Storied South Bend Clay baseball program nearing the end of the line

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A scholastic era is nearing an end.

South Bend Community Schools’ last day for students is to be May 31 and with it will be the last-ever classroom day for Clay High School, which the school board voted in April 2023 to close at the end of 2023-24. The school was established in 1939.

The curtain is also coming down on the storied history of Colonials baseball, the one with more than 1,000 all-time wins, 12 sectional titles, four regional crowns, one semistate trophy and one state championship.

Clay, where Al Hartman in athletic director, has a handful of regular-season games remaining with the Jim Reinebold Classic May 18 leading into the IHSAA Class 3A sectional at Mishawaka Marian. The Colonials drew the host Knights in the first game on May 22. 

Clay was to be host, but because of the situation the sectional was moved to Marian though Clay is to host regional games on June 1.

Joel Reinebold, the fourth of Hall of Famer Jim and wife Evelyn Reinebold’s five children, played for his father, coached with him and witnessed the Colonials moving from Clay Park to what became Jim Reinebold Field. The baseball sleeve that hangs on the fence during games dates back to that era.

Joel has been Clay’s head coach since 2014.

“It’ll be hard to take that uniform off for the last time whenever that is,” says Reinebold, a 1979 Clay graduate. “I grew up in that program. I spent so many hours in the stands and the dugout.

“I was there for the good games and the tough losses. There’s a lot of emotional attachment.”

That there would be a 2024 season at all was an uncertainty. The Colonials eventually did take the field for a limited schedule. At this writing, the team is 3-3.

“We had no business trying to compete in the (Northern Indiana Conference,” says Reinebold. “Three of our guys have played very little baseball before. 

“We’re trying to save the dignity of the program and gain the confidence of the kids.”

Day-to-day, Clay has been coached by Reinebold and Tony Cruz. Dan Kasper and Nate Meadimber have also helped at times with a group that has peaked at 14 — seniors Jeremy Cleveland, Noah Fernandez and Tommy Sconiers, juniors Dominic Damp, Nolan Dool, Jose Duque, Tyler Gibson, Misael Gonzalez, Cole Hunt, Carson Meadimber, Yazael Sarmiento and Liam Wolf and freshmen Jean Barnes and Noah Camarillo. “There’s not a lot of kids playing in a lot of programs,” says Reinebold. “It hits you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

The coach says some of his non-seniors are planning to attend John Adams or Riley next year and a couple are moving out of town.

“It’s very hard to play under those conditions and coach under those conditions,” says Reinebold.

The field has been home in recent summers to travel ball tournaments and the South Bend American Legion Post 151 and the plan is for that Cruz-led team to play there again this year. 

What happens after that is not yet known.

“I’ll maintain it like I always do until I hear otherwise,” says Reinebold. “It’s certainly too nice of a field to go to waste.”

For 25 years, Reinebold was the head groundskeeper at what is now Four Winds Field in South Bend. He has built or renovated at least 30 diamonds from scratch and has helped with countless others.

Reinebold, who turns 64 in August, is sorting out his own future.

“I know I still want to coach,” says Reinebold, who recently began a day job with Holladay Properties in South Bend. “I’ve had some offers, but I haven’t decided on anything yet.

“I know I still enjoy practice. I probably enjoy practice as much as the game. I enjoy being around the kids. The kids I have this year are super. They give everything they’ve got.”

Before coming back to Clay, Reinebold was head coach at Bremen High School for two seasons and six at Adams. He would prefer to be a head coach at his next stop.

Jamaica is a place Reinebold has visited multiple times and some of those has been with non-profit organization Rounding Third, donating baseball equipment and teaching the game to youngsters on “The Rock.” He’s even gone to Curacao.

He is planning a return to Jamaica in November for a vacation/baseball visit. 

“I’ve got all kinds of baseballs and gloves to go down there,” says Reinebold. “I can’t take helmets and bats.”

In most years for the last 30, the Jim Reinebold Fall Baseball Camp and Instructional League has been a staple in South Bend. 

“Right now camp is up in the air,” says Reinebold. “We canceled it last year because I had heart issues. I was thinking about tinkering with it and changing it up a little bit.”

Jim Reinebold, who helped found the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association and coached many years in professional baseball with the South Bend White Sox/Silver Hawks after leaving the Purple & Gold at the end of the 1988 season, started the camp with some top-notch coaches to do the instruction. 

Many of those coaches have retired or moved on. The challenge is to find young coaches who will give of their time and talent.

