Carmel alum Williams contributes for Michigan State

May 4, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Christian Williams was in the mix Friday, May 3 as Michigan State University edged visiting rival Michigan 3-2 in Big Ten Conference baseball.

The righty-swinging redshirt junior occupied the No. 6 slot in the Spartans lineup.

Another Williams — Nick — lofted a 10th-inning sacrifice fly that won the game and was mobbed by his teammates.

Heading into Game 2 of the three-game Saturday, May 4 at McLane Stadium at Kobs Field in East Lansing, Mich., Christian Williams has played in 39 contests (37 starts) and is hitting .280 (37-of-132) with three home runs, no triples, eight doubles, 24 runs batted in, 28 runs scored and an .831 OPS (.422 on-base percentage plus .409 slugging average). The designated hitter has eight multi-hit games with four safeties Feb. 24 against Marshall and three Feb. 28 at Georgia.

“I just like to see the ball in the heart of the plate,” says Williams of his offensive approach. “I look for something middle-middle with the fastball and use my athleticism to adjust from there.”

Williams was red-shirted for the 2021 season. In 2022, he played in 24 games (18 starts) and hit .258 (17-of-66) with two homers, two triples, four doubles, 16 RBIs, 14 runs and a .816 OPS (.346/.470). As a catcher, he made 84 putouts with six assists and posted a .978 fielding percentage.

A broken hamate bone in his hand suffered while swinging the bat limited Williams to just two games for the 2023 Spartans.

He was with the Midwest Collegiate League’s Northwest Indiana Oilmen (the MCL is now the Northern League) in the summer of 2021, the champion Bag Bandits in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2022, missed 2023 while rehabbing from his hamate surgery and plans to go this summer with the Coastal Plain League’s Lexington County (S.C.) Blowfish. He is to be be joined by MSU teammate Sam Busch.

Williams, 22, has at least one year of remaining eligibility and could have two if he seeks and is granted a medical redshirt for ’23. He graduated April 29 with a Kinesiology degree. He plans to pursue a certificate in Coaching, Leadership and Administration while playing in 2024-25.

What about his defensive keys while behind the plate?

“Catching’s a tough position. You’re seeing the whole field. You’re kind of the unsung hero at times. Good catchers go unnoticed.

“When I’m back there I try to help my pitchers as best as I can and be a leader on the field — stay calm, cool, collected and athletic and try to help the team win.”

It was at about age 12 that Williams became a catcher.

“When I was younger I liked the gear,” says Williams of why he decided to be a backstop. “I just stuck with it.”

Born in Tampa, Fla., Williams moved to Indiana at about 3 months. I’ve been in Indiana for most of my life. He played rec ball in Pike Township in Indianapolis until 12.

There was followed by a four-year stint in Michigan where he earned two baseball letters at Northville High School playing for head coach John Kostrzewa and played travel ball for the Michigan Bulls.

When he returned to the Hoosier State, Williams went with the Indiana Bulls for his 17U summer and earned two baseball letters at Carmel (Ind.) High School with his 2020 senior season taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Greyhounds head coach was Matt Buczkowski.

“He was a great coach,” says Williams of Buczkowski. “He’s a great leader and a great guy. He led us in the right direction. He let us have fun — but at the same time — kept us on the straight and narrow.

“He kept us serious when we needed to be. We won a lot of games.”

Christian is the son of Alan and Lisa Williams. Dad played football at Williams & Mary University and mom soccer at Slippery Rock University.

Among his football-coaching father’s teams have been the Indianapolis Colts and Chicago Bears. He is taking the year off.

Two brothers — Solomon Williams (Carmel Class of 2022 now a safety at Princeton University) and Nathan Williams (Carmel Class of 2025 and exploring college options) — are football players.

At Carmel (Ind.) High School, Christian was a quarterback, receiver and kick returner and considered football as his collegiate route.

“I had a strong thought,” says Williams, who won four football letters as a high schooler and helped Carmel to a 2019 Class 6A state runner-up finish with 118 all-purpose yards in the title game. “I was being recruited in both (baseball and football) until just before my senior year. Ultimately, I decided on baseball. I couldn’t forgive myself if I wasn’t able to swing a bat again.

“I hit the recruiting process hard and ended up here at Michigan State.”

MSU counts Jake Boss Jr., as head coach.

“He’s a great leader and a strong Christian guy,” says Williams of Boss. “He’s an awesome guy to play for. He lets us do our thing and have fun.”

Spartans hitting coach duties fall to former Western Michigan University shortstop Andrew Stone.

“He’s taught me how to be a good, mature hitter, stay inside the baseball, take good swings and work on my mechanics,” says Williams of Stone. “I work on my approach at the plate and the mental side and being confident and collected.”

Adam Eaton, who logged 10 Major League Baseball seasons, is Michigan State’s director of player development.

“Just learning from a big leaguer has been amazing,” says Williams of Eaton. “He just has a different mentality and approach to the game. To pick up on little things that he teaches us has been huge for me.

“It’s really the mental side and how to be a good baseball player as much as the X’s and O’s and swing techniques. How do I approach baseball on a day-to-day basis? How do I show up and play hard? What do coaches look for?”

The rest of the MSU coaching staff includes Graham Sikes and Mark Van Ameyde plus director of baseball operations Tommy Merlo.

Williams’ favorite MLB team is the Boston Red Sox. He picked that up from his mother who grew up in New England and her side of the family.

Former Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia was a special player to Williams.

“He was a smaller player and I’ve always a shorter guy,” says Williams, who is 5-foot-9 and 200 pounds. “I liked how he played the game hard and well at his size.”

Christian Williams. (Michigan State University Photo)

High School

Evansville Christian making its way back from early-April tornado damage

May 3, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Evansville Christian School in Newburgh, Ind., opened the home portion of the 2024 high school baseball season Thursday, April 1 against defending IHSAA Class 1A state runner-up Barr-Reeve.

On April 2, a tornado swept through the Vanderburgh County area area and caused considerable destruction to the Scott Township Park diamond where the Eagles play. There was also a fence down and trash cans overturned at Evansville Central High School’s field.

“We lost a yard barn, a batting cage, half of our fence all-around including our backstop. We also had some damage to our concession stand,” says Evansville Christian coach Joe Paulin in a partial list of the wreckage at Scott Township Park caused by high winds. “Our first base bleachers blew up over a 20-foot fence and skipped across our field and into the left field corner and smashed the fence out. We woke up to that damage and it was heart-breaking.”

