Category Archives: Recruiting

NSR Metrics Combine Series brings opportunity to inner-city players

March 22, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

Players from inner-city Indianapolis took part in a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event Saturday, March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind.
Led by NSR Area Director Mark Galyean, the combine gave participating high schoolers the opportunity to have their performance numbers like throwing and exit velocity recorded and skills captured by camera.
The measurements tell how hard a player can hit and throw and how fast they can run — all things college coaches want to know when recruiting players.
As an NSR-produced video shown to close to 60 players in attendance expressed it: “It’s about being seen.”
Galyean asked the players if they wanted to play college baseball.
Many hands shot up.
He also dispelled what he considers a myth.
“They say if you’re good enough they’re going to find you,” said Galyean. “There are almost 500,000 high school baseball players every single year. Approximately 35,000 go on to play in college. That’s less than 7 percent. That’s not very many.
“You need to work hard. Coaches need to know who you are. They need to know what you can do. They need to evaluate.”
Roundtripper founder and University High School (Carmel) head coach Chris Estep and former big league pitcher Cory Wade also spoke to the players. Arsenal Tech, Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis Metropolitan, Irvington Prep and Purdue Polytechnic (Englewood and North) were among schools represented by players who pre-registered.
Estep emphasized the importance of getting good grades so athletes can be eligible to play at the college level and enhance their education.
Wade, whose only college offer coming out of Broad Ripple High School in Indianapolis came from NCAA Division II Kentucky Wesleyan College, says the level is not important.
“You want to go somewhere where you’re going to get to play,” said Wade, who is also part of a group that has developed the ScoutUsPro app to help players share their data. “The way things are on the recruiting landscape right now with the Transfer Portal, it’s fully effected high school recruiting. The junior college route has become very popular as a springboard to get into a four-year school.”
After listening to a few speakers, players were put through a dynamic warm-up by Roundtripper Sports Performance Director Vernon Smith then went about throwing, swinging and running.
While that was happening, coaches attended a seminar.
Estep talked to them about the value of playing Wiffle®Ball to learn baseball situations on the fly.
Gathering and watching an MLB game is another way to build Baseball I.Q.
“Here’s what’s going to happen in the first three inning and this is what’s going to happen in the last three,” said Estep. “It’s amazing. In my career I was a much better in the seventh, eighth or ninth than I was in the first, second or third.
“You need to talk to your kids about who they’re going to defend a hit-and-run and who’s going to cover, how the shortstop and second baseman are going to interact and once you have those things to start to win ball games.
“This type of I.D. camp is exactly what they need to help push those kids to the next level.”
A coach’s packet with important dates, preseason, in-season and postseason practice philosophies, important pitching routines (which were detailed by current pro Garrett Christman), a sample practice plan, college recruiting resources and an Indiana collegiate coaching directory were distributed.
“I’m really interested and invested in these types of program working for Marion County and Indianapolis kids who don’t have these opportunities to train that other kids have,” said IHSAA Assistant Commissioner Robert Faulkens, who has been conducting similar programs with Estep for a few years. “(Director of Athletics for Roundtripper and University High assistant coach) Reid (Andrews) and Chris (Estep) have really put some work into this and they’ve thought about how to help you coach your kids during the course of the year.
“We will be always available to you.”
Faulkens asked coaches to take advantage of the resources and encouraged feedback.
“We want to get kids ready for the next level,” said Faulkens. “When the opportunity presents itself they’ll be ready.”
Faulkens said the plan is to continue have more events like the NSR Metrics Combine Series in central Indiana and — if possible — around Indiana and to get more individuals and groups involved.

A National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series was held March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Batters swung at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Players get ready at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Mark Galyean speaks at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Cory Wade speaks at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Chris Estep speaks at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Mark Galyean talks to players at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

IHSAA Assistant Commissioner Robert Faulkens was a a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Vernon Smith put players through a dynamic warm-up at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Data is collected at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Swings were one of the things that were measured at a National Scouting Metrics Report Combine Series event March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

