Steve Perakslis is Abington High baseball.
Now, no coach at the school, past or present, has more wins.
On Monday, the Green Wave's longtime baseball coach earned his 339th career win – a 7-0 victory over Cardinal Spellman – to became Abington's all-time wins leader for any sport, surpassing predescesor Tom Graham. Perakslis has a 339-165 career record in 22 seasons.
"The on-the-field success of Coach Perakslis is obvious to anyone who follows Massachusetts high school baseball," athletic director Peter Serino said in a press release. "He has built one of the most well-respected athletic programs around."
Since Perakslis took over the varsity team from Graham in 2002, Abington has qualified for the state tournament 19 times. The Green Wave won a Division 3 state championship in 2009, and claimed two South Sectional titles, appeared in four Final Fours and reached two state championship games under Perakslis' watch.
He is one of four coaches in school history with 300-plus career victories, alongside Graham, football coach Jim Kelliher and girls soccer coach Jeff Kent.
"On behalf of the entire Abington Public Schools, I extend our congratulations to Coach Steve Perakslis," superintendent Felicia Moschella said in the release. "This achievement reflects not only his outstanding coaching abilities but also his profound impact on the lives of countless young people in Abington."
"Coach Perakslis is an all-around all-star and a huge help in our school and on the diamond, positively impacting the lives of so many Abington students and Athletes," principal Jonathan Bourn said. "We are so proud of Coach P's accomplishments and look forward to many more."
Perakslis, a 1981 Abington High grad, gains the record just two months after undergoing brain surgery to remove a non-cancerous tumor in February.
Perakslis began coaching the Green Wave's freshman baseball team in 1986, and assumed the junior-varsity coaching job the following year before taking over for Graham in 2002. He coached his sons, Stephen Jr. and Tyler, during his tenure, and earned his 300th career win in 2022.
"What sets Steve apart from other coaches is how he wins," Serino said. "He cares about his players deeply. He is a coach who gets to know his players personally and has a genuine commitment to helping them not just with baseball, but also with their life decisions.
"While the career wins record is impressive, the impact he has had on his players far exceeds any amount of wins he could amass on the field."
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Steve Perakslis is all-time winningest coach in Abington history
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