Dundee-Crown tabs Anderson as baseball coach

Jon Anderson was coached by some of the best during his playing career, experiences he expects will translate to success in his role as Dundee-Crown’s new baseball coach.

Anderson, 35, was named D-C’s fourth baseball coach in six seasons this week after leading the Chargers in summer league play. He will work in District 300 as a teacher in the educational services department.

Anderson was coached by legends in both high school and college. A 1995 graduate of Barrington High School, he played shortstop for Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Kirby Smith, who won 539 games in 21 seasons. He went on to play four seasons at the University of Illinois under American Baseball Coaches Association hall of famer Richard “Itch” Jones.

“I learned a lot of lessons playing for those guys,” Anderson said. “They’re both great coaches who understand the game of baseball and the fundamentals of the game. But the No. 1 thing I took away from them was how they treated their players. They treated players like they would want to be treated while still teaching them what they needed to know to be successful.”

Anderson was selected in the 28th round of the 1999 draft by the Boston Red Sox and went on to play three seasons in the organization’s minor league system, advancing as far as high Class A. His playing career concluded with one season as player/manager of the Rockford RiverHawks in 2002.

With an eye toward becoming a teacher and high school coach down the road, he spent four seasons at Jacobs as an assistant coach at all levels. He was the head sophomore coach at Bartlett last spring.

Anderson said he looks forward to returning one of the area’s more successful baseball programs to its accustomed perch. The Chargers reached the state finals in 2001 and 2007 under longtime coach Fred Bencriscutto. D-C finished 9-21-1 last spring, seventh in the seven-team FVC Valley Division.

“The tradition of this program has been excellent,” Anderson said. “Going to state twice in the last 12 years is quite an accomplishment, especially considering how strong the Fox Valley Conference has been. I’d like to see the program build on that tradition going forward.

“We’re going to stress fundamentals, teaching the kids how to do certain skills. Then we’ll be strong as a group. If we do things right in practice, the outcome will be in our favor.”