Ricker named Head Coach of former Twisters team

Earlier this week, a Torrington native hooked up with a former Torrington baseball franchise for his first big chance as a head coach.
Ray Ricker, former Tri-State Baseball League player, was named head coach of the New Bedford Bay Sox for the 2010 season, according to a press release from Post University, where Ricker had been a part of the school’s baseball program. The Bay Sox were formerly known as the Torrington Twisters, a team that played at Fuessenich Park from 1997 to 2008. The team moved to New Bedford following the 2008 season.
““Ray impressed me with his dedication and work ethic,” said Bay Sox General Manager Kirk Fredriksson in the release. “He is a tremendous asset to our program because he relates to the athletes well, is upbeat, and is truly a team player.”
The Bay Sox compete in the 12-team New England Collegiate Baseball League.
“I am extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity that Kirk Fredriksson, Brian Rose, and the ownership group has given me,” Ricker said in the release. “The front office of Robin Wadsworth and Rita Hubner are two of the hardest working owners in the league and I look forward to bringing them and city of New Bedford a Championship season.”
In his first head coaching stint in the summer of 2008, Ricker led the Protocall Starz to a 30-8 record, the release said. That team plays in the Atlantic Baseball Confederation Collegiate League, according to the team’s Web site. The team is based in Medford, N.J., the site said.
Ricker got plenty of praise from Post’s head baseball coach, AJ McNamara.
““Post University’s Baseball program would not be where it is today if not for Ray’s hard work and knowledge of the game,” McNamara said in the release. “Under his guidance, our hitters have rewritten the offensive record books. It is only a matter of time before he brings his energy and passion for this game into a head coaching position at the collegiate level.”