Hempfield’s Kalp named coach of year
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
It’s been a busy offseason for veteran Hempfield softball coach Bob Kalp.
There hasn’t been much drop-off in activity since the Spartans beat Parkland, 4-3, a little less than a month ago for their third consecutive PIAA championship.
He’s been busy with inventory, filling out forms, making sure all equipment is returned, ordering championship rings, updating his books with final season statistics and organizing the team’s end-of-season banquet.
Oh, and being named FloSoftball’s 2018 high school Coach of the Year.
In Kalp’s eyes, though, the honor doesn’t belong to just him.
“Obviously, everyone likes to be recognized, but I still contend that it’s a group effort, the kids and the staff have as much to do with that as I do, but I get the notoriety from it.
“They should be getting just as much, because it’s a group effort,” Kalp said.
The website, which covers softball news from around the country and organizes rankings for different categories of softball teams, mentioned “the mark of a great high school coach is what happens to his or her program once a dominant player graduates.”
That player, of course, was four-year starting pitcher Morgan Ryan, now at Notre Dame. When she left and Hempfield returned just three starters, it looked like a rebuilding year for the Spartans — not so, as younger players filled in nicely, to the same result.
Knowing how much teamwork it takes to achieve success is what makes the spotlight a little uncomfortable for Kalp, who owns a 401-98-1 record in his 23 seasons as Hempfield’s coach.
The Spartans have won four consecutive WPIAL championships, which is no small feat.
“Some relish it more than others,” Kalp said of recognition. “I’ve never been really comfortable with awards and stuff because I know that they are never gained or earned independently, I don’t care what coach or what teacher. It’s not an individual thing. There’s a lot of people that are involved to make it happen.”
One of Kalp’s players, though, was more inclined to give him credit.
“Coach Kalp definitely