As a Minnesota State High School League official for football, basketball and softball, Mike Barten has spent tons of hours on Cleveland fields and courts.
But this spring, he will take to the sidelines as the Clippers' new head varsity softball coach.
“In watching this team from a distance, either umpiring or seeing them at Caswell Park for the Valley Showcase or in section play, I always knew it had great support from the school and parents and that the numbers in the program were good. I knew they had a great nucleus coming back, and knew I wanted to try to be a part of this.”
But Barten was careful to not step on any toes.
“I wanted to make sure that none of the current assistants were going to apply as I wanted them to be the coach since they were already in the program and had put in a lot of time with this team. Once that was determined, I applied and was fortunate to be selected as the coach. I am honored to have been named the new coach for the Clippers. I thank athletic director Rich Kern, the Cleveland administration and school board for this opportunity. I look forward to helping the team meet and exceed our goals this year, and in years to come. Cleveland is a great town in that it really supports all of its activities. I am hoping we can use this season as a steppingstone to great things in the future that will bring the town out to watch us.”
Barten first started coaching softball when his oldest daughter played for the Mankato Peppers as a 6-year-old.
“That was a long time ago, but I found that I really enjoyed teaching the game and watching kids grow, not just as players but also into young adults. I have also had the pleasure of meeting new people forming lifelong friendships among parents and players.”
Since then, he has coached Peppers teams from 10U through 18U. He has previously coached high school teams as the head coach at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton and the JV coach at Mankato West.
Not an easy sport, to be at the top of the tame, softball requires hard work year-round, he said.
“It takes years for kids to develop as a pitcher, fielder or hitter. I believe that kids who want to be good at the game have passion, desire and a work ethic to make them the best player they can be. I have been fortunate to have had a number of players who, even though they are in the middle of the basketball or the volleyball season, still make time to hit a bucket of balls or throw pitches two or three times per week.”
But at the end of the day, so much of how good a player becomes gets down to mindset, he said.
“I look for kids that have a great attitude, want to work, ask questions, want to stay late to work on their game and are great teammates. We have talked as a team about not getting too high after a win or too low after a loss. Staying level, win or lose is something I hope the kids learn and understand that will help them through things more than just softball.”
But he is super hyped to be part of that growth.
“Watching kids grow, get better, and find that they have what it takes to be successful is really fun. Not all kids blossom right away, and not all kids stay with the game. It takes work to play from being 6-7 years old to playing as a senior in high school. The kids that stay with it are usually hard workers, love the game, are great teammates and want to be successful in everything they do. I just like watching kids work to get better and gain the confidence to become really good players.”
Barten’s coaching staff includes Sandi Hollerich and Kern.
“Sandi and Rich have both been a part of the program for a number of years,” Barten said. “They have really helped with the transition of me coming in as a new coach. I thank them for their help thus far, and I really look forward to working with them to build this program into one of the best in Southern Minnesota."
Since practice started a couple of weeks ago, Barten has been working on putting names with faces and getting a feel for players’ strengths.
“Again, Rich and Sandi have been so helpful with that and with talking through what has been done in the past and what maybe can be changed in the upcoming season.”
Many of the players left for a band trip last Wednesday but were back a week later, practicing in the Township Hall on Wednesday. They hope to get in a scrimmage on Janesville's artificial turf on Friday before varsity Clippers open their season on Monday with a home game against New Ulm Cathedral.
“This team looks like it has a nice balance of upper classmen with talent and a group of sophomores and freshmen who will push the older kids and be ready to play when needed,” Barten said. “Based on what I have seen from hitting and fielding practices, I think we have 12-14 kids that could be included in the makeup. I think the main thing I want to bring to the team is that every player has the ability to be really good and that the kids have the confidence in themselves, and the belief in their teammates that we can play with any team on the schedule."
Last year, the Clippers finished their season with a 10-10 record. They were tied for third in the Valley Conference (behind Lake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial and Nicollet) and sixth in the sections.
While SoMin softball is always tough competition, Barten wants to ensure the Clippers are in the thick of it.
“I believe that this team has a chance to be in the top three in our conference and section. We have two really good teams at the top of our conference in LCWM and Nicollet. Nicollet, Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, Springfield, New Ulm Cathedral and Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart will be the teams to beat in section play. I am looking forward to competing against these teams and, win or lose, working as hard as we can each practice and game. I am hoping we can send our three seniors (Emily Kern, Grayce Kortuem and Ashley Connor) out playing late into the section tournament. I have told them to be ready to play the 2nd week of June at Caswell Park.”
While Barten will be coaching the Peppers 12U "A" team this coming spring and summer, he wants to ensure the Cleveland community ed teams are in good hands.
“Our summer program is in the process of signups. I look forward to meeting the kids and parents of our next generation of Clipper players. I am hoping to help our summer coaches in any way needed and will really try to get as many kids as possible to try out this great game. I believe a coach needs to help in all areas of the program, which takes some time during the summer and off season, but if we can build a strong youth program, that will really help in making our high school team one of the best around.”
First pitch on Monday is at 4:30 pm.