Bill Sobbe is in his first season as Park University's assistant baseball coach, but he is no stranger to the Pirates.
Two of Sobbe's sons - Jon and Jake - spent a combined 169 games behind the plate for head coach Cary Lundy, Jon in 2006 and 2007, and Jake from 2012 to 2015. Sobbe's daughter-in-law, Katie, was also a starting outfielder for the Park softball team from 2004 to 2007.
Sobbe joins the Pirates while continuing as the pitching coach for the Kansas City T-Bones of the American Association. Sobbe joined the T-Bones as bench coach before the 2012 season. In 2014 he took over as the team’s pitching coach.
For 20 seasons, 1984-2003, Sobbe was the Kansas City Royals bullpen catcher, working with some of the club's best pitchers, including Bret Saberhagen, Mark Gubicza, Danny Jackson, Dan Quisenberry and Jeff Montgomery.
Sobbe played three seasons, 1979-81, in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, reaching Double-A in ’81. Sobbe, who’s been an educator in the Kansas City area since 1982, spent more than 15 years in the Park Hill School District as a coach, athletic director and assistant principal, before retiring in 2013.
