Don Shields, program director of Real Country 103.3 WMCM, Sports Radio 97.5, 1280 and 1450 WIGY, WFAU, and WRKD, will not be stepping away from the microphone, but will step up to the plate as the next coach of the Georges Valley High School varsity baseball team.

The 48-year-old Shields will take over the position of skipper from former Buc coach Lysha Smith, who coached both the varsity baseball and basketball teams for two seasons. In baseball, Smith compiled a record of 15-18, including 1-2 in the postseason. Smith decided to step down in an effort to return to college and earn his degree.

Shields had been Smith’s assistant coach the past two seasons, and has also coached the Georges Valley Babe Ruth squad for the past three years. Shields will be pulling double duty for the Bucs, coaching both the varsity and junior varsity baseball programs.

Shields, a Camden-Rockport High School graduate, has also been an umpire for the past 10 years from the elementary to the high school level, including umpiring both Babe Ruth and American Legion games.

Shields got the word from athletic director Ed Hastings over the summer that he was chosen to replace Smith.

"I had known that coach Smith was probably going to step away at the beginning of last year," said Shields. "He was talking with us about his plans to return to school and things like that, and I had thought last year that I was going to put my hat in the ring, passed the interview and Ed [Hastings] hired me."

The longtime broadcaster, who is the radio voice of the University of Maine women's basketball program and a man who calls hundreds of high school hoop games each winter, had never given the notion of coaching much thought until a few years ago, when the Georges Valley Babe Ruth team needed a manager. Little did he know what he thought would be a one-year gig would turn out to be so much more.

"When I started with the Babe Ruth it was just that there was a need [at the coaching position] so I did it for the one year, and really just fell in love with it," Shields said. "I know all these kids from the Babe Ruth program so its kind of our feeder program."

Shields added that Georges Valley is the only school he would have considered coaching at for many reasons. Not only does the Thomaston resident have strong ties to the area and know many of the GVHS student-athletes, his son Matthew, a senior, is also a member of the varsity team.

"I know most of the kids so obviously that’s a huge benefit," coach Shields said. "I’m not a stranger they have to get to know and I already know what players can do and what I can push them to do."

However, don't expect Shields to walk away from the job after his son graduates in June.

"It’s great that I get the opportunity to coach my son this year, but I’m looking long term," Shields said. "I’m already thinking four or five years down the road. I’m not thinking about just this year. It’s a bonus that Matthew is on this team and that’s why I got interested in coaching initially, but we’ve got a lot of young players not only on this team, but also in the program. So I’m already thinking about what the kids who are freshmen and actually some of the kids in eighth grade are going to be like when they’re juniors and seniors. I think we’re going nowhere but up."

Shields is happy with the talent he sees on this year's Buc squad (pitchers and catchers began practice Monday), but the one thing he hopes his club can improve on is making fewer errors. Georges Valley committed 66 fielding miscues last year through 16 games, an average of over four per contest.

Also, of the 105 innings thrown by Buccaneer hurlers last season, three of those pitchers threw 92 of those innings. Shields hopes to more evenly distribute the workload of his pitching staff in an effort to keep everyone healthy — and happy.

"Our two goals this season are to get our errors down and get into the top eight [Western Class C playoff spots]," he said. "The philosophy is 30 and 8. Get our errors down to 30 [and if we finish among the] top eight we host a first-round game and then we’ll take it from there. But it’s a great [Mountain Valley Conference] and there will be no easy nights, so we’re going to have to play great baseball to get into that top eight."

Shields also added that the support he has received from both the school and the community since becoming the coach has been outstanding, crediting Hastings and softball coach Rusty Worcester in easing the transition. The Buc softball team is the two-time defending state Class C champions.

"I know I have a great support system," Shields said.

Donnie Young is the assistant coach, whom Shields plans to lean on for ideas and feels he will focus more on hitting, while Shields will preach pitching and defense.

Shields does not expect his job as a sports broadcaster to be a hindrance to the team, as the hours he works are similar to that of his players' school hours.

As for who would call the game on the radio should the Buccaneers advance to the state Class C championship since the early 1990s?

"Let’s worry about that when it happens," said Shields.