Trojan baseball coach to step down
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Heading into the 2004 season, the Trojan baseball team already has some huge voids to fill.
Hit hard by graduation, the Trojans have to replace eight-ninths of their starting lineup, including a three-year all-state catcher, an all-state designated hitter and a second team all-state third baseman.
But the biggest shoes left to fill may be those of coach Phil Oelke, who battled his wits before announcing his resignation at the conclusion of the 2003 season.
Arguably one of the best Class 3A coaches never to win a state title, Oelke has been the Trojans' helmsman all five years baseball has been in existence at Hillsboro High School.
Guiding the Trojans to two state tournament appearances, including a third place finish two years ago, Oelke compiled an impressive 83-28 record.
"There were a lot of reasons," Oelke said of his decision. "A lot of thought went into it.
"When I was asked to start this program five years ago, there were several things I wanted to try to accomplish by the fifth year."
At the top of the list was bringing the school its first ever state title in baseball.
Two out of the five years, the Trojans made the state tournament, never venturing any further than the semifinal game.
The other three years, Hillsboro was knocked out in the final game of a usually competitive regional.
"That really has nothing to do with why I've decided this," said Oelke. "One thing I feel is that the program is still struggling.
"We've yet to establish really any sort of a junior varsity schedule whatsoever. It's going to be hard to compete year-in and year-out when we're not able to do that."
The past two years, the Trojans have played no more than four junior varsity games.
A coach that has preached hitting as much as anything, Oelke's teams struggled offensively the last two seasons.
"I also feel that as a coach, it is my job to sell my product and get guys to buy into what I want done and how I want it done," he said.
"I feel for the most part I have been unsuccessful in selling my philosophy on how we should approach offense. Hitting was something we really struggled with.
"There are also some issues outside of baseball that factor into it, too. It certainly was a tough decision."
Despite qualifying for the state tournament this season, Oelke never believed the Trojans reached their full potential.
Aside from sweeping a good Lyons team, Hillsboro's only other sweeps came against sub-.500 teams.
Oelke will continue teaching at Hillsboro Middle School and being an assistant middle school football coach.