Clay High School (enrollment around 550), which is the Fine Arts school in the SBCSC magnet program, is on Darden Road on the north side of South Bend. Jim Reinebold Field is a few blocks away on Lily Road.

Joel Reinebold.

Joel Reinebold.

Jim Reinebold Field.

Jim Reinebold Field.

South Bend Clay gets 1,000th win in baseball program history.

South Bend Clay High School’s 2021 baseball team.

South Bend Clay High School’s 2022 baseball team.

Clay at the beach.

South Bend Clay baseball lineup cards.

Here come the Colonials.

Bates, WHAC champion Indiana Tech bound for NAIA Opening Round

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Indiana Tech has won its first Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference baseball title since 2019.

The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Warriors, who swept a best-of-three WHAC championship series from Madonna Monday, May 6, find out today (May 9) where they will land for next week’s NAIA Opening Round. The draw show is scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

Fifth-year senior Parker Bates has been key contributor for Indiana Tech (32-22) in 2024.

In 53 games (49 starts), the righty swinger is hitting .300 (54-of-180) with seven home runs, three triples, 10 doubles, 40 runs batted in, 35 runs scored and a .883 OPS (.377 on-base percentage plus .506 slugging average). 

“I’m a guy that likes to swing a bat,” says Bates. “I’m not going to say I look for the perfect pitch every single at-bat. My focus is finding the barrel and trying to put the ball in-play hard. Sometimes that gets me in trouble. I’m a guy who likes to swing early because a lot of times the pitcher is coming with a fastball (up in the zone). That’s the one I like to hunt.”

There are times a pitcher knows Bates’ tendencies and he has learned to adjust when they flip an off-speed pitch his way.

Batting in the No. 2 or No. 6 hole based on the match-up and playing a shortstop, third base or left field depending on the team’s need, Bates has 13 multi-hit games with three March 30 at Rochester, May 1 vs. Aquinas and May 2 at Concordia.

Bates has similar keys whether at short, third or in the outfield.

“I want to get a good first-step reaction and good read on the ball,” says Bates, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder. “Sometimes I get caught flat-footed. But as long as I’m staying loose, fluid and working through things, that’s when I’m playing best defense. 

“I try to keep my hands out-front and keep moving and making the plays.”

Bates does much of his offensive work with Indiana Tech assistant Sean Herberger. Brent Alwine coaches Warrior hitters and infielders.

Kip McWilliams is in his 17th season as the program’s head coach.

“He’s an old-school guy,” says Bates of McWilliams. “He’s definitely going to hold you accountable. Nothing’s ever easy around here. If you’re slacking off or not working hard or performing, you’re going to know it. There’s no favorites around here. You have to earn every single bit of playing time, every at-bat, every chance on the mound.”

The Warriors has won 28 of its last 34 after a rough start to the 2024 season. 

What makes this Indiana Tech group so sturdy and resilient?

“I think what makes us as tough as we are is what we’ve all been through,” says Bates. “We actually played really good in the fall. I think we lost one or two games. We got our confidence way up. Heading into the winter we were thinking we’re going to be a good team. We got inside and it got tough. Our own pitchers started tearing us (hitters) up.”

Then the spring season started.

“We were dropping games on walk-offs and by one run. It came down to one play sometimes. It was us just sticking together, knowing we are a good team. We started putting some wins together and winning some big games.”

Bates graduated from Indiana Tech with a Mechanical Engineering degree and is a few more classes from finishing a Master’s in Project Management. He just accepted a job in that field with Fleming’s Excavating in Decatur, Ind.

He played for the Indiana Summer Collegiate Baseball League’s Kekiongas in Fort Wayne in 2020 and 2021, did an internship in 2022 and was with the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League‘s Grand Lake Mariners (Celina, Ohio) in 2023.

With no more eligibility after 2024, Bates is heading into the last college games.

“This is it,” says Bates, who turns 24 in September. “It’s kind of surreal. It’s pretty bittersweet. I’ve enjoyed my career. I’ve been able to play on some great teams and play with some great guys. 

“I got blessed with one extra year. It’s the only good thing that came out of COVID. We’ve been trying to win the WHAC for five years and we finally did it.”

Born in Decatur, Ind., Parker got his baseball start playing around 10 in a Wilshire, Ohio, farm league for uncle Brendan Bates (who is now a softball assistant at Parkway in Rockford, Ohio).

After that came youth ball through Koufax League in Monroe, Ind. Travel ball included a team consisting of Adams, Jay and Wells counties including Grant Besser (who now pitches for Indiana Tech).

Adams Central Middle/High School in Monroe, Bates was a three-sport athlete (football, wrestling and baseball).

