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Community Rallies For Long Island Baseball Coach After House Fire

PORT JEFFERSON, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A Long Island coach always cheered for his players, but now after a devastating fire, he has a cheering section of his own.

As CBS2's Vanessa Murdock reported, Lou Petrucci has been a teacher in the Three Village Central School District for 18 years. He has been the varsity baseball coach for 10 years, and even coached Mets pitcher Steven Matz.

"It's been the most exciting ride of my whole life," Petrucci said.

His Ward Melville Patriots have nothing but good things to say about him.

"He's just a good guy to be around," said Pat Morelli, 18.

"He's just a great person – you know, he's always going to you up," said Patriots pitcher Ben Brown, 16.

When Murdock pointed out how highly people speak of him, Petrucci quipped, "I pay them a lot of money for that."

His humility is just one of the reasons the community is rallying around Coach Lou, after fire earlier this week destroyed his home.

"Knowing Lou, he's going to have a positive attitude the entire time," said Patriots pitcher Matt Hudzik, 17.

Petrucci's players have him pegged. When Murdock asked him about what happened, he used the phrase, "No big deal."

"Just lucky to get out alive," he said.

But for the community to which Petrucci has devoted so much of his life, it's a really big deal.

"He's involved in everything," said Matt Marsh of East Setauket. "He shows up to basketball games. He shows up all over the place, and he just supports the kids."

Matt Marsh set up a GoFundMe for Petrucci.

"It's a no brainer," Marsh said. "I mean, he does so much for so many people."

Coach Lou said he hasn't even looked at the GoFundMe.

"I'm embarrassed. I'm humbled," he said. When Murdock noted that the GoFundMe had so far netted more than $25,000 from 300 people, Petrucci said, "That's amazing, that's amazing."

"Coach Lou would always say, like, that he always had our backs," Morelli said. "And it shows that we all have his back too. "

Coach Lou knows it, and said Three Village is a community beyond anyone's expectations.

"You come here – and get great people that you and worry about you," Petrucci said. "So that's the greatest treasure in the world."

For Petrucci, it's more valuable than anything lost in the flames.

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