EDWARDSVILLE - Craig and Heather Ohlau have both had a huge impact on young lives in their respective coaching positions.
Craig is an assistant high school baseball coach at Edwardsville High School and Heather coaches various levels of volleyball and is the girls' high school head coach.
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Edwardsville’s baseball team recently captured another IHSA Class 4A State Championship, something Craig, head coach Tim Funkhouser and the entire Tigers coaching staff was very proud of.
Craig and Heather have three children - Madelyn 12, Peyton, 11, and Jocelyn, 9. All three children are following in Craig and Heather’s footsteps in sports. Peyton is a member of an 11-year-old Gators squad that Craig coaches that has phenomenal success. The girls Madelyn and Jocelyn are following their mother’s footsteps in volleyball and love the sport, Craig said.
Craig said as an assistant high school baseball coach, training begins in February and continues for about four months and the boys become in some ways like sons.
“I love baseball,” Craig said. “I have been around baseball since I was age 5, and never stopped. Every year baseball has been a constant part of my life. It is great to be part of the kids’ lives. We soaked it in at the state and we realize this group of seniors is a special group, although we have a special group almost every year.”
Craig said he was honored to tell some of the members of the EHS baseball team he hopes that his son grows up to be as caring and hard-working as they are today.
“I grew up in Chester, Illinois, and I played baseball all the way through high school and played college ball. I worked for Meridian High School for three years. I really appreciate the blessings we have here in Edwardsville with the community, parents, booster club, and administration. It really does take a village to produce championship teams. Heather, my wife, loves what she does as a volleyball coach. I am a baseball player who loves the sport of baseball. I think for both of us, this is just a labor of love, our jobs.”
This fall, Craig will be coaching again, this time the Edwardsville boys bowling team.
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