Robbins, Isufi do their part to help Notre Dame baseball

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

The University of Notre Dame moved to 9-2 on the 2024 college baseball season with an 11-2 win Tuesday, March 5 against Purdue University in the home opener at Frank Eck Stadium for the Fighting Irish.

Sophomore Estevan Moreno slugged three home runs for ND — the third time he’s done that during his career.

After the contests, two Irish staffers — assistant coach Logan Robbins and Director of Analytics Daniel Isufi — sat down and talked about their roles.

Robbins started at Notre Dame in the August of 2022 and Isufi August of 2023.

Both are part of a group with head coach Shawn Stiffler plus assistant Ryan Munger, assistant Seth Voltz and graduate assistant Jay Schuyler, works with hitters, infielder and coaches third base. 

Before ND, Robbins was an assistant for seven years at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va., for seven seasons. He helped at Kentucky Wesleyan College in Owensboro, Ky., in 2015.

An Owensboro native and 2008 graduate of Apollo High School, Robbins played at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., and was a 10th round draft pick by the Atlanta Braves in 2011.

Isufi (pronounced ISS-OOF-EE) is a 2018 graduate of St. Viator High School in Arlington Heights, Ill., and a former Chicago White Sox season ticket holder. He has worked for the club as a Sox Surveys Representative. 

He has also been Assistant Director of Baseball Operations at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., an intern with the Cape Cod League’s Wareham Gatemen, worked as a team manager for the baseball program at the University of Dayton (Ohio). He holds a Political Science and Government degree from UD.

Diagnosed with Lupus — an autoimmune disease— at 14, Isufi received his second kidney transplant in 2020.

RBI: You were busy tonight (directing traffic at third base). Are you like an offensive coordinator?

LR: A lot of times I’m feeding off what the guys are telling me in the (batting) cages. Sometimes we do things that don’t work and we have to figure something else out … When we’re doing bad I’ll always get the credit and when we’re doing good it’s those guys who are working hard. That’s where it starts — the amount of work they put in.

RBI: It’s not a cookie-cutter approach (for all hitters)?

LR: I don’t believe in cookie-cutting anything … You could go in the cages tomorrow and see six guys doing six different things. You’d say this is ‘Helter Skelter.’ I’d walk in and smile because because I know why (each player is doing what he’s doing) … Everybody has a different way that they think and move their body. It’s my job as a coach to adapt to them rather than making them adapt to me.

RBI: What have all your experiences brought to this job?

DI: Being able to talk baseball with someone is important … I’m able to sit down and understand where a player or coach is coming from. I’ve learned so much about the game … Especially at VCU, I worked a lot with TrackMan. I was very familiar with how it works and how to get it calibrated and set up and what the data means.  

RBI: What do you do to help the coaches and players?

DI: Coaches tell me what we need on the analytic side of things. I manage all of our technology … If we’re doing bullpens, we may need two portable TrackMan (systems). We also have an Edgertronic camera which is really high-definition. It can be super-zoomed in to look at pitch grips and things like that can help our pitching coach (Voltz) make adjustments with our pitchers … We’re using TrackMan in our hitting cages to get a better understanding of how we are approaching hitting baseballs … I help lead our excellent group of student managers who are getting that data to help our coaches.

RBI: Do the players go to the coaches for the information or come straight to you?

DI: Sometimes when we’re in bullpens we’ll have the iPad right there with all the numbers. (Pitchers) will ask something like ‘what is my horizontal breakdown?’ A lot of time if (players) have questions on how they’re performing, I refer them to their position coach because that’s their job to do that and they have all that data.

RBI: Everbody’s kind of the some of their parts from where you played and where you coached before. What did you pick up along the way?

LR: You pick up how to treat people — first and foremost. Players don’t want to listen to you or be coached until they can trust you … I’m always trying to get to know them as a person. Once we develop that trust and that relationship that’s when the coaching really begins … I’ve had so many great coaches along the way … You have to keep learning. If you stop learning, I think you’re in trouble.

RBI: Is every coach little bit different?

LR: It’s funny. Coach Stiffler and my boss at Old Dominion — Chris Finwood — were under the same coaching tree of the late Paul Keyes. A lot of their philosophies are the same. It starts with playing defense and throwing strikes. There wasn’t much of a difference coming from Old Dominion to (Notre Dame).

RBI: As a White Sox follower, can you go to a game and look at it as just a fan or are you looking at it analytically and thinking about what you would be doing.

DI: 100 percent. There are times I will go and just enjoy the game with family or some friends. But, honestly, the majority of the White Sox games I go to by myself, and I’ll kind of zone out. I’ll keep score and (ask myself) what I would do in this situation. I kind of manage the game from Section 534 where I sit every game and that’s fun.

RBI: You have to look at baseball in an analytical way in some sense don’t you?

LR: I’ll got home tonight and turn on a game and watch it and because I’m a coach I’m watching the other coaches stress out. I know what he feels like … I like to watch teams that are really good and figure out why they are good and then try to bring that here … You can learn from just watching the game. 

RBI: The American Baseball Coaches Association Convention each January brings together thousands of coaches at all levels to share ideas. Do you feel that baseball coaches are pretty good about that?

LR: That’s what’s neat about baseball. It’s a really tight-knit community. I don’t work for the government. Nothing here is top secret. If you want to know what we’re doing, I’d be more than happy to share.

RBI: Can you share on what has Moreno (.321 on 9-of-28 with six homers and 11 runs batted in for a team with 32 homers and 108 runs scored) locked in so far in ’24? 

LR: (Moreno) is walking (in the batter’s box) with confidence and swinging at the right pitches. He’s swinging at strikes and taking balls. That’s where it starts … He just loves it right now … I want him to go up there and get his three best swings off. If three of them go out of the park, great! 

RBI: Can you talk about your Lupus?

DI: It can be a challenge. But I do my best every day I wake up to not let it affect who I am and my work performance. I let it motivate me to be the best version of myself. People may look at the Lupus diagnosis and multiple kidney transplants and feel sorry for me. Honestly, I’m going to make it a good thing because it allows me to not feel sad. It keeps me going. I’m really happy with where I’m at right now.

Daniel Isufi (left) and Logan Robbins. (Steve Krah Photo)

LaSane sees Michiana Repetition grow in decade-plus

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com 

With a devotion to development, Marcus LaSane knew just what he wanted to call his training and travel ball organization when it was established in 2013 — the Michiana Repetition.

Michiana because the operation is located in the area — north central Indiana and southwest lower Michigan — known by that name.

Repetition for what makes athletes better.

A 16-week training program starts in November. High school players go until March 10 (IHSAA practice begins March 11).

The Reps got going with a recreation travel team out of the South Bend, Ind.

