Minooka baseball coach Jeff Petrovic records 500th win. ‘He embodies everything we value.’

When he took over the head baseball coaching job at Minooka in the 2003-04 season, Jeff Petrovic wasn’t looking ahead to milestone wins.

He took over a program that had been successful under previous coaches Dan Goggins and Bob Tyrell and reached new levels of success. Petrovic’s Indian teams won 30 or more games in five of his first seven seasons, they finished third in the state in 2006 and fourth in 2012. And are consistently one of the top teams in an area known for its strong and competitive baseball play.

On Monday, April 21, Petrovic notched his 500th career win with a 1-0 victory over Oswego East and shows no signs of letting up.

“Getting 500 wins shows your age a bit,” Petrovic said. “You never know when you start how long you are going to be doing this. I was told that the shelf life for a head coach is about 10 years, but here we are, 22 years later.”

Petrovic’s stellar work goes beyond the baselines.

“Jeff is not only an exceptional coach, but an even better person. He consistently leads with integrity, puts the needs of his players first, and embodies everything we value at Minooka,” Minooka athletic director Matt Williams said. “We’re grateful for the lasting impact he’s made on our school and community.”

During his tenure, Petrovic’s teams have won 11 regional championships, three sectional championships, and several conference titles. He is quick to credit the players he has coached as well as his coaching staff for his success. His assistants over the years have included Jim Lamping, Derek Rapsky, Joe Host, Wes Anderson and Nick Borello.

“We live in a great community here at Minooka,” Petrovic said. “I’ve been lucky to have great kids and parents and a great coaching staff. The big key is that I have surrounded myself with great people on the staff. We also get a great deal of support from the school administration and community.

“Wes Anderson and Nick Borello, who are on the varsity staff now, spent time at the lower levels and they have taught the kids what we expect at the varsity level. The kids buy into it and so do the parents. Having the success we had early in my career certainly helped with that.”

The one thing that Petrovic, who teaches U.S. History, said he has been able to lean on the most is his family.

“My wife, Kelly, and my kids - Luke and Mackenna - have been very supportive of me, and it’s not easy,” he said. “Kelly comes to all of our games that she can, and I can remember the kids playing on the dirt pile behind our dugout when they were little. Luke and Mackenna were both involved in sports. Luke played travel baseball and golfed and Mackenna was in club volleyball. Kelly spent a lot of time taking them to their events when I was busy with my team.

“I couldn’t do this without the great support I have had from them.”

Petrovic has coached in roughly 750 games, so it’s difficult for him to find one or two that stick out.

“When you do it this long, the postseason is what you remember the most,” he said. “I remember we had great runs in 2006 and 2012. I also remember a great game by Mike Foltynewicz against JCA in the WJOL Tournament in 2010 where he struck out 15 and hit two home runs.

“Mostly what I remember is the kids. After all these years, there isn’t a day that goes by that a former player doesn’t text me or I text one of them. Getting to know all these kids and stay involved with them is the best part. Minooka has definitely given me far more than I have given it.”