Successful leader: A Q&A with Cheboygan baseball coach Kevin Baller

Q: You recently completed your 23rd season as head coach of Cheboygan varsity baseball. Do you remember what that first season was like?  

Baller: I do. I had a great bunch of kids. I want to say – in my first two years of coaching, I don't have the paperwork in front of me for wins and losses – but I'm pretty positive we only won nine games, but that was back when we were in the Big North Conference and I had some young kids on the team, a young boy named Donny Schley and another by the name of Mark Schley, and they really did well, and nine wins was good, especially in the Big North, but I can still remember it. I was nervous, but it was a lot of fun because I knew I had some pretty good talent that was with me. 

Q: What was the program like at the time you took over and what were your original goals for it when you took the job?  

Baller: The program wasn't in bad shape, but we had just entered the Big North Conference, and you know how that is. You got the two Traverse City schools (West and Central), you got Petoskey, you had Cadillac, you had Gaylord, you had us and the Sault, so it was pretty tough competition. We were the smallest school out of all of those listed, but (former Cheboygan coach) Jerry (Charboneau) left (the program) in pretty good shape because I had two kids that were pitchers, Donny Schley and Mark Schley, and I did have some up-and-coming talent that was coming up as well, so we were in pretty good shape when I took over. Like I said, that first year we struggled. I think it was 9-18 (record), but we were young. I had some pretty good kids that wanted to play baseball and get better, and we did get better.  

Q: Who was the first big-time player you coached at the varsity level? 

Baller: That first big-time player would've been Mark Schley. No. 1, he had an arm. His sophomore year he went over to Traverse City for a camp and he was hitting 88 (miles per hour) on the gun. He threw hard. He was pretty consistent at 85-86, but he was my first big player. He was all-state, I can't remember which team, but he was all-state his senior year. He's in the state record books for strikeouts in a game when it went extra innings for 23 strikeouts (against Cadillac in 2001), and the kid could hit. Overall, I think he batted .535, and in the Big North I think he was up north of a .600 average, which is pretty impressive, especially when you're going up against the talent that the Big North had to offer.  

Q: As for this year's team, you accomplished many things. Conference title, district title, 30-win season. What allowed your 2022 team to be special?  

Baller: I think what allowed them to be special was just the camaraderie amongst the kids. These boys have been playing baseball for a long time together. I can remember watching them in little league, 10, 11 and 12 year olds and then going over to Petoskey in the junior league and all stars, and they had the camaraderie, they were together. I think what it really boiled down to was none of them really cared who got the accolades. They didn't really care. They wanted to win, they wanted to play the game right, and they were a pleasure to be around.  

Q: This year's Escanaba district final was a classic, but I'm sure you've coached in some really great games in the past. What were some of those memorable games?  

Baller: Without a doubt, winning that first district that we had (in 2013). It had been tough for years, and it just seemed like we never got the ball to bounce our way, so just that first district win. I can still remember it to this day. (Former Cheboygan assistant coach) Denny Proctor and I were in the dugout kind of just looking at each other like, 'Holy crap, we finally did it.' That was without a doubt one of the more memorable ones, and of course this year's group (against Escanaba). They just showed they wouldn't quit. Henry (Stempky) had a sore arm, probably had no business being on the mound in that district championship game, and he basically said, 'Coach, I'll give you what I got,' and he went out there and shut them out and allowed that zero to hang up on the board for us to get a chance in the bottom of our inning to get the win.  

Q: What was your first great coaching memory?  

Baller: There's so many of them. I would probably say that first district championship win. That was probably by far one of the greater memories, and I think right alongside that was the boys this year. This is a true story. (Cheboygan catcher) Dylan Balazovic said to me, 'Hey, Coach,' and we were sitting in the gym and it was basketball season, and I said, 'Yeah? What's that, Dylan?' He said, 'Just so you know, we're putting another banner up there in the rafters,' and I kind of looked at him like, 'Well, it is pretty full because there's the conference banner up there,' and he just said, 'We're putting another banner up there,' and he wasn't lying. The boys did that and that was a very memorable moment because it shows the confidence this group of boys had in themselves. 

