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Local lawyer pitches in for Hoban baseball team
RICHARD WEINER
Legal News Reporter
Published: May 13, 2013
Kristopher Immel coached baseball at Archbishop Hoban High School while he attended law school at the University of Akron. After passing the bar and starting his career in law, he continues to coach the Hoban team.
He coached the junior varsity team last year and is a varsity assistant coach this year under head coach and Akron firefighter Jim Diestel.
Immel, a native of Wooster, played baseball at Hiram College as a pitcher and first baseman. When he graduated in 2008, he said, “I still wanted to be around baseball, and I was lucky enough that Hoban had an opening, and I got hooked up with them.” It was his first coaching position at any level, and he started with the freshman team.
“In law school,” he continued, “it was a form of stress relief. It got my mind out of the books. I really enjoyed it.” In addition to his law degree from Akron, Immel also possesses a master’s degree in taxation. He is also on the board of directors for Imagine Schools.
He also plays in the Roy Hobbs league. In 2006, he made the Roy Hobbs state championship all-tournament team. While at Hiram, he played in nearly 100 games in his four-year career, finishing with a .258 career batting average. He pitched at Hiram his freshman and senior years. He hit the only two home runs of his collegiate career, the second of which was a grand slam, in his senior year at Hiram.
After passing the bar exam, he started working at the Independence office of the statewide law firm of Barr, Jones & Associates. Barr, Jones is a general practice firm, and Immel works in the areas of bankruptcy law, family law, criminal defense and civil litigation.
His baseball experience, both in playing and in coaching, helps his law practice, said Immel.
“Coaching has given me the ability to learn how to communicate with people, and the game gives you the ability to stay calm in pressure situations,” he said.
Working with the players at the high school, he said, “is a really good experience, because I know that I can have a positive impact on their development, teach them the things that I’ve found important, and share life lessons learned—teach them to do things the right way.”
What is the “right way?”
“Doing things to high standards, honesty, integrity, and always doing what is appropriate,” said Immel. “If you hold yourself to the highest standards in whatever you do, you know that you will always be the best at it.”
That approach, said Immel, “has resonated with me since I was on all-star youth baseball teams coached by my dad and another parent,” he said. He learned that, “perfect practice makes perfect. You have to understand that if you don’t put the time and effort into the small things, then the big picture will never develop.”
He puts those ideas into effect during practices with the baseball team—one reason that his coaching responsibilities have continued to grow through the years.
Immel has high hopes for this year’s Hoban team, which features 11 seniors. “I think that we are looking pretty good,” he said. “We are expecting big things, and I think that we can pull it together to make a run deep into the state tournament.”
At the age of 28, Immel still plays in the adult summer league. “Baseball in general with me—and I’m sure with other people—find a part of the game to be stress relief. It’s a way to still be a kid, have fun, and find that work-life balance that is really important. It’s a way to stay active.”
Since baseball players tend to be baseball fans, Immel, of course, has his opinions on the Cleveland Indians.
“I think that they have a really good shot,” he said. “They made some off-season moves to bolster their roster. I was surprised at how much money they spent. It is great for the city and the team.”