'Today was a special moment': Durfee names softball field after legendary coach
FALL RIVER — One of Sarah Stack's memories of former Durfee legendary softball head coach Steve Winarski is his hat.
After every win, Winarski took his cap off and presented the brim to Stack and her Fall River teammates while pointing at the letters 'win' that he scripted with a pen.
At the time, Stack had no idea that a small word meant so much in many different levels.
"Although (Winarski) was a very good coach at teaching us how to win on the field, when he took his hat off he at that point meant something bigger," said Stock who played on the Hilltoppers 2004 state championship team. "He was instilling the mindset of what's important now. It was teaching us to win every day on and off the field."
Winarski was honored on Tuesday in front of a large gathering, family, school and city officials including Mayor Paul Coogan during a field dedication in his name at the new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose turf field on the campus of B.M.C. Durfee High School.
"Having the field dedicated to me means I did my job to the best of my ability," Winarski said. "I did not work a day of my life because I did what I loved. I'll miss the teaching, the preparation, the camaraderie, the kids and teaching the non-believers. It's a beautiful field."
Longtime Diman head softball coach Cathie Noversa said Winarski was a mentor to her as a player for the Hilltoppers in 1982-85. She recalled her transformation as a freshman when Winarski made her a catcher.
"He taught me the in(s) and out(s) as a catcher and I loved it, I was hooked" said Noversa, who is a Durfee Hall of Famer. "The few weeks I spent under Steve's tutelage, made me one of the best catchers to graduate Durfee High. I've been molded as player by many coaches in my athletic career and Steve among others was part of the reasons I became a coach."
Winarski won two state titles — 1998 and 2004, claimed three South Sectional titles and seven Big 3 Conference crowns. He finished with 220 career wins. Winarski was a freshman coach and an assistant to Noversa at Diman from 2012 to 2018.
"The kids were clueless of who this man was," Noversa said about Winarski. "All they knew, they were having fun. His words, his demeanor and the way he explained the game to them was mesmerizing.
Winarski joked afterward about not coaching on his field with his name attached because it has a fence. He stayed for the Durfee vs. Diman softball matchup at night and was on 'Fred-TV' until the end.
Durfee athletic director Brad Bustin also presented Winarski with a plaque, commemorating the field dedication.
The Hilltoppers managed to make the night extra special, grabbing a 9-2 win over the Bengals.
"Today was a special moment," Winarski said.
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Former Durfee head coach is honored at field dedication