After starting out with a spot in the former ICE Athlete Center in Mishawaka, Ind., Michiana Repetition — baseball and softball — now occupies part of the Edwardsburg (Mich.) Field House, leasing space from Dugout Dolls owner Trish Gardini.

Reps Softball and Reps Baseball are separately-run businesses. The latter has 14 travel teams 8U through 17U and about 200 players in 2023-24. There are three 13U squads.

The younger teams tend to play in eight to 10 tournaments a year or between 30 and 35 through July 1.

“We play at Grand Park (in Westfield, Ind., as well as Championship Park in Kokomo, Ind.) as much as we possibly can,” says LaSane, Michiana Repetition LLC owner and baseball director. “In my opinion, it’s the best facility in the world. We’re so fortunate to have it. 

“The best tournaments from a recruiting standpoint are condensed (on one site) and (college coaches) can walk around and see whatever they want.”

LaSane says about 80 percent of baseball players come from Indiana, but there are some from Michigan.

Some players are also involved with other teams on weekdays.

“We’re still a big believer in rec ball for our younger guys,” says LaSane. “It really helps their development.

“If they’re going to do (travel ball) we want them to commit to it so they don’t miss any games or practices.”

The majority of coaches have boys on their teams.

“We have the development and all the normal things you want in terms of your kid growing in the program,” says LaSane. “But it’s super important for me for them to enjoy their time here.

“When we’re looking for coaches we’re trying to watch their demeanors. How are you handling your players?”

LaSane has a yearly coaches meeting to spell out his expectations.

While it’s mostly Reps players at the facility with no rentals to the public, LaSane does conduct Edwardsburg Little League’s winter program and trains a team from East Side Youth Baseball & Softball in South Bend.

There is about 6,000 square feet of space for baseball training and there is a strength area overseen by trainer Eric Forrest. Reggie Burton is a baseball instructor.

LaSane was born and raised in South Bend and is a 1992 Riley High School graduate who played junior college baseball.

The former catcher and shortstop’s coaches were Ralph Pieniazkiewicz Sr., and John Nadolny in high school as well as National Junior College Athletic Association Hall of Famer Dave Randall at Waubonsee Community College in Sugar Grove, Ill., and Joel Mishler at Glen Oaks Community College in Centreville, Mich.

LaSane was on a sectional and regional championship team coached by Nadolny (who is now at John Glenn High School in Walkerton, Ind.).

“He is a great coach,” says LaSane. “He knows how to treat the players right and teach them the right things.

“I’ve been blessed with these unbelievable coaches,” says LaSane. “I knew I wanted to coach in high school.”

LaSane, 49, was head baseball coach at South Bend Washington High School for one season.

Early in his coaching career, he was an assistant at Riley and for a short time at Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (now Purdue Fort Wayne) for then-head coach Tony Vittorio (now head coach at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis) with Billy Gernon (now head coach at Western Michigan University) on the Mastodons staff.

Top keep himself educated, LaSane attends the annual American Baseball Coaches Association Convention and was in Dallas in January.

LaSane has coached football on the Pop Warner level and at Riley, LaSalle Academy and Cathedral School of Saint Matthew. He also coached softball when his daughter played.

Marcus and wife Brooke LaSane, a kindergarten teacher in the South Bend Community School Corporation, have four children — daughter Ayralynn (26) and sons Bryce (18), A.J. (15) and Christian (11). The boys are all on the Reps.

Ayralynn LaSane was on the softball team at Brandywine High School in Niles, Mich.

Bryce LaSane is a senior baseball and football player at Marian High School in Mishawaka.

A.J. LaSane is a freshman baseball and football player at South Bend Saint Joseph High School.

Marcus is in inside sales Ferguson Waterworks, where he has been employed since 1999. 

Marcus LaSane. (Steve Krah Photo)

Former catcher, veteran coach Henson changes way he views, teaches position

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Feb. 2 was National Catchers Day. Founded in 2019 by Xan Barksdale (former USA Baseball coach, pro catcher and NCAA Division I coach and author of Catching-101 and founder of CatcherCON), it is “meant to shine a light on this foundational position in the life of baseball and softball, showing some appreciation for all who spend time right behind home plate!”

The day after NCD 2024, Noblesville (Ind.) High School baseball assistant coach Scott Henson shared this on X (formerly Twitter): “I doubted the new way of catching, then I did something crazy … I educated myself. Went to be around the best catching minds. I learned. I adjusted my paradigm. Now my guys will benefit from it and that is what’s important.”

Henson played the position at Pendleton (Ind.) Heights High School, Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the University of Indianapolis and for the independent professional Richmond (Ind.) Roosters. He has been on the Noblesville coaching staff since 2021-22 and teaching Social Studies at the school since 2022-23. 

He was an assistant at Indiana University-Kokomo in 2020-21, working with staff featuring Matt Howard, Drew Brantley and Ryan Cheek. 

Henson’s last season as head coach and teacher at Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., was 2016-17 and he went into business. 

“I’m kind of an old-school guy,” says Henson. “I was a catcher and the way I was taught, the way I did it is absolutely different than anybody’s doing it now.”

Henson admits skepticism in the new way of playing the position. 

What changed his mind was his year of coaching at IUK.

“I really got to dive into just being a catching coach,” says Henson. “I got to watch guys up-close and be around other catching coaches. 

“I was able to look at it at a different angle.”

Since college catchers play many more games than high schoolers, some of the mechanical changes came with mobility and comfort in-mind.

“The only thing a lot of people see is that (the catcher) has his knee down or he doesn’t — that’s the difference,” says Henson. “What I learned is that there is so much more to it. 

“There’s understanding which knee have down and when to have that knee down. When are you able to move from one knee down to a more traditional stance? There are different stances for one-knee down. There’s kickstand, a more traditional one-knee down and a starter’s position.”

Henson says the average observer assumes that a catcher with a knee down is not going to be a good blocker of balls that hit the ground.

“It was not until about 2015 that (Major League Baseball) started keeping some more detailed statistics on catching,” says Henson. “In the major leagues in 2023, there were over 700,000 pitches thrown. Only 28 percent of those were block opportunities. 

“In 2015, there were only 12 (big league catchers) who had a better than 50 percent strike percentage on what we call the low-shadow strike — the one that’s at the bottom of the zone that may be a strike and may be a ball. In 2023, you had 34 guys that had better than a 50 percent rate on that same strike.

“That’s a 300-percent increase in the number of strikes being called because guys are in a better position.”

As for wild pitches or passed balls, there’s only about one per game on average in the MLB and they call it wild for a reason. The stance won’t make a difference.