His head football coach was Michael Mosser.

“He’s just an awesome guy,” says Bates of the man who has led AC on the gridiron since the 2009 season. “He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to yet and scream at you. He’s going to get the best out of you.”

In football, there was also assistant defensive coordinator Tyler Roach.

“That guy helped me more than I can put into words,” says Bates. “He’s been a fantastic coach and role model in my life!”

Tony Currie led the Jets matmen aka the BAGUBAs (Brutally  Aggressive Guys Uninhibited By Adversity).

“I cannot give enough thanks to Tony Currie and the sport of wrestling,” says Bates, who helped the Jets to an Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals title and lost three times in the “ticket round” at the Fort Wayne Semi-State as an individual. “I don’t think I’d be the athlete or the competitor that I am without having wrestled. I love baseball, but wrestling in the hardest sport there is. If you can wrestle and be successful, there’s nothing you can’t do.

“Tony was a guy that was always helping me out and encouraging me. He was making me a better athlete and competitor. He’s a guy I very highly look up to.”

Dave Neuenschwander was head baseball coach.

“He and I would butt heads sometimes, but it was because we were both such tough competitors,” says Bates of Neunschwander. “He wanted to win.”

Bates roots for the New York Yankees. His all-time favorite player is Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. 

Among actives it’s Yankees outfielder Juan Soto.

“I just love the way that he swings the bat,” says Bates. “That dude’s just a hitter through and through.”

Bates took some cues from Soto while struggling last summer and has carried it forward.

“He gets so wide and low and is so quick through the zone,” says Bates of the lefty-swinging Dominican. “I widened out my stance and shortened up to be able to do little more at the plate this year.”

Harness racing driver/trainer Brandon Bates is Parker’s father and Berne, Ind.-based nurse practitioner Alicia Bates is his mother. 

Brother Hunter Bates (Adams Central Class of 2016) played the same three sports in high school as his younger brother then a little football and was a national qualifier in wrestling at Wabash College. He now works at a hospital in Fishers, Ind.

Half sister Halle Bougher is a teacher in Convoy, Ohio.

Parker Bates. (Indiana Tech Photo)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Former two-way player Biven focusing on mound for U. of Louisville

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

When last seen on the mound for the University of Louisville, Tucker Biven was walking off after shutting the door on the Hurricanes to clinch an Atlantic Coast Conference series win and you could see it on his face.

“My emotions just came out in the end,” says Biven.

The Cardinals triumphed 6-5 in 10 innings Saturday, April 20 at the University of Miami’s Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Fla.

Biven, a sophomore right-hander from New Albany, Ind., tossed a scoreless ninth and 10th inning with two strikeouts and moved to 3-0 on the 2024 season.

Two singles to open the Miami 10th was followed by a U of L double play then a game-clinching strikeout from Biven. He fired a first-pitch strike to a right-handed batter then came back from a 3-1 count to strike him out, with the the last pitch being a sinker in.

“In ACC play I’ve been throwing a lot of sinkers in and sliders away,” says Biven. “They mix well.”

The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder also uses a curveball, change-up and four-seam fastball from an arm slot just above three-quarter.

His four-seamer has gone as high as 96 mph. His sinker generally travels at 91 to 94.

Biven has made 15 mound appearances in 2024 (all in relief) and is 3-0 (with wins vs. Bellarmine, Wake Forest and Miami), four saves (against Florida State, North Carolina State twice and Miami), 1.96 earned run average, 29 strikeouts and six walks in 23 innings. 

Opponents are hitting .209 against him and his longest stint was 3 1/3 innings March 23 against Wake Forest when he recorded a season-best five strikeouts.

Biven has finished in more than half his games.

“We don’t really have roles at the beginning of the season,” says Biven. “We figure out who’s best in which situation.

“When everything’s on you and you need to get outs at the end of the game, I kind of like that role.”

A two-time Class 4A all-stater and rated as the No. 1 shortstop and No. 3 overall player in Indiana and the No. 18 shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game, Biven from went New Albany High School to Louisville as a two-way player.  He was in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Marion.

In 2023, he went 2-of-6 at the plate and pitched 20 times (16 out of the bullpen) and was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 21 walks in 33 2/3 innings.

In the summer, Biven got into two games (3 1/3 innings) with the Cape Cod League’s Falmouth Commodores and came home after a minor injury cropped up.

“Last fall I decided I just want to focus on pitching, get better at my craft, try to get as good as I can and help this team win,” says Biven. “I felt like that was the best option for me.”

