Greg Pohlman elected IHSBCA Hall Of Fame

CARROLLTON - Greg Pohlman didn’t see it coming.

The longtime varsity baseball coach for the Carrollton Hawks was inducted into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association (IHSBCA) this past winter.

“I was tickled to death. You don’t expect things like that and when it does happen you’re excited about that,” Pohlman said. “I’m excited for my family, for all my players and assistant coaches, and Carrollton High School and the city of Carrollton. It took all of those people to allow me to get such a great honor.”

He’s been in retirement for three years now since calling it a career after the 2016 season concluded. That year, the Hawks won their conference and regional championships, including a 28-6 record, which is the second most wins for a season in school history.

Pohlman was in the dugout for 29 years coaching both the Hawks high school and junior high teams. That allowed him to build relationships and chemistry with his players from as early as fifth grade until their senior years. He made it known that he demanded a lot out of his players, particularly in practice, especially since he respected them. That approach not only helped win games but be valuable qualities outside of baseball.

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“It just seemed like it started yesterday and then it’s over. I did that for such a long time,” Pohlman said. “Everybody knew what to expect once they got into high school. My theory was you practice like it’s a game and you put all the effort that you can into it. I did that as a coach and our staff always expected our kids to do that. I would say I demanded a lot and treated all the kids with respect. I want to try to be honest and fair with all of them.”

Unquestionably, Pohlman’s most significant achievement on the field was leading Carrollton to their first and only state championship back in 2011. That’s when the Hawks were led by deadly dynamic pitching duo of Joey and Sammy Coonrod, who was backed up by a potent lineup from top to bottom.

Carrollton was in good hands when Pohlman was in the dugout and after.

Since 2015, the Hawks have won the regional championship every year and will be favored to do so this season with a 20-7 record, plus owning the top seed in their regional. Pohlman is happy for them and believes that whoever is coaching or has coached in Carrollton regardless of any sport, is in a fortunate situation due to the kids they get to teach.

However, if his teams would do well, he always made sure to give them the credit they deserve for their execution and hard work. If things went the other way, he would take it on the chin and be at fault.

“Every coach that has been down there has been blessed with great athletes,” Pohlman said. “My old theory was you’re only as good as your athletes, and when you win it’s the kid's fault and when you lose it’s the coaches fault. I’ve always been a firm believer in that because the kids are always trying to give their hardest and always trying to do everything they can to possibly win. If you prepare them, they’ll do that for you. If you lose, I always put it on my shoulders.”

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