A fixture with the Newtown High School softball program, as ever-present as the fences, dugouts, and scoreboard is Lin Hertberg.

Of course, the school softball diamond outfield fence, dugouts, and scoreboard might not be there if not for Hertberg, a volunteer assistant coach who completed his 20th year with the girls this past spring. Hertberg donated each of these items (including a replacement to the original scoreboard he had put in) — as well as team banners that cover the fence and backstop — piece by piece throughout the years.

All of the many hours of coaching, as well as the donations, have come with Hertberg having no actual family connection to the program.

Needless to say, Hertberg, a parent of three and grandfather to seven, has adopted the Newtown softball program as an additional family of sorts.

“He’s been doing this for so long. He knows so much. Everybody loves him. He always supports the girls, he always cheers them on, and he’s always working with them, hitting extra grounders. He is so dedicated to this team,” said Joanna Closs, the varsity head coach, who played under the direction of Hertberg and then Head Coach Bob Guerrera.

Newtown won a trio of South-West Conference championships with Guererra at the helm, and the former team head coach attributes much of the success in those and other seasons to Hertberg.

“I could not have done it without him. The value he brought to the coaching table, helping me — you just can not put a value on it. You can’t,” said Guerrera, who worked with Hertberg during his dozen years as varsity coach, culminating with the 2017 season.

It’s interesting how Hertberg came to be a coach at Newtown High.

Hertberg coached youth softball and basketball in town when his children started playing in the middle 1970s. He and his wife, Bernie, raised their three daughters in Newtown, and he coached all of them, Holly, Ann, and Bonnie, from the middle 1970s through the early 1980s.

After his daughters aged out of the youth programs, Hertberg hung up the coaching clipboard for a few years. When Holly was in high school, she wanted to coach basketball and asked her dad to join forces on the sideline in 1988. They combined to lead a grades 5-8 team to the league title, and Hertberg continued to coach youth basketball almost every year for close to 20 years.

He went on to help start the girls’ soccer program at NHS and helped the team win the Western Connecticut Conference championship in 1984. In 2000, then NHS varsity softball Coach Paul LaFrancesca reached out to Hertberg since the team was looking for an assistant who did not have children in the program. Hertberg took on the role, and the rest is history.

Hertbeg serves as first base coach when the Nighthawks are batting — playing the role of cheerleader as a coach, offering encouragement applicable to the count on the batter, depending if she is ahead or down to her final strike, for example.

“I would say one of the most important things is positive reinforcement. I think that’s important — for the girls to be rewarded positively,” Hertberg said of what he tries to bring to the playing field on a daily basis.

His motivational, upbeat approach is well-liked by coaches, players, and parents alike.

“He loves the kids. I think they feel it,” said Ellen Goyda, who has had two daughters play under Hertberg — former player Megan and rising junior Kate.

“He just cares about the kids beyond the athlete,” said Goyda, adding that Kate saved and has in her memory book a letter Hertberg wrote Kate, complimenting her improvement following her freshman season.

Jason “J” Edwards has worked with Hertberg throughout all of these years, having coached with Hertberg — including a few seasons as the varsity team leader — and most recently as public address announcer at home games.

“Consistent and exemplary positivity,” are what Hergberg brings to the field, Edwards said. “He’s a tremendous professional who always looks for what students athletes do well and what they can do better. He’s tireless, he’s generous, he selfless. It’s about the players; it’s not about him. He’s happiest when he’s got a fungo bat in his hand and a bucket of balls next to him during pregame warm-ups or any day of practice, running his infield practice as only he can.”

Katie Bowen, a former player at Newtown High who is now the head softball coach at Springfield College, notes that Hertberg is available to help players in and out of the softball setting.

“He means so much to every person who goes through that program. He was there for us off the field, too,” Bowen said.

“I learned a lot from him,” said Bowen, adding that she brought some of his competitive spirit with her into her coaching career.

Hertberg has been able to provide so much to the program thanks to his business career coupled with his parental skills and love for and knowledge of sports. He started L.A. Hertberg Associates Inc, which specialized in tax sheltered initiatives, in 1965 and retired after 31 successful years. He grew up playing basketball and baseball and went on to play four years of baseball at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., where he majored in Finance.

Always supportive of education for students, Hertberg’s family has provided several scholarships to schools, including in the towns where his daughters live. The Hertberg Family Foundation Scholarship Fund contributes $40,000 annually to the Newtown Scholarship Association winner.

Hertberg spends a lot of his springtime with his NHS softball family. When the season is over, Hertberg enjoys going to see his grandchildren compete in various sports, as well as horseback riding. They are scattered in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia.

Hertberg has appreciated the support he and the program have received from Newtown High’s athletic directors, longtime AD Gregg Simon, and current AD Matt Memoli, as well as that which is provided by the Newtown Parks and Recreation Department with field maintenance.

There have been championships, a trio of conference titles, and memorable seasons — win or lose — in the playoffs.

One might wonder if Hertberg set out to work with the team for so many years.

“I never thought about it. You just take it year by year. I’ve absolutely enjoyed it,” Hertberg said.

After each spring campaign has ended, Hertberg has received signed team photos and other gifts of appreciation from his players.

“I have a lot of lovely notes,” said Hertberg, adding that his time spent with the student-athletes and their recognition of his efforts are most appreciated.

“It’s very significant. You feel that you’ve contributed in some way to them having an enjoyable, worthwhile experience,” Hertberg said.

Hertberg takes his role seriously, tracking statistics that he provides to coaches and the media.

“It’s interesting to see, as the years go by, how the girls are developing and the number of hits and runs we score in a particular season and on base percentage,” said Hertberg, who has a cabinet in his house loaded with scorebooks that detail every hit, run, walk, and out dating back to 2006, when Hertberg started keeping score and logging stats on top of his coaching duties.

Sitting atop the cabinet is a collection of trophies — dozens of them — from youth softball and basketball as well as Newtown High softball, game balls, and team photographs.

“I’ve been around a while,” said Hertberg, who politely declines to share his age. “It’s been a lovely 20 years working with them.”