“The worst receivers can cost you three to four wins,” says Henson. “If you’ve got a guy who just can’t keep strikes strikes that can add up.

“That can cost you.”

The way Henson sees it, catchers operate in the shadows.

“I tell my guys I don’t make balls strikes, I want you to keep strikes strike,” says Henson. “One thing that knee-down catching has done has increased the number of strikes the guys are getting.”

At IUK, Henson began having his catcher load with their catcher’s mitt. They gave the target to the pitcher then putt the glove down to the ground.

“You can think of it like the guy who’s loading his hands and getting ready to hit,” says Henson. “The reason we start at the bottom if you’re able to get around every pitch easier. I trying to get where my thumb and my elbow on a ball that’s to my glove side on the outside of that baseball and keep it in the zone. As a I catch it my glove’s moving into the zone.

“It’s a timing thing.”

As soon as the pitcher commits to coming toward the plate, that’s when the catcher loads and puts his glove down.

If the pitch is to the catcher’s arm side, he is still trying to get outside the ball and keep it in the zone and one, smooth movement.

“If I have that glove stagnant in front of me and that pitch goes real hard to my outside, it is very, very difficult to catch a ball going away from you and maintain that rigidity in your arm to keep that ball in the strike zone,” says Henson. “You glove’s going to go with the ball. Nobody’s that strong.

“You want to minimize that negative movement.”

Henson began going to Barksdale’s CatcherCON at Battle Ground Academy in Franklin, Tenn., near Nashville. The Dec. 8-10, 2023 event had a Friday night “Hot Stove” with J.P. Arencibia (New York Mets), Kyle Cheesebrough (Mississippi State) and Todd Coburn (The Catching Guy). 

Besides Barksdale, Saturday speakers included Tom Griffin (Carson-Newman University), Ethan Goforth (Pittsburgh Pirates), Brett Thomas (The Catching Academy), Tyler Goodro (University of Nebraska-Omaha and Goodro Catching), J.D. Closser (Atlanta Braves), Dallas Correa (University of Hawaii) and Jerry Weinstein (Colorado Rockies).

A group of about 80 attendees included former big league catcher and current Boston Red Sox game-planning coordinator Jason Varitek.

“He was in the attendance listening and learning,” says Henson. “He’s one of the best to do it at every level.”

Cheesebrough was an assistant coach at Indiana University.

Closser was Indiana Mr. Baseball at Alexandria (Ind.)-Monroe High School and is now a minor league catching coordinator.

Weinstein has been coaching catching for 60 years and is a multiple-time big stage speaker at the American Baseball Coaches Association Convention.

“All these catching guys pretty much get along,” says Henson. “We understand what we’re seeing is something new. Some of us are learning a little faster than others, but we’re all pulling in the same direction. 

“We’re seeing that it really is what’s best for this position.”

At Noblesville, where son Cole Henson is a sophomore player, Scott is on a staff with Justin Keever as head coach, Kevin Fitzgerald and Bryce Worrell as fellow assistant and volunteers Quentin Miller and Ben Yoder.

Besides catchers, Henson is in charge of scouting, defensive prep and defensive game-calling.

During the current IHSAA Limited Contact Period, he is having catcher involved in various drills.

“We do a lot of drill work that helps with the movement patterns we will be trying to replicate through the course of the game,” says Henson. “Luckily, the IHSAA now counts throwing as part of conditioning. We’re able to get that out of the way so it doesn’t waste all our repetition time.

“I don’t want them throwing too much, too early. Outside of pitchers you can throw as much as anybody on the team.

“Throwing stuff will be more toward the start of the season. Right now, we’re doing a lot of receiving and blocking work.”

Scott Henson.

Scott Henson.

Scott Henson.

Noblesville (Ind.) High School assistant coach Ben Yoder (left), trainer Gerald Mickler and assistants Kevin Fitzgerald and Scott Henson.

Wollenzin has Evansville hitters focused on discipline, timing

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Matt Wollenzin came back for his second stint as a University of Evansville baseball assistant in the summer of 2022 and guided Purple Aces hitters in 2023.

Wollenzin, who was on the UE staff in 2016 and 2017 guiding catchers and helping with hitters, the approach in 2024 will remain much the same. 

“We want our guys to understand what pitches they can hit well, what pitches they can do damage on and what pitches they struggle with,” says Wollenzin, 32. “We want to hit strikes hard. We’re firm believers that the better the strike (zone) discipline the more you’re going to get on-base and more you’re going to be able to drive the baseball and do damage.

“Mechanically, everyone has a different skill set and a different set of strengths and weaknesses. We talk a lot about timing. We want to be waiting on fastballs. If we can hit the heater, that’s when we’re at our best.”

Wollenzin has his players working on these things using a steady mix of feel-good and situational batting practice and more-difficult game-like conditions that put hitters in compete mode. There’s also front toss and tee work.

New to the program is a Spinball iPitch Smart Pitching Machine that can be set up for the exact pitch metrics the team will face.

“That’s been a huge deal for us,” says Wollenzin. “We’ve been using the Driveline Baseball Smash Factor Balls with that. In-season, you can show them a 95 mph fastball. But the guys are going to blow up their hands if they use it all the time (using regular baseballs). It’s the same ball flight (with Smash Factor Balls) and they’re a little nastier from a stuff standpoint.”

Video is also a big part of the equation. Hitters can view all their at-bats from multiple angles. 

“We preach to the guys to watch the guys in the big leagues, compare it to what you’re doing and just be students of the game,” says Wollenzin. “The more you watch what’s happening it’s going to make the adjustments that are necessary.”

The 2023 Evansville squad went 37-24 overall and 15-12 in the Missouri Valley Conference and hit .254 as a team with 81 home runs, 14 triples, 95 doubles, 337 runs batted in, 363 runs scored and a .796 OPS (.364 on-base percentage plus .432 slugging average). UE hitters walked 312 times and struck out 500 over 2,059 at-bats.

“I wouldn’t say we’re OK with striking out by any means,” says Wollenzin. “That can kill a lot to innings and take the pressure off the defense. We want to apply pressure at all times. At the same time, it is going to happen when you hit for a lot of power. 

“This year we’ve keyed in on cutting that down a little bit. We’re trying to take away from the boom-or-bust mentality as an offense. We just want to swing at good pitches.”

In his graduate season in 2023, Eric Roberts (Hamilton, Ohio) hit .295 with 21 homers, 58 RBIs and a .622 slugging average while earning all-MVC and American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Midwest Region first team honors. 

Roberts is not back in 2024, but a number of top Aces return, including all-conference picks Chase Hug (.311/14/55; .576) and Kip Fougerousse (.288-13-47; .496) plus Simon Scherry (.267-3-23; .379), Brent Widder (.238-5-28; .378), Ty Rumsey (.232-8-16; .389), Brendan Hord (.208-5-30; .360) and Mark Schallenberger (.209-4-13; .345).

