Rising Sun raised a sectional championship baseball trophy in both 2022 and 2023.
Alum Brandon Turner (Rising Sun Class of 2013) hopes to keep the streak going as a first-year head coach in 2024. He was an assistant to Kevin Wirsch for the Shiners the past six seasons — two as a volunteer followed by four as a paid assistant.
“We have a very good opportunity to win another sectional and make it deep in the (IHSAA) tournament if we can come together as a team do all the little things right,” says Turner. “We lost a lot of our offense from last year. We have a lot of young guys that will have to step up at the plate, including our returners. We’re going to have to find ways to manufacture runs so (that means) being disciplined at the plate and swinging at good pitches. We can’t afford to chase pitches and rack up strikeouts. We’ll look for walks and steal bases when we can.”
Graduation took top pitchers Peyton Merica and Dylan Martin so Rising Sun will be leaning on many arms to fill the void in 2024.
“My emphasis with pitching will be to throw strikes and let your defense work,” says Turner. “We should have a pretty strong infield and outfield.”
Recent college players from Rising Sun include Class of 2018’s Brent Turner (Huntington University), 2019’s Brayden Bush (Kentucky Wesleyan College), 2020’s Steven Jimenez (Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati) and 2021’s Landon Cole (Franklin College). Brent Turner is Brandon’s brother.
Brandon Turner says Aiden White (Rising Sun Class of 2026) has shown interest in college ball.
Turner, 29, is in his first year as a teacher, instructing fourth graders at Ohio County Elementary in Rising Sun. He was a first-year head girls golf coach for the Shiners in the fall and is entering his fourth year as a boys basketball assistant to Brandon Snodgrass.
The interview process has began for filling Turner’s baseball coaching staff. The hope is to have two paid coaches and a couple of volunteers.
The program’s home field is located in Rising Sun Park just behind the middle school and next to a farm.
Youth fields are next to that and the middle school plays on the high school field.
The Shiners are part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping in 2024 with Crothersville, Henryville, New Washington, Shawe Memorial and Trinity Lutheran. Rising Sun has won nine sectional crowns — the last two in 2022 and 2023. The Shiners lost to Shakamak in the 2022 Morristown Regional and 2023 Jasper Semistate.
As a Rising Sun athlete, Turner played soccer, basketball and golf as well as four years of baseball. Wirsch was his head coach on the diamond.
“He’s everything you want to be as a coach,” says Turner of Wirsch. “He’s loyal to every single player he’s had. He knows the game inside and out. Being around him helped me learn everything I know now.
“He’s an all-around great guy and a great coach.”
All nine of Rising Sun’s sectional titles came on the watch of Wirsch, who was an all-state catcher at East Central High School in 1993 and went on to play baseball and football at the University of Evansville.
Turner was on Rising Sun 1A sectional championship teams in 2011, 2012 and 2013. The Shiners made it to the Final Four in 2013.
A 2008 Hebron graduate, Straka was the Hawks’ batting champion as a junior and senior and finished with a .400 career average.
After a four-year stint as an educator at Hammond (Ind.) High School where he was also head baseball coach he came back to his alma mater as a Social Studies teacher and assistant coach in 2019-20.
It was a extra-special spring at the little school in the southwest corner of Porter County with it being the only time Hebron baseball and softball have ever won sectional titles in the same year.
“We’ve definitely got a chance of repeating,” says Straka, looking forward to the 2024 Hawks baseball season.
Right week, Straka is leading the middle school program in the Porter County Conference tournament.
A season of about 12 games began when school started in August. This year there are 16 kids on “A” and “B” teams.
This is Straka’s fourth fall running the feeder system. He stresses the same things with the seventh and eighth graders that he does with the high schoolers.
“The success for our program is the methods we’re trying to get these guys to buy into,” says Straka. “It’s how I want to play the game of baseball.
“I want the younger guys to know the expectations and what I expect out of them.”
Straka wants a program with players who can play solid defense, execute small ball, be disciplined at the plate, carry a high Baseball I.Q. and be a good teammate.
“Be encouraging whether you’re playing or you’re in the dugout,” says Straka. “You’re involved in the game in some capacity.”
The Hawks are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping in 2024 with North Judson-San Pierre, South Bend Career Academy, South Central (Union Mills), Wheeler and Winamac. Hebron has won five sectional titles. Previous to 2023, the Red and White reigned in both 2016 and 2017.
Helping Straka to navigate the schedule as varsity assistant Roger Briggs and Shane Charpentier plus junior varsity/pitching coach Levi Oman. Another coach may be added to the staff.
Hebron high school and junior high teams practice and play home games at The Hawks Nest. The diamond is located next to elementary/junior high building which is on the same campus with the high school.
The field recently received ag lime warning track all the way around.
Home and away bullpens have been spruced up. Briggs put much effort into upgrading the home plate area. The mound has also gotten a facelift.
Straka notes that quite a bit of work has been done on the field in the last year or so.
Jackson Peeler (Hebron Class of 2023) has moved on to Kankakee (Ill.) Community College.
Straka says he expects Trever Roy (Hebron Class of 2024) to get a college baseball opportunity. The shortstop/pitcher is coming off a season in which he hit .479 and had an on-base percentage of .602.
Last winter at a PCC home basketball game, Chad Patrick (Hebron Class of 2017) was honored. His No. 7 was retired and now hangs at The Hawks Nest. The right-handed pitcher went on the Purdue Northwest, was drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021 and is now with the Triple-A Las Vegas Aviators in the Oakland Athletics organization.
Basketball is a big deal at Hebron and Straka enjoys being the public address announcer for boys and girls.
“I really enjoy it,” says Straka. “I get pumped up. I love doing the games.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
Straka was born in Crown Point, Ind., and grew up in Hebron.
He graduates from Indiana University Northwest in Gary in 2014 and took the job at Hammond.
Wayne and Stephanie Straka will celebrate their fourth anniversary Sept. 28. The couple have no children.
Wayne Straka.
Wayne Straka and the 2023 sectional champion Hebron Hawks.
