Baseball: Johnsburg’s Landvicks are a couple that coaches together

The names of Mark and Sandy Landvick’s sons – Mickey Aaron and McGwire Anson – indicate that they are a hardcore baseball family.

On their honeymoon, the Landvicks went to Cooperstown, New York, to visit the Baseball Hall of Fame.

When they were students at Trinity International University in Deerfield, they hung out and connected over baseball.

So when Mark Landvick was putting his first coaching staff together at Johnsburg before the 2022 season, he wanted his wife to be a part of that.

It took some coercing.

“She was pretty dismissive,” Mark Landvick said. “I reminded her about all the years we coached our sons and how much she loved baseball.”

Former Johnsburg athletic director Ted Juske, who took the job at Burlington Central last summer, gave his blessing. The rest of Landvick’s staff was all in favor of adding Sandy as well, and now, she is in her second season as junior varsity coach. When all the levels practice together, Sandy Landvick works her area of expertise, coaching the infielders.

“She was pretty anxious going into the start of 2022. Then, on Jan. 11 the Yankees, our favorite team, named Rachel Balkovec, as manager of one of the Class A-level teams,” Mark Landvick said. “I sent her the article and she got even more hyped. We both just knew this was going to be a great opportunity for us, the program and especially the players.”

There have been husband-wife coaching duos in the McHenry County area before in softball, but not baseball. At Cary-Grove, head coach Tammy Olson has had her husband Mark as an assistant for 25 years. From 2000-06, Pam McCarrel coached McHenry softball with her husband at that time, Barry Burmeister.

But a woman coaching in high school baseball is rare. Sandy Landvick went to Trinity International on volleyball and softball scholarships, while Mark attended and played football and baseball.

“Even though I grew up playing softball, I loved the game of baseball and would emulate different players to improve my skills,” Sandy Landvick said. “I started coaching baseball when my youngest son (Mickey) was in first grade. I grew up with coaches who preached fundamentals, and I wanted to ensure my sons had those fundamentals, as well as the other kids on their teams.

“I ‘retired’ when my youngest son (McGwire) entered high school, although I helped Mark with the American Legion teams. Coming back to coach baseball has brought me joy, as I have an opportunity to invest in these kids’ lives, as well as help them become more fundamentally solid.”

The players sometimes call her Mrs. Landvick, or occasionally “Mrs. Coach,” which makes her chuckle.

“She knows baseball. She’s really good at coaching infield,” said Skyhawks varsity first baseman Dom Villone, who played for Sandy on the JV team last season. “We’re kind of used to it by now. Nobody thinks about her being a woman coach.”

Skyhawks third baseman Kaeden Frost concurred.

“The main mindset on the team is if the coach is doing their job, which she does very well, that’s all we care about,” Frost said. “She does nothing but coach very well. No one views her differently than they should.

“I had a great time [last season]. She knows the game of baseball, she knows how to coach. We were a pretty successful JV team last year. She taught the game well. Her and her husband are great coaches. It was an awesome experience.”

Frost also said Sandy Landvick is no less demanding than a male coach.

“She’s not going to let people walk over her. If people are goofing off, she’s going to let you know that you’re done,” he said. “She has a great background playing college sports. She knows sports very well, she’s a very good coach.”

Sandy Landvick says the players and parents have been supportive, although sometimes opposing coaches and umpires may get confused with a woman coming out for the pregame meeting.

“I had an umpire ask me if I was the trainer, even though I was in uniform. I replied, with a grin, ‘Nope, I am the coach, Welcome to our field.’”

—  Sandy Landvick, Johnsburg baseball assistant coach

“I had an umpire ask me if I was the trainer, even though I was in uniform,” she said. “I replied, with a grin, ‘Nope, I am the coach, Welcome to our field.’

“I try to keep things positive, which is tough with baseball because is so much based on negatives. The players and parents have embraced me like any other coach.”

Mark is a teacher at Wauconda Middle School, while Sandy teaches elementary school in Island Lake. Mickey (23) and McGwire (21) currently are serving in the U.S. Army.

Through the years, Sandy and Mark Landvick often coached McGwire’s teams together, with Sandy as head coach and Mark as an assistant. Mickey would play another friend up an age level.

“She ran a very tight ship and would often get requested by families in the league,” Mark said. “We developed a pretty solid coaching plan that allowed for a ton of player development. It was all these experiences I kept reminding her of that built her confidence [for coaching high schoolers].”

Having his wife as JV coach also helps Mark Landvick keep tabs on what is coming up the next season.

“Sandy fits right in with the staff,” Mark Landvick said. “She is an amazing sounding board, and she is not afraid to tell me how the cow ate the cabbage. She brings the same vigor to the program.”

The couple talks baseball constantly.

“We discuss how the boys are doing in the field, on the mound, at bat,” Sandy Landvick said. “Having these discussions allows for some fluidity between the JV and varsity teams. We use the same language throughout the program also, so the boys understand what is being asked of them right away as they enter the baseball program.”