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MCC announces new softball coach
McCOOK, Neb. — McCook Community College has named Iowa native Kevin Kaalberg as the new coach for the Lady Indians softball team as well as an enrollment coach.
In addition to coaching high school softball in Iowa, Kaalberg is leaving his job as Senior Financial Analyst at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics – Heart, & Vascular Center in Iowa City to take the MCC post and the opportunity to do what he loves.
“I’ve enjoyed a professional career in finance and once our children graduated from high school, my wife encouraged me to pursue my passion so I could just coach,” Kaalberg said.
He admitted that he knew little about McCook but when he saw the job listing for the softball coach he became real interested when he learned that position also had an opportunity to work with young people and help them on their career paths as an enrollment coach.
“I’ve always been passionate about kids, I love coaching softball and helping them achieve goals beyond softball and with the enrollment coaching duties here at MCC, that helps me do that on a wider level,” he said.
Less than a week after being offered the job, Kaalberg came to McCook to meet with his team and set up individual meetings, get his initial read on the team, talk about expectations and try and answer any questions or concerns before finals exams this week.
“These student athletes are students first and I didn’t want anything to interfere with their focus on finals,” he said.
“My initial impression is that this is a great group of kids and they have endured some uncertain circumstances this fall but I think it has brought them closer together. I appreciate Rachel Bashor taking on the interim coaching responsibilities for the past several months.”
During the 2019 season, the Lady Indians won a share of the Nebraska Community College Athletic Conference title and gained the team’s first appearance in the Region IX post-season in three years.
The Indians went 2-2 to reach the championship game, but fell 9-4 to Western Nebraska and ended the season at 29-33.
The 2020 roster includes 13 freshmen and four sophomores.
Kaalberg had been coaching varsity and junior varsity softball at Durant High School in Iowa for the past year as well as the Eastern Iowa Barracudas, and 18-and-under team in Iowa City since July 2017.
In the off-season, he led Mid-Prairie High School’s 18-and-under ASA/USSSA team in Wellman, Iowa, to the state tournament from 2010-2014.
“Family has always comes first with me, at home and then your team becomes part of the family as well,” he said.
Before he took the MCC post, Kaalberg said he and his wife Andrea met with their three grown children Brooke and her two children Liam and Tate, and twins Reid and Madison, to talk over Thanksgiving about the McCook job.
“I’ve never been that far away from them, and they needed to be a part of the discussion, but they were excited for me, Andrea has been on-board from the beginning and will move to McCook,” he concluded.
She may be looking for opportunities in her field of internet technology.