After leading Edward Little football through one of the greatest turnarounds in the program’s history, Darren Hartley is hoping to find another diamond in the rough – on the diamond.

Hartley has been named interim coach of Edward Little’s varsity baseball team. He replaces Scott Annear, who stepped down after nine years to focus on his growing family and a one-year masters program in which he’s enrolled.

Annear has expressed a desire to possibly return after next season, and Deshaies said he was treating the job as an interim position until Annear made his decision.

“We were looking for someone to do it for one year. Darren knows the kids. He’s been around them,” Deshaies said. “We were looking for somebody to be dynamic, to come in for the kids to respond to, and Darren is that guy.”

Hartley said he only wants the job for one year and would not consider taking the post permanently if Annear decided not to return.

“It’s a one-year deal,” Hartley said. “I just put my name in thinking of some of the personalities of some of those seniors and some of the upperclassmen that I’ve had on the football field. I thought about being in their shoes and being a little nervous about who was going to come in for a year.”

EL finished 11-7 last season, losing to Brewer in the Class A East quarterfinals. The Eddies graduated three all-KVAC performers but expect to return four starters – Shane Ciriello, Devin Flynn, Cody Goddard and Mat Gordon.

“I know probably half of the kids that I can project will be on the varsity baseball team,” Hartley said. “It appears that they’re pitching-rich, very capable defensively and we’ll see if they can put the ball in play offensively.”

Hartley has an extensive background in baseball as a player, coach and umpire. He has coached Babe Ruth and the freshman team at Lewiston High School, and served as a player/coach in the defunct Pine Tree League. He has umpired since 1990, most recently at the collegiate level.

“I draw from all of the years of watching some great coaches, the Jeff Bensons, the Bill Fairchilds, my high school coach, Fred Beal,” said Hartley, who added his staff will include at least one of his football assistants, Don Morency. “In my youth (in Turner), we won a lot of baseball games and learned a lot of things about adversity and decision-making and poise.”

“Make no bones about it. I’m not going in to revamp any system,” he said. “Scott and I will probably work very closely together up through the tryouts because I’m doing this under the auspices that Scott will be the head baseball coach the next spring. I just think baseball is about developing real critical skills.”

Hartley has compiled a 14-13 record in three years as Edward Little’s varsity football coach. Last fall, one year after finishing 1-7, he led the Eddies to a 9-2 record and the Pine Tree Conference championship game, where they fell to Skowhegan.