The postseason has arrived for the state’s NAIA baseball teams. Conference tournaments are this week for qualifying teams while the 2023 slate ended for a few others. The Crossroads League tournament is scheduled for Wednesday through Monday, May 3-8 at Huntington. Two play-in games are May 3 — No. 6 Spring Arbor vs. No. 7 Grace at noon, followed by No. 5 Mount Vernon Nazarene vs. No. 8 Bethel. Double-elimination is slated May 5-8, beginning May 5 with No. 2 Huntington vs. the best seed from the play-in games at 11 a.m., followed by No. 1 Taylor (the regular-season champions) vs. the worst seed from the play-in games and No. 3 Indiana Wesleyan vs. No. 4 Saint Francis. Marian and Goshen did not make the tournament field. Indiana Tech is the No. 5 seed in the six-team Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament. Concordia and Madonna host pool play May 4-5. Indiana Tech is in the pool with Concordia and Lawrence Tech. A best-of-three championship series is May 8-9. Tyler Yotkewich threw a no-hitter as visiting Indiana University Southeast beat Brescia 5-0 in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday, April 29 and clinched a three-way tie atop the River States Conference. Indiana University Purdue University-Columbus — which will compete in the RSC in the future — concluded the program’s first season. The Grenadiers move on to the six-team RSC tournament May 4-7 in Chillicothe, Ohio as the No. 3 seed. IU-Kokomo is No. 4 seed and Oakland City No. 6. Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament is in two stages — May 4-5 and May 8-9 at Joliet, Ill. Saint Francis (Ill.) and Saint Ambrose are the top two seeds. No. 4 IU South Bend and No. 8 Calumet of St. Joseph are a part of the field. The Crossroads, WHAC, RSC and CCAC will all send two teams to the NAIA Opening Round and a shot at the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
With the 2023 regular season winding down, 18 teams have already matched or surpassed their 2022 win total. There’s Huntington (35 > 27), Indiana Tech (32 = 32), Indiana Wesleyan (32 > 31), Indiana (31 > 27), Indianapolis (29 > 21), Indiana State (28 > 26), Saint Francis (27 = 27), Indiana University-Kokomo (27 > 26), Ivy Tech Northeast (26 > 16), Vincennes (25 > 21), Wabash (22 > 20), Indiana University South Bend (21 > 16), Grace (21 > 17), Manchester (19 > 10), Bethel (19 > 17), Calumet of St. Joseph (17 > 16), Trine (14 = 14) and Marian’s Ancilla (8 = 8).
The state’s longest current win streaks belong to Huntington (6), Indianapolis (6), IU-Kokomo (3), IU Southeast (3) and Indiana Tech (3).
A glance at the NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings through April 30 finds Wake Forest as the overall No. 1. Among the state’s schools, Indiana State is No. 10, Indiana No. 30, Notre Dame No. 41, Evansville No. 68, Valparaiso No. 93, Ball State No. 106, Purdue No. 199, Butler No. 240, Purdue Fort Wayne No. 266 and Southern Indiana No. 282.
Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all 39 programs.
Through April 30 NCAA D-I Monday, April 24 Indiana State 7, Southern Illinois 2
Tuesday, April 25 Indiana 9, Ball State 8 Eastern Illinois 11, Butler 2 Evansville 9, Lipscomb 3 Michigan State 12, Notre Dame 5 Southern Indiana 17, McKendree 7
Wednesday, April 26 Miami (Ohio) 8, Purdue 4 Dayton 11, Purdue Fort Wayne 10
Friday, April 28 Creighton 16, Butler 3 Evansville 2, Indiana State 1 Maryland 13, Indiana 2 Florida State 3, Notre Dame 2 Purdue 6, Rutgers 1 Northern Kentucky 13, Purdue Fort Wayne 8 Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 10, Southern Indiana 3 Missouri State 4, Valparaiso 3 (10 inn.)
Saturday, April 29 Ball State 10, Bowling Green 8 Bowling Green 7, Ball State 3 Creighton 5, Butler 3 Indiana State 7, Evansville 4 Maryland 18, Indiana 2 Notre Dame 12, Florida State 2 Purdue 6, Rutgers 3 Northern Kentucky 23, Purdue Fort Wayne 15 Southern Indiana 12, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 5 Missouri State 12, Valparaiso 2 (7 inn.)
Sunday, April 30 Ball State 6, Bowling Green 4 Creighton 6, Butler 3 Indiana State 10, Evansville 4 Maryland 14, Indiana 8 Notre Dame 12, Florida State 8 Rutgers 9, Purdue 5 Northern Kentucky 18, Purdue Fort Wayne 12 Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 14, Southern Indiana 4 Missouri State 9, Valparaiso 6
NCAA D-II Tuesday, April 25 Indianapolis 11, Kentucky Wesleyan 10 Lewis 5, Purdue Northwest 1
Friday, April 28 Indianapolis at 19, Rockhurst 5
Saturday, April 29 Indianapolis 12, Rockhurst 2 Rockhurst 4, Indianapolis 3 Saginaw Valley State 4, Purdue Northwest 3 Saginaw Valley State 6, Purdue Northwest 5
Sunday, April 30 Indianapolis 6, Rockhurst 2 Purdue Northwest 5, Saginaw Valley State 3 Purdue Northwest 11, Saginaw Valley State 2
Saturday, April 29 Anderson 11, Rose-Hulman 4 Anderson 9, Rose-Hulman 5 Kenyon 15, DePauw 5 (8 inn.) Kenyon 13, DePauw 7 Mount St. Joseph 5, Earlham 3 Earlham 6, Mount St. Joseph 3 Franklin 18, Bluffton 8 Franklin 10, Bluffton 5 Manchester 7, Hanover 4 Hanover 16, Manchester 7 Wabash 13, Oberlin 6
Sunday, April 30 Heidelberg 17, DePauw 5 (7 inn.) Earlham 7, Rose-Hulman 3 Rose-Hulman 16, Earlham 9 Franklin 11, Manchester 6 Manchester 12, Franklin 5 Albion 7, Trine 5 Oberlin 12, Wabash 8
NAIA Monday, April 24 Huntington 6, Goshen 5 Goshen at Huntington Spring Arbor 7, Grace Grace 5, Spring Arbor 0 Cumberland 14, IU Southeast 10 Saint Francis (Ind.) 5, Marian 1 Marian 1, Saint Francis (Ind.) 0
Tuesday, April 25 Trinity International 13, Calumet of St. Joseph 12 Lourdes 13, IUPU-Columbus 1 Saint Francis (Ill.) 19, IU South Bend 7 Kentucky State 10, Oakland City 9
Thursday, April 27 Grace 7, Bethel 3 Bethel 3, Grace 1 Taylor 15, Goshen 1 Taylor 11, Goshen 5 Spring Arbor 5, Indiana Wesleyan 4 (13 inn.) Indiana Wesleyan 4, Spring Arbor 0 Oakland City 3, Point Park 2 Point Park 3, Oakland City 0 Saint Francis (Ind.) 10, Mount Vernon Nazarene 0 ( 7 inn.) Saint Francis (Ind.) 7, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
Friday, April 28 Judson 10, Calumet of St. Joseph 6 Huntington 6, Marian 5 Huntington 5, Marian 2 IU-Kokomo 5, Rio Grande 4 Grace Christian 17, IUPU-Columbus 15 IUPU-Columbus 17, Grace Christian 5 IU South Bend 7, Roosevelt 4 IU Southeast 16, Brescia 3 (7 inn.) Indiana Wesleyan 10, Spring Arbor 8 Spring Arbor 4, Indiana Wesleyan 3
Saturday, April 29 Grace 6, Bethel 3 Bethel 16, Grace 13 Calumet 5, St. Joseph at Judson 4 Calumet of St. Joseph 9, Judson 9, tie (10 inn.) Taylor 8, Goshen 4 Goshen 9, Taylor 8 Huntington 12, Marian 2 (7 inn.) Huntington 16, Marian 5 (5 inn.) IU-Kokomo 12, Rio Grande 5 IU-Kokomo 8, Rio Grande 6 IUPU-Columbus 10, Grace Christian 5 IU Southeast 5, Brescia 2 IU Southeast 5, Brescia 0 Cleary 6, Indiana Tech 5 (8 inn.) Indiana Tech 12, Cleary 9 Point Park 4, Oakland City 1 Mount Vernon Nazarene 8, Saint Francis (Ind.) 7 Mount Vernon Nazarene 15, Saint Francis (Ind.) 12
