OTTUMWA —
A familiar face will take over the reins of the Ottumwa baseball program next summer.
John Jaeger, head coach of the sophomore baseball team last summer and special education teacher at Ottumwa High School, has been hired to replace Mike Egbert, who left the team to take a job as activities director for Clarke High School.
Jaeger will start his new job with not only a familiarity with the program, but also with an ample amount of baseball experience as both a player and a coach. He was a two-sport athlete at Luther College in Decorah, playing both baseball and football for four years.
A 2001 graduate of Decorah High School — where he was a multi-sport star athlete — Jaeger had an august college career playing baseball for the Norse; he finished his career with the top batting average (.384) in the program’s history. In addition, Jaeger is second all-time in hits (200), third in runs batted in (127), second in home runs (26), third in doubles (40) and second in runs scored (137).
Jaeger went on to serve as an assistant coach at both Luther and Central College in Pella.
During a teaching stint in Wisconsin, Jaeger coached freshman baseball for a year and spent two years as an assistant junior varsity coach at Middleton High School.
“I’m excited to take over a program that has a lot of tradition,” Jaeger said in the press release. “I hope to keep that tradition alive by being competitive in everything we do. My philosophy is to do things the right way and do them 100 percent.”
Jaeger said the team’s primary focus will be skill development.
“We have lot a talent coming back, but talent can only go so far,” he said. “The challenge will be to play hard and give 100 percent. I think I can take these guys to the next level.”
Jaeger takes over a team that will return several of its most productive players this summer, including its most consistent hitter, Collin Schulz; its lead RBI man, Kyle Keck; and centerfielder Seth Griffiths.
Schulz batted a team-best 454 and scored a team-leading 46 runs. His solid numbers got him named to the Class 4A, All-South Central District first team. In addition, Griffiths was selected for the south central district second team.
Also returning to the Bulldogs’ squad will be Tyler Johns, Karsten VanVelsor, Blake Mooney, Tyler Bramschreiber, Mitch Stuchel, Bryce Ward and Cody Miller.
The Bulldogs, who went 19-19 last season, will be without two of their key power hitters — Luke McIntosh and Michael Collins — who they lost to graduation. Other players the team lost to graduation include Tyler Ollum, Derek Craff and Clayton Baird.
Sports
October 3, 2012
Bulldogs name Jaeger new baseball skipper
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