Weir, who also coaches the girls basketball team at Milford, said one of the main reasons he stopped coaching the baseball team was to watch his daughter, Shannon, participate in track and field.

Shannon qualified for the state track and field meet in the shot put in her junior and senior years at Milford.

``That worked out pretty well, and we were also building a house, so now that that’s completed my wife says I need something to do in the spring,’’ Weir joked.

The head softball coaching position at Milford became vacant when Gregg Eggleston, who coached the team for five seasons, accepted the head coaching position at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y. earlier this year.

Eggleston is a 1995 Milford graduate and special education teacher at the school, and said in January it was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.

``When I saw the position open up, I thought it would be a good opportunity for me and also might help fill the void on short notice,’’ Weir said.

Weir will inherit a young team, which has over 20 girls on the roster but just two seniors. The first day of practice was Monday, and the first game of the season is scheduled for March 28.

``I’ve played a lot of softball, but I never coached it,’’ Weir said. ``It’s a new challenge for me, and there will be that learning curve while we get to know each other.’’

Pending school board approval Thursday night, Weir’s assistant head coach will be Tom Brigham, formerly the head coach of the Cherry Valley-Springfield softball team. Brigham lives in Milford and teaches at CV-S. His daughter, Emily, is a sophomore at Milford and a member of the softball team.

Ken Whiteman will coach the CV-S girls softball team this season.

``As a coach, I’ve always tried to surround myself with good people, and as soon as I became the head coach I went after Tom,’’ Weir said. ``We think alike, and he knows the league and knows the kids.’’

In addition, Mike Chase, a longtime baseball assistant for Weir, has taken over the Milford softball modified program.