02/28/2026
WITH A BAT AND BALL, REMEMBERING TWO HIGH SCHOOL COACHING GREATS - The two winningest coaches in Iowa high school boys baseball history died within a month of each other in this young 2026 calendar year. Their careers spanned nearly six decades. Longtime Decorah High School coach Dennis Olejniczak passed away January 24. Longtime Kee High School of Lansing coach Gene Schultz died a few weeks later on February 23. Schultz amassed an Iowa high school career record of 1,754-398 over 45 years at Kee. Olejniczak tallied a 1,417-560-2 record at Janesville and Decorah over 56 years for second best all-time.
A pair of Northeast Iowa men who played for the coaching legends shared memories and mementos from their times with them.
Stories came to light during cocktails recently at the Old Rossville Store, a popular supper club in Northeast Iowa, a 10-minute drive down the road from the one-stoplight county seat, Waukon. Dennis and Diane Young wound up on bar chairs next to me when Schultz’ and Olejniczak’s passings came up. Turns out that Dennis Young, a Decorah High grad, played for Coach Olejniczak during the coach’s first season as the Vikings skipper in 1964. Young, who just turned 80, recalled Olejniczak’s audibly growly presence on the sideline and explained how the coach would take the field during practices to constructively correct players’ mistakes. Best of all, a real treasure, Young brought up a treasured baseball bat you see in this post — a Rawlings-Adirondack Big Stick bearing the signatures of both coaching legends, Schultz and Olejniczak. The bat was auctioned to benefit a local cancer patient and Young paid $250 to own it. It stores inside a sleeve that includes markings claiming its authenticity.
At Welsh’s Farm and Home store in Lansing in neighboring Allamakee County, Rick Welsh said he was coming off an emotional week along with other former local players following Coach Schultz’ passing. They’ve come to affectionately call their late coach, Geno. “Besides your parents, the coach was the most influential person in our life,” said Welsh, who graduated from Kee High School in 1987. He taught the kids more than only baseball. Like, ballroom dancing? As Welsh moved from behind a checkout counter to a small display of special baseballs and photographs, some signed by Schultz, Welsh recalled more than the words written on the treasured baseballs he was reading. Like, “To ol’ #4,” Welsh’s jersey number, “he was like that,” the coach remembering a thing like that after decades had passed. He remembered Schultz as being so quiet managing games, “you hardly knew he was there.” So how did he achieve all that success? He did his coaching during practices. When players messed up with fielding errors, they got the “wooden glove” treatment. If you can call it a glove, that is. Imagine a flat piece of wood fashioned into the shape of a hand with fingers and straps to hold it onto a player’s fielding hand. That player would then have to catch a ball 10 times in a row while wearing the so-called glove. That’ll teach ya.
Schultz won the most state titles (11, nine summer and two fall) and made the most state tournament appearances (19) of any coach in state history, according the IHSAA. Olejniczak’s Viking teams won championships in 1970, 1990 and 1991 and were runners-up in 1989, 1992 and 2012. What legacies to leave Iowa high school baseball. And that Rawlings Big Stick bat is proof.
