Prep Baseball Report

Successful Coaches: Derek Stecklein


Chloe Williams
Prep Baseball Report Iowa

To be the head coach of a team, one needs to have a good work ethic and a vast knowledge about baseball. From making practice plans to deciding final line-ups, every little decision can determine a team's success. In this article, the head coach of the Pleasant Valley Spartans, Derek Stecklein, discusses his time as a head coach, how he got there, the upcoming season and what it means to be successful.


SUCCESSFUL COACHES SERIES
Presented by Chloe Williams- PBR Iowa Intern (2021-2022)

Derek Stecklein, Head Coach, Pleasant Valley Spartans

Stecklein has been coaching the Spartans for 4 years. He contributes where is today to all of the people that have helped him over the years. “The game of baseball is not necessarily what you know, but who, and I've been fortunate to be around a lot of those guys who have helped me out.”

When talking about success Stecklein reflects on his state champion group. “I think it's a group of guys who are all working for the same thing. That's one thing last year that we were very fortunate with is a group of guys who were just hungry. They were all working towards the same goal. And when you get a lot of people working towards the same thing, good things happen for you. And last year just happens to be one example of that.”

Culture is a big word in the baseball community, and Stecklein’s culture is about the players creating a good environment for one another. “We want our young guys to see what our old guys are doing and be able to have a mentor who's older than them and learn their ways. And when you preach the little things. How you want things done and guys buy in good things, usually happen for you. We've been extremely fortunate with really good players to start with. Each year has gotten a little bit better with the smaller things.”

Looking at the season Stecklein is excited to get to start coaching the players. “I think the big thing I'm just looking forward to is being around our guys every day. We are getting to the point of the year where we're getting ready to get outside. It's just being around them, getting to spend some time with them and hopefully helping them develop to accomplish goals they want to accomplish,” he says. 

Preparing for the season has been about getting guys ready quickly for the spartans. “The big difference this year is we only have two weeks. Of practice prior to May 16th compared to the normal three weeks. So I'm trying to get guys ready for that. And with the additional April hitting days, hopefully we are able to do that. So we are ready to go on May 16th.”

There are some difficulties when it comes to scheduling for PV. “The big one is the day-to-day operations of how everything works, how it all fits together. We only have one baseball field for three and a half teams. That's something that we're constantly working out with scheduling. Um, so there's something different every day and, keeping it a little bit exciting as well.”

Stecklein has had a great amount of success with the Pleasant Valley team and this year will be no exception. Him and the Spartans are looking forward to playing a great season of baseball.


Chloe Williams is currently a senior at Johnston High School and has been working for Prep Baseball Report Iowa as an intern since September 2021. She has been managing the Johnston baseball team since she was a sophomore and has also worked for the Iowa Sticks team as a data collector. In the fall, she plans on going to the University of Iowa to major in data science.

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