High School, Instruction, Recruiting

Inner-city players, coaches, parents invited to free combine, clinic, seminar

March 9, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A partnership between several groups will bring collegiate exposure and learning opportunities to players, coaches and parents tied to Indianapolis Public Schools and inner-city charter institutions.
Representatives from National Scouting Report Midwest (Mark Galyean and Jamie Owens), Indy RBI (Mike Lennox and Bob Haney), ScoutUs Pro (Cory Wade), Roundtripper Sports Academy (Chris Estep and Reid Andrews), Indiana High School Athletic Association (Robert Faulkens) and Baseball Across Indiana (Dan Hill and Steve Krah) met recently to plan.
Saturday, March 18 was set for a video and metrics combine, position/skill development camp and coaches clinic (during the combine and conducted by Roundtripper staff) at Roundtripper in Westfield. Registration is at 11 a.m. The event runs from noon to 4 p.m.
Welcome/introduction and recruiting seminar is slated for 12-12:30 with dynamic warm-up at 12:30, 60-yard dash/pro shuffle at 12:45, warm up arms at 1:15 and overhand velocity/exit velocity followed by pitchers and catcher at 1:30.
NSR will videotape key events and make them available to all that attend (including coaches).
As of March 6, schools who had indicated they will attend included Arsenal Tech (where Haney is head coach), Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis Metropolitan, Irvington Prep, Purdue Polytechnic, Riverside and Tindley.
More than 100 players are expected to participate in the free event.
A ”coaches handbook” with practice plans etc., will be presented to all coaches who attend.
“This can be the model for everybody,” says Faulkens, IHSAA Assistant Commissioner in charge of baseball. “I’m going to call folks in South Bend, Evansville and Fort Wayne to say you need to be here to see it because we’re probably going to do the same thing (in those communities).”
Says Estep, “That would be cool. They could see it and say we want this.”
NSR, a national company based in Birmingham, Ala., was founded in 1980 and helps student-athletes and families through the college recruiting process.
“I talk to college coaches daily — our organization does,” says Galyean, NSR Area Director based in central Indiana. “We’re family-owned.”
Other events are being planned and there is talk of having a game(s) — likely to be called the Oscar Charleston Classic — at Victory Field in downtown Indianapolis — home of the Triple-A Indians.
Galyean, who came to NSR as a father then a scout then a licensee, has known Roundtripper founder/University High School head coach Estep for many years and had his boys play and coach for Estep’s Indiana Mustangs travel organization.
Andrews is Director of Athletics for Roundtripper and assistant coach at University.
“We want to make these inner-city kids understand that they can play (college baseball) as well,” says Galyean. “I just want to give back to these kids.
“It’s about helping them get what they need and get to the next level.”
Galyean and his group place an emphasis placed on academics.
“We talk about how important it is and the benefit of taking the ACT and SAT early,” says Galyean. “We talk about when to start the process.
“We talk about how important grades are.”
Galyean says he always gets positive feedback from parents after seminars that the importance of grades is stressed.
The discussion includes finding a place that’s the right fit and that it is a four-year experience.
“We want to make it the best four-year experience possible,” says Galyean. “It’s about what’s really true about the process.
“We want to dispel all the myths and untruths of the procedure.”
Owens is Digital Content Creator for NSR Midwest.
Since 1996, Indy RBI has been the proud exclusive Indianapolis affiliate of Major League Baseball’s RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) initiative.
Over 25,000 boys and girls ages 3-18 have played in Indy RBI, the area’s premier urban baseball and softball program. It’s the biggest affiliate in the country without a Major League Baseball franchise.
Lennox is Executive Director at Indy RBI.
ScoutUsPro is a global database connecting athletes with scouts, managers, agents and matchmakers.
Wade, an Indianapolis Broad Ripple High School graduate who played 12 pro baseball including four in MLB, is Director of Baseball Operations for ScoutUs Pro.

A National Scouting Report metrics combine for Indianapolis Public Schools and inner-city charter institutions is scheduled for Saturday, March 18 at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. (NSR Photo)

