Doug Van Pelt into softball Hall of Fame
Former Humboldt softball coach Doug Van Pelt, shown here congratulating Mady Lange after she hit a home run in the 2017 state tournament, will be inducted into the softball Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 22, in Johnston. Independent photo by Phil Monson.
By PHIL MONSON
Doug Van Pelt, who molded the Humboldt High softball program into a perennial power over a 25-year span, will be inducted into the Iowa Girls Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame this week.
Van Pelt will be inducted during the senior all-star game in Johnston on Saturday, July 22. Van Pelt took over the Humboldt program in 1997 and went on to compile an overall won-loss record of 616-301 for a winning percentage of .672. His teams won 75 percent of their North Central Conference games, going 292-116.
The Wildcats won the North Central Conference title seven times (2006, 08, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20) and qualified for the state tournament five times, placing third in 2018 and fifth in 2017. Humboldt was eighth in 2006. The Wildcats also qualified in 2004 and 2020.
“It’s pretty humbling. It’s the top of the mountain and about as far as you can go. It’s voted on by your peers and it means a lot to me. I’m blessed and humbled by this honor,” Van Pelt said in an interview with the Independent.
“It’s been my passion and my love for my entire life. I was pretty fortunate to be able to coach at my alma mater in Humboldt, which is even more special,” Van Pelt said.
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