Two years ago, when Bill Angelo was recruiting Nick Weaver to come play baseball for Elgin Community College, the head coach’s sterling reputation definitely preceded him.
The all-state catcher from Streamwood knew Angelo had a lot of success at ECC. The real selling point as the recruiting process continued, though, is what ultimately led Weaver to commit.
“He wants you to be a better person more than he wants you to be a better baseball player,” Weaver said of Angelo. “I think that’s where it all starts. I think that’s what stood out.”
Angelo has stuck to that philosophy over his 27 seasons, and it led to a significant milestone on April 9. With a win over Oakton, Angelo picked up his 800th career win.
The Spartans’ season ended Saturday in the NJCAA Region 4 Division II Tournament, leaving his record at 821-579 heading into next spring.
“It’s not my number, it’s the program’s number,” Angelo said. “I’m proud of it because we want to do things that are good for the school, program and community that we can all be proud of.
“The quality of the human beings and character development have never wavered. The guys gave everything they had and tried to be the best they could be. That’s all you can ask for as a coach.”
Angelo played at ECC before finishing his college career at Benedictine. He was named the head coach in 1998 and set out to not just build a team but a program that could sustain success.
“The program didn’t have a lot of success in the past,” Angelo said. “I had a belief we could do something special here. I just set out to do it by trying to get the talent and the right people to stay home and give us a chance.
“I had to create a brand, so to speak, that people wanted to be a part of.”
The Spartans slowly began to turn the corner, reaching the World Series for the first time in 2004. That started a run of five straight trips, including a third-place finish and a 54-10 record in 2005.
“That was all built by those first couple teams that laid the groundwork and had some tough roads to manage to get there,” Angelo said. “They have a huge part in me getting anywhere close to 800. They kind of built this whole thing.”
The year after that run ended, Geneva graduate Brad Allen was looking for a new home. Things didn’t work out at Northern Illinois his freshman season, so he decided to give ECC a try.
“I never even thought about going to ECC,” Allen said. “He’s just willing to take those underdogs. He’s always looked out for me. I went on to an NCAA Division I program (Arkansas State), which was the plan. He gave me the chance to work on my craft and my game.
“That’s what he’s done for so many kids.”
The personal touch of Angelo was on display in February when Allen was inducted into Geneva’s athletic hall of fame following a five-year professional pitching career. Angelo was in attendance.
Angelo has no plans on stopping anytime soon, either.
“I’m kind of rejuvenated a little bit,” Angelo said. “I enjoy going to the park, practices, team-building stuff with them and helping them grow. As long as I keep enjoying it, I’ll keep doing it.”
That is music to Weaver’s ears.
“We want to put Elgin back on the map as a top 10 team in the country,” Weaver said. “It’s going to be fun, especially with all the guys we have coming in.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