Hug (a graduate of Pike High School in Indianapolis), Widder (Sheboygan, Wis.), Hord (Lexington, Ky.) and Schallenberger (St. Louis, Mo.) are grad students, Fougerousse (Linton-Stockton) and Scherry (Heritage Hills) seniors and Rumsey (Evansville North) a junior in 2024.

Wollenzin says Hug, Widder and Schallenberger were not in the peak of health in 2023.

“All of those guys who were not quite themselves last year can combine to make up for the loss of Eric Roberts in the lineup,” says Wollenzin.

The coach reports that fall workouts were productive.

“We tried to replicate the spring season as best as we could from a practice and game standpoint, which means Mondays off, practice Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and intrasquads on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.”

Evansville saw three opponents in the fall — Wabash Valley College, University of Southern Indiana and the Toronto Mets.

Wollenzin said the regular hitters showed out against the first two foes and other players were able to get in the lineup in against the foreign opponent.

“I think we’re going to have some serious depth that we didn’t necessarily have last year,” says Wollenzin. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in 12 to 14 position players.”

Post-holiday break classes resumed at Evansville on Monday, Jan. 8 and the Aces saw their first live at-bats this past weekend.

Wollenzin is part of a staff that features Wes Carroll as head coach, Tyler Shipley as pitching coach/recruiting coordinator, Griffin McCormick as volunteer assistant and Jarrett Blunt as graduate assistant.

“(Carroll) just brings a great environment,” says Wollenzin, who is in his second go-round with the Aces field boss. “Guys want to show up and work every single day. He’s continuously gotten better at his own craft, too. 

“He lacks complacency as a coach. He tries to find ways to help guys whether on the analytic or culture side of things. He cares a lot about his players and there’s something to be said for that.”

Wollenzin grew up in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, Colo., and graduated from Green Mountain High School, where he was an all-stater, in 2010. His head coach at the end of his Rams days was Brad Madden. 

“When it’s a fun competitive environment and you were around people who are just as much as you do you’re going to greater interest in the sport and all the nuances of it,” says Wollenzin. “Coach Madden created an environment that made me want to do this at the next level and make me want get into it as a career.

“Every stop along the way I’ve been around good people who cared about you and the game and helping you get where you wanted to be.”

As a lefty-swinging catcher, Wollenzin played at Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., (2011-14), earning National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American mention, and served one season as a graduate assistant (2015) with Gary McClure as Governors head coach.

“Win at all costs,” says Wollenzin of McClure’s approach. “He was the ultimate competition. The guy loved to win. He would do anything to win. We brought home three (Ohio Valley Conference) championships. I have nothing but great things there with Coach McClure.”

Wollenzin earned a Healthcare Management undergraduate degree and master of Healthcare Administration from Austin Peay, the latter in 2016.

During his first time at Evansville, Wollenzin spent his summers in Mankato, Minn., with the Northwoods League’s Mankato MoonDogs and was later the team’s manager.

He also joined the coaching staff at Bethany Lutheran College in Mankato (2018-22) — the last two years as associate head coach to Vikings head coach Ryan Kragh.

“He trusted me from Day 1 when he was the (manager) of the MoonDogs and with Bethany, too,” says Wollenzin of Kragh. “I could do my own thing.

“He gave me a lot of control. That’s where you learn a lot about yourself as a coach — what you do well and what you do not do well. If it wasn’t for him I don’t think I’d be where I am right now. I owe him a lot for that.”

Kragh valued relationships and so does Wollenzin.

“Players don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” says Wollenzin. “Although it’s cliche, it’s 100 percent true.

“It’s something I’ve tried to replicate in my coaching career.”

This past Thanksgiving, Wollenzin and Sarah Duwenhoegger got engaged with an eye on a wedding next winter. The couple met in Mankato in 2019.

Matt Wollenzin. (University of Evansville Photo)

Matt Wollenzin. (University of Evansville Image)

Development for the next level important to Baseball Directive’s Schlueter

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Baseball training for Ed Schlueter is not about being the best today as much as it is achieving big gains over the days, weeks, months and years to come.

“I’m trying to grow the youth programs in our area to be more successful in the long run and not the short term,” says Schlueter, the founder of Baseball Directive in northwest Indiana and a full-time instructor for about five years (he is a former teacher, Rensselaer, Ind., Central High School head baseball coach and painter). “I want players to swing the bat fast and hit the ball hard.

“We might swing and miss more at 8 (years old) with a pitching machine but when we hit the ball, we hit it hard.”

That’s more important to Schlueter than winning games in those young age groups.

“I don’t even know why we keep score at 7 and 8. It just drives me nuts,” says Schlueter. “I’m trying to get more to the development piece of this.”

Schlueter, a 2011 graduate of Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, who majored in History and Secondary Education and pitched for the Rick O’Dette-coached Pumas, currently instructs players at private pole barns in DeMotte (Jasper County) and Francesville (Pulaski County). 

He spends at least an hour everyday doing something to become a better instructor. He takes online courses and does lots of reading — always something related to his business.

He attended the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Dallas and soaked in knowledge that he can impart to his clients.

Schlueter, who has served as president of Wheatfield (Ind.) Little League, has been focusing on development and is seeing methods he’s culled from places like Driveline Baseball, 108 Performance and Tread Athletics begin to pay dividends.

“I’m trying to blend what I think is right from all of them instead of just trying to stay on one track,” says Schlueter.

Many of his students are in elementary school or junior high.

“I’m finally getting players who have been through my system for a longer period of time,” says Schlueter. “Now we’re seeing the ultimate picture where they get to play at the next level — high school or beyond.”

One of his long-time pupils just began his college baseball career. He started going to Schlueter at 13.

“He was tall, lanky, underweight and couldn’t hit the ball very hard,” says Schlueter. “All we did was maximize for hitting the ball hard.

“After one fall of junior college and focusing on development he’s getting a lot of attention from bigger four-year schools — both (NCAA) Division I and Division II.

“People told him he couldn’t because he was too skinny and too small. It’s gratifying for me, but he’s also the one that put in the work. I’m not trying to take any part of success for any of my players and what they do. I’m just trying to point them in the right direction. If you do these things it’s going to give you a better opportunity further on (down the road).”

Depending on the time of year, Schlueter trains 40 to 60 players.

“I’m just trying to get kids more athletic with their swing and their pitching,” says Schlueter. “I’ve gotten more away from the lesson model.

“We’ll do mechanical things. But, especially with the younger kids, I want them to learn how to be athletic through their movements.”

