{"id":8904,"date":"2025-10-20T13:10:20","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/8904\/"},"modified":"2025-10-20T13:10:20","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T13:10:20","slug":"erie-high-school-baseball-coach-is-a-role-model-on-and-off-the-field","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/8904\/","title":{"rendered":"Erie High School baseball coach is a role model on and off the field"},"content":{"rendered":"

ERIE, Colo. \u2014 At Erie High School<\/a>, baseball season ended with more than just a final fall practice. For senior team manager Hayden Weygant, it marked two years of belonging, growth and friendship \u2014 thanks to a coach who saw his potential.<\/p>\n

Weygant, who has autism, said he struggled in school and often felt disconnected. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was struggling a lot in school,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then I came to Erie, and I met Coach Dillinger.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"hayden<\/p>\n

Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Erie High School senior and Team Manager Hayden Weygant<\/p>\n

That meeting with Head Baseball Coach Eric Dillinger changed everything. When Weygant first tried out as sophomore, he was placed as manager of the \u201cC-Team\u201d. Coach Dillinger then invited him to join as a manager for the varsity team.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great feeling being able to be part of a team,\u201d Weygant said. \u201cHe\u2019s definitely one of those people to give somebody a chance that nobody else would.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dillinger said he still remembers the first day Weygant walked into winter workouts looking nervous and unsure.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could just see the joy that this whole sport and being around the team has brought him,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s been an honor to be there for him and just be a friend. He\u2019s been a huge part of the program.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the years, that kindness has given Weygant more than a role in the dugout. It gave him confidence and a reason to look forward to school each day. Since joining the team, he says his grades and social life has greatly improved.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s just the best possible person I\u2019ve met here,\u201d Weygant said. \u201cWithout him, I wouldn\u2019t be here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"dillinger<\/p>\n

Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Other players say Dillinger\u2019s impact reaches well beyond baseball. <\/p>\n

Senior Maddox Burnett said the lessons learned on the field have shaped who he is off it.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoach Dillinger really just taught me how to love the game no matter the ups and downs,\u201d Burnett said. \u201cYou can see it on the baseball field, but it also translates outside.\u201d<\/p>\n

Athletic Director Chad Cooper said Dillinger has become a model for both students and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe cares about not just Erie baseball, but all students within Erie and Erie as a whole,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cHe does a great job of being a model for our young men.\u201d<\/p>\n

That commitment to connection is something Dillinger\u2019s own family sees every day. His son, Evan Dillinger, plays catcher for Erie and says his dad treats every player with the same respect and attention \u2014 no matter who they are or what they bring to the game.<\/p>\n

\"dillinger<\/p>\n

Richard Butler<\/p>\n

Coach Dillinger’s son Evan Dillinger<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a great mentor,\u201d Evan said. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a freshman, sophomore, junior or senior \u2014 you\u2019re treated with the same respect as everybody else, because you\u2019re one team, not just individuals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Evan said seeing his father has shown him what true leadership looks like \u2014 both as a player and as a son. <\/p>\n

\u201cI can definitely see why he deserves the award,\u201d he said. \u201cHe\u2019s always there for you \u2014 on and off the field.\u201d<\/p>\n

Coach Dillinger says he feels honored that he is making an impact in lives of these young men.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not going to remember the wins and losses always,\u201d he said. \u201cBut you\u2019ll remember the time that you spent with your teammates, your coaches, and what you\u2019ve learned.\u201d<\/p>\n

That belief in people and his effort to make every student feel seen is what earned him the title of Denver7 Everyday Hero.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust completely grateful,\u201d Dillinger said after receiving the award. \u201cThis is a difficult job, and to know that I\u2019m having that impact on people \u2014 that\u2019s a huge thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for Weygant, he hopes his story reminds others of what one person\u2019s encouragement can do.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf this world had more of him,\u201d he said, \u201cthen it would definitely be a better place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Erie High School baseball coach is a role model on and off the field<\/p>\n

Denver7 features a different Everyday Hero each week. To nominate a hero in your life,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ERIE, Colo. \u2014 At Erie High School, baseball season ended with more than just a final fall practice.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8905,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[7514,7515,7516,7518,7519,7520,7517,136,138,7521,137,7522,1680],"class_list":{"0":"post-8904","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-erie","8":"tag-7-every-day-hero","9":"tag-7-everyday-hero","10":"tag-7everyday-hero","11":"tag-autism","12":"tag-denver7-every-day-hero","13":"tag-denver7-everyday-hero","14":"tag-eric-dillinger","15":"tag-erie","16":"tag-erie-headlines","17":"tag-erie-high-school","18":"tag-erie-news","19":"tag-everyday-hero","20":"tag-weld-county"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8904","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8904"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8904\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8905"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8904"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8904"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8904"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}