The York baseball program has posted its share of wins in the last decade but an almost continual change of coaches has often overshadowed the success on the field.
Now going on their ninth skipper in the last 16 years, the Dukes hope they’ve found their man to lead them for the foreseeable future after recently hiring Dave Kalal. He replaces John Walters, who departed for Glenbard East after one season.
Kalal spent the last two years as the chairperson of the physical education department at Downers Grove South, where he was also a volunteer coach. Prior to that, the former Lewis University baseball player was an assistant at Naperville Central for eight years which was preceded by a stint at Oswego. This is his head coaching debut.
“No. 1, I wanted to get back to teaching full-time and get away from the administrative side of education,” Kalal said. “On top of that was the opportunity to be a head coach. That is why I got into the profession 10 years ago. It was the right place at the right time.”
“It is very exciting and to have the opportunity to do it at York where they’ve got some history and tradition with the baseball program,” Kalal added. “Over the last couple of decades, it has been a coaching carousel so to speak. I don’t why that is but I’m hoping to be done moving school to school and plan on staying here the rest of my career.”
Kalal inherits a program that has won 63 games over the last three seasons but hasn’t won a regional title since 1996.
“This is a program that can be regarded as one of the best in the state — that is my goal,” Kalal said. “They’ve had some good teams the past few years. And they have been through so much turmoil which says a lot about the kids and the community. It is a matter of putting stability in there and leading the kids and also teaching them the game. They can all play the game. You just need to teach them the finer points.”
As far as philosophy, Kalal hopes not to make the game any tougher on the kids than it already is.
“I want the kids to be athletes,” he said. “I don’t want to fill their minds with making adjustments here and making adjustments there. I want to make the game as simple as possible and let their athletic abilities take over. I also want the kids to be as relaxed as possible.
“I’d like to play the game fast as far as the pitchers working fast and the guys making plays and getting the guys on and off the field quickly. I want them to be loose and relaxed and to enjoy the game.”
The 1987 Downers Grove South grad has gotten his feet wet the last few weeks, running the summer league team at York. The Dukes are 9-7-1 with playoffs looming in two weeks.
“Everything has been good,” Kalal said. “The first few weeks were about finding out what the kids can and can’t do and can they handle pressure. We now have two weeks left before the playoffs and it’s time to kick it into high gear and figure out a line-up and pitching rotation when we start on July 20th.”
“The kids have been phenomenal and the parents I’ve talked to have been outstanding,” Kalal added. “The kids are working hard and they are taking ownership in the program. And it is coming from the seniors. They’ve been great to deal with and are working their tail off. I couldn’t ask for a better situation.”
According to athletic director Rob Wagner, York is equally happy with its choice and hopes Kalal can bring continuity to a program that recently has known only change.
“He’s been in winning programs at Naperville Central and Downers Grove South,” Wagner said. “He is a former player at Lewis University. The couple games I’ve seen this summer, he related well with the kids. He was a department chair at Downers South but wanted to get back into the classroom and be a head coach. He is interested in building a program and that is what we need here.”
