Whitko Baseball Coach Erik Hisner Resigns
June 15, 2017 at 3:51 p.m.
By Mark [email protected]
After 11 seasons leading the program, Hisner said he wants “to spend more time with his family and take a break from the head coaching profession.”
Hisner, 34, said he will remain with the school corporation as a health and physical education teacher and athletic director at Whitko Middle School.
“This was definitely not an easy decision. I feel like I gave everything I could to the job and the program,” Hisner said. “And when you’ve invested that much time and effort into your passion, it makes it extremely difficult to walk away.
“However, after spending countless hours in discussion with my family, friends, assistant coaches, and colleagues, I have come to two conclusions. The first is that I would like to spend more time with my family. They have made more than their fair share of sacrifices over the last 11 years, and as a result, I have missed many vacations and family events.
“And the second is that I need a break from being a head coach. After each season, I am more physically and emotionally drained than the one before. I still enjoy working with my players and competing against my colleagues, but the daily grind of performing my job to the standard I have become accustomed to has begun to wear on me.”
Hisner took over in 2007 for Lance Hershberger. The Wildcats were coming off a winless season, but Whitko beat eventual 2A state runner-up Heritage to snap the winless streak early in the ‘07 campaign.
“(Hershberger) did a good job here.” Hisner told Times-Union correspondent Steve Krah in March. “It wasn’t as bad a situation as the numbers might say. It wasn’t a situation where I had to come in a teach them how to throw and lead off.
“The thing about that year is I actually learned a lot from the kids by watching them play. To play for Lance, you’ve got to be pretty tough and pay attention to detail.”
Hisner also had a summer league program that played 25-30 games a season in the early part of his career, but had been cut back to 15-20 in recent years.
All the work paid dividends this season when the Wildcats captured their first sectional title, beating Rochester 4-3 in an eight-inning semifinal on May 27, then taking a 5-3 win over Cass for the title two days later. Whitko’s season came to an end in the June 3 regional game, 6-0 to 2A state finalist Wapahani.
The team set a bevy of individual and team school records in compiling a 21-10 win-loss mark this season. Four Wildcats, Drew Bradford, Zach Hewitt, Landen Goff and Alex Bechtold, were All-Three Rivers Conference selections, with Alex Robbins receiving honorable mention. Bradford was the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association District I player of the year, and Hisner was coach of the year in the district this season.
“Coach Hisner did a tremendous job teaching the game of baseball, and he built Whitko baseball into what it is now,” Whitko Athletic Director Josh Mohr said. “I think he also did a tremendous job teaching leadership skills, perseverance, dedication and commitment to his players. It was evident in how they handled themselves in games throughout his career.
“We’re very happy he’s staying on as the middle school P.E. teacher and athletic director, and can provide that leadership and guidance to the kids there.”
In the press release announcing his decision, Hisner expressed his gratitude to those involved with the program.
“I would like to thank the administration at Whitko. Their support has been unbelievable and second to none,” he said. “I was given a chance to be a head coach at age 24, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at Whitko as your head varsity baseball coach.
“I would also like to thank all of the players and coaches I’ve had the pleasure of working with in our program. They bought into our vision 11 years ago, and through their relentless work and undying loyalty, we were able to accomplish things that had never been done before in the baseball program at Whitko.”
Mohr said there isn’t a timetable for hiring a replacement. He’ll take applications for a few weeks and may start interviewing around the time school starts.
After 11 seasons leading the program, Hisner said he wants “to spend more time with his family and take a break from the head coaching profession.”
Hisner, 34, said he will remain with the school corporation as a health and physical education teacher and athletic director at Whitko Middle School.
“This was definitely not an easy decision. I feel like I gave everything I could to the job and the program,” Hisner said. “And when you’ve invested that much time and effort into your passion, it makes it extremely difficult to walk away.
“However, after spending countless hours in discussion with my family, friends, assistant coaches, and colleagues, I have come to two conclusions. The first is that I would like to spend more time with my family. They have made more than their fair share of sacrifices over the last 11 years, and as a result, I have missed many vacations and family events.
“And the second is that I need a break from being a head coach. After each season, I am more physically and emotionally drained than the one before. I still enjoy working with my players and competing against my colleagues, but the daily grind of performing my job to the standard I have become accustomed to has begun to wear on me.”
Hisner took over in 2007 for Lance Hershberger. The Wildcats were coming off a winless season, but Whitko beat eventual 2A state runner-up Heritage to snap the winless streak early in the ‘07 campaign.
“(Hershberger) did a good job here.” Hisner told Times-Union correspondent Steve Krah in March. “It wasn’t as bad a situation as the numbers might say. It wasn’t a situation where I had to come in a teach them how to throw and lead off.
“The thing about that year is I actually learned a lot from the kids by watching them play. To play for Lance, you’ve got to be pretty tough and pay attention to detail.”
Hisner also had a summer league program that played 25-30 games a season in the early part of his career, but had been cut back to 15-20 in recent years.
All the work paid dividends this season when the Wildcats captured their first sectional title, beating Rochester 4-3 in an eight-inning semifinal on May 27, then taking a 5-3 win over Cass for the title two days later. Whitko’s season came to an end in the June 3 regional game, 6-0 to 2A state finalist Wapahani.
The team set a bevy of individual and team school records in compiling a 21-10 win-loss mark this season. Four Wildcats, Drew Bradford, Zach Hewitt, Landen Goff and Alex Bechtold, were All-Three Rivers Conference selections, with Alex Robbins receiving honorable mention. Bradford was the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association District I player of the year, and Hisner was coach of the year in the district this season.
“Coach Hisner did a tremendous job teaching the game of baseball, and he built Whitko baseball into what it is now,” Whitko Athletic Director Josh Mohr said. “I think he also did a tremendous job teaching leadership skills, perseverance, dedication and commitment to his players. It was evident in how they handled themselves in games throughout his career.
“We’re very happy he’s staying on as the middle school P.E. teacher and athletic director, and can provide that leadership and guidance to the kids there.”
In the press release announcing his decision, Hisner expressed his gratitude to those involved with the program.
“I would like to thank the administration at Whitko. Their support has been unbelievable and second to none,” he said. “I was given a chance to be a head coach at age 24, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at Whitko as your head varsity baseball coach.
“I would also like to thank all of the players and coaches I’ve had the pleasure of working with in our program. They bought into our vision 11 years ago, and through their relentless work and undying loyalty, we were able to accomplish things that had never been done before in the baseball program at Whitko.”
Mohr said there isn’t a timetable for hiring a replacement. He’ll take applications for a few weeks and may start interviewing around the time school starts.
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