Shawn Stiffler just started his first season as head baseball coach at Notre Dame. Addressing a room of youth and high school coaches, Stiffler took the time Monday, Feb. 20 to pass along some of his philosophy to the monthly gathering of the Cubbies Coaches Club at Four Winds Field in South Bend. “I’m a constant learner,” said Stiffler, who took over the Irish program July 12, 2022. “I’m trying to get better at it all the time. “But unless it can make really good sense to me, I learned very quickly to stay out of the woods on it. “I hope that everything I tell you tonight is something you can make your own.” Finding a plan and committing to it is key. “If you aren’t bought into it, there’s no way you can get your team to buy into it,” said Stiffler. “I will take a poor plan well-executed over a good plan poorly-executed every day of the week. “We might not have the best bunt defense in the world, but if we do it right we’ll get outs most of the time. I believe that wholeheartedly. “We might not have the sexiest hitting approach in the world, but if it’s ours we’ll execute it. We can adapt and we can coach off it.” When Stiffler was at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., he became good friends with men’s head basketball coach Shaka Smart, who took the Rams to the NCAA Final Four in 2011. Stiffler found out that Smart (now at Marquette University) had built his program around a number and that was 17. That’s how many turnovers he needed his players to get the opponent to make. “When they got 17 turnovers their winning percentage was over 70 percent,” said Stiffler. “When they got 16 turnovers it was less than 50 percent. “So the number 17 was all he cared about.” Stiffler sought out his own number. He crunched the numbers and came up with 5. “Every time we scored five runs or more we won 87 percent of the games between 2014 and 2022,” said Stiffler. “When we scored less than five we won 34 percent of the time. So that became the foundation of his program. “All we have to do is get five and we have a great opportunity of winning,” said Stiffler. “How do we score five? How to we prevent five? And — most importantly — how do we practice it?” At Notre Dame, where scouting reports are readily available, the offensive plan begins with the opposing pitcher. “The first thing we talk about is who are we facing?,” said Stiffler. “We can we do with him? “Is he a strike thrower? Is he velo guy that maybe doesn’t hold the strike zone? Is he a guy who really holds the running game? Can we bunt on him? Whatever it is. “What pitch are we eliminating? What do we have to attack? You’ve got to have a game plan for your hitters. The plate is 17 inches wide. Nobody in the world can hit all 17 inches. You can’t prepare (for all pitches).” Stiffler wants his hitters to pick a pitch and a location — inner half of outer half — where they can do damage. “You’ve got to know what you’re hunting,” said Stiffler. After the starter, comes the opponent’s bullpen. It might be to your advantage to wait out the starter to avoid the electric arms of the relievers. Those might be the weak link and you want to knock the starter out to guy to those arms. “Another piece when you’re putting together a game plan to score is the catcher,” said Stiffler. At the college level, the catcher often calls pitches, blocks them when they go in the dirt, handles the pitching staff and has the ability to dictate where the baseball is between thrown. What are the chances you can take extra bases on the catcher? Stiffler wants his offensive unit to score first, extend the lead, answer back right away when other team team scores, get two-out runs batted in and play for the big inning (three runs or more). “I will do anything to grab a lead,” said Stiffler. “You win 67 percent of the games you go up 1-0. If we’ve got to safety squeeze in the first (inning) because that’s the matchup we’ll safety squeeze in the first. “Scoring runners from third is something we talk about in our program everyday. You have to be willing to go up 1-0.” After that comes the expanding of the lead. The goal is to get to five. If the team falls behind, the idea is to respond right away with one run. “If (the other team) scores four in the first, I’m not trying to get them all back (at one time),” said Stiffler. “I’m just trying to get to five because I’m going to assume you’re not getting there.” Another key is driving in runs with two outs. “Talk to your team about two-out RBI opportunities,” said Stiffler. “Put it in your practice. Put it in your (batting practice). “Two-out RBIs are nail-coffin. That breaks the back (of the opponent).” When possible, Stiffler likes his team to get the “big inning” of three runs or more. “Big innings are the result of two things — free bases (80 percent of big innings have three or more free bases) and quality at-bats. If you have a big inning, normally you’ve had about four or five quality at-bats. “A three-run homer doesn’t just happen.” In review: Score first, extend, answer whenever you can, get a two-out knock and play for the big inning. “Those are things that we can chart in our dugout everyday and our guys know it,” said Stiffler. “If we can get three of those in one game you’ll win more than 70 percent of your games.” Stiffler has also discovered that winning teams with a big inning will often have more runs in that one frame than the other squad has in the whole game. “You see it all the time,” said Stiffler. “You’ll lose 6-4 and give it five in one (inning).” Free bases come via base on balls, hit by pitch, errors, stolen bases, wild pitch, passed ball and these are things the defense team can control. When his team is in the field, Stiffler wants his pitchers to throw strikes and his defenders get sure outs. “I’m a big believer on team defenses clarifying with your team where the out is and where we’re taking it,” said Stiffler. “We put on bunt defense, my players know exactly where they’re throwing the baseball. We’re throwing the ball to first base. “There’s a first-and-third steal attempt or first and third break early, they know if we’re getting (the trail runner) or preventing (the lead runner) from scoring. I don’t leave them gray area to have to decide. “We’re getting this out, And let’s be really, really good and getting that out.” Stiffler calls batting practice at Notre Dame Irish BP (Baseball Practice). “I don’t believe in working on the swing on the field,” said Stiffler. “I think the swing gets worked on before or after practice. At the college level, we get very little time to be with our