Emily Leighton | Staff Writer
For Joe Paletta, baseball isn’t just a sport, it is his life. Paletta started playing tee ball in his younger years. He grew up playing wiffle ball in the back yard with his neighbors and playing select ball for his dad’s team and then to another.
While attending high school at Millard South in Omaha, NE., Paletta played two years for JV and two years on the Varsity team.
Following highschool, he brought his talents here to Buena Vista University (BVU). Paletta played all four years for the Beavers at first base.
Most BVU graduates do not end up in Storm Lake, but rather leave to pursue a job in their major. Not Paletta. When he got the opportunity to take over as an Assistant baseball coach for the Beavers, he took it.
“I get the chance to enjoy the game every single day of my life. My job is baseball and I can’t think of anything better than that,” Paletta said.
Coach Steve Eddie coached Paletta through his four years here and now has the opportunity to work along side him.
“I recruited Joe out of Millard South high school and have known his high school coaches for a long time. They told me about how competitive he was, and that he was going to continue to get better in college. He wanted a chance to go to place where he could make an impact immediately. He could have gone to numerous other institutions, I’m really glad he chose BVU!” Eddie said.
Going from playing all his life, the transition to coaching was like nothing he’s experienced before, and sure wasn’t easy for him.
“Every part of you wants to grab a bat again and jump in there with runners on, but the next best thing to playing is what I am doing right now and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love what I am doing and I love the other coaches, players, and all the others that help make BV baseball what it is,” Paletta said, “There is no doubt I would rather be playing still. Coaching is a different type of stress. Nothing like the stress of the last inning as a coach.”
Since becoming a coach, Paletta has been able to give Eddie’s team advice that can only help them throughout the season. Paletta was a smart player in his years, as well as had quite the work ethic.
“He is always passing along information which helps us in practice and especially in games. He typically knows what the other team is trying to do to our hitters and will relay that onto our players. Another positive is that he has given our program consistency with how we are supposed to go about things. The BVU culture continues to be passed down to incoming players,” Eddie said.
Paletta has a BVU baseball alum with accolades and experiences that current players can only hope to achieve. This also comes in handy when it comes to recruiting.
“Joe’s name is plastered in our career record books. He played in the World Series, he has been on a team who established the school record for wins in a season, and is now sharing the message to our recruits. He has done so much for our program, and he continues to do whatever it takes to ensure we continue to enjoy success,” Eddie stated when asked about what Paletta has to offer the players now.
Baseball has and always will be important to Paletta. Thanks to his hard work while playing he can now help out in the position of assistant coach. He is living his dream everyday he comes to work.
