Andover's Phillips Academy Welcomes New Baseball, Softball Coaches

ANDOVER, MA — Phillips Academy will head into the baseball and softball seasons this spring with new coaches at the helm. Though the softball program will be led by a familiar face.

On the baseball side, Chris Powers has been chosen to replace longtime coach Kevin Graber, who spent 13 wildly successful seasons in charge of the Big Blue.

Powers actually arrived in Andover this past fall, serving as a varsity football assistant coach and offensive coordinator.

Powers does have plenty of baseball coaching experience. For the last four years, he was the head coach at Landon School, a private school in Bethesda, Maryland, where his teams had two straight championship series appearances.

Prior to that, Powers was the longtime coach at Pingree School, in Hamilton. There, Powers coached the Highlanders to 12 Eastern Independent League (EIL) titles, including 11 straight. He also led the program to four New England Small School Baseball Championships.

"I am honored to join the Andover baseball family," Powers said. "I believe the players, coaches, and families have had a part in creating a culture of competition, enthusiasm, and love of the game. Coach Graber has been a colleague and friend I have admired and competed against for years. I am excited to continue to foster the culture and traditions that have made Andover into a highly competitive and respected baseball program."

In the fall, Graber announced he was leaving the program to take over as the coordinator for the Chicago Cubs' spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona, and manage the Arizona Cubs, the team's Rookie-level affiliate.

At Phillips Academy, Graber's teams won five Central New England Prep Baseball League (CNEPSBL) championships, including four of the last eight titles.

"We celebrate coach Graber's tremendous legacy over his Andover coaching career and now, we confidently hand off the program to coach Powers," Phillips Academy Athletic Director Lisa Joel said." In my short time knowing Chris, I have been impressed by his true commitment to developing high school student-athletes with high expectations, unwavering integrity, and a steady manner."

Joel added: "Coach Powers brings tremendous coaching experience and wisdom to this role both in New England Preparatory School Athletic Council (NEPSAC) and during his four years at Landon School."

Powers will serve as assistant dean of admissions and Phillips Academy.

In softball, Lindsay Maroney takes charge once again after leading the program from 2017-21. She also served as a Big Blue assistant coach from 2012-17.

Maroney, who graduated from Phillips Academy in 2007, was the softball MVP for three seasons in high school, hitting.537 as a sophomore, .556 as a junior and .659 as a senior.

“(Maroney) had one of the best three-year strings in area history," Joel said.

Maroney then went on to play collegiately at UMass.

Currently, Maroney works as a certified strength and conditioning specialist at Cedardale Health and Fitness in Haverhill.