said. “It’s a successful program because the coaches and the kids make it important. The kids decide to be the best they can.”