Plans call for Biven to go back to Cape Cod this summer with the Orleans Firebirds.

But first there’s business to attend with the Louisville Cardinals (24-16, 9-9).

After a non-conference win Tuesday, April 23 against Western Kentucky at Jim Patterson Stadium in which Biven did not pitch, U of L hosts a three-game series Friday through Sunday, April 26-28 against ACC Atlantic Division leader Clemson.

Dan McDonnell is in his 18th season as Louisville’s head coach.

When describing what he wants from his athletes, including Biven, McDonnell uses words like tough, athletic, strong, durable and versatlie.

Biven says players need to buy into the team culture being built by the coach.

“That should all be routine for everyone — be in-touch with the process, go out and play as hard as you can,” says Biven.

Roger Williams is in his 18th season as the Cardinals pitching coach and 10th as associate head coach.

“He’s calmer with a lower tone of voice than Coach Mac,” says Biven of Williams. “He doesn’t just want to hear you say it, but wants to see results. He holds us accountable.”

While about 10 miles separate New Albany and the U of L, Biven lives on-campus with teammates.

A Sport Administration major, Biven sees himself serving someday as a college baseball coach and/or an athletic director or director of operations following his playing career. He becomes eligible for the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in 2025.

Biven got his baseball start in New Albany Little League and was in travel ball with the Ironmen and Canes Midwest (15U to 17U).

Biven was a four-year varsity player in baseball and basketball at New Albany, where he graduated in 2022.

His head coaches — Chris McIntyre on the diamond and Jim Shannon on the hardwood — had long, successful careers. 

McIntyre is in the IHSBCA Hall of Fame with nearly 600 victories. 

“He’s a dude that’s going to hold you accountable,” says Biven of McIntyre. “You do stuff the right way. He’ll teach you the game and how to be a man in life.”

Shannon’s resume includes more than 600 wins and a state championship.

“It was a pleasure to play for him,” says Biven of Shannon. “He’s going to discipline you. He’s going to get on you. He wants the best from you.”

Josh and Jessica Biven are the parents of two sons — Cooper (22) and Tucker (20). 

Josh Biven, a retired Louisville firefighter, played college baseball at Louisville, Campbellsville and Indiana University Southeast.

Jessica Biven is co-owner of a financial advisors firm.

Cooper Biven (New Albany Class of 2020) played baseball briefly at Kentucky Wesleyan College and now owns a landscaping business.

In a family of St. Louis Cardinals fans, Tucker also pulls for that MLB team. His favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant.

“It’s because of his work ethic and his (Mamba) Mentality,” says Biven. “I also liked to wear his shoes growing up.”

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Evans heeds call to help Gary West Side baseball

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

As a long-time member of the Gary (Ind.) Police Department, Donald Evans Sr., has made it a point to be beneficial and a positive influence.

“I try to lend a helping hand,” says Evans, a corporal who will mark 29 years with GPD in September 2024.

Evans, who has been a School Resource Officer all around the district, was asked to fill another community need and became head baseball coach at Gary West Side Leadership Academy — Gary Community School Corporation’s lone remaining public high school — for the 2022 season after the sport was on pause during the pandemic.

“I was just going to be a parent,” says Evans. “Coach Lee and Coach Hank said we don’t have a coach and I was hired.”

Robert Lee is athletic director for Gary Schools and handles grounds and finances.

Hank Kilander is Gary West Side’s athletic coordinator and attends to daily operations. 

“It’s good to have him,” says Kilander of Evans. “He’s invested in our kids.

“We’re getting a lot kids out that just want to participate and be a part of something.”

Kilander says the big picture is that a feeder system including junior high and younger players needs to be established for the long-term success at the high school.

“You drive around Gary and, unfortunately, there are abandoned baseball fields everywhere,” says Kilander. “It’s hard to be super-competitive with kids who are playing baseball for the first time in high school. The kids have a great  spirit and energy to them. Hopefully, we’ll make some strides each year.”

That’s where Evans and his assistants come in.

“The thing that is important for me is for them to learn a game they haven’t played,” says Evans. “A lot of these boys have never played baseball. Period. In the past three years I want to say six or seven boys have played baseball before. 

“Most of them are football and basketball players looking for another sport. If they’ll come in and put the work in, we’ll do something with it.”

Some baseball players also participate in track and field.

Attitude is key. 

Says Evans, “When everyone is positive, it makes it a little easier.”

A 1988 graduate of the former Gary Roosevelt High School, Evans played and coached baseball in town at Junedale Little League and then coached at Gary Metro Area Little League and Calumet Region Little League. He has coached many of the players now with him at West Side.

