2005-2009
Putting together a coaching staff at a small school can be challenging. Preferably, there is a teacher that wants to coach, but that is not always an option. When trying to have a coach come in from the outside of the school, the options are limited due to time requirements and pay. At Lutheran High School we would regularly laugh at the pay we were receiving as compared to middle school coaches at public schools!
As I looked forward to the 2005 season, I was extremely fortunate to have two individuals to assist me with the Lutheran Varsity Baseball Team. Coach Riensche came on board from Warren Central and
Bill Davis joined us. Bill was very active at Lutheran High School and at Emmaus Lutheran Church. He also had a son attending Lutheran who was playing baseball, Brandon.
Bill brought many ideas and assistance to the Program. He loved being around the players and helped them very much. During games, Bill was our Bench Coach and kept the players focused and involved plus he kept the scorebook. Having someone who could correctly and accurately keep a scorebook was a great asset for me. And I could read what he wrote!
The most important thing Bill taught me was the strength of the Lutheran community. Coming from Manual High School where I had to take care of most things baseball related, I was not familiar with the potential of the Lutheran community to support an athletic program.
One day Bill suggested that we tear down our dugouts and backstop and then build new dugouts and a new backstop. I probably thought he was nuts. He had a vision for our baseball facility that I did not have. The existing dugouts were true dugouts but they were small and flooded often. Seems I kept hitting my head on the roof entering the dugout so I did not go in very often.
The backstop was a relatively small fence backstop that was close to home plate and did not stop many foul balls. It was not very useful.
Bill’s idea sounded great but I was not sure about how to pay for the upgrades. He suggested a Hit-A-Thon where the players would hit in the indoor batting cage all night with a lock-in. Each player would contact 10 individuals who would hopefully contribute base on efforts of the player in the Hit-A-Thon.
Guided by Bill’s vision and efforts, I believe a total of $15,000 was raised from the Hit-A-Thon and other sources. The new dugouts were built and they are being used today.
At the time, having nets serve as a backstop was relatively new. I am not sure where I had seen them, but the decision was made to put in poles at 25 feet high and attach netting between the poles to serve as a backstop. There was no wall at the time and the netting came down to the ground.. I believe that was a really good decision as fans were able to sit behind the netting and have a great view of the games.
The idea of raising that much money was very daunting to me, especially as a new coach at Lutheran. Bill had the vision and belief that it could be done and he took charge of getting it achieved.
His example was great for me as I learned that Lutheran parents would be very supportive of the school and sports teams. They proved that premise time after time over the years.
At the Awards Programs following each season, Bill recognized the Seniors by giving them a book that would provide motivation and inspiration for their futures. An example is the book ”Pyramid of Success” by John Wooden.
Bill was a great asset to Lutheran Baseball, the school and to me. I am very appreciative of his time and contributions to the Program.
Comments