At a house next to the field, a tree fell and covered it and the roof was blown off of its hollow-block garage.

“There were no fatalities and thankful no one was (at the field) at the time,” says Paulin.

Almost immediately the clean-up work began. The community has rallied to repair the off-campus facility the team has called home for seven years while Eagles baseball — varsity, junior varsity and Cub — has scrambled to find places to play and practice.

“We’ve had to do a lot of re-scheduling,” says Paulin.

The weekend before the storm, there were about 50 volunteers doing work on the field to get it ready for the season.

“We had it in the best shape it’s ever been,” says Paulin. “Less than a week later is when he damage occurred.”

Through much time, effort and donations, the field is coming back.

“We feel that God has a plan,” says Paulin. “We’re going to build it better than it was.”

More than a month after the today, Evansville Christian plans to play its second home game of the spring on its home field. There’s a night game slated Friday, May 10 against Vincennes Rivet.

Paulin started the EC program in 2017. Another memorable moment is his time there is when the team bus broke down. While waiting for help, he had the Eagles practicing in a gas station parking lot.

Says Paulin, “We needed the work.”

Heading into a May 3 road game against Perry Central, Evansville Christian is 4-6. The 2024 regular season is winding down with IHSAA sectional tournaments beginning the end of the week leading into Memorial Day (May 27).

The Eagles, which became eligible for the state tournament for the first time in 2023, is to play in a Class 1A sectional with host Northeast Dubois, Cannelton, Springs Valley, Tecumseh and Wood Memorial.

Tornado damage at Scott Township Park’s baseball field, home to the Evansville Christian School Eagles.

College

Lipscomb makes many diamond memories at Franklin College

May 2, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

As Tysen Lipscomb’s baseball career winds downs, the fifth-year senior at Franklin (Ind.) College has plenty of memories to cherish.

The 23-year-old lefty-swinging and righty-throwing left fielder has played in 36 games (all starts) in 2024 and is hitting .397 (54-of-136) with eight home runs, one triple, 14 doubles, 45 runs batted in, 47 runs scored and a 1.214 OPS (.523 on-base percentage plus .691 slugging average).

Lipscomb has been batting in the No. 2 or No. 3 slot in veteran head coach Lance Marshall’s lineup and has 16 multi-hit games with four March 2 vs. Hope College and three on four occasions. He was chosen as NCAA Division III Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Hitter of the Week on March 18.

“It’s definitely been a blast and a blessing,” says Lipscomb of Marshall, who took over leadership of the FC program in August 1997. “He’s going to push you. He’s going to tell you like it is. That’s what I love and his players love about him.

“But he’s always going to bring you aside if you’re struggling a little bit and talking you off the ledge. It’s a ‘this to shall pass’ sort of thing. He can definitely do both things. He’s very knowledgeable about the game. There’s no secret to why he’s won so many games (632 to date). He’s a great coach and he really cares about his players.”

A starter in 157 of 158 career contests, Lipscomb is hitting .354 (214-of-604) with 22 homers, five triples, 53 doubles, 177 RBIs (a school record), 166 runs, 36 stolen bases and a 1.045 OPS (.477/.568).

Lipscomb shared his offensive keys.

“It’s about what I do well,” says Lipscomb. “When I’m at my best I’m hitting the ball to all fields well, especially the opposite way. I focus on that in practice and pre-game.”

“You have to know what kind of pitcher you’re going up against and their game plan against you. I’m always confident when I’m up there.”

Marshall works with Franklin hitters with help from assistant coach Luke Adams. When Lipscomb catches, he collaborates with Grizzlies pitching coach Jake Sprinkle on how to attack opposing hitters.

The 5-foot-9, 185-pounder has been primarily a left fielder with a handful of games at catcher in 2024. He split time between the two positions in 2023. He was mostly in left in 2022 and a designated hitter in 2021. He played in just one game in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.

“Being in the outfield is definitely a change-up,” says Lipscomb, who enjoys controlling the game and leading from behind the plate. “You have to adapt in-game (as an outfielder). It’s about working and communicating with the other outfielders about where we’re supposed to be.

“I fly around and give 100 percent effort.”

Pre-game scouting involves knowing wind and sun conditions and the distance to the warning track and fence.

Lipscomb and the ’24 Grizzlies are 18-18 overall and 7-11 in the HCAC heading into regular season-ending conference doubleheaders Friday, May 3 vs. Bluffton (Ohio) University and Sunday, May 5 at Anderson (Ind.) University.

Franklin is fighting for a spot in the six-team HCAC Tournament May 9-12 at Kokomo Municipal Stadium. Hanover and Transylvania are tied for first place at 15-3, followed by Anderson and Rose-Hulman. Franklin and Manchester have the same HCAC record.

Says Lipscomb, “We’re coming down to crunch time.”

During his college years, Lipscomb was with the Nighthawks of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2020.

“It was a great experience because it challenged me so much,” says Lipscomb of the CSL’s first season.

He was also with the Southern Collegiate Baseball League’s Carolina Disco Turkeys (Winston-Salem, N.C.) in 2023.

“I’m kind of jealous,” says Lipscomb. “(The Disco Turkeys) are going to become the Yacht Rockers for a game. I wish I could have been a Yacht Rocker.”

Lipscomb has already earned a Exercise Science degree at Franklin and is finishing his course work for an Athletic Training masters degree with internship hours to complete. He could likely have another year of eligibility but plans to enter the work force. He is currently exploring high school athletic training jobs.

Tysen was born in Muncie, Ind., to Gary and Andora Lipscomb and the younger brother of Kylee and was in second grade when the family moved to the Selma, Ind., area. His parents and sister all graduated from Muncie Southside High School.

Gary Lipscomb played baseball. His daughter played softball and golf in high school pursued the latter sport at Indiana University East in Richmond.

As a youngster, Tysen played both Selma youth league and travel ball beginning around 7. He started with the Indiana Longhorns then went to a team formed by his father — the Magic City Orioles. Then came the Indiana Eagles. He got his first taste of competition at the next level by playing in the Fort Wayne-based wood bat circuit (Indiana Collegiate Summer Baseball League) in 2019 after putting his four varsity campaigns graduating from Wapahani High School.

Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Brian Dudley led the Raiders program and is now an assistant to Heath Dudley on a staff that now includes Gary Lipscomb. This year, the Wapahani diamond became Brian J. Dudley Field.

“Brian’s really focused,” says Lipscomb. “He really cares about his players. He wants to see them do well not only inside but outside baseball

“Brian’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen. If he doesn’t know something, he’s going to get that answer and come back and start implementing it. He was one of my biggest role models growing up.”

