Mundelein coach reflects on winning legacy

The man who's won more games than any baseball coach in Mundelein history recognized a woeful batting average.

Since he replaced Denny Kessel as varsity head coach in 1995, Todd Parola, husband and father of three, counted one vacation he and his family had taken in 22 years. The Parolas visited Disney when the kids were young.

One-for-22 (.045) is below even the 2017 Schwarber line.

Then, for Todd's 50th birthday last November, his wife Pam, daughter Paige and sons Derek and Brett surprised him with a vacation. The family spent nearly a week in Cancun over the Thanksgiving holiday.

"They had asked me if I wanted to have a big party for my 50th," Parola said. "I told Pam, 'Absolutely not.' I said I just want to do something with the kids. I was thinking maybe go to a ballgame or out to dinner."

The vacation provided a bonus gift: perspective.

"I guess that was a self-reflection time," Parola said. "I decided maybe it's time."

Todd Parola, whose name is synonymous with Mundelein baseball, has taken the path that many coaches often do and usually much sooner than age 50. After a 33-win campaign hiked his career total to 603 victories in 23 seasons, Parola officially resigned as baseball coach this week. The family vacation helped seal a decision that he had been considering even before Cancun.

Derek, a baseball player at Illinois State, will be a junior. Brett, who just graduated from MHS, might end up at ISU too. Paige, the oldest, is working and living downtown.

"The bottom line is, those Mundelein (baseball) kids deserve a coach that's into 100 percent," Parola said. "I ask them to be in it 100 percent."

When Troy Parola accepted the athletic director position at MHS last year, his cousin gave him a heads-up. Todd told him Mundelein might soon be in need of a new baseball head coach.

"He politely let me know that we need to start thinking about putting a plan in place," Troy Parola said. "He flat-out wanted to keep focus off him and on the team and everything else this entire season."

That's Todd Parola, whose unselfishness included wanting pitcher Brendan Murphy to enjoy the spotlight after being selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of MLB's first-year player draft last week.

Murphy, who signed with the Brewers this week, helped Mundelein advance to a supersectional this spring. The Mustangs lost to eventual state champ Crystal Lake South, denying them their third trip to state under Parola, whose 2002 and '16 teams finished fourth and second in state, respectively.

Parola's Mustangs won 12 regional titles (2001, '02, '05, '06, '07, '08, '10, '12, '14, '15, '16, '17) and four sectional championships ('02, '14, '16, '17). This season marked their seventh 30-win campaign under Parola. They've won at least 23 games in 19 of the last 20 seasons. Like Murphy, fellow 6-4 lefty Ryan Borucki (Blue Jays, 15th round, 2012) was drafted after his senior season as a Mustang.

Like Parola, assistant coaches Neil McLoughlin, Jeff Sweno and Ray Borucki have been wearing MHS scarlet and gray forever.

"It doesn't happen without good players," Parola said of his program's success. "My staff has been outstanding. I've been fortunate to have guys stick around. We've had continuity. We've had some lower-level guys retire or move on, but for the most part my staff has been pretty constant. I think that's big for the kids. I think it's good for the program to have a philosophy. Everybody bought into it and stuck with it."

Parola was the longest tenured baseball head coach in Lake County. He'll keep teaching wellness courses at MHS and will remain head coach of the boys golf team.

Now the Mustangs have to replace the most-successful coach they've ever had.

"Obviously the program is in a good position," Troy Parola said. "The structure and the bones are in place. We want to try to find the best person that can continue the tradition and keep the culture and climate the way they have been."

Hitting a Brendan Murphy fastball seems like an easier task.

jaguilar@dailyherald.com

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