Lucas Schlueter — Ed and Meagan’s 11-year-old son — has been learning the game from his father since he was in T-ball.

“He’s very, very invested in baseball,” says Ed of Lucas. “I’ve always used him as a my guinea pig.

“I’ve seen his growth in the game.”

Father and son are involved with the North Central Cyclones travel organization. The season tends to go from April to mid-July with 30 to 40 games.

“We try to practice two days a week between weekend tournaments and not schedule schedule more than two tournaments in a row,” says Schlueter. “We’re trying to create balance. We let the kids have higher competition but not burn them out.”

The weekend, Schleuter and Ethan Duensing (Calumet Christian Class of 2023) begin leading a 12-week preparation camp. It’s the third year for the program with two-hour hitting and pitching sessions each Saturday.

“We’re trying to get them ready for their season and ingraining hitting the ball hard, throwing the ball hard and let’s keep you healthy,” says Schlueter. “Let’s be athletic and let things fly.”

Players who attend the camp can go onto to their teams at the start of April having already seen pitches at game speed.

“Young kids just need a lot of reps,” says Schlueter. “We use Rapsodo and to measure everything we can.”

Those numbers are displayed on a screen that players can see.

They will get in the cage and be told things like: “This round of 10 you’re just trying to smoke the ball. I don’t care where they go right now. You’re trying to swing as hard as you can and hit the ball as hard as you can.”

A 10-year-old might set a goal of achieving 60 mph for an exit velo.

The next time he can go for 65 and so on.

Schlueter uses the analogy of an elevator.

“If you continue to raise your ceiling your floor is going to come with it,” says Schlueter. 

What often happens is that as the max goes up so does the average.

“Improvements are not linear,” says Schlueter. “It’s going to go up and down a little bit. But over a long period we’re seeing a lot more improvement.”

To promote bat speed and EV, Schleuter incorporates plyoballs, overload and underload bats.

“We get some good outcomes when we go back to our regular bat,” says Schlueter. “It’s not a magic silver bullet. They are just more tools in the toolbox.

“We’re trying to find what works for each player. What is the player going to buy into that clicks with them? We have our standardized ideas of what we want to do, but how do we individualize it to that player?”

Baseball Directive is on social media: X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and YouTube.

Ed Schlueter. (Steve Krah Photo)

Newman’s job bringing Purdue pitcher strengths to the forefront

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Former major league pitcher and veteran pitching coach Josh Newman is now leading hurlers at Purdue University.

Newman, a graduate of Wheelersburg (Ohio) High School, pitched for Ohio State University (2001-04) — where he earned all-Big Ten Conference honors athletically and academically three times while playing for Buckeyes head coach Bob Todd.

The left-hander spent six seasons in pro baseball, including 14 regular-season games in the majors with the Colorado Rockies (2007 and 2008) and Kansas City Royals (2008). He was on Colorado’s active roster for the 2007 World Series.

Newman has coached at Ohio State (2011-13) for head coach Greg Beals, Marshall (2014-17) for Jeff Waggoner and Penn State (2018-23) for Rob Cooper.

Seven pitchers were selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft during Newman’s time in Happy Valley, including lefty Dante Biasi in the sixth round in 2019. He competed at Double-A in the Royals organization in 2022 and 2023.

Penn State pitchers produced a program-record 503 strikeouts in 2022, the third time in the last four full seasons the Nittany Lions whiffed 400 or more.

Newman, who attended the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Dallas, took over as Purdue pitching coach on the staff of Boilermakers head coach Greg Goff in July 2023.

He joins a leadership group that also includes assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Chris Marx and assistant/hitting coach Seth LaRue plus director of player development John Madia and supervisor of operations Hunter Roberts. Terry Rooney was on the previous pitching coach and is now recruiting coordinator at Louisiana State University.

“I’m walking into an opportunity that has so many positive things going,” says Newman, 41. “I so fortunate that I walked into that environment. By no means am I going to sit here and take all the credit.”

Karly Siegler oversees the student-led analytics team.

“She is a brilliant mind,” says Newman of Siegler. “She is a young lady that is going to go on and do extraordinary things. There’s no doubt about it.

“I’m very fortunate to have her and others on that staff constantly looking at different things and different ways to take data and integrate it, making it functional for our guys.”

Since arriving in West Lafayette with wife Sarah and three children (daughter Ayda and sons Kash and Miller), Newman has been familiarizing himself with his pitchers and getting them to identify and own their strengths and maximize their mobility.

“We can’t teach mechanics until we understand how the body moves,” says Newman. “Then you look at the pitch profile. What do we throw? Do we have any outliers as far as pitch types?”

Newman says that a combination of analytics, data drawn from available technology like TrackMan, Rapsodo and other sources, the baseball staff including Goff, Marx, LaRue and Madia and development team working together can help each pitcher know their strengths and benefit from them.

As pitching coach, Newman helps put the pieces of that puzzle together.

“It is important for you to understand who you’re dealing with what each guy brings to the table from a mentality standpoint,” says Newman. “Every kid’s different. For some, bombarding them with technology and data just doesn’t make sense when I’m trying to get them to understand commanding (their pitches) to certain tools or slowing the game down.”

Purdue’s fall roster includes 18 players listed as pitchers. Among returnees who logged the most mound time for Purdue in 2023 are seniors Jonathan Blackwell (72 1/3 innings), Kyle Iwinski (69 1/3), Aaron Suval (44 2/3), Davis Pratt (42 1/3), Jackson Dannelley (39 1/3), C.J. Backer (37) and Cal Lambert (22 2/3) and junior Carter Doorn (27 1/3). Blackwell and Lambert are left-handers. The others are right-handers.

“Having been at the highest level I understand how hard it is,” says Newman. “I know what goes into chasing a dream.

“But kids today are different than when I played and the game is different. It’s our job to understand what we can take and how we can connect with the guys. 

“What we do is something that I cherish. Everything I have has come from the game.”

Purdue is scheduled to open the 2024 season Feb. 16 against Stony Brook in Sugar Land, Texas.

Josh Newman. (Purdue University Image)

There’s just no quit in Ready’s UIndy Greyhounds

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Greyhounds don’t give up.

At least not the kind that play baseball at the University of Indianapolis.

UIndy head coach Al Ready sees to that.

“It’s part of our culture,” says Ready. “Our team will just not quit.”

Indianapolis went 39-21 and qualified for the 2023 D-II World Series in Cary, N.C., while showing that never-day-die spirit over and over again.

A few examples … 

On April 11 against Ohio Dominican, UIndy prevalied 24-23 in 11 innings. Indianapolis trailed 19-18 going into the bottom of the ninth and score on run to force extra frames. Both teams tallied three in the 10th. The visitors scored one in the top of the 11th and the Hounds walked it off with two in the bottom.

