Lynnville-Sully is well represented at the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame Banquet. L-S High School baseball assistant coach Stacey Alberts was honored with the 2025 SE District Assistant Coach of the Year. Nicholas De Penning was named the 2025 SE District Umpire of the Year. And head coach Scott Alberts was named 2025 Class 1A SE District Coach of the Year.
Two Lynnville-Sully high school baseball coaches and a Lynnville-Sully alum who spends his summers umpiring high school baseball games swept the awards for the Southeast District at the 58th annual Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association’s Hall of Fame Banquet held Saturday, Jan. 24, at the Sheraton Hotel in West Des Moines.
Stacey Alberts was honored with the 2025 Southeast District Assistant Coach of the Year. This honor, which covers assistant coaches from all four classes, was voted on by coaches from across the state who recognize the value and expertise she has added to the Lynnville-Sully baseball program since coming on staff four years ago.
Scott Alberts nabbed his third consecutive Class 1A Southeast District Coach of the Year at Saturday’s banquet. He has been at the helm of the Lynnville-Sully baseball program since 2018.
Nicholas De Penning, an L-S grad and current teacher for the Hawks, was honored as the 2025 Southeast District Umpire of the Year. He has 13 years of umpiring experience and was recognized for his professionalism and skill in a trained profession that is in demand.
Stacey Alberts, IHSBCA SE Assistant Coach of the Year
Stacey Alberts already had an impressive resume built when she joined the Lynnville-Sully baseball team as a volunteer assistant coach in 2022. Previously, she served as Lynnville-Sully’s head high school softball coach. In her 16 years at the helm of the softball program, she developed the Hawks into an SICL powerhouse and a regular presence at the Class 1A State Tournament. Over 350 wins, 10 SICL Championships, and seven trips to State highlight her 16-year tenure leading the L-S softball program.
In 2022, Stacey switched gears and joined the L-S baseball program. This move reignited a coaching partnership she held with her husband, Scott, who had previously served as her assistant softball coach for 10 years. Stacey’s presence, knowledge of the game, and commitment to the players made an immediate impact. In her first year as an assistant, the Hawks made it to the Substate Final. In 2023, the Hawks soared all the way to the Class 1A State Semifinal game. The Hawks won the Class 1A State Championship in 2024. And Lynnville-Sully was back at State in 2025. Since Stacey joined the team as an assistant coach, the Hawks have accumulated an impressive record of 106-12 – incredible numbers reflecting incredible leadership and skill at the helm.
Not only is Stacey at the top of her game and leading the Hawks’ baseball program and players to record-breaking new heights, she is writing her own name in the history books of a male-dominated sport. According to Lee Toole, president of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association, and Andy Unthum, assistant director for the Iowa High School Athletic Association, Stacey is the only active female baseball coach among Iowa high school teams they are aware of at this time. Toole has been heavily involved in the IHSBCA since 1984 and has served as president of the association since 2008. He is aware of only one other female who has been on an Iowa high school baseball coaching staff, a stint only held for one season in the 1990s.
Toole believes Stacey is the very first female coach to receive the prestigious IHSBCA Assistant Coach of the Year Award, and he can say with 100% certainty that this marks the first time a husband and wife have won both the Assistant Coach of the Year and District Coach of the Year honors.
Scott Alberts, IHSBCA SE District Coach of the Year
For the third consecutive year, Lynnville-Sully head baseball coach Scott Alberts earned the honor of IHSBCA Class 1A SE District Coach of the Year at Saturday’s banquet. He has accomplished more in eight short seasons than some coaches do in a lifetime of coaching. Scott has steadily built the L-S baseball program into a championship-level team since he first took over the reins in 2018. Over the course of eight seasons, he has racked up an astounding 154-65 record. The Hawks just came off their third consecutive trip to the elite State Tournament, fourth consecutive Substate appearance, and fourth consecutive District title. The Hawks went the distance in 2024 and dominated the field to win the Class 1A State Championship title – a feat that has not been accomplished in L-S baseball history since 1988.
The success of the L-S Hawks under Scott’s leadership has not gone unnoticed as his coaching resume boasts numerous Coach of the Year honors at the SICL, District, and State levels. Alongside Stacey, he also wrote his name in the IHSBCA history books as part of the only husband-and-wife coaching duo to sweep the District Coach of the Year and Assistant Coach of the Year honors.
“I was honored and humbled to be selected by my peers as the Class 1A SE District Coach of the Year for the third straight year,” said Scott. “I was pleased to accept the award and know that I have a lot of great people, parents, athletes, administration, and assistant coaches that make this honor a possibility.”
Nicholas De Penning, IHSBCA SE Umpire Coach of the Year
Sully resident and Lynnville-Sully grad Nicholas De Penning stays connected to the game that played a pivotal role in his life by donning the signature blue shirt as an Iowa high school baseball umpire during the summer months.
De Penning’s baseball playing resume includes youth league, junior high ball, four years playing for the Hawks, and an additional four years pitching collegiately at Central College. He got his start in umpiring at the Little League level and admits, “I wasn’t very good and did not know the rules.”
Thirteen years after getting his start as an umpire, De Penning has definitely gotten a good grasp of the rules and has made a name for himself as one of the best umpires in the state. On Saturday, Jan. 26, De Penning was named the IHSBCA’s 2025 SE District Umpire of the Year.
De Penning has been working high school games since 2012. As a teacher with summers off from the classroom, the opportunity to spend his evenings at a ballpark as an umpire allows him to remain connected with and enjoy the game of baseball without as much time commitment as his playing and coaching years required. De Penning said he and his current umpire partner, fellow L-S grad Joel Harthoorn who he works 99% of his games with, work three to four nights a week during the season and travel within an hour radius of Sully for all classes of Iowa high school baseball games.
“Just like any job, there are good nights and bad nights. Since I teach, I have the days off and work at night. That allows me to have family time in the mornings or work on other projects. Hannah may say she sees me less during the summer than during the school year when we get busy!” said De Penning, who lives in Sully with his wife Hannah and their two young children.
Over the years, De Penning has worked hundreds of games as an umpire and has noted some changes. A lower level of JV play has emerged over the years as some schools do not have enough numbers on the roster to even field a team. On the flip side, he has witnessed good teams who can effectively use and manage good pitchers to get outs. “Offense and defense may come and go, but if a team can throw strikes, good things will happen,” said De Penning.
De Penning’s last game in 2025 he worked was a big one broadcast on TV – he served as the plate umpire for the Class 2A State Championship game. Another memorable game from the 2025 season came when he was on the field for a game at the Field of Dreams.
Whether he is working a regular season game or one of the many State Tournament games he has on his resume, teams, coaches, and fans alike know they are working with one of the best when De Penning enters the field.