With Lipscomb on the team, Wapahani won sectional crown in 2017 and 2019, a regional title in 2019, a semistate championship in 2017 and was Class 2A state runners-up in 2017.

“I’m proud to be part of that history,” says Lipscomb. “I loved every minute of it.”

A Cincinnati Reds rooter, Lipscomb’s favorite current MLB player in Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.

“I like the passion he plays with,” says Harper. “I like the way he’s grown in the game. He’s definitely a lot more mature and a leader.

“His swing is my favorite in the game because it’s the closest to mine that I’ve seen. I try to do a lot of the things that he does.”

Tysen Lipscomb. (Franklin College Photo)

College

Cardenas carries confidence to the bump for U. of Indianapolis

May 2, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

NCAA Division II University of Indianapolis — ranked No. 2 in the Midwest/No. 20 in the nation by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association — close the 2024 regular season in Romeoville, Ill., with a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference series May 2-4 against Lewis University (one game Thursday, two games Friday, one game Saturday).

Greyhounds head coach Al Ready and pitching coach Adam Cornwell have decided to hand the ball to junior right-hander Diego Cardenas to start today (May 2). First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. Central Time.

Cardenas, a 21-year-old South Bend, Ind., native and Environmental Sustainability major, brings up the same word when describing Ready and Cornwell.

“It’s amazing,” says Cardenas of playing for Ready. “It’s a great experience. It’s a unique way of coaching and a lot of the players get along with it. He’s very brave and confident in his guys.

“He trusts all of his players and that’s pretty sweet.”

Cardenas says Ready, who played at UIndy and is in his 17th season coaching in the program (sixth as head coach), does not go by the book.

“He’s very unorthodox,” says Cardenas of the man who has the Greyhounds at 32-14 overall and 27-5 at the top of the GLVC standings. The team has won 11 straight.

Says Cardenas, “(Cornwell) gives me a lot of confidence by giving me my own space and making corrections when they’re due.

“He lets us be our own person which is great.”

Cardenas has gone from a reliever going into the season to a mid-week starter and then a weekend arm for conference games.

In eight mound appearances (all starts) in 2024, Cardenas is 5-0 with a 2.70 earned run average, 37 strikeouts and 25 walks in 46 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .195 against him.

The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder throws from a three-quarter arm angle and uses a two-seam fastball, change-up and slider to get hitters out.

“I get a ton of arm-side run,” says Cardenas of his two seamer which has hit 91 mph and sets at 86 to 89. “Not a lot of vertical (movement), more horizontal.”

A combination of splitter and change-up, he calls that pitch a “splange” and it goes 80 to 83 mph.

“I choke the daylights out of it,” says Cardenas of the grip.

Wedging the ball deep in his hands in a traditional slider grip, the righty makes deliveries at 77 to 80 mph.

Born and raised in South Bend with Larry and Kelly Cardenas as parents and former John Adams High School ballplayers Esai Cardenas and Benicio Cardenas (who also on the team at Marian University’s Ancilla College) as older brothers, Diego played at South Bend East Side Little League as a youngster and travel ball as a teen with the Indiana Nitro.

At Adams, 2021 graduate Diego Cardenas was a middle infielder when not on the mound.

Mike Cass was and still is the Eagles head coach.

“He kept it simple,” says Cardenas of Cass.

Cardenas underwent Ulnar Collateral Ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) and redshirted for the 2022 UIndy season. That summer he played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., for the Turf Monsters.

In his debut season with Indianapolis in 2023, Cardenas got into nine games (all in relief) and went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA, eight strikeouts and 11 walks in eight innings.

He split his summers between contracts with the Prospect League’s Terre Haute (Ind.) Rex and Northwoods League’s Waterloo (Ind.) Bucks. He has signed to play this summer with the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League’s Olney (Md.) Cropdusters.

But before that there’s business to attend at UIndy. The eight-team GLVC tournament is May 8-11 in Marion, Ill. After that comes an NCAA D-II Midwest Regional May 16-19 at a campus site and a chance to advance to a Midwest Super Regional May 24-25 at a campus site and then the D-II World Series June 1-8 in Cary, N.C.

“We’re playing loose and confident,” says Cardenas. “We’re playing in a very fun way.”

While he has no real allegiance to an MLB team, Cardenas does have a favorite player.

“I’ve always been a big fan of Marcus Stroman,” says Cardenas of the New York Yankees right-hander. “I love his confidence and his flash.”

Cardenas has two years of remaining eligibility. He expects to take one in 2025 while finishing his undergraduate degree then a graduate year. He says if he had to decide on his concentration now it would be in Management Sciences.

After baseball, he foresees a career in renewable energies, performing research and analytics and hands-in field work.

“I love the outdoors,” says Cardenas. “It’s pretty awesome.”

Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Image)

College

Seebold’s arm helping Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles in various ways

May 1, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Versatility, camaraderie and max effort is part of the value Gavin Seebold brings to the University of Southern Indiana baseball team.

The right-handed pitcher has started and come out of the bullpen for the Evansville-based Screaming Eagles.

The 21-year-old is always there to back his teammates.

Jeffersonville (Ind.) High School graduate Seebold knows that grit has its rewards.

“Any role, I’m prepared to do it,” says Seebold. “At the beginning of the year we were looking at me as more of a closer. The coaches asked me to start a game, I did pretty well in it and they asked me to start again. The just left me in that role.

“At tournament time, I may come out of the pen.”

Seebold lists some of his best athletic qualities.

“It’s probably my determination,” says Seebold. “I feel like I support all the guys on my team. I’m hard-working. You have to work hard to be in a successful position.”

In a dozen 2024 mound appearances (six starts), Seebold is 6-2 with a 4.13 earned run average, 41 strikeouts and 11 walks in 48 innings. He is scheduled to take the ball again Saturday as part of a three-game Ohio Valley Conference series May 3-5 for USI (19-26, 8-10) vs. Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville.

Seebold has made improvements since the 2023 season when he was in 13 games (eight starts) and went 2-4 with an 8.27 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 23 walks in 37 innings.

“I attribute that to confidence — confidence that teammates have in me, coaches have in me and that I have in myself,” says Seebold. “Also, last year I didn’t have a feel for a breaking pitch.”

The 6-foot-1, 200-pound hurler now combines a slider with a four-seam fastball and change-up.

