Community R-6 baseball will have its third head coach in three years, but its identity will not change.

That’s because Tyler Kobush, who was an assistant over the last four years, was promoted this summer to be the head coach. Kobush takes over the program he played for earlier in his life and that has finished with a winning season every year he’s been on the coaching staff.

This will be Kobush’s first season as a head coach, but he feels ready to lead the Trojans into the future. He said he is familiar with a lot of these kids already and mostly wants to preserve Community’s identity over the last several years established by Joel Krato and maintained by Chris Ellersieck last year. Kobush just wants to emphasize scoring early.

“I’m looking to keep it pretty similar,” Kobush said. “We’re going to try to keep the same mindset and atmosphere. If we have to make changes going forward, we will. We’re going to small ball, we’re going to try to find ways to score, and we’re going to run the bases and try to get you to mess up.”

Kobush doesn’t want to call this season “a total rebuild” because he expects to have five starters return, but Community will have a younger roster. He said the fall season that the Trojans have played the last four years will give them valuable experience against “a brutal schedule” to put them in a position where they can be competitive in the spring.

Judging from the last five years, Kobush is deeply involved in Community athletics with the baseball program and the basketball program at the middle and high school levels. His history with the Trojans go back much further as a 2011 graduate of the school and as a four-year player with the baseball program, starting as a freshman. Kobush said he had a love for baseball back then and has it as an adult, which is why he “jumped all over” the opportunity when Krato offered him a coaching job.

“I just love baseball,” Kobush said. “It’s very situational. Your mind is racing all the time, but everybody’s not on top of you so you’re allowed to think a little bit better. Something new is going to happen every single game, and something new might happen every inning. There’s so much that can happen with baseball, and that’s my favorite part about it.”

Kobush said his father was “a big baseball guy” that helped him while growing up and “all the little things about baseball” keep him going. 

The little things about baseball can be overlooked, but Kobush said he doesn’t ever want to overlook what makes Community so special to him. Family is an appropriate word when he describes the atmosphere.

“Everyone will back you up,” Kobush said. “That’s my favorite part about it. It’s such a small community. Everyone has your back, and when they have your back, they are all pushing for you. We always have a good crowd out here. The parents are really good. Everybody pitches in around here for everybody, and all the parents do.”

This family bond endures after graduation, Kobush said, because Trojans over the last several years have already offered to help him. The senior catcher from a year ago Lane Carter, and the catcher before him Eli Johnson are only a couple examples of alumni who have expressed a willingness to help however they can.

“It makes you feel really good,” Kobush said. “They’re all great kids. I’ve never had any issues with any of the kids. I’ve been really blessed with a lot of great groups.”