07/25/2026
Congratulations Brian!
💙🥎💙 Another post season accolade - this one for our Coach!
In addition to being SMAA Coach of the Year - Coach Ross is also Michael Hoffer's Coach of the Year selection!
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💙🥎💙
Coach of the Year--
Brian Ross, Westbrook
Ross came into the season believing his team could be a contender.
As it turned out, the Blue Blazes enjoyed their best season in over four decades and nearly got to the regional final.
Contenders indeed.
For returning a long dormant program to glory and for setting the stage for even more greatness to come, Ross gets our nod as Coach of the Year.
Ross played baseball at Portland High, Old Dominion University and for a short time, with the Cincinnati Reds organization. He inherited a squad in 2024 that was returning to play as a stand-alone program, after spending time with South Portland as a co-op. After winning five games his initial season with Westbrook, Ross led the Blue Blazes to an 8-9 mark in 2025 and a playoff berth, which resulted in a preliminary round setback to South Portland.
This season, Ross hoped for 10 to 12 victories.
Westbrook finished 14-4.
The Blue Blazes got steady hitting, timely pitching and solid play in the field and with each victory, believed they belonged as a contender. After earning the No. 3 seed in Class A South, Westbrook won its first quarterfinal round playoff game since 1981, beating Scarborough, 8-5.
"It's awesome," said Ross, after the victory. "I'm very proud. We almost didn't have a team a couple years ago, but we progressed and believed in the process."
The Blue Blazes finally met their match in the semifinals, losing at Bonny Eagle, 7-3, but the program is back on the map and its future is hopeful, especially with this coach at the helm.
"It's been great," Ross said, following the playoff loss. "You never know how a team is going to mesh. At the beginning of the year we set some expectations. We hadn't hosted or won a playoff game in awhile, so we're proud to do that.
"We'll miss our seniors. Saying goodbye to them is super-emotional, but hopefully next year we'll have a new batch of leaders. The future is bright."