“(The ) opens up my fastball, who has been my go-to pitch all my life,” says Seebold. “I spot my fastball pretty well.”

Throwing from a three-quarter arm slot, Seebold has topped out at 93 mph while setting at 88 to 91 with his four-seamer.

“I get a little arm-side run,” says Seebold. “Some days more than others.”

He sometimes refers to the slider as a “slurve.”

“Some days it looks more like a curveball, some days it looks like a slider,” says Seebold.

He began to work on the pitch at the end of last spring, during the summer with the Ohio Valley League’s Louisville Jockeys and in the fall at USI.

“I like my change-up a lot,” says Seebold. “It’s pretty traditional with my middle and ring finger over the two seams.

“I have a tremendous amount of confidence in it.”

He is able to throw it over both sides of the plate, making it pair well with his fastball. He’s had chases and occasionally throws it back-door to right-handed batters.

Both the slider and curve are thrown as hard as he can — the slider at 77 to 81 mph and the change at 83 to 87 (that’s up from 77 to 81 in 2023).

During catch play, Seebold focuses on releasing the ball over-the-top which helps with his mechanics once he steps on the mound.

Seebold was born in the Jeffersonville area and played a Jeff/GRC Little League from machine pitch to 12-year-old all-stars. Travel teams included the Ironmen, Indiana Showcasers and Canes Midwest 17U among a few others.

At Jeffersonville High School, Seebold was an honorable mention all-Hoosier Hills Conference performer. In his best season, he went 9-2 with a 2.46 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 57 innings for the Derek Ellis-coached Red Devils.

“Derek helped me gain confidence in myself,” says Seebold of Ellis. “He also helped my team and I building a winning culture of brotherhood and playing for one another.

“I’m thankful for the time the coaches spent with us and for all the time I spent in Jeffersonville baseball.”

The 2020 graduate saw his senior season taken by the COVID-19 pandemic.

From Jeff, Seebold went to Eastern Kentucky University.

Battling elbow pain and taking PRP injections, Seebold did not pitch for the Colonels and was a medical redshirt in 2021 and red-shirted again after transferring to Southern Indiana and missed the 2022 season. His Tommy John surgery was in May 2021 and he was able to pitch again in July 2022. That’s when he played for the Bag Bandits of the College summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.

At USI, Seebold plays for head coach Tracy Archuleta.

“It’s a great opportunity,” says Seebold of playing for a man in his 18th season leading the program with 711 total wins as a college head coach. “He’s been around the game for a long time. He’s got a lot of knowledge.

“He wants us to succeed.”

Nick Gobert is the Screaming Eagles pitching coach and has aided Seebold with tweaks and fixes to his delivery.

“He tells me a lot to just trust my stuff,” says Seebold of Gobert. “A lot of times I swing open with my front side. He tells me stay closed as long as possible and get down the mound. A lot of times I can I get stuck in my back leg. He gives me some pointers on getting everything flowing.

“I’m thankful that we have him.”

The USI staff also features assistants Vinny Tornincasa and Gordon Cardenas and director of operations Aaron Furman.

Seebold is scheduled to graduate this month with an Individual Studies degree and has two more years of eligibility. He says he will likely begin work in 2024-25 on a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration on Data Analytics.

This summer, he intends to train at Tread Athletics in Pineville, N.C.

Gavin is the oldest of John and Corinne Seebold’s two sons. Grant Seebold (Our Lady of Providence High School Class of 2023) is now a 6-foot-5 freshman right-handed pitcher at Oakland City (Ind.) University. Their mother played volleyball at Tennessee Tech. Their father grew up a Cincinnati Reds fan and that’s Gavin’s favorite team.

A recreational basketball player growing up, Gavin also follows the fortunes of the men’s hoops team at the University of Kentucky.

Gavin Seebold. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

College

Confidence key for Benedictine U. right-hander Pizer

April 30, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Austin Pizer is scheduled to make a spot start on the mound today (April 30) for the Benedictine University Eagles. A doubleheader is slated for noon Central Time at Illinois Tech in Chicago.

Whenever the junior right-hander takes to the hill, he has a few keys in his mind that he takes from Ben U. pitching coach Adam O’Malley.

“Throw everything with confidence,” says Pizer. “We’ve worked really hard to command the baseball and worked on the pitch shapes. Now I have to go to trust it. We know the stuff is there, we just to be able to throw every pitch in every count, have confidence in myself and the defense that we’re going to get the job done.”

The Eagles use Rapsodo camera/radar technology.

“It gives us all the data we could ever imagine for pitching,” says Pizer, who has used feedback on release height and movement patterns to help him throw more strikes.

“I want to limit the walks,” says Pizer. “That’s been a big key this year.”

In 13 appearances (12 out of the bullpen), Pizer is 4-1 with four saves, a 1.93 earned run average, 29 strikeouts and seven walks in 32 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .248 against the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder.

Benedictine, an NCAA Division III program steered by Adam Smith, is 25-9 overall and 14-6 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Eagles are working to improve their seeding before the eight-team NACC tournament played at home in Lisle, Ill.

Pizer delivers the baseball sidearm.

From there, he mixes a two-seam fastball, slider and change-up.

The two-seamer is a strictly horizontal pitch — moving 9-to-3 on the clock face — with arm-side run. It’s topped at 84 mph and sits at 81 to 83.

The slider has very little to no vertical break.

“The two-seam and slider play very well off each other,” says Pizer.

Since he has dropped down, it’s not a typical “circle” change that comes from Pizer.

“It drops a little more on the back foot of a righty that a traditional change-up,” says Pizer.

Throwing with minor discomfort during his first season at Benedictine, Pizer got into nine games (all in relief) and was 2-0 with one save, a 4.66 ERA, 15 strikeouts and five walks in 19 1/3 innings. He followed that up in 2023 with five bullpen appearances, a 0-0 record, a save 11.12 ERA, five K’s and five walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Born in Munster, Ind., Pizer grew up in Highland, Ind.

From age 7 to 13, he played both at Highland Little League and for much of that time with the traveling Highland Heat.

His 14U season found him with the New Lenox (Ill.) Rebels. From 15U to 17U, he played for the Cangelosi Sparks.

He was injured his freshman year (2018) at Highland High School. Pizer was on varsity as a sophomore (2019) and senior (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic took away his junior season in 2020.

John Bogner was Highland’s head coach.

“He’s a great guy,” says Pizer of Bogner, who is now head coach at Chesterton (Ind.) High School. “He’s really, really passionate about what he does. I definitely would not be where I am now without him.