athletes. “When we have a two- or three-hour practice that is designed to put together a plan to win baseball games.” Swings on the field are turned into scenario-based live at-bats and the hitters, runners and defenders are all engaged. Stiffler is a proponent of Coach Pitch or Machine Pitch games. “Anytime you can coach live drill is awesome,” said Stiffler. Taking questions from the audience, Stiffler addressed topics like specialization, team chemistry and what he looks for in a recruit. “I have so many fond memories or playing football and basketball in high school,” said Stiffler. “I can’t imagine not doing that. I can’t tell a 16-year-old to not do it. “It’s a family decision. I haven’t gotten to the point where I believe in specialization. I think I can do it all.” At Notre Dame, 2022 Indiana Mr. Football Drayk Bowen is on the football and baseball teams. “You just want these young kids to be athletic and play multiple sports,” said Stiffler. “Run and jump. “Being the guy that goes from being the star (in one sport) to being the guy who serves and has to play another role as a team player that’s value in life.” What about knitting all those personalties and abilities together? “(Chemistry) is everything,” said Stiffler. “That’s my job. Very rarely am I teaching grips anymore. My job is to make sure the culture is at a high level. “The biggest thing that sets a culture in my opinion is clearly-defined roles and clearly-defined expectations.” Stiffler wants the messaging, behaviors and expectations to remain consistent. “You have to have a position and defense has to be an absolute priority to you,” said Stiffler. With Link Jarrett — who addressed the Cubbies Coaches Club multiple times as a guest of Mark Haley — as head coach, the Irish went 41-17 and played in the 2022 College World Series. The 2023 team opened the season 1-2 at Lipscomb Feb. 17-19. ND’s home game is slated for March 21 against Valparaiso. Atlantic Coast Conference for Louisville visits Frank Eck Stadium March 24-26. Before landing at Notre Dame, Stiffler went 340-198 in 10 seasons at VCU. His teams won three Atlantic 10 regular-season championships in 2017, 2019 and 2021 and went to the NCAA Tournament in 2015, 2021 and 2022. A graduate of Somerset (Pa.) High School and a left-handed pitcher, Stiffler was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in 1997 but went George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. (1998-2001) and began his coaching career in 2002 at George Mason before becoming a VCU assistant. Shawn and Jennifer Stiffler have three children — Wade, Scout and Penn.
Kalib Clark has faced obstacles aplenty. But family circumstances, injuries and a pandemic have not stopped him from coming back to the game he loves. At 24, Clark has gotten into just a handful of regular-season games and his collegiate baseball dream lives on. After impressing this summer in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League with the Norwich (Conn.) Sea Unicorns, right-handed pitcher Clark has accepted an invitation to pitch at MidAmerica Nazarene University, an NAIA program in Olathe, Kan. The Pioneers are skippered by former Bethel University pitcher and assistant coach Ryan Thompson. Former Taylor University assistant Colton Punches is MNU’s pitching coach. Former Grace College head coach Cam Screeton is an assistant. Former Bethel player Chad Jenkins is sports information director. How did Clark get to this point? It’s quite a journey. Born in Mooresville, Ind., Clark got his organized baseball start at what is now Mooresville Junior Baseball/Softball League. He played travel ball for the Indiana Outlaws (now the Canes Midwest) from 12U to 15U and the Greg Vogt-coached Indiana Bulls during his 16U and 17U summers (Clark was later an intern for Vogt at PRP Baseball). He pitched some at 13 and 14, but was primarily a catcher. That was Clark’s main position at Plainfield (Ind.) High School, where he was on varsity for four years (2013-16) playing for Jeff McKeon’s Quakers. “Jeff McKeon is an absolutely great dude,” says Clark. “That guy had my back all four years — no matter what.” After high school, Clark went to Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Ky. But he only spent a couple of weeks there. In the space of about a year, he lost two grandfathers and a grandmother. He came back home, enrolled at Ivy Tech and trained with Greg Vogt. “I have nothing but great things to say about Greg,” says Clark. “I probably would not have got back into pitching if not for Greg.” Clark spent the next fall with Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz. After the first semester, Clark transferred to Indiana University Kokomo. In his first game with the Cougars, he blew out his Medial Collateral Ligament and also developed a shoulder impingement. That’s when Clark left IUK and walked away from baseball completely. Kalib Clark and Kendyl Wheeler had been dating since high school. Kalib followed the former Plainfield softball player to Bowling Green (Ohio) State University, where he studied and delivered pizzas and she a student-athlete. On Sept. 5, 2020, the two were married. That same week, Kendyl’s father, Tim Wheeler, passed away from cancer. All the while Kalib heard the call of baseball. “Every time I stepped away I just couldn’t stay away,” says Clark. “I had to finish what I started.” But it would have to be answered in a different way. “My body can’t handle catching,” says Clark, who turned himself into a pitcher. He trained with Jordan Kraus at T3 Performance in Avon, Ohio (Cross is now at Cressy Sports Performance in Hudson, Mass.). Clark was recruited by Post University, an NCAA Division II program in Waterbury, Conn. Because of COVID, no students were allowed on the campus in the fall. Then spring was canceled. “I put a petition to get the season back,” says Clark. “It didn’t go very well for me.” When students were allowed back, the Data Analytics Applied Mathematics major got COVID in the spring and could not play. He began training at home and throwing at The Hit Club, located on the top floor of an abandoned warehouse. But he had nowhere to play in the summer. The righty went to a FCBL tryout in Brockton, Mass., signed a 10-day contract then a full-season pact for 2021. In 12 games (all in relief) with the Devin Belenski-coached Sea Unicorns, FCBL all-star selection Clark went 0-1 with three saves and a 3.78 earned run average. In 16 2/3 innings, he struck out 24 and walked 14 with a 1.38 WHIP (walk and hits per innings pitched) and the league hit .158 against him. If not for his last outing when he gave up four earned runs in 2/3 of an inning, his numbers would have been even better. Having entered the transfer portal, Clark