Webster City softball coach Dave Hilton (center with glasses) talks to his players during a game. The Lynx Invitational softball tournament will now be named the Dave Hilton Classic. (Submitted photo)

Dave Hilton and Webster City softball just go hand-in-hand.

As such, it only makes sense that the annual Lynx Invitational receives a new name to honor the legendary head coach of the program.

The Enhance Hamilton County Foundation announced that the event will be renamed the “Dave Hilton Classic” starting this year. This year’s tourney begins on June 13 and concludes the following day.

Hilton was the head coach for Webster City from 1983-2012, winning 766 games overall in a 29-year career that included a stint with Northeast Hamilton. The Iowa Girls Coaches Association Hall of Famer led the Lynx to state championships in 1988 and again in 2001.

“Coach Hilton has been a constant force within the Webster City Athletic Department for many years,” said current Webster City activties director Jess Howard. “Even after he ‘retired’ from coaching, he continued to coach middle school girls basketball. As someone who played under Coach Hilton, I can attest to the fact that he stressed doing the little things right so that the big accomplishments come naturally. There was always a standard to live up to on Hilt’s teams, and it never had to be said out loud for everyone on the team to work toward that standard.

“He set an expectation for his team, and it was easily understood by all because he, too, lived up to that expectation. You would never find someone at practice before him or be there later than him. He lived and breathed Lynx softball. He taught us how to sponge dry a rained-out softball field, make a play at the plate with bases loaded in a state tournament game, and ‘pump it up to get a hit, get a hit.’

“What all that really translates to is he taught us how to work hard in what we do, keep our composure when things are tough, and to build a program where everyone is motivated for the same goal. Softball has brought me some of my greatest joys, and also, greatest heartbreaks in life. I wouldn’t have had those opportunities had it not been for the program Hilt provided to so many. Renaming the Lynx Softball Classic after Hilt just makes sense when you think about the impact he made on Lynx softball.”

The field for the Dave Hilton Classic this summer will include Webster City, Ballard, Carlisle, Martensdale-St. Marys and West Marshall.

A ceremony is planned for the first day of the invitational. Any and all former players under Hilton are encouraged to attend.

Recently, the Dave Hilton Character and Commitment Scholarship Fund was created as a way to support deserving female student-athletes at Webster City. Along with being a former coach, Hilton also taught at the school for many years.