On April 25, UIndy trailed 10-7 against Kentucky Wesleyan and scored four runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to win.

There was postseason magic, too.

In a May 18 regional game at the Illinois Springfield, Indianapolis was behind 8-5 through seven innings. The Greyhounds scored five in the top of the eighth and the Prairie Stars two in the bottom. UIndy won 11-10 with the game-winner in the 11th.

What turned about to be the final game of the 2023 season was against Cal State San Bernadino had Indianapolis rallying again. The Greyhounds went down 6-0 and 9-2 then produced five runs in the bottom of the ninth in a 10-8 loss. 

A player at Great Lakes Valley Conference rival Quincy (Ill.) University — center fielder Brock Boynton — used the word scrappy to describe the Hounds.

“Brock Boynton is one of the my favorite players to watch in the GLVC,” says Ready. “He’s exactly right. That’s a good assessment. We are scrappy. We just never quit.

“A lot of teams are not built to come back.”

Ready, who attended the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Dallas and received the ABCA/ATEC D-II Midwest Regional Coach of the Year Award for 2023, has been head coach at UIndy for five seasons after 11 as an assistant to ABCA Hall of Famer Gary Vaught. 

A former UIndy player, London, Ont., native Ready holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees from the school.

His coaching style in recent years has changed as athletes have changed. 

Performance Psychology coach Scott Holdsworth — father of former UIndy All-American Macy Holdsworth — meets with the team once a week.

“I’ve learned so much from Scott in just how to get my message across to the kids,” says Ready, 46. “The message hasn’t really changed about what we need to do on the field. But the way I deliver the message is much different.

“How the coach should interact with the kids is the biggest thing that I’ve learned. The way I deliver the message is much different. 

“Coaches that are my age could probably relate to this. In my generation, coaches just told you to do something and you didn’t ask questions. You just did it because the coach told you to do it. Now the players need to know why. You need to provide much more information and you need to teach them.”

To prove his point, Ready uses the video game MLB: The Show as an analogy.

“A lot of coaches up to the early and mid-2000’s were coaching their teams like the video game. The players don’t have a brain. Just do this because I tell you to do it.”

Ready no longer coaches third base but stays in the dugout so he can communicate with the hitter and the players on-deck and in the hole about the situation. 

“The stars are aligning here for this play and this is what we’re going to do,” says Ready.

“Small ball” is a big part of what make UIndy click. The Hounds will bunt and they will certainly run. Indianapolis obliterated the previous single-season stolen base record with 153 (in 180 attempts) in 2023. Individual leaders were Caleb Vaughn (a school-record 43), Easton Good (25), Jared Bujdos (22), Brandon DeWitt (17), Drew Donaldson (17) and Nick Lukac (17).

Ready’s coaching staff for 2024 features pitching coach/recruiting director Adam Cornwell and hitting/third base/infield coach E.J. Devarie plus graduate assistants DeWitt and Alex Vela. Trevor Forde has left to become head coach at Illinois Springfield.

UIndy opens the 2024 season Feb. 16 against Notre Dame College in Indianapolis. The South Euclid, Ohio-based Falcons are coached by former big league pitcher Len Barker.

Al Ready. (Gandolph Bats Photo)

Coaching career takes Tornincasa to Southern Indiana

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

New University of Southern Indiana assistant/hitting coach/recruiting coordinator Vinny Tornincasa got his first taste of baseball coaching right after high school.

Tornincasa, who grew up in Chesterton, Ind., had just wrapped his playing career, having helped Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., to IHSAA Class 3A state championships his junior and senior years (2009 and 2010). He went 2-for-4 with a run scored as a lead-off hitter/center fielder in the 2010 title game.

“I wanted to stay involved in the game,” says Tornincasa, 32. “I kept growing and one thing led to another.”

Tornincasa gave players guidance with the Hammond (Ind.) Chiefs travel organization then headed to Purdue University Northwest in Hammond as a student (he holds a History degree from the school). He would later be a PNW assistant coach 2015-20 and help with the summer collegiate Carroll (Iowa) Merchants.

He was also a teacher at Scott Middle School in Hammond, Ind., and Valparaiso (Ind.) Alternative School.

After the pandemic, Tornincasa joined the Andrean staff and coached the 59ers in 2021 and 2022. The 59ers won the program’s eighth state crown — all under Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur — in 2022.

At this point, Tornicasa decided he would be a full-time coach.

The summer of 2022 he was hitting coach and interim manager for the Northwoods League’s Rockford (Ill.) Rivets (37-35) and then became a assistant at the University of Illinois Springfield.

The NCAA Division II Prairie Stars head coach was Ryan Copeland (now head coach at Northern Illinois University).

“He was just awesome,” says Tornincasa of Copeland. “He taught me so much.

“I wanted to learn and he was willing to teach me.

“I’ve learned from a lot of great coaches.”

Among those are Pishkur at Andrean, Dave Sutkowski with the Hammond Chiefs, Dave Griffin at Purdue Northwest, Copeland at IUS and Tracy Archuleta at USI.

“I also want to give a shoutout to Torny (uncle Tom Tornincasa, who coached in pro ball including stints with the Fort Wayne Wizards and Fort Wayne TinCaps) for helping me with everything and getting me to where I’m at. Also, Mauer (Aaron Maurer who Vinny knows from Andrean) and K.J. (K.J. Zelelnika whom he coached with) for always having my back through the tough times.”

Illinois Springfield finished second in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2023, batting .313 as a team with 70 home runs and a .414 on-base percentage. 

Tornincasa managed Rockford to a 45-27 mark in the summer of 2023.

He was planning to head back to Springfield, but with Copeland changing jobs and Southern Indiana’s Archuleta asking about his interest in joining the NCAA D-I Screaming Eagles that’s the choice he made and was hired as an assistant/hitting coach/recruiting coordinator for the Evansville-based program. 

Nick Gobert and Gordon Cardenas are the other assistants. Alex Archuleta is a student assistant coach and Aaron Furman director of baseball operations.

“The lion’s share of it is serving as hitting coach,” says Tornincasa of his duties. “We all do our part with the recruiting side.”

Tornincasa, who attended the 2024 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Dallas, emphasizes the importance of batsmen being “on-time.”

“Being on-time you’re in hitting position and that’s half the battle,” says Tornincasa. “Everybody has a certain level of natural ability and talent.

“They’re only going to be able to take that and reach their natural ability by getting them in good positions and reinforcing fundamentals.”

As a hitter himself, being on-time meant tracking the baseball as early as possible and having good hand position and pitch selection. 