received a number of offers. He decided on MidAmerica Nazarene, where he will be allowed to finish his undergraduate degree and begin his graduate certification while continuing to play baseball. Clark throws a four-seam fastball, slider and change-up with a low three-quarter overhand arm slot. “My release height is low — about five feet,” says the 5-foot-8, 160-pound Clark. “I’m still over the top. “The difference between pitching and catching is the slope. As a catcher you’re trying to the ball off as fast as you can. As a pitcher you’re trying to delay throwing the ball as fast as you can. You want to wait until your body gets down the mound then you want to throw hard.” Clark’s best pitch is his slider, which has been measured at 3100 rpm on Trackman. From a presentation by Rob Friedman aka the Pitching Ninja, he switched the grip on his slider to one used by big leaguer Marcus Stroman, who is 5-8 and 170. “It’s a splitter with 16 to 18 inches of horizontal run,” says Clark. “My fastball (which sits at 88 to 90 mph) is probably my third-best pitch.” Before heading to MNU in late August, Clark plans to be in Plainfield and reunited with training partner Daylan Nanny. During the lockdown in 2020, Clark, Nanny and Cooper Trinkle holed up at Powerhouse in Franklin, bathing in the sink and getting in lots of reps. “It was baseball 24/7,” says Clark. “Weren’t able to leave except to go to Walmart for a grocery stop and come back.” Nanny has transferred from Western Carolina University to Indiana State University. Trinkle is at Saint Leo (Fla.) University. Kalib is the youngest of trucker driver Brian Clark and elementary school teacher Celeste Clark’s two children. Sister Aerial Clark was Female Athlete of the Year at Center Grove High School, graduated from Indiana University and now works for JP Morgan Chase in Houston.
Indiana (13-7) trails Nebraska (15-6) and Michigan (15-7) in the Big Ten standings.
Ball State (19-9) has the longest current win streak among the state’s 38 college baseball programs at eight.
Coming off a four-game sweep at Akron, the Cardinals are 10-2 and atop the Mid-American Conference standings.
Indiana State (16-8) began Missouri Valley Conference play by taking three of four games at Illinois State. The Sycamores are second in the league in terms of conference win percentage.
Evansville (18-12, 3-4) took two of three MVC contests at Bradley.
Notre Dame (15-6, 14-6) went 2-1 in Atlantic Coast Conference series at Georgia Tech. The Irish are in second in the ACC Atlantic Division.
NCAA Division II Southern Indiana (15-12, 12-8) went 3-1 at Great Lakes Valley Conferene foe McKendree. The Screaming Eagles are in third place in the GLVC Blue Division.
UIndy (13-11 overall, 11-5 GLVC Blue) split four game at Missouri-St. Louis.
In NCAA Division III, Franklin (13-5, 13-5) leads the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Grizzlies beat Manchester and Defiance once each in a rain-interrupted weekend and pushed their win streak to four.
Earlham (15-9, 15-9) took two at Mount St. Joseph and lost two against Transylvania in HCAC competition.
The clash in the NAIA’s Crossroads League — Taylor (30-11, 19-3) at Indiana Wesleyan (29-10, 18-4) — saw the host Wildcats and visiting Trojans split a Friday doubleheader. Saturday’s rain pushed another twin bill to today (Monday, April 12).
Also in the Crossroads, Saint Francis (25-13, 15-7) is riding a four-game win streak which includes two against Marian.
Huntington (22-8, 15-7) won two against Goshen Friday and was to make up the other two today.
By going 2-1 against Point Park, Indiana University Southeast (28-12, 17-1) remained in first place in the River States Conference.
A doubleheader split against Vincennes puts National Junior College Athletic Conference D-II member Ivy Tech Northeast at 18-17 while VU is at 16-15.
Enthusiasm for baseball is building in a small community in southern Indiana.
Perry Central Junior-Senior High School in Leopold, Ind., and its feeder system is making the diamond sport a priority as the high school gets ready to play its first games since 2019 after missing 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The challenge of high school baseball is really, really unique — you develop players you already have,” says Stowe. “I relish that challenge.
“We’re trying to develop a program by building a collaborative culture to better baseball in our area.”
Perry Central youth baseball tends to have four to five teams per age group — 7-8, 9-10 and 11-12.
“It all starts with our youth and treating them right,” says Stowe. “It’s all about the kids and what’s best for them.”
Many kids play both recreation and travel ball.
The junior high (seventh and eighth graders) plays 20 to 25 games in the spring with a varsity and a junior varsity.
Those squads share a field with the high school — a diamond which got plenty of TLC in 2020. There has been a revamping of the mound and plate areas. A new hitting area and re-done bullpens are planned as well as an update for “The Barn” indoor facility.
“It’s amazing what it’s become,” says Stowe. “We try to take it to the next level each year. With the help of the administration, we do what we can.”
With 61 wins the last 10 years, Perry Central is known for its football. Stowe wants baseball to be a strong part of the school’s identity.
The Commodores are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping with Evansville Mater Dei, Forest Park, North Posey, South Spencer and Tell City. Perry Central has never won a sectional baseball title.
In 2019, the Commodores reached the championship game of the South Spencer Sectional and were optimistic about the 2020 season. But that campaign did not happen.
“We were expected to compete at a high level (in 2020),” says Stowe. “It was rough.”
Perry Central had one senior and that was career earned run average leader Bill Hubert.
“He’s an amazing kid,” says Stowe.
When things began to open up again after a long quarantine, Stowe helped organize Senior Games which brought senior baseball and softball players from Indiana and Kentucky to play at Cannelton (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School.
“It gave some of them closure,” says Stowe. “They were able to display their skills one last time.
“It meant a lot to the people of our area.”
At Perry Central’s small size, three-sport athletes are common. Stowe appreciates his relationship with head football coach Greg Gibson and head boys basketball coach Matt Carter.
“They’re both classy guys,” says Stowe. “Everybody supports each other really well.”
There were no baseball workouts in the fall. Right now, players not in a winter sport are conditioning and lifting weights. In February comes more baseball activity.