Q: You had a great pitching duo with Damon Proctor and Stan Swiderek years ago, then you ended up with Henry (Stempky) and Daniel (Wilcome) this past season. And, of course, you had Mark Schley several years ago. Did you ever imagine having that many elite pitchers in your program?  

Baller: I've been very fortunate, and no, I never imagined I'd have this many dominant pitchers like I've had in the past and even this year, but I think that's a testament to (those pitchers) because all those names you mentioned, they play the game of baseball, they played it hard, and they continued to work to get better, and therefore it made them dominant. I had the luxury of getting to coach them, but their work ethic and the amount of time they put in allowed them to be as dominant as they were.  

Q: What's the best performance you've seen from a Cheboygan player since you've been in charge?  

Baller: There's two, without a doubt, and one happened this year and the other one you mentioned in the paper. Mark Schley going and getting 23 strikeouts in a game and losing a no-hitter, and then us being on the flipside of it, Henry (Stempky) unfortunately getting a no-decision, but just mowing down Sault hitters and carrying a perfect game into that eighth inning and unfortunately getting a no-decision on it. You would not in a million years say you just witnessed two no-hitters and both pitchers that started the game didn't get a decision on them, but at the same time, they were by far two of the most memorable moments that I've had.  

Q: You were a pitcher at Central Michigan University. Describe what those days were like and how they helped you become the coach and person you are today.  

Baller: Going into Central Michigan, I thought I truly knew the game of baseball while leaving Cincinnati (OH.), but boy was I wrong. Getting to Mount Pleasant and seeing the talent that was there, it was unreal. To see the work ethic a lot of these kids put in to get to where they were at, and just to see how humble they were. They were all lessons that I learned and then was able to carry over into my head coaching career. I truly believe those years made me a better coach.  

Q: What was it about CMU that made it a great place for you?  

Baller: CMU was recruiting me since I was really, really young. We had a guy in this area, his name was Bee Simmons, and he did a lot of recruiting for Central Michigan, and he recruited me and he recruited my college roommate, Travis Robbins, out of the Onaway area, and I learned a lot from him. After games, even in little league, he would come and talk to me. I know for a fact about how to become a better pitcher, and he'd share with me little things, then I was able to carry it on to Central Michigan because for the Central Michigan coach, Bee Simmons was like a recruiter for him in Northern Michigan, and I got to meet Dean Kreiner, who would later become my head coach at CMU. When we were in the state finals for the all stars for 11 and 12 year olds, and it happened to be played in Indian River, he came and spoke so I had an opportunity to meet him when I was a 12-year-old, and (Kreiner) talked a little about CMU and it was very impressionable, but I had also gone to some of their games, so I really enjoyed him and the school.  

Q: Growing up, was there somebody you really looked up to as a huge influence in your baseball career?

Baller: Some people I had the opportunity to look up to, and it was right when I was younger because they coached us, but probably without a doubt one of the best coaches I ever had was a guy by the name of Scott Hancock. He had no kids at the time and he was coaching little league baseball, and I had the opportunity to be on his team, and then I played all stars for him, so I played for him for four years and then I played for him on the JV team, and unfortunately, I moved away and didn't get to play for him anymore, but he was probably by far one of the most influential. The guy just oozed confidence, he's just a natural teacher, and I learned so much about the game of baseball from him. I think I learned more from him as a kid than I could've possibly ever learned in college.  

Q: You've had some great coaches at Cheboygan. How important is it to have the right group of people around you when it comes to running a successful program?  

