History

This article is being republished with permission from the Mankato Free Press http://www.mankatofreepress.com

The builder

By Jim Rueda

Free Press Sports Editor

Jerry Maschka was the man behind the Peppers

Jerry Maschka has stepped down as coach of the Mankato Senior Peppers after nearly 2 1/2 decades with the program. His teams finished first or second in state and regional tournaments a total of 24 times.

MANKATO — His teams have won 13 state championships, six Northern Regional titles and made 15 national tournament appearances. But for all the success his Mankato Senior Peppers 18-and-under girls fastpitch teams have had, Jerry Maschka has never been concerned with the wins and losses.

His main focus has always been to provide players with opportunities and to help them improve. If the by-product of that focus was victories, that was fine with him.

Maschka retired as the Senior Peppers coach last year after nearly 25 summers. The man who spends his time on the other side of the softball fence these days is considered one of the founders of girls fastpitch in Mankato. To trace his career is to detail the evolution of the sport in southern Minnesota from the very beginning.

It all began in 1982 when Maschka and Gary Lunz started the first organized girls fastpitch team in Mankato. Maschka's two daughters, Kristin and Sarah, as well as Lunz's daughter, Jody, were members of that team.

All three daughters had played baseball up to that point but were starting to get the itch for a league of their own. At that time, the American Softball Association offered summer teams only for ages 18-and-under and 15-and-under. Maschka and Lunz decided to form a 15-and-under team even though the majority of the girls were a lot younger. "I got into it because of my daughters," Maschka admits. "They had been playing baseball, and I had actually coached teams to city championships in 1980 and '81. "But Gary had the softball background so we just got it going. I never dreamed it would grow into what it has become today." Rich O'Brien joined Maschka and Lunz a few years after and is credited with forming Mankato's first girls fastpitch association. Ron Swanson also came on board a short time later and helped out as both his daughters - Amy and Angie - played for the Peppers. O'Brien says Maschka deserves much of the credit for building the program.

"You can't downgrade anything Jerry did," O'Brien said. "He just wanted his girls to have an opportunity to play ball. Gary had the softball know-how, and Jerry grabbed the bull by the horns and made it happen."

Maschka learned the intricacies of softball quickly and took over as head coach of the then 18-under team in 1988 when Lunz retired. By that time the team had made a name for itself on a national level by qualifying for and playing well in national tournaments.

Maschka paid attention to what the top teams were doing in fastpitch hotbeds such as California and Arizona and made a point of incorporating the best ideas from those clubs with what the Peppers were doing. He learned how to coach slap-hitting and drag-bunting, which have both become staples of the game.

"For me it's never been about trying to win as many games as you can," Maschka said. "It's about trying help kids get better. We stressed the instructional side of the game, and I think a lot of the girls appreciated that."

When it became apparent that many of the teams the Peppers were seeing in national and regional tournaments were all-star teams, Maschka decided to supplement the Peppers with top players from outside of Mankato.

He admits it was a controversial move but felt it was necessary for the team to remain competitive on a national level. He also felt it was important to keep an elite team based in Mankato so younger kids could see how the game should be played.

"We had already been (going outside the community) to a lesser extent with players like Heather Pfingsten from Duluth and the Carlson sisters from Butterfield," Maschka said. "We just felt that you had to have five or six top-level players on the team to stay competitive.

"But if a Mankato player really wanted to play for us ? and that wasn't always the case because playing with the Peppers was a big commitment - we'd let them play. Sometimes we took kids who weren't necessarily the best in town and put them on the team because of their attitude and their work ethic and their willingness to learn."

In 1997 and 1999, the Senior Peppers finished seventh in the nation. In 1998, they placed third, which is the highest finish for any 18-under Minnesota team. Close to 40 Peppers players have gone on to compete in the collegiate ranks, many of them earning scholarships.

Maschka says it was a combination of things that led to his decision to retire. One of them concerns some of the rule and format changes implemented by the American Softball Association.

He didn't care for the adjusting of the age limit of the 18-under teams a few years ago, which allowed college players to return and play one more season. He also grew to dislike national tournaments.

When he began in coaching, the national tourney was a four-day event from Thursday to Sunday. Now it runs Sunday to Sunday and on some days the team doesn't even play.

"I don't like hotels that much to begin with," Maschka said. "And to sit around and do nothing, that's frustrating."

Another factor is that Maschka has become busy with his law firm - Maschka, Riedy and Ries. But he hasn't ruled out a return to coaching in the future should the right situation arise.

Whether he does or not, there's no denying his legacy. The Mankato Peppers fastpitch program is nationally renowned and Maschka is one of the main reasons why.

"His influence has been huge," said Kendra Hinz (formerly Kendra Carter), who was a member of that first Peppers team in 1982. "There were a bunch of us who had played baseball but there was no future for girls in baseball, and (Jerry) came up with this alternative.

"Our experiences we're unforgettable and (the program) just grew and grew. When you look at where Mankato girls fastpitch is today, it's pretty amazing."