Stowe says he is expecting to a have 35 players in the program, including 10 seniors. For the first time, there are three seniors who have committed to college baseball — starting catcher Brayden Stowe (Adam’s son) to Brescia University in Owensboro, Ky., ace pitcher/infielder Wes Scamahorn to Oakland City (Ind.) University and first baseman/pitcher Reece Davis to Southeastern Illinois College — a junior college in Harrisburg, Ill.
Stowe, a 2001 graduate of nearby Tell City (Ind.) High School, teaches History and Social Studies at Perry Central.
Before coming back to Indiana and serving as hitting instructor for the Jeremy Edwards-coached Commodores in 2019, he coached travel ball for various age groups in Meade County, Ky. He holds a Social Studies/Teaching degree from the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville and a masters in Counseling from Western Kentucky University.
Besides Stowe, the 2021 Perry Central coaching staff features Jason Scamahorn, Sam Bland, Larry McDaniel and volunteer hitting instructor Jim Huber.
Besides Brayden, Adam and wife Amber (physical therapy patient care coordinator) have a 12-year-old seventh grade daughter named Emma.
Adam Stowe is the head baseball coach at Perry Central Junior/Senior High School in Leopold, Ind. (Perry Central Commodores Photo)
With lasting influences from two coaches, John Zangrilli decided that education and coaching were for him when he was still a teenager.
It was while learning and playing for Jeff Massey (baseball) and Ken Randle (basketball) that Zangrilli saw his career path. Massey was the head baseball coach for Zangrilli’s last three years at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, following Steve Goeglein. Randle was a freshmen/assistant coach, teacher and mentor.
Since graduating from Lawrence Central in 1994, Zangrilli has enjoyed many baseball experiences and encounters with successful diamond minds.
Zangrilli — aka Z or Coach Z since his father (Papa Z) and son (Little Z) are also named John — has coached in three central Indiana high school programs (two assistant stints at Carmel and head coaching tenures at Brebeuf Jesuit and Zionsville).
As a head coach, Coach Z-led teams went 247-81 with six sectional championships (2004, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010 at Brebeuf and 2012 at Zionsville), three regional crowns (2005 and 2009 at Brebeuf and 2012 at Zionsville), one Final Four appearance (2012 at Zionsville), two Hoosier Crossroads Conference titles (2011 and 2012 at Zionsville) and one Marion County crown (2010 at Brebeuf in a an extra-inning game against Lawrence Central at Victory Field that Zangrilli calls the best game he’s ever seen).
He has coached 28 players who went on to college careers and 18 academic all-state honorees
Among Zangrilli’s coach of the year honors include IHSBCA all-district (2009, 2012), all-North (2011) and Marion County (2005, 2009, 2010).
There has been involvement with three travel organizations (Zionsville Baseball Club, Carmel Pups and Indiana Bulls) for Coach Z. He helped start the ZBC and re-tooled the Carmel Pups. He coached with the Pups while his son, John, moved from 8U to 12U. Both will be with the Indiana Bulls 13U Silver team — dad as head coach and son as a player — in 2021.
“Coach Farley and Coach Morgan couldn’t be any more different in terms of their personalities
Intense,” says Zangrilli, describing Morgan as intense and Farley possessing an even-keel temperament. “Coach Morgan was extremely detail-oriented. Every moment of every day was organized. It’s the first time I was introduced to something like that. It was about understanding your role on the team. As a coach, I drew on that a little bit.
“I really enjoyed the way Coach Farley created a calm atmosphere for his athletes to relax and take what they had been taught and then go out and play the game.”
Zangrilli earned an Elementary Education degree with an endorsement in Physical Education and Health from Butler in 1998. He has worked in Carmel schools for 22 years and is now a Wellness Education teacher at Woodbrook Elementary School.
His first high school coaching gig was a three-year stint on the coaching staff of Carmel Greyhounds head coach Tom Linkmeyer in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Carmel lost 1-0 in 11 innings to eventual state runner-up Evansville Harrison in the 2000 State semifinals.
Born in central Pennsylvania, Zangrilli roots for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pittsburgh Pirates and Penn State University. He came to Indiana early in his elementary school years.
At 14, Zangrilli worked for Jeff Mercer Sr., at Mercer’s Sports Center on the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
One of the first players to log more than one summer with the Indiana Bulls, Z was with the elite organization 1992-94. Mike Stein was head coach that first year. The next two years, Dennis Kas was head coach and was helped by Kevin Stephenson, Brent Mewhinney and Linkmeyer, who was also the Wellness Education teacher at Woodbrook prior to Zangrilli.
“They were imparting all this baseball knowledge on us,” says Zangrilli. “It was eye-opening. It was the intersection of talent and instruction and we took off. We had a great deal of success.
“Dennie Kas was the first guy I played for who instilled an appreciation for preparation,” says Zangrilli. “He had a real knack for reading the pulse of his team.
“He could walk in the dugout and know if they needed to be calm or pick up the energy.”
Zangrilli was head coach at Brebeuf for seven campaigns (2004-10) and Zionsville for three (2011-13).
“Between my years at Brebeuf and Zionsville it was an embarrassment of riches,” says Coach Z.
Among his assistants at Brebeuf were Andy McClain (former player and assistant under IHSBCA of Famer Bill Tutterow at Martinsville and head coach at LaVille and Arlington who went on to be head coach at Brebeuf, Norwell and Lawrence Central) and Tim Phares (son of IHSBCA Hall of Famer George Phares).
Standout Braves players included catcher Radley Haddad (Western Carolina University, Butler University, player and coach in New York Yankees system), outfielder Jack Dillon (Butler University), Tres Eberhardt (Xavier University), outfielder Nathan Koontz (Ball State University), catcher Mitch Overley (Ball State University, Wabash College), infielder/outfielder Ty Adams (University of Notre Dame), outfielder Kevin Simms (University of Dayton, Wright State University), outfielder Stevie Eberhardt-Gipson (Northern Kentucky University) and right-handed pitcher/catcher John Krasich (Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology).
Right-hander Parker Dunshee (Wake Forest University, Oakland Athletics organization), infielder/outfielder Max Kuhn (University of Kentucky, Oakland Athletics organization), infielder Troy Kuhn (Ohio State University), third baseman Ben Kocher (Belmont University), outfielder Drew Small (Butler University), left-hander Alex Westrick (Xavier University) and outfielder Nick Barrientos (Wabash Valley College, Northwood University) are part of a long line of Eagles players who went on to college and/or professional baseball.
