Just another family baseball weekend for the Wolfes

PLYMOUTH — This weekend, the 50th annual Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star series will take place in Loeb Stadium in Lafayette, and Plymouth baseball Head Coach Ryan Wolfe and son Preston will be making a family trip.

(Hear the entire interview below…)

The two will get the chance to take the field together one more time as Dad Ryan will be the North Head Coach, with son Preston as one of his pitchers.
“I was surprised, to say the least, and excited,” said Preston. “It’s a great opportunity, there are only a few kids who get it every year, and being one of those who got selected was kind of a surreal feeling.”
“It’s nice that he’s getting honored for the work he’s put in,” said Dad. “Seeing all the work he’s put in since kindergarten come to fruition is pretty special.”
The game could become a spot for the Wolfe family reunion each year. Ryan was a member of the North squad in 2001; his brother Tyler was on the 2003 team, and Preston’s brother Parker, a junior, was part of the “Futures Game” held this week.
“I don’t know how many father/son/uncle combinations have been part of it over the years, but for baseball to be a part of our family forever, to coach it is a real honor, but to do it with your son, it’s pretty special,” said Wolfe.
Preston is looking forward to Dad being his coach one more time.
“It’s been a great thing all four years,” he said. “One more time, it’s pretty special, especially in the setting it’s in. It’s just a pretty unique experience, I feel.”
Having your father as your head coach can be a stressful experience or a great one. As a veteran head coach Ryan had a chance to plan how he wanted to approach the situation to be sure it would be the latter for his boys.
“While they were growing up I tried to stay out of it as much as I could, knowing that I was going to coach them,” said Ryan. “I helped, but I wasn’t their head coach. I wanted them to be coached by other people, and they had some really good coaches coming up, and learned a lot of things that I was able to build on.”
“My assistants were great. There were a few times that I said, ‘Coach (Bryan) Schuler (longtime Plymouth pitching coach), you need to go out and talk to him,’ but the dynamic was great because our dugout was great, and his relationship with the assistant coaches was great.”
“I wouldn’t have traded it for anything.”
Preston agrees that the approach worked.
“I wouldn’t have wanted anyone else to be my coach,” said Preston. “Obviously, the assistant coaches were great. When we were on the field, it wasn’t like he was my dad; he was more my coach. He wanted me to be the best I could be.”
“I definitely felt pressure because all the teams we were playing knew I was the coach’s kid,” he said. “Obviously, I’m playing for the name on the front (of the jersey). Having the name of the coach is a motivator, but I played for the name on the front.”
“I’ve loved baseball more than anything forever. It’s a great game.”
Another situation that could cause stress is playing with a sibling. The Wolfe boys would disagree.
“Playing with him has been my biggest blessing,” said Preston. “He’s been my favorite teammate, and he’s been my best friend forever.”
“Parker went down for the Futures Game yesterday, and it’s special that both of them have the same love for baseball that I’ve had,” said Ryan. “It’s been a joy to watch them enjoy the game I did growing up.”
“I saw their relationship continue to grow. I think they realize it’s only a game and let’s have as much fun as we can,” said Ryan. “I took the perspective of I’m going to be proud of them no matter what. I did worry about them being my sons and the extra pressure they would have, and I didn’t want them to feel that I put extra pressure on them.”
Preston will attend Purdue in the fall and study finance. Baseball will take a back seat.
“I might try to play for their club team to stay in the sport,” said Preston. “I need a little time away from the sport to kind of regroup. If I feel I’m missing it a ton, I’ll make that decision down the road.”