A Long-standing Legacy of Pride and Success
in the Hortonville Baseball Program
While the Hortonville and Greenville communities are small in size, their widespread support for, and love to be involved in, Hortonville Area School District extra-curricular programs is very apparent. One such example is the baseball program with its great history and success over the years.
For as long as anyone can remember, Hortonville has had a baseball team. Don Williams became involved with the Hortonville baseball program in the spring of 1975 as a JV coach. After five years at the JV level, he was given the opportunity to become varsity head coach, and has been in that position since. During Don's first year as head coach, Hortonville's baseball team earned its shot at competing in the state championship, which was the first time Hortonville had sent any team to a state tournament.
Since that first bid to state, the baseball team at Hortonville High School (HHS) has had continued success throughout the years, which is made evident through having won 20 conference titles, 20 regional championships, eight sectional championships, and three state championships. "I was pretty fortunate to have coached the seniors on the 1980 team--the group was really talented, and I credit that first group for breaking the glass ceiling, showing that it wasn't impossible to have [making it to state] happen," says Williams.
As the success of the program has grown, so has the number of participants. When Williams began coaching, they had a total of 30 students; today there are 60 students participating. While the growth is partially due to the increased enrollment in the district, it's also largely because students want to be part of a well-respected group. "It's like a family. The students and alumni of HHS Baseball take a lot of pride in the program and want to keep the success going," says Williams. Students look forward to being on the HHS Baseball team at a young age, and their joy of having been on the team continues long after their school years.
While excelling in the sport is the focus of the baseball program, Williams also places a strong emphasis on his athletes maintaining good grades as well as instilling sound values in them for the rest of their lives. As Williams said, "my goal is to teach them what's in store for them after high school—difficulties they'll face, as well as keeping a positive attitude when dealing with negative experiences, failure, and adversity—sports is very good at teaching the handling of these life lessons."
As Williams reflects back on his years of coaching, he thinks of all the memorable moments he's had with each team. Each year at the Baseball Alumni Hall of Fame event, he enjoys seeing years of alumni and tradition brought together to share the wonderful stories and experiences they've all had during their time on the Hortonville baseball team.
Williams says, "I hope the enjoyment of being a part of this great program continues for future student athletes. I'm a lucky guy, and I have a lot of thankfulness that I was given the opportunity to be put in a position where I can affect young people's lives in a positive way."
|