“Where I see guys struggle the most is movement prior to getting in that hitting position,” says Tornincasa. “So you clean it up and simplify a couple of things without taking away from the individual’s full capabilities.

“I want to see what guys can do and help them maximize that potential.”

Tornincasa says swing path is one of the biggest debates in hitting now. 

“The swing path doesn’t matter if you’re on-time,” says Tornincasa. “It always comes back to the fundamentals — be short to the baseball and be explosive with the lower half. If you do that, your swing naturally stays tight and through the zone.”

Hitters can see live pitching and deliveries from a machine to work on their cut. But dry swings with no ball are also beneficial.

“I like dry swings because it gives guys a feel for their movements without having to focus at something coming at them,” says Tornincasa. “It reinforces betting in good hitting position, firing the lower half and making sure they’re not opening up too soon.

“Guys typically get good feedback from dry swings.”

All that being said, Tornincasa notes that it’s his duty to help his team score runs.

“You’re not a swing coach, you’ve got to understand how to run an offense,” says Tornincasa. “That’s where I struggled a little (in the fall). (Archuleta) gave me the direction I needed. I feel pretty confident that I’m going to be able to do a good job what (the head coach) wants and that’s the goal of any good assistant, right?”

Something Tornincasa appreciates about Copeland and Archuleta — men he did not know prior to being hired by them — is that they both embrace practice.

“If you can make practice harder than the game the game should slow down and become easier for guys,” says Tornincasa. “If you can make practice more challenging they’re going to have more success in the game.”

Tornincasa says Southern Indiana tends to recruit players from a 250-mile radius of Evansville with attention to players closer to the Pocket City.

“The more you get to see them the more you’re reinforced with the decision to invest in them,” says Tornincasa. “You’ve got to find out the character of that kid. His values and character has to align with your head coach and program.”

Character does not often show up on video, especially it’s produced by the player. Flaws won’t be included.

“(Seeing players in-person) gives you a chance to see them fail and go against the right competition,” says Tornincasa. “In a video you don’t know if (the opposing pitcher) is throwing 92 mph or 72.

“You can learn a lot just by watching four at-bats. You can see how he is with teammates, how he is before the game and how he is with his parents after the game. Those things do matter.”

Southern Indiana is slated to open the 2024 baseball season Feb. 16 in Mobile, Ala., against the University of South Alabama.

Vinny Tornincasa. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

Nanny takes assistant role at NAIA power LSU Shreveport

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

At 24, Daylan Nanny just might be the youngest recruiting coordinator in college baseball.

Nanny, a 2017 graduate of Plainfield (Ind.) High School who hit .313 (197-of-629) in 161 games as lefty-swinging outfielder with National Junior College Athletic Association member Arizona Western College (2018) and NCAA Division I Western Carolina University (2019-21), was put in charge of talent procurement when he became a full-time assistant on the staff of Brad Neffendorf at LSU Shreveport in July.

“My paid title is recruiting coordinator,” says Nanny of his position at the institution on northwest Louisiana. “It’s one of the 392 hats I wear.

“I’m blessed. I really am. They took a chance on a young guy for a big role. The bloodline of your program is recruiting. I’ve been able to take it and run with it and be aggressive.”

Right-handed pitcher and Lawrence North High School graduate Calvin Shepherd (who pitched at the University of Illinois in 2022 and Black Hawk College in Moline, Ill., in 2023) is part of the NAIA’s No. 1 junior college recruiting class according to college baseball influencer Noah Sharp.

LSUS is 167-38 in Brad Neffendorf’s four seasons in Shreveport and went to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, in 2021 and 2022 and earned Red River Athletic Conference regular-season titles in 2022 and 2023. The RRAC has schools from Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico.

The 2023 Pilots finished 47-10 overall and 27-3 in RRAC and were ranked No. 2 in the final poll after finishing one win short of Lewiston as an Opening Round host under the brother of new Indiana University Southeast head coach Brett Neffendorf.

LSUS is ranked No. 5 in the 2024 NAIA preseason poll. One of the toughest schedules in the country awaits the Pilots with 17 of 26 opponents ranked or receiving votes.

Six of the team’s first 10 games are against Top 25 foes including an Opening Day doubleheader  with No. 12 Webber International on Jan. 26.

In early February, the Pilots play preseason No. 23 Rheinhardt (Ga.) and No. 18 Mobile (Ala.).

LSUS will get what they hope is an early look at Harris Field in Lewiston with a four-game series at No. 3 Lewis-Clark State April 12-14.

Pilot Field features a turf infield and an indoor training facility.

“We’ve got a chance to do something special,” says Nanny. “Neff does a good job of making sure we’re all organized.”

The Pilots staff, which also includes two other newcomers in Robert Pickett and Zach Sanders, was to convene today (Dec. 28) after a holiday break and welcome players back Jan. 2. 

Former IU Southeast head coach Ben Reel was among those who has given advice to the young coach.

“I was lucky to have so many people in my corner,” says Nanny.

The American Baseball Coaches Association Convention — which will be Nanny’s second as a member — is Jan. 3-7 in Dallas, about 190 miles west of Shreveport.

“I’m excited to get down there and build relationships,” says Nanny, who has already built wide network in the baseball community. “I turn 25 in February. This is my window. I’m going to dive into this and try to make it a lifelong profession.”

Two Indiana schools and members of the Crossroads League — Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan University — are preseason No. 9 and No. 14, respectively.

Two players from central Indiana — 2018 Ben Davis High School graduate Zyon Avery (2022 and 2023) and 2017 Indianapolis North Central High School alum Allbry Major (2022) — played at LSUS.

Nanny played against Avery at Ben Davis Little League and against Major during travel ball and then in the Cape Cod League (2019).

Prior to joining the LSUS Pilots, Nanny was a volunteer assistant specializing in recruiting and offensive player development for head coach Marc Rardin in his first season at NCAA D-I Western Kentucky University (2023).

During Nanny’s season in Bowling Green, the Hilltoppers won 33 games — a 15-win improvement from he previous season. WKU also got better in 18 different offensive categories.

Before Western Kentucky, Nanny was recruiting coordinator/hitting coach for Rob Fournier at perennial juco powerhouse Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill. 

Nanny followed Fournier to WKU when the veteran coach became a Hilltoppers assistant. Rardin and Fournier are both the the NJCAA Hall of Fame.

“I’m lucky to now have recruited at three levels,” says Nanny.

For a short time before becoming a college coach, Nanny joined buddies Kalib Clark (a 2016 Plainfield grad who played at Indiana University Kokomo and MidAmerica Nazarene University) and Cooper Trinkle (a 2017 Columbus North High School alum who played the University of Evansville, John A. Logan College, Indiana University and Saint Leo University) to form and briefly run HitClub Player Development Services.

