BUCKSPORT – Tiger Stewart, who coached the Bucksport baseball team to the 2006 Eastern Maine Class B championship and a 43-14 record over three seasons on the job, has resigned from that post.

Stewart, 31, formally informed new Bucksport athletic administrator Jon Perry of his decision Monday, but told the Bucksport players about his planned move shortly after the end of the 2008 season.

“I pretty much had made the decision in April, but I didn’t want the kids to dwell on it all year,” he said.

Stewart, who also has been active with the Brewer Falcons American Legion baseball program that includes Bucksport High players, plans to move with his family to Lake Mary, Fla., in August.

A carpenter by trade in Bucksport, Stewart and a colleague plan to relocate a carpentry and cabinetry business to that Florida community, located about 40 minutes from Orlando.

Stewart also envisions returning to coaching baseball in the future, ideally at the college level – and there are more opportunities for that part of his career path in the Sunshine State than in Maine.

“If I was going to stay at the high school level, it’s like I tell people now that I already have the dream job for me [at Bucksport],” said Stewart, a 1994 graduate of Bucksport High School.

“My long-term goal has been to coach in college, and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to do that.”

Stewart became the varsity baseball coach at Bucksport in 2006 after three years as the Golden Bucks’ junior varsity coach.

Bucksport lost its opening game that season, then won 18 straight to win the EM title and advance to the state final before falling to Oak Hill of Sabattus.

The Golden Bucks’ followed that up with another strong season in 2007, reaching the Eastern B final again and finishing with a 16-3 record.

This year’s team, much younger than its two predecessors, finished the regular season with an 8-8 record. Bucksport then defeated Mount View of Thorndike in an Eastern B preliminary-round game before being ousted in the quarterfinals by John Bapst of Bangor.

“I was very pleased with the team this year,” said Stewart. “To lose seven seniors like we did from the year before … they really learned on the fly.”

Before coaching baseball at Bucksport, Stewart spent two years as the varsity coach at Ellsworth as well as two more years as the Eagles’ junior varsity coach.

eclark@bangordailynews.net

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