Hampshire’s Bram steps down

When Ken Bram came into the Hampshire softball program seven years ago he admits he knew little about softball.

“I played baseball all my life but when I started here I hadn’t watched one inning of a softball game,” said Bram, who was an assistant that first year and the Whip-Purs’ head coach the past six seasons.

Bram announced earlier this month that this would be his last season coaching, and Tuesday’s 13-4 loss to Burlington Central in the Class 3A regional semifinal at Central marked the end of his tenure in the Hampshire dugout.

“I love coaching,” said Bram, a single father of two daughters who is planning to get married this summer. “My daughters are 8 and 10 now and it’s tough on them and me. I don’t get to see them enough. I’m going to miss it.”

Bram’s final Hampshire team finished 11-24 and struggled for numbers, playing Tuesday’s game with just nine players.

“It’s hard to give it up,” Bram said, “but I’m doing it for the right reasons.”