Recruiting

Mortrud’s Midwest Recruiting, LLC approaching 1-year anniversary

September 25, 2021 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

By STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

First-hand familiarity with the subject and the desire to offer something of value to baseball players and their families led Aaron Mortrud to launch Midwest Recruiting, LLC in October 2020.
Mortrud, a 1990 graduate of Bethany Christian School in Waterford Mills, Ind. (south side of Goshen), where his head coach was Dan Bodiker, played one season each for head coach Mike Frame at Huntington College (now Huntington University) and at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI).
Oldest son Nick Mortrud went through the recruiting process while playing at Westview High School in Topeka, Ind.
Midwest Recruiting, LLC helps market players to prospective colleges in an efficient, affordable way.
Mortrud describes it as “Autotrader for Athletes.”
“Recruiting is a sales process,” says Mortrud, whose day job is National Sales Manager for Starcraft Inc., and works of the office near his Shipshewana, Ind., home. “College coaches are buyers of a product — the student-athlete. How do you connect the buyer with the product?”
Using his relationships with recruiters, Mortrud works for his clients to join the two parties.
Once he got the ball rolling last fall, things took off like crazy.
“I just picked up a kid from Australia who wants to play college baseball in the U.S.,” says Mortrud.
So far three players have found a college baseball home — Kaleb Fritz (Lafayette Jeff Class of 2021) at Ivy Tech Northeast in Fort Wayne, Noah Perkins (East Noble Class of 2022) at Principia College in Elsah, Ill., and Carson Smith (Knightstown Class of 2022) at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne. Others are close to signing.
Full Midwest Recruiting, LLC services cost $95.
“What I’m trying to do is give as much honest and real information to families at the best cost,” says Mortrud. “Parents deserve to be told the truth about all facets of the game.
A profile with a players’ vital data goes on a website that recruiters can go to for their specific needs. For example: One coach might be seeking a left-handed pitcher who throws in the high 80’s and has such-and-such a standard test score.
Mortrud sees himself as an unbiased third party who has invested into quality measuring equipment that provides reliable numbers.
“The only thing worse than no information is bad information,” says Mortrud. “I don’t want to waste a (college) program’s or a kid’s time. Let’s be honest from the beginning.
“I have to maintain my credibility.”
Players can also be seen at Midwest Recruiting, LLC-hosted recruiting events. The next ones are a Fall Showcase Oct. 2 and Scout Series Oct. 3 at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. The first is a pro-style workout and assessment. The second includes spots for teams and individuals.
A Scout Series event is scheduled for June 25-26, 2022 at Huntington U.
Mortrud has experience as a baseball parent and travel ball coach. He is now with the Midwest Pack (run by Westview head coach Jason Rahn) and was with the Eastside Irish before moving from central Ohio back to Indiana six years ago.
“College baseball is a job,” says Mortrud of the long days and year-round commitment it takes at that level. “(Players and families) need to know what college baseball is.
“This may not be for you. How bad do you really want to play baseball?”
Ultimately, the decision is not for the parents but the student-athlete.
“That kid’s got to decide what he wants to do,” says Mortrud.
Nick Mortrud (Westview Class of 2021) — Aaron’s oldest son — made decision to not play college baseball.
“I know what its like to come through the recruiting process as a parent with a kid who does not want to go on after you’ve spent all that time and money,” says Aaron Mortrud.
Matty Mortrud (Westview Class of 2023) has more high school and travel ball to play before he might go to college.
Midwest Recruiting, LLC is on Facebook and Twitter. In the past week, Mortrud shared on Twitter what it takes to make it at the NAIA and NCAA Division III levels. Those numbers appear below.

Exposure, Recruiting

Crossroads Baseball Series helps talent connect with next level programs

April 20, 2021 stvkrh905 2 Comments

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Connecting baseball players who wish to play at the next level with coaches seeking talent is something that the Crossroads Baseball Series has been doing for more than a decade.

Started in 2008 by former Indiana University and professional infielder Eric Blakeley as an outgrowth of his Diamond Kings training business in northwest Indiana, CBS has grown to include showcases, tournaments and fall leagues in numerous states.

Blakeley ran Diamond Kings — former Griffith (Ind.) High School and Tulane University standout and current Los Angeles Dodgers minor leaguer Kody Hoese was one of his early pupils — for about a decade.

Crossroads Baseball Series began as a way for “Region” area players to have exposure events without traveling to Indianapolis or Chicago.

The first CBS event held at Gary’s U.S. Steel Yard include future big league pitcher Sean Manaea. Blakeley notes that 85 of the 87 players involved went on to play college baseball.

At Crossroads Baseball Series showcases, players work out in front of college coaches and play in prospect games against top recommended players.

There are 17 tournaments on the 2021 calendar with events in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Ohio. Many of these are for 14U to 18U players.