Baller: I think it's very important because you need to have those people in place to have your back. You're not always going to see eye to eye and there's going to be disagreements, but when those people know that they can come to you, they can speak their mind, and you're not going to hold it against them. I think that is really important, and I had the opportunity to have that with guys like Scott Hancock and Denny Proctor and even Damon (Proctor) when he helped out. Just the different discussions that we had, the different scenarios we threw at each other, and the different games that we played with each other, and you need to have that. I think it's extremely important to have those people that have your back, but at the same time you have theirs as well.  

Q: Who are some of your all-time favorite Major League Baseball players? Also, why are they your favorite players?  

Baller: I can tell you two right now, the first one is Derek Jeter. For those people who don't know who Derek Jeter is, he's a Michigan guy, state of Michigan kid, and my college roommate at Central Michigan had the opportunity to play against him, and he was in absolute awe of Derek Jeter. The first I had ever heard of him was through my college roommate. Derek Jeter was about the same age as we were, and he says, 'Man, you gotta see this guy. I had the opportunity to play against him.' He said, 'Kevin there were scouts all over the place for his games,' and basically all he wanted to talk to were the Yankees. He felt they were the best team around, he wanted to be with him, and in the end, he ended up with the Yankees, and the rest is history because he's a Hall of Famer, World Series champion, enough said. The other one, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Ken Griffey Jr. is a Cincinnati guy down where I was. We had the opportunity to play against his high school alma mater and we beat them in a regional final game that ended up sending us to the state semifinals, I believe. There's no greater feeling. He didn't play for them, but to say you beat the school that Ken Griffey, Jr. graduated from, that's a lot, but I also liked his style. He was a no-nonsense guy, he wasn't very flashy, didn't say a whole lot, but just went out and performed. 

Q: Tigers or Lions, you're a big fan of both. Who do you like more and why?  

Baller: Tigers, hands down. Even though the Lions haven't been successful through the years, they're going to be fun to watch, but Tigers hands down, though. My dad loved the Tigers, my grandpa would listen to them all the time. He'd get upset when they weren't on the radio or weren't on TV, and both of them lived through some horrible years with the Tigers. It didn't matter, they still rooted for them, and I ended up rooting for them.  

Q: You've made this program a very successful one at Cheboygan. What else are you hoping to accomplish as you continue to lead the Chiefs?  

Baller: I would really like to see the town of Cheboygan get a state championship in baseball. The people here in this town are always very supportive, our local businesses, you're always looking for money to help your program, and the people in this community rarely, if ever, say no. I'm trying to push to get them to a state championship, because I think these people in town need that. They need to have that confidence. They can say that we've had a state champion in bowling, two of them. We've had state champions in track. We had a state runner-up in boys basketball, state semifinals for the girls, and just to watch the community when they gather around for these groups of teams was great. I would like to do the same.  

Q: I ask coaches this all the time, but what do you believe are the keys to building a successful program?  

Baller: I think team chemistry and a strong work ethic. If you don't have team chemistry and you don't have the work ethic, you're not going to be successful, and a lot of that comes from the kids and comes from their parents. The reason we have a lot of success is we have a lot of kids who like to work hard, and we've got a lot of parents who are very supportive.  

Q: I mentioned earlier that you just finished up Year 23 as head coach. How long do you plan on doing this for?  

Baller: I plan on doing it as long as I possibly can. As long as my body and the people of Cheboygan let me, I'll continue to do it.  

Q: What do you enjoy the most about coaching?  

Baller: I like to see the boys moving on, and it doesn't have to even be in baseball. I just want to see them move on and succeed, and if I share a little part of that, I'm happy about that. If they go to college and play, I'm as happy as can be. If they go to college and move on in their career fields, or if right out of high school they jump at a career first and have at it, I just want the boys to be successful. That's what makes me happy.  

Q: How much of a joy would it be to coach your son (Tate, now in fifth grade) at the varsity level someday?  

Baller: I'd love it, I'd love to have the opportunity to coach my son. I started actually coaching his travel teams this past year in football, basketball and baseball, and it's just been an absolute pleasure, and also having the opportunity to coach him and his friends and kids he hangs out with. It's just been a joy.