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Alpena’s Hoppe honored as Assistant Coach of the Year by MHSSCA

For 17 years, Louie Hoppe has been a jack-of-all trades for the Alpena High softball program.

Whether keeping score or coaching, bringing treats to practice or offering players a word of encouragement at the right time, Hoppe has been an important part of the Wildcats’ success.

Softball coaches around the state have taken notice too as Hoppe was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the Michigan High School Softball Coaches Association. Hoppe found out he he won the award late last year and was honored at a banquet in early February.

“It’s quite an honor to be picked by your fellow coaches. You don’t expect it,” Hoppe said.

As Hoppe enters his 18th season with Alpena his love of the game and love of teaching players is still going strong. He’s had a front row seat to a great run of success for Alpena and has made an impact on scores of players.

“The kids (are why I do it). It’s so much fun working with them and watching them grow as ball players and young ladies,” Hoppe said. “The long lasting relationships; you end up going to their weddings and it’s just really rewarding.”

As Alpena’s score keeper, Hoppe keeps a keen eye on matchups and often advises players and coaches on how to approach certain hitters or certain situations. Hoppe also helps coach Alpena’s outfielders along with assistant coach Christin Sobeck and serves as Alpena’s bench coach.

He’s also one of the Wildcats’ biggest supporters on the bench, keeping the dugout upbeat and cheerful no matter the situation.

“Coach Hoppe does a little bit of everyone, from keeping score to coaching the outfielders their drop steps to bringing ice cream to practice, but most importantly, Coach Hoppe creates an atmosphere were every player is confident in herself and her abilities on the softball field,” Alpena coach Paul Marwede said. “Nothing says it better and best describes Coach Hoppe, then when he is coaching an individual player or the entire team, and he smiles and says ‘You gotta believe.'”

Hoppe started coaching when his daughters were playing in Little League and fell in love with coaching. When Marwede asked Hoppe to join his staff in 2001, Hoppe didn’t hesitate for a second.

“Paul asked me my daughter’s senior year. I was already his score keeper, but just unofficially. He asked me halfway through her senior year,” Hoppe said. “He said ‘I’d like you to think about coming back next year as a coach.’ I said ‘Ok’ and he said ‘No, I mean I want you to think about it. I said ‘I just did,'”

Hoppe is one of several longtime members of Alpena’s coaching staff. Marwede enters his 20th season in charge of the Wildcats and Sobeck and Jim Bromund have been with the program for more than 10 seasons. The coaching continuity has helped the Wildcats win consistently as Alpena has won seven straight Big North Conference titles and regularly win more than 20 games a season.

“Everybody has their role and we all just enjoy working together. We’re kind of our best friends where we do stuff (together) outside of softball,” Hoppe said. “It’s a lot of fun.”

The Wildcats are still waiting to play this year, but Alpena has high expectations once again, setting its sights on another Big North title and a long postseason run. As a coach, Hoppe always enjoys seeing the Wildcats do well and said the program’s success comes from coaches and players setting big goals every season.

“We set the goals high and we expect to win,” Hoppe said. “The kids expect to win too.”

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