Wahlert coach keeps Roling along

CEDAR RAPIDS - There were no celebratory parties or anything for wins 905 and 906. Just another long bus ride home after a job well done by his team.“Sometimes I'll think about ‘Well, there aren't too many above me,'” Dubuque Wahlert baseball coach Jerry Roling said last night after his Golden Eagles swept Cedar Rapids Xavier, 5-1 and 8-1, at Xavier. “But, overall, I'm just thankful and feel blessed that I've had the opportunity to coach so many years and remain healthy. You've just got to feel thankful with each year that you get through.”This is the 39th season Roling has gotten through. He spent five years at Holy Cross Leo and 29 at Cascade before coming to Wahlert five years ago.Roling, 61, took early retirement from his teaching and coaching positions at Cascade, but the Wahlert job was intriguing, and he figured out he had a few more baseball seasons left in him. A double-header sweep of Linn-Mar two weeks ago gave the coach 900 victories.He has a 906-437 career mark, the victory total fifth all-time in Iowa and 18th nationally.“It's not really the number of wins that means a lot to me, it's the memories I've gained over the years,” Roling said. “The relationships and the friendships, those are the things I feel good about. Certainly I've been around good people. When you surround yourself with good people, good things happen. I've had great assistants, great players, great parents.“And the three communities I've coached in are great baseball communities. That certainly helps, too.”Roling credited assistant coach Kory Tuescher for helping him feel rejuvenated, saying he has turned over some of his duties to Tuescher, who also is an assistant at Loras College. The Golden Eagles are 22-8.“He's a good guy,” said Xavier Coach Dave Schemmel, a Monticello native who played against Roling's Holy Cross teams. “He knows the game.”Wahlert outhit Xavier (19-14) in the twin bill, 23-9, including getting nine hits and five runs against Mariners draft pick Jon Keller in the opener. Keller was knocked out in the sixth inning.