Ray Arra, a highly successful coach in Western Mass. for more than 40 years, begins his seventh season as head coach at Westfield State.
The highly regarded coach has led the Owls to four straight 20-plus seasons, NCAA Tournament berths in 2007, 2009, and 2010, and conference regular season championships in 2007, 2008, 2010.
In 2007 he guided Westfield to its first NCAA Tournament berth in 23 years and its first conference postseason tournament title. And in 2010 the Owls won 30 games (30-11) for the first time since 1979.
Arra owns a six-year record of 126-101-1 at Westfield State, including a 95-60-1 mark the past four seasons.
Arra was an assistant at Westfield State 2003 and 2004, he worked primarily with the pitching staff.
A resident of Westfield, Arra re-started the Westfield American Legion program in 1966. He coached Legion baseball for 18 years, with stops at Needham, Westfield, Southwick and West Springfield. He also coached high school baseball at Westfield Vocational, East Longmeadow and Minnechaug Regional. In addition, has coached Westfield Babe Ruth All-Star teams to successful runs in postseason play.
Arra, who recently retired after 36 years of teaching middle school, won more than 400 American Legion and high school games. His high school teams qualified for nine postseason tournaments and his Legion teams never finished below second place. In 2002 he was inducted into the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
Prior to Westfield State, Arra coached baseball on the collegiate level for one year, 1991, as an assistant at American International College when the Yellow Jackets won the Northeast 10 title and played in the NCAA Division 2 College World Series.
Arra also has 16 years of coaching experience in high school basketball, and was an assistant coach at Westfield State for four years, from 1990-94, when the Owls qualified for one NCAA tournament and two ECAC tournaments.
A 1965 graduate of Westfield State, Arra was inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997. He starred in baseball and basketball at Westfield State, and was the baseball team's Most Valuable Player in 1963 and 1964 and a three-year co-captain. He led the Owls in hitting for three years and pitching for two years. Arra compiled a 14-4 career pitching record and batted .405 in 1963; .384 in 1962; and .357 in 1964.
Before coming to Westfield State, Arra was a standout in baseball, football and basketball at Needham High School, where he graduated from in 1959. He played professional baseball for the Pittsburgh Pirates' Class D team in Hobbs, New Mexico, from 1960-61. Arra then served as a Western Mass. scout for the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1966-73.