Spring sports took a hit this year as COVID-19 brought everything to a halt, including the baseball team. Despite the prediction for a stellar season, Coach Matt Steele has stayed calm.

Coach Steele has been a baseball and softball coach at St. Dominic since 2006. After seeing the way former softball coach Steve Pfund’s form prepared his daughter for college, he wanted in. Shortly after his daughter graduated, he began helping with JV softball and ever since, he has been training St. Dominic athletes to do their very best. 

“Nothing beats the feeling you get when you see an athlete work their tail off and then see them experience success. That’s what I remember the most, the smiles on their faces that you couldn’t wipe off if you had to,” Steele said. 

Coach Steele has moved all over, from working with the softball team to making his way through the baseball program. But with the changes the coronavirus has brought, he is sad about the postponement of this year’s season. Still, he wants to keep the boys in shape and ready to step up to the plate when their time comes. 

“The staff reminded the boys to continue practicing on their own and be prepared to hit the ground running when we return,” Steele said.

Furthermore, he thinks that this season’s unwelcome guest has something to teach the team. 

“More importantly though, is about learning about life lessons – how to deal with failure and, just as important, if not more, is how to deal with success. These lessons will go far beyond the athletic field,” Steele said.

After 13 years of coaching at Dominic, and hopefully many more to come, we thank Coach Steele for everything he has done for both programs and hope to see him on the field again soon.