Trinkle is now lead scout for Prep Baseball Report Indiana.

One of Nanny’s other duties at LSUS is guiding hitters.

“Our mentality is to change the score and win pitches,” says Nanny. “We want to play the game pitch-to-pitch.

“Playing the scoreboard and the opponent is almost like a lost art.”

Nanny expects batters to produce no matter than ball-strike count.

“Our goal is to have hitters that are so comfortable within what they’re doing they don’t panic when they get to two strikes,” says Nanny. “You’ve got to take what the other team and the game is giving you.”

To do this, hitters will see many situations in practice so they are at ease in games.

It’s not always a home run or bust.

“Sometimes you hit it the other way and take your single,” says Nanny. “You don’t have to be a hero.”

Daylan Nanny (left) and Brayden Johnson at Western Kentucky University. (WKU Photo)

Daylan Nanny at Western Kentucky University. (WKU Photo)

Daylan Nanny at Western Kentucky University. (WKU Photo)

Zionsville, Army alum Hurtubise making way up pro baseball ladder

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Jacob Hurtubise is a rising star in professional baseball.

Three seasons after signing with the Cincinnati Reds as a minor league free agent, the former Zionsville (Ind.) Community High School and Army West Point standout was recently placed on the Reds’ 40-man roster. 

The swift lefty-swinging outfielder followed a breakout 2023 season with a stint in the Arizona Fall League, helping the Surprise Saguaros win the championship on Saturday, Nov. 11.

“We played in the final baseball game of the season which is pretty cool,” says Hurtubise (pronounced HURT-a-bees).

Not originally slated to go to the Fall League, 6-foot, 190-pound Hurtubise took the place of injured outfielder Blake Dunn.

“The Reds were looking for another young outfield prospect who they could send to Surprise,” says Hurtubise. “I was having a really good season. I got told three days before the Triple-A season (in Louisville) ended that I was invited to the Fall League.

“The season ended Sept. 24. I flew to Arizona on Sept. 26. I went home for a day, got a good steak dinner and I was on my way.”

In 23 AFL games, Hurtubise hit .267 (24-of-90) with four doubles, 13 RBIs, 21 runs, 11 stolen bases (in 11 attempts), 16 walks, 23 strikeouts and a .691 OPS (.380 on-base percentage plus .311 slugging average).

MLB.com named Hurtubise as the “sleeper prospect” for the Reds in the Fall League.

Between the Double-A Chattanooga (Tenn.) Lookouts and Triple-A Louisville (Ky.) Bats, Hurtubise played in 119 regular-season games, Toting a Louisville Slugger C271, he hit .330 (113-of-342) with seven home runs, 10 triples, 11 doubles, 46 RBIs, 102 runs, 45 stolen bases (in 54 attempts) and a .961 OPS (.479 on-base percentage plus .483 slugging average).

His OBP led Minor League Baseball.

Batting either lead-off or in the 9-hole, Hurtubise drew 77 walks and struck out 63 times.

“I kind of depended on whether a righty or lefty was starting (on the mound),” says Hurtubise of his place in the order. “That’s where my skill set fits in. I’m a guy that gets on base. I set the tone.”

In 284 MiLB games, Hurtubise has hit .296 (246-of-830) with eight homers, 15 triples, 25 doubles, 88 RBIs, 206 runs, 100 stolen bases and a .828 OPS (.436/.392).

He swiped 39 bases in 49 attempts over 102 games for the Advanced Class-A Dayton (Ohio) Dragons in 2021. He was hurt in 2022 and stole 16-of-19 in 63 contests for Chattanooga in 2022.

Hurtubise’s speed and cunning on the base paths is just what Cincinnati ordered.

“The way the game is shifting with the larger bases and the pick-off attempt rules in the big leagues, teams are trying to get every advantage that they can — get guys on base, steal a base and move guys over,” says Hurtubise. “The Reds are always one of those teams that’s going to be playing small ball and trying to get every extra advantage they can since they are not a big-market team.”

Minor League Baseball plays with the same rules and restrictions as Major League Baseball.

Hurtubise played four seasons at Army (2017-20) and was an American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division I Second Team All-American, Patriot League Defensive Player of the Year and Cape Cod League participant in 2019 and signed as a minor league free agent in July 2020. There were no MiLB games that year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and he began his pro career in 2021.

All West Point graduates are required to go into the service after graduation. The policy in place delays that for Hurtubise and others in his situation.

“As long as I continue to have a professional contract and I’m providing positive media exposure for the military and for West Point I’m able to continue to play,” says Hurtubise, who graduated from the United States Military Academy in June 2020 and is classified as Individual Ready Reserve (IRR). “Positive media exposure helps with recruiting and shines a good light. 

“There’s so many things the Army can provide people with other than just going active duty or fighting on the battle grounds. It’s a good deal for athletes that are able to go and play professionally.”

West Point has another baseball in the minors. Lefty-swinging first baseman/outfielder Ross Friedrick, who hit a single-season record 17 home runs for the Black Knights in 2023, is now in the St. Louis Cardinals organization.

Hurtubise, who turns 26 on Dec. 11, has been home the past two weeks. Much of his time has been spent preparing for his wedding, which is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 2 in Urbana, Ill., followed by a honeymoon in Fiji.

Jacob is set to wed Grace Khachaturian. The couple met during his first pro season. He was with the Dayton Dragons and was interviewed by Khachaturian, who was then a host for Living Dayton on WDTN.

Born and raised in Champaign, Ill., Khachaturian was a Broadcast Journalism major at the University of Illinois and served as Miss Illinois in 2018, competing in the 2019 Miss America Competition. She is transitioning to from broadcasting to marketing and strategy for the University of Illinois-Chicago. The position, which begins in January, is remote and will allow Grace to be with Jacob during the baseball season.

The wedding is to be attended by about 160. Slated to stand up with Jacob are brother Alec Hurtubise, childhood best friend Luke Smith, Grace’s brothers Nathaniel Khachaturian, Christian Khachaturian and Benjamin Khachaturian and West Point roommates Bradley Wanovich and Chase Demoss.

“A lot of my West Point baseball teammates are currently stationed overseas,” says Hurtubise. 

Plans after the wedding and honeymoon call for Jacob and Grace to live with her parents in Champaign with some time spent in Zionsville leading up to spring training in Goodyear, Ariz.

Hurtubise, who graduated from ZCHS in 2016, plans to again run weekday fielding and hitting clinics for Zionsville Baseball Club.

Says Hurtubise, “It’s a way for me to stay connected and give back to the community.”

Jacob Hurtubise. (Army West Point Baseball Image)