Spring Hill- Whether in a classroom or on a field, Brandon Welle is doing something he enjoys.

A teacher by day, Welle coaches sports at Melrose Area High School, including the ninth grade baseball team and also plays amateur baseball for the Spring Hill Chargers. During the summer he can also be seen most evenings on a diamond helping out with the Melrose and Spring Hill Legion programs.

To some degree, his schedule has slowed down from a few years ago. When employed at the Eden Valley-Watkins school he put in a lot of travel time.

“I was at a ball diamond for 21 straight days,” he said.

As a member of the Spring Hill Chargers, he also finds himself playing alongside, and occasionally against, players he coaches other days of the week.

“It can be fun,” he said. “As a teammate you are put in a different role with them.”

Last he week was busy with both roles. On Sunday he sat on the Spring Hill bench, encouraging his teammates as they faced Greenwald. Before the week was over he had coached both the Spring Hill and Melrose Legion teams.

“I am around for the love of the game,” he said. “I am having fun, being with the guys and with my friends.”

But always the role of the teacher comes through. In the 4-3 Spring Hill Legion loss to Lake Henry, he took time after each Lake Henry at bat to explain the options the team had in certain defensive situations. Before each Spring Hill at bat he reminded players of possible scenarios, when Spring Hill had runners on base or he gave hints on how to get a hit off of the pitcher.

Having coached many of the players at various times, he has knowledge of how players perform and their abilities.

“You get to know a lot of different players,” he said. “You see their strengths and weaknesses.”

In the Lake Henry- Spring Hill Legion game Tuesday, July 19, his coaching helped Spring Hill come back from a 4-0 deficit before the game ended. The team had runners in scoring positions in both the sixth and seventh innings. When a double play erased the Spring Hill scoring threat in the sixth, Welle complimented the hitter and runner.

“You can’t do anything about that,” he told the team. “You hit it hard, but they caught the line drive.”

While Welle doesn’t play regularly with the Chargers, that doesn’t really slow his interest in being with the team. “Everybody’s got a role, no matter what team you’re on,” he said. His role of coach and player has given him a pretty good idea of how to get almost anywhere in the state. “You find yourself seeing a lot of the country and a lot of ball parks,” he said. Welle’s involvement is not limited to just playing and coaching. He was recently called on to help with a minor detail with the sound system at the Spring Hill diamond.

“There are a lot of things that go into a game that go unseen and need to get done,” he said. Welle likes doing them all and contributing to a sport he loves. “When you’re around sports it doesn’t get any better,” said Welle, “And it keeps you busy.”

(Melrose Beacon)