Begley takes over at Linn-Mar

 MARION -- If you're an athlete of Linn-Mar High School, you've probably seen John Begley behind the wheel of a school bus.Next summer, he'll take a more active role.Begley has been hired as head coach of the Linn-Mar softball program, pending board approval."I'm awfully excited," said Begley, who has orchestrated turnarounds of programs at Solon and Jesup in the past dozen years. "There's unlimited potential here; it's just a matter of getting the kids out and getting them to play hard."And the facilities, holy cow. I don't know what more you could ask for."Begley, 66, is semi-retired. He has a morning bus route for Linn-Mar, and is a regular driver for the athletics teams. No, he won't double as a driver next summer."That's one thing I requested," he said. "When I'm coaching, I want to concentrate on coaching."Begley owns a 19-year record of 572-309. He directed Solon to four state-tournament appearances, including a championship in 2003. He left after the 2006 season, then turned the Jesup program around.With granddaughter Kelsey Lough doing the pitching, Jesup made it to state twice, including a fifth-place 2A finish last summer.Lough has graduated, and Begley desired to coach in his "home district," with kids he will see on a regular basis year-round."It's something I just couldn't pass up," said Begley, who also applied for the still-vacant post at Cedar Rapids Kennedy.Begley will be the third coach at Linn-Mar in three years, following Mike Shipley. He inherits a team that was 16-22 last year.Junior Maddy Ryan was 9-12 at a pitcher and led the team in RBIs (27) last year. And the Sommer twins (Kristie and Katie) are a pair of seniors that have moved from Dubuque Senior after earning all-state honors there."The kids are good kids," Begley said. "We've got to work on our pitching and control to be competitive in the (Mississippi Valley Conference)."Begley said that Liz (Adams) Bergman, a former all-state pitcher at Linn-Mar, will serve as an assistant. Bergman assisted for Begley throughout his seven-year Jesup run.