“He put a really big emphasis playing the game the right way. That’s one of the things I respected most about him. Whether we were going to win or lose it was going to be with class and the right way. That’s something I carry with me to this day.”

If his arm continues to feel good, Pizer says he plans to return to the Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs for summer ball. He was with the Crown Point, Ind.- based team in 2023. He took the summer of 2022 off to rest his arm. That led to an MRI which led to surgery for a torn labrum in August 2022.

Pizer, 21, is Social Science major at Benedictine with an emphasis in History. His minor is Secondary Education.

“I’m a big fan of the Revolutionary War and Colonial America,” says Pizer. “That’s what I’m interested in.”

Older brother Zak Pizer, who briefly attended Benedictine, is a Social Studies teacher and first-year head baseball coach at Highland High.

Zak (who turns 24 in May) and Austin are the sons of Michael and Annamarie Pizer.

Austin roots for the Chicago White Sox. He admires many big leaguers.

“Tanner Houck of the (Boston) Red Sox is quickly becoming one of my favorite pitchers to watch,” says Pizer of the right-hander. “The way he throws and attacks the game is how I imagine myself to look like. We have a very similar pitch arsenal.

“I’ve always partial to (right-hander) Marcus Stroman (now with the New York Yankees) as well and how he competes. He’s an undersized guy. He plays with a lot of passion.

“That’s something I like to emulate.”

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Lake County CornDogs Image)

College

NAIA conference tourneys here; UIndy on 11-game win streak

April 29, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Qualified NAIA teams play this week in conference tournaments.

Regular-season champion Taylor University is the top seed and host of the Crossroads League May 1-6 at Winterholter Field in Upland, Ind. The Kyle Gould-coached Trojans are 37-13 overall and went 30-6 in league play.

Indiana Wesleyan University (33-13, 27-9) is the No. 2 seed, University of Saint Francis (34-15, 24-12) No. 3, Huntington University (29-19, 23-13) No. 4, Mount Vernon Nazarene University (22-24, 18-18) No. 5, Marian University (22-25, 17-19) No. 6, Spring Arbor University (22-26, 16-20) No. 7 and Grace College (18-30, 12-24) No. 8.

The River States Conference is May 2-6 at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe, Ohio.

Indiana University Southeast (29-17, 20-4) is the No. 2 seed. Indiana University-Kokomo (30-19, 18-6) is No. 4 and Oakland City University (38-14, 17-7) No. 5.

Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference is May 1-7 with host sites the first three days and a best-of-3 championship series May 6-7.

Indiana Tech (27-22, 24-8) is the No. 3 seed and will compete in the Concordia Pod.

The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference is May 4-9 at Duly Health & Care Field in Joliet, Ill.

Indiana University South Bend (18-32, 10-22) is the No. 5 and Calumet College of St. Joseph (21-29, 14-18) No. 8.

At 11 games, NCAA Division II University of Indianapolis has the state’s best winning streak through the Week of April 22-28.

The Al Ready-coached Greyhounds are 32-14 overall and 27-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

The Taylor Trojans have won their last nine.

Riding a six-game win streak is Kip McWilliams’ Indiana Tech Warriors.

NCAA Division I Purdue University has strung together four wins, including one April 26 against Northwestern at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Greg Goff’s Boilermakers are 29-15 in all games and 11-4 in the Big Ten Conference.

Ryan Roth’s Grace Lancers have also won four straight.

Five programs are on three-game win streaks — Thad Frame’s Huntington Foresters, Ian MacDonald’s Indiana Wesleyan Wildcats, Grant Bellak’s NCAA Division III Hanover College Panthers, Adam Rosen’s NCAA D-III Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Fightin’ Engineers and Jeff Mercer’s NCAA D-I Indiana University Hoosiers.

Hanover is 24-11 overall and 15-3 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference.

RHIT is 21-14 in all games and 12-6 in the HCAC.

Indiana is 25-18-1 overall and 10-5 in the Big Ten.

The Hoosiers go to Purdue Friday though Sunday, May 3-5.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL

Records Through April 28

NCAA D-I

Indiana State 31-9 (14-4 MVC)

Purdue 29-15 (11-4 Big Ten)

Ball State 25-18 (12-9 MAC)

Indiana 25-18-1 (10-5 Big Ten)

Evansville 24-19 (12-6 MVC)

Notre Dame 22-20 (7-17 ACC)

Southern Indiana 19-25 (8-10 OVC)

Butler 17-26 (3-9 Big East)

Purdue Fort Wayne 15-28 (8-13 Horizon)

Valparaiso 13-28 (5-13 MVC)

NCAA D-II

Indianapolis 32-14 (27-5 GLVC)

Purdue Northwest 17-25 (7-19 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III

Hanover 24-11 (15-3 HCAC)

Anderson 22-14 (12-6 HCAC)

Rose-Hulman 21-14 (12-6 HCAC)

DePauw 20-13 (9-3 NCAC)

Wabash 19-17 (5-7 NCAC)

Franklin 18-17 (7-11 HCAC)

Manchester 14-21 (7-11 HCAC)

Earlham 13-19 (5-13 HCAC)

Trine 10-25 (2-16 MIAA)

NAIA

Oakland City 38-14 (17-7 RSC)

Taylor 37-13 (30-6 CL)

Saint Francis 34-15 (24-12 CL)

Indiana Wesleyan 33-13 (27-9 CL)

IU-Kokomo 30-19 (18-6 RSC)

IU Southeast 29-17 (20-4 RSC)

Huntington 29-19 (23-13 CL)

Indiana Tech 27-22 (24-8 WHAC)

Marian 22-25 (17-19 CL)

Calumet of St. Joseph 21-29 (14-18 CCAC)

Grace 18-30 (12-24 CL)

IU South Bend 18-32 (10-22 CCAC)

Goshen 12-36 (7-29 CL)

Bethel 11-35 (6-30 CL)

IUPU-Columbus 10-42 (2-22 RSC)

Junior College

Marian’s Ancilla 16-25 (3-18 MCCAA)

Vincennes 13-38 (5-23 MWAC)

Results Through April 28

NCAA D-I

Tuesday, April 23

Southern Indiana 4, Belmont 3 (11 inn.)

Northern Illinois 10, Valparaiso 9

Wednesday, April 24

Indiana 7, Ball State 7 (12 inn.)

Butler 10, Eastern Illinois 6

Purdue 10, Evansville 6

Central Michigan 2, Notre Dame 0

Purdue Fort Wayne 4, Toledo 3 (13 inn.)

