By STEVE KRAH
The diamond is important at Connersville (Ind.) High School and it’s special to Jason Cloyd.
A 1991 Connersville graduate, Cloyd played prep baseball for four years — first for junior varsity coach Tom Gable Jr. (son of Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Tom Gable Sr.), and varsity coach Mark Beard then three at Huntington (Ind.) College (now Huntington University) for IHSBCA Hall of Famer Mike Frame.
“(Beard) was really good dealing with kids,” says Cloyd. “(Frame) showed me a side of the game I hadn’t seen in high school. I learned a lot of my defensive stuff from Coach Frame.
“I’m pretty defensive-minded.”
For more than two decades, Cloyd has been an assistant baseball coach at his alma mater. The past few seasons, 1990 Connersville graduate and former Cloyd teammate Michael Thompson led the Spartans program.
The 2024 season will be Cloyd’s first as head coach and the 100th official season for the program.
Like Thompson, Cloyd looks to keep things simple.
“Michael and I coach a lot alike,” says Cloyd. “We want to play defense, throw strikes and put the ball in play.
“If we can do those three things we’re normally going to be pretty successful — year in and year out.”
Connersville (enrollment around 950) is a member of the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference (with Batesville, East Central, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Rushville Consolidated and South Dearborn).
Non-conference foes in 2024 include Shenandoah, Hagerstown, Richmond, Yorktown, Centerville, Lawrence Central, Union County, Anderson, New Palestine, Knightstown, New Castle and Pendleton Heights.
The Spartans are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2024 with Batesville, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Rushville Consolidated and South Dearborn. Connersville has won 20 sectional titles — the last two in 2022 and 2023.
A 22-7 season in 2023 ended with a 1-0 loss to eventual 3A state champion Silver Creek in the Floyd Central Regional. Right-hander Kolton DeBoard (a Class of 2025 member who went 7-1) was on the mound for the Spartans in that contest.
“Three big shoes to fill” include Chance Bentley, Braxton Myers and Gavin Pearson. Catcher Bentley left for the University of Evansville. Myers went to Indiana Wesleyan University for football.
“It was one of the strongest groups we’ve had in a long time,” says Cloyd of the 2023 team. “We lost seven kids (to graduation). We’ve got good kids back. They’ll need to take on the role of leaders. That’s going to be a big step for them.
“We’ve got pitching back (13 of 22 victories). That’s the one thing I’ll always take if you give me an option.”
Besides DeBoard, 6-foot-6, 250-pound right-hander Aaron Kidd (Class of 2025) returns to the Spartans mound crew.
Cloyd sees college baseball potential in DeBoard, Kidd, son infielder/right-hander pitcher Brady Cloyd (Class of 2024) and right-hander/middle infielder Gavin Brannon (Class 2026).
Using the fieldhouse at Connersville, the team has been spending IHSAA Limited Contact Period time on Mondays and Thursdays either taking infield practice or getting cuts in the batting cage.
Cloyd’s 2024 coaching staff includes Cameron Rowe and Brandon Shearer at the varsity level and Paul Woytik with junior varsity plus a few volunteers. Rowe, who played for Cloyd, takes over defensive duties from Cloyd. Alum Shearer is Connersville’s hitting coach. Woytik has been involved with both the baseball and softball programs at the school.
A new baseball field is being constructed on-campus. It’s uncertain if the natural-grass facility with irrigation it will be ready for play this spring.
With the new diamond and the current one — Spartan Field — will have two to accommodate varsity, JV (in some years there has been a high school team) and junior high.
The seventh and eighth grade squads practice and play most of the time in the spring at Connersville’s Babe Ruth League field. Players come up through the Connersville Parks & Recreation program and many are also active in various travel ball organizations.
Cloyd says he would like to have a local travel organization with teams from 7U to 12U.
In 2020, Cloyd retired from the Fayette County Sheriff’s Department after 21 years of service. He is now a Criminal Justice teacher at Whitewater Career Center in Connersville.
Jason and wife Audrey have been married nearly 12 years. Together, they have three children — 2019 Connersville graduates Bryce and Ava and current senior Brady. Bryce Cloyd played baseball and some basketball for the Spartans and Ava was on the dance team.
To follow Spartans baseball on social media, go to the Connersville Backstop Booster Club Facebook page or @cvillespartans on X (formerly Twitter).
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