A new coach, a new staff, and lots of young talent: Bishop Noll baseball will be a season of trial, error, and growth.

  Anthony Hoolehan was appointed the head Bishop Noll baseball coach this previous summer. A graduate of Andrean in 2009 and then going to play for Purdue North Central, he sure knows about competitive baseball. This season will be the first one since 2012–when Noll handed Andrean their one loss of the their state championship season–that the Warriors will play the 59ers in baseball.

  The former 59er has always loved the competition Noll brings to the field and is excited to be the one now encouraging it.

  “I remember this game always being competitive on both sides.The first varsity game I played in was against Bishop Noll my sophomore year and we ended up losing to Noll both times we played them that year,”he said.

  Hoolehan has always wanted to coach high school baseball for as long as he could remember.  

“There is such a great tradition here at Bishop Noll and a wonderful support group of staff members, faculty members, and students,” said Hoolehan.

Hoolehan’s expectations for this season are quite simple: he wants his players to learn the fundamentals of the game, grow and apply what’s being taught, and most importantly, work hard.  Overall, the Warriors are a young team that is very talented and is capable of doing some special things.  There are not many players on the team that have much varsity experience.  One strength of the team will be how they work together and build off of each other.

  “I want everyone to strive to be the best they can and not settle for being average. Competition within the team builds success.  For example, when our number 1 pitcher starts, I want my number 2 to try to go out and top his performance,” said Hoolehan.

Hoolehan has worked with two of the best coaches in the area during his life, coach Dave Griffin from Purdue Cal, who he coached with for 2 years before coming to Noll, and coach Dave Pishkur of Andrean, who he played for in high school.  He is still adapting his own coaching style and is looking forward to the challenge.

Although the Warriors’ record is 2-6, four of those losses were to State or State-qualifier champions. The Warriors will next play conference opponent Marquette Catholic at 11:00 at Bishop Noll on April 30; Wheeler at 5:00 at Bishop Noll on May 3; Whiting at 7:00 at Whiting on May 5; and Whiting again at 5:00 at Bishop Noll on May 6