Cromwell baseball coach Lew Pappariella steps down

Cromwell High baseball coach Lew Pappariella, who led the Panthers for 11 winning seasons and took them to three CIAC Class S championship games, has stepped down from his position.

Pappariella said Monday that his career goals in education at this time have taken priority.

“I have made this difficult decision because of my aspiration to become a school administrator,” said Pappariella, who teaches health and physical education in the Cromwell schools. “I am placing my efforts into preparing myself for opportunities that may present themselves toward the later part of the school calendar. Whether I realize this goal sooner or later, I would never want to put the kids or this program in a vulnerable position.”

Cromwell athletic director Kelly Maher, who said a search for a successor is underway, offered praise for Pappariella.

“He continued to grow the program and taught them the game and the value of sportsmanship. We appreciate his time and wish him the best in the future,” Maher said.

Pappariella grew up in Pennsylvania and graduated from Central Connecticut State, where he played for coach and Middletown native Charlie Hickey. Pappariella was a member of three consecutive Northeast Conference championship squads (2002-04). The ’04 team recently was inducted into CCSU’s Sports Hall of Fame.

To his players at Cromwell, he was “Coach Papp.”

“His impact on me as a player was huge because he challenged me to become a better player and to expect more out of myself,” said Christian Budzik, a three-year varsity starter who played third base and pitched for the 2012 Class S championship team.

Cromwell averaged 18 wins per season under Pappariella, whose career record is 198-79. The Panthers won five Shoreline Conference titles in seven trips and reached the quarterfinal round of the state tournament in nine of Pappariella’s 11 years.

“These accomplishments are a result of the hard work and commitment to excellence of the players and families that have been in our program,” he said. “I cannot thank them enough and will always be indebted to them. I am very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with so many fine people.”

Pappariella began teaching in town in 2005 and became Cromwell’s coach in 2008. The Panthers won 14 games that season and reached the Class S tournament quarterfinals.

The program’s most successful stretch began in 2010 with a trip to the Class S tournament final, which it lost to Northwest Catholic.

After a quarterfinal-round run the following season, the Panthers were back in the championship game in 2012 and crushed Derby 12-4 for the title — the pinnacle of a 12-game winning streak that also netted the Shoreline title.

“I will certainly miss the challenge of leading young men to reach their potential and come together as a team,” he added. “One of my most cherished memories was the 2012 team.”

Budzik went on to play at Eastern Connecticut, graduating in 2017. With Pappariella as an influence, Budzik will be a first-time coach this summer when a team sponsored by Malloves Jewelers competes in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League.

“Coach made me realize I could compete at the college level. He really prepared me and I wasn’t overmatched when I stepped on campus my freshman fall,” Budzik said. “As a coach, he’s just been teaching me the right way to go about things and how to handle different situations, how to run a program.”