Thursday, April 25

Eastern Illinois 4, Southern Indiana 2

Southern Indiana 8, Eastern Illinois 1

Friday, April 26

North Carolina State 10, Ball State 2

Seton Hall 7, Butler 3

Evansville 4, Missouri State 1

Indiana 8, Rutgers 3

Southern Illinois 3, Indiana State 2

Wake Forest 4, Notre Dame 3

Purdue 9, Northwestern 3

Wright State 5, Purdue Fort Wayne 1

Illinois-Chicago 8, Valparaiso 6

Saturday, April 27

North Carolina State 9, Ball State 3

Seton Hall 13, Butler 1

Evansville 8, Missouri State 7

Indiana 12, Rutgers 6

Indiana State 9, Southern Illinois 7

Notre Dame 11, Wake Forest 3

Purdue 10, Northwestern 7

Wright State 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 4

Southern Indiana 14, Eastern Illinois 3

Illinois-Chicago 3, Valparaiso 2

Sunday, April 28

North Carolina State 11, Ball State 3

Butler 3, Seton Hall 2

Missouri State 19, Evansville 8

Indiana 18, Rutgers 6

Indiana State 7, Southern Illinois 2

Notre Dame 8, Wake Forest 7

Purdue 11, Northwestern 3

Wright State 2, Purdue Fort Wayne 1

Valparaiso 20, Illinois-Chicago 0

NCAA D-II

Tuesday, April 23

Indianapolis 6, Findlay 2

Wednesday, April 24

Lewis 6, Purdue Northwest 5

Thursday, April 25

Wisconsin-Parkside 4, Purdue Northwest 2

Friday, April 26

Indianapolis 14, Truman 1

Saturday, April 27

Indianapolis 7, Truman 6

Indianapolis 9, Truman 7

Wisconsin-Parkside 4, Purdue Northwest 0

Wisconsin-Parkside 14, Purdue Northwest 13

Sunday, April 28

Indianapolis 12, Truman 5

Wisconsin-Parkside 13, Purdue Northwest 10

NCAA D-III

Tuesday, April 23

Spalding 6, Hanover 5

Wednesday, April 24

Wabash 11, Anderson 0

Franklin 13, Wilmington 2

Maryville 12, Hanover 2

Thursday, April 25

Wabash 14, Greenville 8

Friday, April 26

Hanover 7, Earlham 6

Manchester 10, Mount St. Joseph 8

Alma 5, Trine 4

Saturday, April 27

Anderson 9, Bluffton 4

Anderson 12, Bluffton 5

DePauw 9, Kenyon 3

Kenyon 17, DePauw 5

Hanover 14, Earlham 8

Hanover 14, Earlham 2

Transylvania 7, Franklin 6

Transylvania 14, Franklin 4

Manchester 13, Mount St. Joseph 2

Mount St. Joseph 9, Manchester 1

Rose-Hulman 11, Defiance 10

Alma 20, Trine 5

Alma 9, Trine 2

Wabash 21, Oberlin 8

Wabash 12, Oberlin 7

Sunday, April 28

Bluffton 9, Anderson 8

DePauw 14, Franklin 7

Franklin 10, DePauw 9

Rose-Hulman 14, Defiance 1

Rose-Hulman 12, Defiance 5

NAIA

Tuesday, April 23

Cumberlands (Ky.) 12, IU-Kokomo 2

IU South Bend 5, Saint Francis (Ill.) 2

Saint Francis (Ill.) 16, IU South Bend 6

IU Southeast 13, Campbellsville 3

Bethel (Tenn.) 17, Oakland City 12

Wednesday, April 24

Grace 5, Bethel (Ind.) 4

Grace 4, Bethel (Ind.) 3

Thursday, April 25

Grace 6, Bethel (Ind.) 2

Grace 5, Bethel (Ind.) 3

Calumet of St. Joseph at 6 Judson 2

Calumet of St. Joseph 19, Judson 0

Taylor 10, Goshen 0

Taylor 10, Goshen 2

Marian 6, Huntington 4

Huntington 6, Marian 1

Shawnee State 3, IU-Kokomo 1

Shawnee State 5, IU-Kokomo 0

Point Park 6, IU Southeast 3

Spring Arbor 3, Indiana Wesleyan 0

Indiana Wesleyan 10, Spring Arbor 2

Oakland City 17, Alice Lloyd 5

Oakland City 15, Alice Lloyd 1

Saint Francis (Ind.) 7, Mount Vernon Nazarene 6

Saint Francis (Ind.) 7, Mount Vernon Nazarene 1

Friday, April 26

West Virginia Tech 10, IUPU-Columbus 4

Roosevelt 17, IU South Bend 15

Roosevelt 12, IU South Bend 1

Indiana Tech 10, Cornerstone 4

Indiana Tech 8, Cornerstone 7

Indiana Wesleyan 8, Spring Arbor 2

Indiana Wesleyan 3, Spring Arbor 2

Saint Francis (Ind.) 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Mount Vernon Nazarene 4, Saint Francis (Ind.) 2

Saturday, April 27

Calumet of St. Joseph 4, Judson 3

Calumet of St. Joseph 2, Judson 0

Taylor 26, Goshen 2

Taylor 8, Goshen 7

Huntington 13, Marian 3

Huntington 7, Marian 1

West Virginia Tech 14, IUPU-Columbus 4

Roosevelt 12, IU South Bend 8

Roosevelt 11, IU South Bend 9

Indiana Tech 19, Cornerstone 4

Indiana Tech 7, Cornerstone 3

Sunday, April 28

St. Ambrose 16, Calumet of St. Joseph at St. Ambrose 15

St. Ambrose 12, Calumet of St. Joseph at St. Ambrose 4

Junior College

Thursday, April 25

Lansing 18, Marian’s Ancilla 1

Lansing 6, Marian’s Ancilla 0

Lincoln Trail 5, Vincennes 1

Friday, April 26

Lansing 12, Marian’s Ancilla 2

Lansing 10, Marian’s Ancilla 2

Saturday, April 27

John Wood 8, Vincennes 0

John Wood 14, Vincennes 4

Sunday, April 28

John Wood 13, Vincennes 12

John Wood 8, Vincennes 7

College

Crown Point alum Bosse earns CCAC Pitcher of the Week honor with St. Ambrose U.

April 27, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Jacob Bosse was honored as Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week on April 23.

The junior left-hander at NAIA member St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, threw an eight-inning complete game with a career high-tying 12 strikeouts and four walks in a 14-1 win against Judson University. He had a shutout going until the seventh inning.

In eight mound outings (all starts) for the 2024 Fighting Bees, Bosse is 2-1 with a 6.00 earned run average, 53 strikeouts and 36 walks in 36 innings. Opponents are hitting .218 against him.

In his first season at St. Ambrose in 2023, he pitched 11 times (six as a starter) and was 1-0 with a 3.82 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 38 walks in 30 2/3 innings.

SAU head coach Tony Huntley and pitching coach Hunter Keim could decide to send Bosse to the bump Sunday, April 28 against visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph (the school in Whiting, Ind., has players familiar to Bosse including Jorge Santos) or save him for next week’s CCAC Tournament in Joliet, Ill.

Pitching wasn’t always the thing for Bosse.

Growing up in Crown Point, Ind.,and playing Little League and Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth ball and travel ball with Top Tier, he was an outfielder.

At Crown Point High School, he only stepped on the mound once in awhile.

“I’d go in if we needed a guy,” says Bosse. “I had no real feel for how to be a pitcher.”

He went up the ladder for the Bulldogs, playing on the frosh team as a freshman, junior varsity squad as a sophomore and varsity as a junior. He could be found in left field or center field.

Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Steve Strayer leads the CPHS program.

“He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ll ever have,” says Bosse of Strayer. “He’s a great guy. He really gave me confidence.

“He helped me become a better baseball player and a better person.”

While working out for a 2020 senior season that wound up canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bosse began to get serious about pitching.

After graduation, the left-hander stuck with it.

As fits his personality, he threw himself the task of getting better at the craft.

“I’m a very fierce competitor,” says Bosse, 22. “I care a lot about what and how I’m doing. If goes beyond the game for me. I’m planning my days out around what I’m going to do to get better.

“My competitiveness and hunger to do better every day are my best qualities.”

Delivering from a high three-quarter arm slot, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bosse mixes a four-seam fastball, “circle” change-up, 12-to-6 curveball and a slider.

He has topped out at 92 mph and sits at 87 to 91 mph with his fastball. His change travels at 75 to 78, curve at 70 to 74 and slider at 76 to 79.

“I try to get more arm-side sink (with the change-up),” says Bosse. “I try to get a lot of fade to it to miss more barrels. It plays really well off my fastball.

“I do get a lot of natural run. When I pull it down, I get more back spin than side spin. I try to create a rise effect with it.”

Bosse attended a Prep Baseball Report showcase through Top Tier and was drawn to South Suburban College, a National Junior College Athletic Association member in South Holland, Ill. It was where he became a pitcher-only.

Toeing the slab for the Steve Ruzich-coached Bulldogs, Bosse pitched in 37 games (29 as a reliever) in 2021 and 2022 and went 5-3 with 5.72 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 70 walks in 74 innings.

Pitching for the NWI Rippers in a Babe Ruth district game in the summer of 2021, Bosse struck out a record 20 batters. He faced 24 batters and gave up one hit in 6 2/3 innings. Of 106 pitches, 69 were strikes.

“I do consider myself to be a pretty high-strikeout pitcher,” says Bosse. “I do take into account how many pitches I’m using. If I can strike out a guy as fast as I can, I try to do that and really challenge him.”

Through Twitter (now X), Bosse was recruited to St. Ambrose by assistant coach Joe Vaccaro.

“I came out here for a visit, loved it and decided it was the place for me,” says Bosse. “It is a really nice place.”

In the summer of 2022, Bosse played for the Crown Point-based Lake County CornDogs of the Northern League. In 2023, he was with the Northwoods League’s Rochester (Minn.) Honkers. This summer he’s due to play for the NWL’s Fond du Lac (Wis.) Dock Spiders.

A Sport Management major, Bosse expects to finish his undergraduate degree in the fall then begin masters classes. He says he plans to play 2025 might come back in 2026 as a graduate student. The pandemic plus his time in junior college has added to his eligibility clock.

Bosse’s favorite MLB team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. A recreational basketball player growing up, his favorite athlete is former Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

“I got to see him play a couple of times when I was a kid,” says Bosse. “That’s how I grew to love Chicago.”

Jacob is the oldest of Brad and Diana Bosse’s two children. Allyson Bosse is studying Business at Indiana University South Bend.

Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (South Suburban College Photo)

Jacob Bosse with sister Allyson, father Brad and mother Diana.

College

Simplicity suits Indiana State’s Stinson just fine

April 26, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Focusing on quality at-bats, Parker Stinson has seen an improvement when he steps in to hit for the Indiana State University baseball team.

With the help of assistant coach Jason Hagerty, the lefty-swinging senior right fielder has untangled his thoughts in the box and it’s helped.

As the first-place Sycamores (29-8, 12-3) head into a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series Friday through Sunday, April 26-28 at Southern Illinois, Stinson has played in all 37 games (36 starts) and is hitting .295 (38-of-129) with 11 home runs, two triples, six doubles, 32 runs batted in, 33 runs scored and a 1.068 OPS (.440 on-base percentage plus .628 slugging average).

He has 11 multi-hit games with three-hit contests March 30 against Illinois-Chicago at Bob Warn Field and April 2 at Indiana. More often than not, he bats No. 4 in the ISU order.

“Hags has been a great addition for us,” says Stinson of Hagerty, who joined the staff in the summer of 2023. “He’s helped me simplify things.

“I’ve simplified it down to the bare minimum. Complicated never seems to work out for me. I’m up at the plate trying to put together a quality at-bat. Whether that’s a hard out or seeing six pitches, that’s a win for me.”

What about driving the baseball?

“I’ve always been able to hit for power,” says Stinson. “It’s been one of my strengths as a ballplayer.

“I really wanted to lean into that this year. I have to be OK with some swings-and-misses. Those are sacrifices you have to make to be a power hitter. I’m trying to get three of my best hacks off each at-bat.”

He has 45 strikeouts and 27 walks.

Stinson doesn’t mind standing on top of the plate, especially against left-handed pitchers.

“It’s makes them uncomfortable,” says Stinson. “If they can put three running fastballs on the inside part of the plate, I’ll just tip my cap to him.”

Led by lefty-swinging redshirt senior Dominic Listi’s 19, ISU batters have been hit by 86 pitches with nine having been plunked five times or more. For Stinson, it’s eight.

But the Sycamores bench does not ask hitters at the dish to “Wear It!”

“We say, ‘Don’t Skate!,’” says Stinson. “It’s about everyone taking one of the team. What it comes down to is taking the extra base for the team.”

Another newcomer to the staff — Kevin Bowers — oversees outfielders.

“He’s keeping us athletic, diving and making plays,” says Stinson of Bowers.

Mitch Hannahs is in his 11th season as head coach at Indiana State.

“He’s intense,” says Stinson of Hannahs. “He holds a high expectation for the team.

“That’s the main reason we’re so successful here. He never let’s that drop.”

About halfway through his prep days, Stinson was 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. He’s now 6-foot and 210.

“When junior year (at Yorktown High School) rolled around I started getting in the weight room a little more,” says Stinson. “In college, lifting and nutrition became a part of your job.

“I’ve put on 20 pounds of muscle since I’ve been in college. I cleaned up my diet a little more, cooking more meals at the house as opposed to eating out.”

Stinson has played summer collegiate ball the past three years — 2021 for the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s Southampton (N.Y.) Breakers, 2022 for the Northwoods League’s Kenosha (Wis.) Kingfish and 2023 for the NWL’s Willmar (Minn.) Stingers.

He will not play this summer, instead doing an internship required to complete his Exercise Science degree. It will be with a sports performance facility.

Stinson, 22, has a year of eligibility remaining and he says he will likely use it in 2024-25.

He was redshirted for the 2021 Indiana State season.

“The jump from high school to college was a lot for me with COVID,” says Stinson. “I wasn’t ready for the speed of the game at this level.

“The coaches wanted to give me an extra year to get adjusted.”

In his first two seasons on the field in Terre Haute (2022 and 2023), Stinson got into 77 games (56 starts) and hit .219 (47-of-214) with eight homers, one triple, eight doubles, 40 RBIs and 40 runs.

Born in Nashville, Tenn., Stinson came to Indiana as a toddler and grew up in Yorktown, Ind.

He played rec ball in the Yorktown Junior Athletic Association then with the Yorktown Tigers travel team which became the Indiana Generals. He later represented the Indiana Prospects.

At Yorktown High School, his head coach was P.J. Fauqher.

“That guy was a great coach,” says Stinson of Fauqher. “I enjoyed playing for me.”

The core of that early travel team were the starters for the 2019 team that made it to the IHSAA Class 3A Kokomo Semistate before losing 5-0 to eventual state champion Andrean.

“They were moving up and we were planning on taking state in 2020 (but the season was canceled because of the pandemic),” says Stinson. “During COVID people were joking and had T-shirts made that said, ‘Yorktown Tigers State Champs 2020.’”

Stinson’s favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees. His favorite player in Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

“I always liked the way he led his team,” says Stinson of Jeter. “He was humble and he led by example.

“The man knew how to win.”

Parker is the oldest of Matt and Tiffany Stinson’s three children.

Ellee Stinson (21) is a 2021 Yorktown graduate who played volleyball at Northwestern University and is transferring to Texas A&M University.

Joe Stinson (18) is a senior tennis and track athlete at Yorktown and is likely to go into the trades after graduation.

Parker Stinson. (Indiana State University Photo)

High School

Greensburg alum Meyer changing diamond mindset

April 25, 2024 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Alex Meyer is in the third season of changing baseball minds at his alma mater.

“We came in and the program was struggling a little bit and we’re starting to see things heading in the right direction,” says Meyer, the 2008 Greensburg (Ind.) Community High School graduate, Indiana Mr. Baseball and former big league pitcher has been head coach for the Pirates program since 2022. “It’s taken a lot of time and a lot of hard work to establish a different mindset. They’re starting to buy in and believe they can play the game, too.

“We want to throw strikes on the mound, throw strikes across the diamond, catch the ball when it’s hit to us and put the ball in-play in the batter’s box. If you do those four things as the high school level, every game you should have an opportunity to win.”

Meyer, 34, is also emphasizing enjoyment.

“We’re just trying to make it as much for the kids as we can,” says Meyer. “If people are nervous and not having fun and walking around on eggshells it’s going to be really hard to find success in baseball.

“We want kids to have confidence. We want them to have fun while they’re doing it.”

Greensburg (enrollment around 660) is a member of the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference (with Batesville, Connersville, East Central, Franklin County, Lawrenceburg, Rushville Consolidated and South Dearborn).

The Pirates are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2024 with Batesville, Connersville, Franklin County, Lawrenceburg (host), Rushville Consolidated and South Dearborn. Greensburg has won nine sectional — the last in 2016.

Other teams on the 2024 schedule include Columbus East, Hauser, North Decatur, Oldenburg Academy, South Ripley and Union County.

Catcher/pitcher Gavin Owens (Greensburg Class of 2024) is committed to Indiana University Columbus and other current Pirates have shown an interest in college baseball.

Meyer’s assistants are Keegan McCamment, Kirby Dunagan and Collin Rigney with the varsity and Tom Mulig, Austin Schultz and Colton Williams with the junior varsity.

McCamment works with hitters, Dunagan guides catchers and coaches first base and Rigney oversees infielders. Meyer manages the whole program and coaches third base in games.

After a three-year stint at the University of Kentucky (2009-11) and six in pro ball (2012-17), including 22 games with the Minnesota Twins and Los Angeles Angels, Meyer coached in the Indiana Bulls travel organization.

He had the same approach as he does at Greensburg.

“It was about putting the kids first and making it about them,” says Meyer. “It’s what they need. Each team is different every year and you have to adjust accordingly.”

His first two years as a prep head coach, the 6-foot-9 right-hander would occasionally throw batting practice but he has left that to others so far this season.

“It’s not as easy as it used to be,” says Meyer. “I do not plan on doing that.”

The Pirates play and practice at an on-campus diamond.

Feeding the high school program are Greensburg Junior High School. Before that comes Greensburg Youth Baseball League — an organization where Meyer himself played growing up.

“Some kids stay local and some play travel ball,” says Meyer. “As long as they’re playing, that’s the biggest thing for us. We want to make sure they have a ball in their hand as much as they can.”

Alex and Kyra Meyer have three children — sons Roman (5) and Max (4) and daughter Renn (1).

Both sets of grandparents live in town. David and Sandy Meyer are Alex’s parents. His father helping with the transition away from owning a Ford dealership and his mother is retired. Kristen is his older sister. Eric is his younger brother.

“Family has always been a big part for my wife and I,” says Alex. “We had good support systems growing up and we wanted to make sure our kids have the same opportunity.”

Contact Steve Krah at stvkrh905@gmail.com