Haack easing back into the flow of game
Surgery kept Katy coach home during playoffs, but he’s already focused on 2017
Katy coach Kalum Haack had day surgery Friday to relieve nerve pain in his back that sidelined him for the playoffs.
He was back out at softball camp Monday morning.
“I’m still real sore, and it’s still hard to tell whether they fixed it or not, which is somewhat discouraging,” Haack said. “I’m thinking they might have fixed something but not what the problem was. But I go back to see the doctor on Thursday and he’ll evaluate it and tell me what’s going on.”
Haack spent much of Monday morning lying on his back in the dugout, so he’s still moving around slowly.
But that’s a big step up from the severe pain that kept him in bed last month.
“That might be the toughest thing I ever had to do – not being at practice and not being at the games,” Haack said. “That was really difficult. All these people think, ‘Man, I would like to not have to go to work and just lay in bed all day.’
“I promise you, I would much rather go to work.”
The fact that the work he missed was the playoffs – the best time of the year for players and coaches – made it that much tougher.
“I had a really good rapport with the kids, and then missing the playoffs (was tough),” Haack said. “You work your butt off all fall and then get started and work hard during the season, and then all of a sudden you miss the fun part, and all the things you worked for you don’t get to be a part of. “So it was very difficult.” Still, he made every effort to stay involved, following the team’s progress live online and by phone after games.
“I watched them on Texan Live and (assistant) coach (Meghan Brown) called me and FaceTimed after the ballgames, so I got to be a little bit of a part of it, as much as I could,” Haack said.
“I was proud of them. Pearland just played better than we did.
“As a coach, all you want is an opportunity to be in the game and have a chance to win it, and we had that.
“We just didn’t get the key hit when we needed it.”
Haack and Brown stayed in constant communication, and Haack said he never questioned a move or decision she made throughout their run to the regional finals, where they finally 4-2, 3-1 to Pearland.
“Had I been there, we probably would have gone the same distance,” Haack said. “I don’t think we would have gone any further.
“In other words, she did just as good a job as I would have done.”
Brown said, after their win over Alvin in the regional semifinals, as much as they missed Haack, and hated to see him miss the playoffs, that his absence also served as motivation for his players.
Haack, however, didn’t want them playing for him.
“I told them, ‘Make sure you don’t dedicate this season to me because if you lose I don’t want to be a part of that,’” he joked.
Now the program is losing five seniors, including four key starters.
Catcher Corey Burrough signed with Pennsylvania, second baseman Nicole Valdez with Colorado State, shortstop Emily Hitt with East Texas Baptist and center fielder Katie Clark with SFA.
Katy’s also losing outfielder Ashley Nassy to St. Edward’s.
“They were the backbone of the team,” Haack said.
The top returning players are pitchers Kyle Redding, Alyssa LeBlanc and Chloe Cobb, left fielder Bailee Shashack, catcher Cait Calland and third baseman Kayla Garcia, an early verbal to Texas A&M.
But the biggest returner next season will be Haack.
He plans to return to the Katy bench for his 19th season next spring – with Brown staying by his side.
“She isn’t going anywhere,” Haack said.
“I’ve asked her because there have been some schools that have called and asked about her, and I asked her if she’s interested in them, because she could have those jobs if she wanted them, and she goes, ‘Nope, I’m not leaving here.’
“She’s going to wait until I retire and then take over here.”