By: Tony Miller
GOSHEN, Ind. — Doug Wellenreiter, a longtime teacher, coach and official in his seventh season as Goshen College assistant baseball coach, passed away suddenly on Nov. 17. He was 63 years old.
Wellenreiter came to Goshen for the 2015 season after spending 35 years teaching and coaching in Illinois, 27 of those as a biology and driver education teacher at Momence High School. He won more than 625 baseball games, made six trips to the round of 16 in the state tournament, and served as the assistant varsity basketball coach as well for much of his tenure at Momence.
At Goshen, Wellenreiter coached first base for four and a half years before shifting to the third-base box partway through the 2019 season. He was the team's chief scheduler and handled many administrative tasks in the baseball office alongside head coach Alex Childers and pitching coach Justin Grubbs.
Wellenreiter also coached basketball at the collegiate level as an assistant for Olivet Nazarene University (ONU) from 1987-90, making the trip to the NAIA national tournament for the first time in the Tigers' history in 1989 under legendary head coach Ralph Hodge. He was a part-time assistant for the ONU baseball team in 2007 and 2008.
He spent time coaching professional baseball from the fall of 1999 to the spring of 2001 as the pitching coach for the Cook County Cheetahs (now the Windy City Thunderbolts) of the Frontier League. At Cook County, he coached alongside former major leaguers Milt Pappas, Ron LeFlore and Carlos May.
Wellenreiter was a veteran in the officiating ranks as well, officiating for 43 years in baseball, softball and basketball, and working all three sports at the college level. He was assigned to the Illinois Elementary School Association state finals in basketball four times. Since arriving in Goshen, he had become a fixture at the scorer's bench in the Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center's Ruth Gunden Gymnasium, where he was the official scorer for GC basketball for the last six years.
Doug is survived by his wife, Kelly; their two daughters, Brooke and Bria, and their spouses; and 3 grandchildren.
Comments from Goshen College head baseball coach Alex Childers:
"Doug's passion and enthusiasm for Goshen College baseball, athletics, the institution and community were second to none. The only earthly things he loved more than the game of baseball were his wife and family. Doug cared so deeply about the men he coached, not just in terms of baseball players but as people. His belief in them was incredible. There was not a single person that came in contact with Doug that did not immediately recognize his joy for life and the passion with which he lived his life.
"His impact on the baseball program and me personally is hard to put into words. Even though we had several years between us, we were like brothers. We would spend hours in the office debating game strategy, lineups and pitching rotations, but we also spent hours and hours talking about family, talking about our guys, and how much hope there was for the future.
"He was a master of throwing batting practice and hitting ground balls. He was excited every day that he got to put on the uniform and it was apparent. The greatest compliment that I could give him, though, is that he made me a better man. It is no coincidence that from the time Doug entered our program, our success on the field increased. It wasn't necessarily because he coached better or strategized better, but it was because he had this knack of elevating everyone around him.
"The ripple effect of one life is apparent when you look at what Doug was able to accomplish in his time. I spent all night [Tuesday] responding to players from different years about the impact that Doug had on them. There will never be a shortage of stories or reminiscing about pranks or jokes he would pull. The hours spent together on the road, in hotel rooms, or in dugouts are things I wouldn't trade for the world. It is a void that won't be able to be filled, but I am so thankful that Doug welcomed me with open arms and cared enough to carve out that void. Just one more time I want to hear him give me his "three things" in his post game speech, but I know he's got a coaching meeting in the heavens that he had to get to, and this team and community is going to be 'OK!'
"You'll be missed, Doug!"
Click HERE to view Wellenreiter's obituary at the Yoder-Culp Funeral Home website.
Coverage of Wellenreiter's passing in the news media:
