YC hires baseball coach

Curt Foppe always knew he wanted to make a life out of coaching baseball.  

After finishing his collegiate playing career as a pitcher in 1999, the Illinois native returned to his alma mater, Quincy University, as an assistant coach/pitching coach.

Even when he didn't hold an actual coaching position, he still freelanced independently as a private pitching coach.

 Now he'll have the chance to settle in as a head coach for the first time.

 Yuma Catholic athletic director Rhett Stallworth announced Friday that Foppe, who has lived in Yuma for about five years, will be the program's next baseball coach.

 "Being an assistant in college before, the next step was to be a head coach - whether it be in the college ranks or the high school level," said Foppe, 31. "This is just an unbelievable opportunity for me. It's a wonderful program. The talent level is exceptional and the expectations are high, but I wouldn't have anything less for myself."

 Foppe replaces Tom Kandler, who resigned at the end of the season after guiding the Shamrocks to a 91-27 overall record in four seasons and coaching YC to the 2006 2A state title.

 Foppe has lived in Yuma with his wife since the 2003-04 school year and has been teaching at Salida del Sol in the Crane School District. He will join the Yuma Catholic faculty in the physical education department next year.

 "He's a young, energetic guy and he's got a good background in baseball," said Stallworth, who added that nine candidates from around the state applied for the position. "He's coached a few years at the college level and a few years as a personal instructor where people are actually paying to have him help them.

 "We think he's a fit for our school...He has great references, most of them at the college level, and he has the connections to some of these people to help promote our kids down the road."

 Foppe began his collegiate career as a player at Saint Louis University before transferring to Quincy, an NCAA Division II school in Illinois, where he lettered for three years.

 He inherits a Shamrock team that returns all but two players from last season's 21-10 campaign that saw YC finish second in the 2A West Region at 11-2.

 "The chance to come in and compete for a state championship immediately - not a lot of schools have that to offer," Foppe said. "I'm taking over a program that's already established and going in the right direction.

 "They expect to win here and I do too. If we work hard and do things the right way I think we should win. There's a little pressure with that, but that's alright. It's part of the job."

 Stallworth said Foppe will receive plenty of support from the athletic department.

 "We're going to give him everything he needs within our capabilities to be successful," he said. "At some places, once you're there you're on your own. But here, no matter what, we're going to do whatever is possible to help and we're going to do that for all our sports."

 Foppe grew up going to catholic school in Illinois. Some might say coaching is in his genes. His father was the school's baseball coach for 13 years and now holds its athletic director position.

 "I've grown up with it my whole life," Foppe said of coaching baseball. "In college I knew that was the direction I wanted to go and hopefully take my life in. Right now I'm getting the chance to do that, so it's kinda like living the dream."