John and wife Jackie have two children. After the 2013 season, Z turned his focus to teaching as well as coaching Little Z and daughter Olivia (a travel volleyball player).
When former Butler teammate Matt Buczkowski (son of IHBCA Hall of Famer Len Buczkowski) became head coach at he — and all the returning Carmel talent — lured Zangrilli back into high school coaching.
Coach Z remembers Buczkowski’s request going something like this: “I’ve got a Ferrari of pitching staff. I need to have somebody help me drive it.”
Buczkowski inherited a stable of arms developed by former Carmel pitching coach Jay Lehr.
The 2017 senior class featured left-handers Tommy Sommer (Indiana University), Max Habegger (Lipscomb University), Shawn Roop (Manhattan College) and right-handers Cameron Pferrer (University of Missouri) and Aaron Ernst (University of Dayton, Wright State University) plus outfielders Parker Massman (Miami University of Ohio) and infielder Rhett Wintner (Ball State University). There was also junior infielder Jack Van Remortel (University of Michigan).
“I didn’t plan on coming back to high school coaching,” says Zangrilli. “But I was intrigued. I had a pretty good history with Butch.
The spring of 2021 will be Coach Z’s fifth since returning to the Carmel dugout.
Zangrilli, Buczkowski and former Westfield and Carmel field boss and current hitting coach Eric Lentz represent more than 500 head coaching victories on a Hounds staff. Pitching coach Fred Moses came to Carmel from Lawrence Central with Buczkowski.
“My role is whatever they need as any given day,” says Zangrilli, who has been a pitching coach, first base coach and a camp coordinator. The past five years, he helped oversee the Carmel Pups.
COVID-19 shut down the 2020 high school season days before tryouts (Carmel went 21-8 and finished second in the MIC in 2019) and prevented the 12U Pups from making a trip to play in Cooperstown, N.Y.
“It’s extremely unfortunate,” says Zangrilli. “It proves it can be taken away from you at any point.”
Following health precautions, Zangrilli says the Hounds were able to accomplish as much as they did during last year’s Limited Contact Period fall workouts.
Says Coach Z, “All systems are go.”
John Zangrilli is a teacher and baseball coach in Carmel (Ind.) Clay Schools. (Carmel Clay Schools Photo)Carmel (Ind.) High School assistant baseball coach John Zangrilli hits fungos to the Greyhounds. John Zangrilli is a Wellness teacher and baseball coach in Carmel (Ind.) Clay Schools. The 2021 season will be the firth in his second stint with the Greyhounds. The former Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, Indiana University and Butler University pitcher has also served as head coach at Brebeuf Jesuit High School in Indianapolis and Zionsville (Ind.) Community High School and has coached with the Carmel Pups and Indiana Bulls.
Tech concluded play in 2020 much sooner than planned because of the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic.
With a win against Viterbo March 11 in Georgia, the Warriors finished at 11-5.
Since then, the Tech team and coaching staff have been moving forward while social distancing.
“Everybody’s numb to how it happened,” says second-year assistant coach Brent Alwine of how the season was rolling and then came to a screeching halt. “We’ve got (players) doing workouts. We’re hoping a lot of guys get to play this summer.
“So much is unknown.”
What is known for Alwine is that he is not the same coach at 36 and married with three sons and with many different diamond experiences behind him than he was at 23 and just out of college.
“I used to think there was only one way to teach,” says Alwine, who works with infielders and hitters. “You learn to adapt to the personnel you have rather than philosophy that’s cut and dried.”
It has also become relational vs. transactional. It’s a point that has become clearer since Brent and Brandi Alwine, a physician’s assistant for Parkview Health in Fort Wayne, have had Beckett (7), Bode (5) and Brooks (8 months). All three have baseball ties to their names.
There are four reasons for Beckett — the sports card magazine, the ballplayer (Josh Beckett), the brand of boilers his father, Jim, sells, and the town in Massachusetts where he worked at a camp with former Indiana University head baseball coach Bob Morgan. The boy’s full name is Beckett Steven James Alwine. Brandi’s father Steve passed away in 2001. The other middle name to to honor Brent’s father, who has coached high school baseball at North Miami and Peru.
Bode’s middle name is Maddux as an homage for Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.
Brooks is a nod to former Western Michigan University catcher Brooks Beilke.
“I’m coaching someone’s kids,” says Alwine. “I want to win. But I would rather win and 10 years down the line have a relationship with the players I coached.”
Alwine joined head coach Kip McWilliams in Fort Wayne, Ind., having been an assistant to Billy Gernon at Western Michigan (2011 and 2012), Ed Servais at Creighton University (2009 and 2010) and Gernon at alma mater Indiana Purdue-Fort Wayne (2007 and 2008). He holds a bachelor’s degree from IPFW (now Purdue Fort Wayne) and a master’s degree from Indiana University.
“You learn a lot when you coach younger kids,” says Alwine. “You have to really explain things and get them to buy into it.”
An attribute that Alwine appreciates about McWilliams is that he values the opinions of his assistants.
“He lets his assistant coach,” says Alwine. “He doesn’t micro-manage and he looks for our input.
“I trust him. In today’s world, it’s hard to trust everybody.”
Alwine has a few points of emphasis with his infielders.
“I want them to be athletic and take good angles to the baseball,” says Alwine. “It starts with our throwing program. Throwing and catching is the main thing in baseball.”
He makes it a point to observe when his fielders are playing catch to see that they are getting their footwork right and taking it seriously.
“When the pressure’s on, a good throw is going to win you a game,” says Alwine, who has his infielders practicing double players during between-innings warm-ups.
Alwine observes how organized McWilliams is, something that is vital when you carry a roster of more than 60 players — varsity and developmental.
“You have to be organized to get everybody involved,” says Alwine. “Year 2 helped me see that a little better than Year 1.”
The Warriors make a point of hustling all the time — even the coaching staff runs on the field.
“That’s the way it should be,” says Alwine. “(On game day), it sets a tone for your own team and the team you’re getting ready to play.
“These guys are here for business.”
Alwine says having the season stopped is likely to make the players more appreciative of the opportunity to play when fall camp rolls around.
“Fall can be a tough time to motivate because there’s nothing on the line,” says Alwine. “(Players) should be excited. They had baseball taken away from them.”
Alwine says 10 of 14 seniors this spring have opted to come back for an extra year of eligibility granted by the NAIA.
With the Indiana Tech campus closed to all but essential workers, students have been finishing their spring term online.
