INDIANAPOLIS — West Vigo baseball coach Steve DeGroote triumphantly held West Vigo’s trophy aloft to an adoring Viking crowd at Victory Field on Saturday. As he showed it to every section of the sizable green-clad throng, the look on his face was one of pure joy.
The fact that it was the runner-up trophy he showed off to the Viking faithful seemed beside the point.
West Vigo might have lost to Andrean 6-3 in the IHSAA Class 3A state championship game, but DeGroote was going to enjoy this ride no matter how the game came out for the Vikings. This was a man enjoying a moment that was decades in the making.
“My happiest moment [as a coach] is being right here on this field right now,” said DeGroote, moments after West Vigo received its runner-up medals and trophy. “I’ve got players here who helped pave the way. I’ve had some happy moments over the years, but I get happiest when people respect us. I think people will remember when they watch West Vigo play the respect that we brought to this program.”
No doubt about it. West Vigo had chances to win against an Andrean program that was declared as nearly unbeatable from the preseason prognostications onward. Respect is a given, even in defeat.
Still, the harder edged among us might think it to be silly to celebrate in the time of a loss, especially when it’s on the championship stage. How many times have you heard second place described as first loser?
It’s nonsense. DeGroote had trained too many past and present Vikings to be ready for this state championship shot … a loss wasn’t going to dampen the enthusiasm he had for the program he built and the kids that got the Vikings achingly close to the top.
“We would not be here if one player was missing or one coach. It takes that much to get here. Every kid we’ve had worked so hard to get us here. This is a proud day for West Vigo,” DeGroote said.
The players themselves seemed as sad for DeGroote as they were for themselves in the wake of the loss, but even they realized what a big moment this was for their program and the coach they love.
“It’s great to bring this program what its been longing for. It feels good to be the group that brought him here. All of us deserve this,” said West Vigo catcher Jeremy Lucas, who won the Class 3A Mental Attitude Award.
It’s impossible to separate the DeGroote name and West Vigo baseball, or West Vigo athletics for that matter. Many fans wore “DeGroote 1” T-shirts. Former West Vigo players that made it to Indianapolis for the game were too numerous to mention. DeGroote — who also taught at West Vigo and who has held myriad other positions at West Vigo in all sports over the years — from head coach to P.A. announcer — has probably coached or taught a sizable portion of the West Vigo crowd.
Casey DeGroote, Steve’s son and a fixture at West Vigo himself, obviously knows as well as anyone why his father his been a success at West Vigo. Casey DeGroote starred for the Vikings and was an assistant coach under his father before he left to join Indiana State’s staff for the 2008 season.
He knows the hours his family put in to build the Viking program, as well as the commitment asked for, and received, from West Vigo’s players over the years.
“Everything we’ve done in the past has built to this point. As you can see by all of the green in the stands, it means everything to everybody. Everybody here knows what kind of time these kids have put in. They know … that’s why they’re here,” Casey DeGroote said. “He stresses that the work you put in, you will get something out of it. That’s the base of what he preaches everyday. They’ve worked hard, they deserve this.”
The elder DeGroote also made it clear he wants to be back at West Vigo. During the run-up to the championship game this week, there were rumors he might retire or return to the college ranks … he was an assistant coach at ISU under Bob Warn.
“Oh gosh no!,” said DeGroote when asked if it was his last game in charge at West Vigo. “I hope they keep hiring me. I don’t want to go anywhere else. This is everything to me. I’m just going to come back and try to be better. I want to be back, I want to be at West Vigo. Nowhere else.”
You never know when you’re going to get back again. With the program West Vigo has in place, there’s every reason to believe West Vigo could make another trip to Victory Field someday. But if they don’t, at least DeGroote knew this was a moment to celebrate, not to sulk.
“Our fans … man … our fans were awesome with the support. I wish we could have got it for them, but this is pretty awesome too,” DeGroote said. “The ride was unbelievable.”
Todd Golden can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com.
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