Erbe out indefinitely after suffering heart attack

CEDAR RAPIDS -- Brian Erbe doesn't know when -- or if -- he will return to the dugout this season.

Brian Erbe

Regardless, he knows the Cedar Rapids Xavier softball team is in good hands.

"Gordy (Jacobson) has been with me 10 years and Nikki (Price) for eight," Erbe said Sunday morning. "They know what to do, and they'll do it well."

Erbe, 57, suffered a heart attack Thursday and underwent triple-bypass surgery Friday at St. Luke's Hospital.

"I was driving to practice Thursday, and I didn't feel well at all," Erbe said. "I stopped and told Gordy I was going home, then I called (my daughter) Liz and told her she'd better take me to the hospital."

Erbe said he expects to be released from St. Luke's by the end of the week, but it will be 3-5 weeks after that before he can resume activity.

Xavier opens the season May 22.

Erbe has coached at Xavier nine seasons, compiling a record of 300-132. He serves as an administrator at Cedar Rapids Jefferson.

The Saints were 29-13 last year and return eight starters.