Whitko Baseball: Hisner Steps Away From Post
SOUTH WHITLEY – Whitko baseball head coach Erik Hisner has always gone above the expectations of running a quality program. Wednesday afternoon, Hisner decided his efforts had gotten the best of him.
Citing the need for a mental and physical break, as well as time with his family, Hisner announced his resignation from head coaching duties with the Whitko baseball program.
The move comes after Whitko’s historic run to regional, the only time in the 43-year history of the program that Whitko has won a sectional title. The Wildcats finished up 21-10 on the season, losing to Wapahani in the Wabash Regional semi-finals.
Hisner, who was voted the IHSBCA District 1 Coach of the Year for the second straight year, guided the Cats to its sixth-straight 20-win season. Senior Drew Bradford was voted the IHSBCA District 1 Player of the Year under Hisner’s watch this spring.
“This was definitely not an easy decision,” Hisner said in a statement to the media Wednesday afternoon. “I feel like I gave everything I could to the job and the program. And when you’ve invested that much time and effort into your passion, it makes it extremely difficult to walk away.
“However, after spending countless hours in discussion with my family, friends, assistant coaches, and colleagues, I have come to two conclusions. The first is that I would like to spend more time with my family. They have made more than their fair share of sacrifices over the last eleven years, and as a result, I have missed many vacations and family events. And the second is that I need a break from being a head coach. After each season, I am more physically and emotionally drained than the one before. I still enjoy working with my players and competing against my colleagues, but the daily grind of performing my job to the standard I have become accustomed to has begun to wear on me.
Hisner has coached for the past 11 years for the Wildcats.
“I would like to thank the administration at Whitko. Their support has been unbelievable and second-to-none. I was given a chance to be a head coach at age twenty-four, and I will be forever grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at Whitko as your head varsity baseball coach.
“I would also like to thank all of the players and coaches I’ve had the pleasure of working with in our program. They bought into our vision eleven years ago, and through their relentless work and undying loyalty, we were able to accomplish things that had never been done before in the baseball program at Whitko.
“And lastly, one of the things I cherish about the coaching profession is the relationships you develop with those you work with and compete against. I have really enjoyed working with, and getting to know each one of you, and I greatly appreciate the coverage you have given our program over the years.”