“We’re on the verge of growing our tournament space,” says Blakeley, CEO/President of Baseball Operations for Crossroads Baseball Series. “There’s a high demand for quality tournaments that don’t cost $2,000. We try to stay around $1,000 price point.”

Blakeley says college coaches can get on an RSVP list and attend events and receive information from them.

Rosters are collected and each player fills out an information form. Coaches have full access to this for free.

CBS provides social media coverage for recruiters and players’ families to share.

“We pride ourselves on educating the families,” says Blakeley. “We can get your names out there.

“The players have to do their research and count the schools that match (their choices).”

What Crossroads Baseball Series does, according to Blakeley, makes it easier for players to communicate with college coaches and do their research.

Blakeley emphasizes that college coaches will know if a player has done his homework on his program.

It is even more important now that the competition for roster spots has become even more fierce with many players staying in college baseball longer thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and the smaller MLB Draft.

“It’s become a lot more competitive to get into these schools — academically and athletically,” says Blakeley.

The words of former Indiana University and current Arizona State University head coach Tracy Smith ring true with Blakeley.

“If you want to play college baseball, there’s a place for you,” says Blakeley. “You just need to do your research and go to camps.”

Travis Keesling, former head coach at Pendleton Heights High School, is Vice President of Baseball Operations for CBS after starting out as a coach selecting players for a showcase.

“Travis has a very good baseball background,” says Blakeley. “He knows the game very well.”

Keesling deals with finding on-field personnel, RSVPing college coaches and the overall vision of the company. He and Blakeley talk on a daily basis.

Nelson Gord, a former minor league opponent to Blakeley who resides in Illinois and is Director of Baseball for NCSA (Next College Student Athlete), is also Director of Recruiting Education for Crossroads Baseball Series.

“He’ll come to events and speak to parents about the recruiting process,” says Blakeley of Gord.

NCSA had purchased a platform called Coach Packet and CBS now has its own app that incorporates video, social media and results to the same player profile. College coaches are given access to this information.

The Crossroads Baseball Series staff also features field coordinators include Rob Fay, Craig Cotter and Austin Green.

Blakeley was a four-sport athlete at Greenville (Ohio) Senior High School.

“I was fortunate to have good coaches for high school and summer ball,” says Blakeley. “I got hit by pitch and broke my arm and did not play junior year of high school.”

The righty-swinging infielder wound up at Indiana through a relationship his coach had with Hoosiers head coach Bob Morgan.

“He taught you some things about life,” says Blakeley. “There’s nothing easy about getting through a practice with Bob Morgan.

“He taught you accountability and taking care of yourself.”

As much as the process has changed over the year, one things has remained constant.

“It was word-of-mouth then and it’s still that way today,” says Blakeley. Coaches want to hear from coaches who they consider trustworthy and whose opinion they respect. “What has changed is technology. There is accessibility and instant updates now.”

Another change is the age of those being seriously pursued by recruiters.

“Recruiting has gotten a lot earlier,” says Blakeley. “When we started Crossroads in 2008, every single of the players had not made their college choice yet and were juniors going into their senior year. Ten years later, eighth graders were (verbally) committing going into their freshmen year.”

A shortstop for much of his four seasons at IU (1999-02), Blakeley was selected in the 21st round of the 2002 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Seattle Mariners as a second baseman.

After his first pro season, Blakeley had Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery. He was in Class-A ball in 2003 and 2004 and made it up to Triple-A in 2005.

Released by the Mariners in 2005, Blakeley played for the independent Joliet (Ill.)JackHammers and Gary (Ind.) SouthShore RailCats before retiring as a player after the 2008 season.

“I wasn’t trying to go back into affiliated ball,” says Blakeley. “I had my business and had gotten married (to Lake Central High School graduate Laura).”

Gary won the Northern League title in 2007 and were runners-up in 2008.

RailCats manager Greg Tagert invited him back for 2009, but Blakeley decided to focus on his business and having a family.

Eric and Laura Blakeley now resides in Fishers, Ind., with daughters Isabella (10) and Gianna (8). Eric coaches both girls on the Fishers Cats.

“Sports can teach kids for the future — about adversity and how to overcome it,” says Blakeley. “Don’t think what might happen bad. Think what might happen good.

“Failure is going to help you where you want to be. They just don’t understand that yet.”

Contact Steve Krah at stvkrh905@gmail.com