“It’s new to a lot of these professors, too,” says Alwine. “Everybody’s going through the same thing. It’s brought a sense of community back.”
To stay connected the to the baseball community,Alwine says Tech coaches have regular Zoom meetings. These have been done by class and within the staff, which also includes Gordon Turner, Miguel Tucker and Marshall Oetting, and will also include positions, incoming freshmen and transfers.
Alwine was born in Peru, Ind., and grew up in Mexico, Ind. He played soccer, a little basketball and baseball North Miami Middle/High School. John Burrus was the head coach for basketball and baseball. Alwine was a shortstop on the diamond.
At IPFW, he played second base for Gernon.
“He does things the right way,” says Alwine of Gernon. “He demands a lot of his players. He care for his players, too.”
Alwine went to Creighton to be a volunteer coach. Within a month of arriving in Omaha, Neb., a paid assistant position opened up and he took it. There, he was in charge of outfielders and catchers.
“It made me a better coach,” says Alwine. “I had to learn those positions in detail to make players better.”
Servais displayed an attention to detail and stressed the fundamentals.
“That’s why Creighton — year in and year out — leads the country defensively.”
Servais, the uncle of former big league catcher Scott Servais, did not get too high or too low.
“He’s very level-headed,” says Alwine. “He thinks forward — next player, next pitch, next at-bat.”
The Bluejays skipper has been rewarded with 745 career victories.
More than 20 players that have been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, including two at Creighton that made it to the majors — San Franciso Giants first baseman Darin Ruf and Baltimore Orioles left-handed pitcher Ty Blach.
Alwine coached infielders and hitters at Western Michigan. He was in the fall of his second year with the Broncos when he got into a very bad car accident on I-94 near Kalamazoo, Mich.
He was put into an induced coma with a traumatic brain injury. After a couple weeks at Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, he was transferred to Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital in Grand Rapids, Mich. After about three weeks, he regained consciousness.
Among the first requests he had was for a second opinion on the plastic surgeon.
“I am very, very fortunate to be alive,” says Alwine. “God was looking out for me that day. The biggest thing is the amount of people who prayed for me.
“I had very positive people around me who supported me and got me through it. I get to coach baseball and see my kids grow up.”
Brent Alwine (left) observes players during Indiana Tech’s 2019 NAIA World Series appearance. It was Alwine’s first season on the Warriors baseball coaching staff. (Indiana Tech Photo)
Brent Alwine (center) is in his second season as an assistant baseball coach at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne, Ind., in 2020. He is a graduate of North Miami High School and Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne. (Indiana Tech Photo)
There’s a brick, over there by the third base dugout.
A memory of when Northrop baseball coach Matt Brumbaugh and his high school teammates built the press box at what is now Chris Stavreti Field.
The players built the structure — it lasted about 40 years. What they didn’t know at the time the veteran coach was crafting them into adults and leaders.
That brick, and a few others like it are all that remains of the humble structure that once stood behind home plate.
Sometime, this spring or summer, when the COVID-19 virus precautions are lifted they’ll officially dedicate the Chris Stavreti Press Box and Clubhouse.
Stavreti died in November 2012 from Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s Disease. At Northrop, his Bruins were common visitors to the later rounds of the IHSAA baseball tournament.
They were his calling cards, dating back to a short stint tenure at East Noble High School in Kendallville. When it was all done, the Indiana Baseball Hall of Famer recorded 559 wins, 255 losses and collected state title in 1983, three semi states, eight regionals and 13 sectional titles.
The structure that came to life this fall fits “Stav’s” style. Practical and real. It’s packed with purpose. Intentionally designed just like the coach would lead. It grew from need.
A simple one.
“My whole goal was just to have two bathrooms at the field,” Brumbaugh explained. “That’s all I wanted. We’ve had a portajohn the whole time I’ve been here.
“Now we have a coaches office, a locker room, concession stand and two bathrooms, one on each side. It wouldn’t be possible without him. The lessons I’ve learned through the years playing for him and coaching for him. Everyone here, he’s touched in some way.”
It’s not a stone or giant work of art. It’s engaged.
“It’s here. It’s reality. It’s beautiful,” Brumbaugh said. “Everything is at the field now so we don’t have to run back and forth to the football field.
“It’s about Coach Stavreti. He’s got the No. 1 locker. His wife Dottie has a locker. The clubhouse is named after him. The field is named after him. “I’d say he’s pretty happy with what we have here.”
Brumbaugh admits he almost gave up on the dream of a new press box.
Then a few years ago, momentum picked up, the project gained steam with donors and FWCS approval. Brumbaugh says the privately funded facility appraises at six-figures through the labor of love by former players, friends and people touched by Stav.
Once the concept came into focus it picked up steam quickly. It took about a week to sell nearly 40 locker sponsors.
“Being a Northrop baseball player — once you are in, you are in for life,” Brumbaugh said. “Everybody who plays in this program cares about the program. It’s evidenced by guys who have bought lockers.”
Support that spans decades of Bruins baseball history, including former major leaguer Eric Wedge, all-state players Colin Brockhouse and Barry Ault as well as Bruin basketball star Walter Jordan.
“It runs the gamut from the ’70’s to the present,” Brumbaugh said.
A former bat girl, Aimee Myers of the William J. & Bonnie L. Hefner Foundation and Scott Gidley who leads the Stavreti Scholarship Fund was instrumental from the start.
As it grew and received approval from Fort Wayne Community Schools others jumped in including electricians and other skilled trades. Specifically, Bercot Construction under the leadership of Chris’ brother-in-law Steve Bercot. Steve Baumgarte of Zumbrun Construction and Jack Laurie Flooring, where former player Brian Bunner’s brother was instrumental in the flooring install.
Brumbaugh says the structure shows the value of a coaches impact.
“I try to do this myself – coaches make a difference,” Brumbaugh said. He made a huge impact on people who’ve given. It’s the love of the program, the love of Coach Stavreti.”
The exterior of the new Stavreti Press Box and Clubhouse at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop High School’s baseball field — Chris Stavreti Field. (Dean Jackson Photo)
The lockers in the new Stravreti Press Box and Clubhouse at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop High School’s Chris Stavreti Field. (Dean Jackson Photo)
Matt Brumbaugh has been a part of baseball at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Northrop High School for decades. He is now Bruins head coach. He stands in the locker room at the new Stavreti Press Box and Clubhouse at Chris Stavreti Field. (Dean Jackson Photo)
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