The former Roosevelt basketball manager has also guided young hoopsters at Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School in Gary.

“It’s been a blessing just to be around kids,” says Evans. “A lot of them are from foster homes or broken homes. Some kids don’t see their parents until late, late at night. 

“I’d like to bridge that gap. I get to give back to kids that never get a chance to experience things.”

Evans credits former Roosevelt baseball coach Benny Dorsey, former Gary Metro Area coach Milton Mathis and uncle, former track star and University of Illinois Hall of Famer Willie Williams as mentors. 

Mathis taught an adult Evans how to develop a kid into a baseball player.

“I knew how to play the game,” says Evans. “I did not know how to teach game.”

West Side (enrollment just under 1,000) is a member of the Great Lakes Athletic Conference (with East Chicago Central, Hammond Central and Hammond Morton).

The Cougars are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with East Chicago Central, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Hobart, Lake Central, Merrillville and Munster (host). West Side’s lone sectional title came in 1986.

Other teams on the schedule include 21st Century Charter, Bowman Academy, Calumet New Tech, Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Hammond Baptist, Indianapolis Washington, Lake Station Edison, Marquette Catholic, South Bend Clay and Thornton Township (Ill.).

The Cougars have 22 rostered players. Five are captains — Class of 2024’s Jordan Harris and Emmanuel Smith and Class of 2025’s Donald Evans Jr., Ladarrion Newell and Kaleb Parker.

The coach sees college baseball potential in all his captains plus Class of 2027’s King Cloma.

At a school with many multi-sport athletes, Harris, Evans, Newell and Parker are all football players. Newell is also a wrestler. Cloma plays basketball. An ROTC member, Smith is preparing to enter the military after graduation.

“Many of them might have the opportunity to participate (in college baseball),” says Evans. “We just have to find the right fit for them.”

The West Side coaching staff features Ivy Evans, Lyndell Strickland, Ovell Yanders and Dr. Roland Walker.

A 2023 West Side graduate, Ivy Evans has signed play baseball at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y., in 2024-25. Strickland is in IT at the school. Yanders is a steel mill supervisor. Former Roosevelt runner Walker is a pediatrician.

Located in the southeast corner of the campus, West Side’s baseball diamond can be viewed from the parking lot.

“The only draw-back for that field is the backstop,” says Evans of the fence that is a great distance from home plate. “It’s a monster.”

A low fence and a woods right behind the field makes for many lost baseballs. A recent search turned up 25 from last year that were water-logged and moldy.

Many youth games were played on the diamond last summer.

“Every year they do something to improve this facility and make it better,” says Kilander.

Donald and first wife Kimberly Evans raised more than a dozen foster children. A long-time police officer, Kimberly died in 2019.

Oldest son — Oscar Chatman — was an athlete in school. He has been a part of “American Idol” in Season 12 and is now a professional musician. An R&B indy artist, he goes by the stage name Soulo.

Donald is now married to Tiffany. The couple has four children at home. Besides Ivy and Donald Jr., there’s Bowman Academy athletes Jovan Love (14) and Jordyn Evans (12). Eighth grader Jovan is a left-handed pitcher and seventh grader Jordyn a softball player.

Over the years, West Side has produced many college and professional athletes. Class of 1991’s LaTroy Hawkins pitched 21 seasons in the major leagues. 

Hawkins is an inductee in the Gary Sports and Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association halls of fame and currently works for the Minnesota Twins.

The Cougars can be found on GameChanger and MaxPreps.

There is a Gary Community School Corporation Facebook page. 

The Evans (from left): Ivy, Donald Sr. and Donald Jr.

Gary West Side Leadership Academy.

Kuykendall coaching game he loves at Calumet New Tech

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Baseball means a great deal to Terrance Kuykendall and he wants his players to be just as passionate about the game.

After two seasons as an assistant, Kuykendall is in his first as head coach at Calumet New Tech High School in Gary, Ind., in 2024. 

“I’m honored, humbled and blessed to be the head coach of the Calumet New Tech Warriors,” says Kuykendall. “When I got the job I almost cried. This is something I love doing. I’ve been loving this sport since the day I was born. My father (Tim Kuykendall) taught me how to play.”

Kuykendall sees the diamond sport as more than just an activity.

“I see baseball as life,” says Kuykendall. “I learned about life from playing baseball. I learned that everything is not going to come to you straight down the middle and on the sweet spot every time. You’ve got to work hard for your swings.

“I’m teaching the boys to be a family first. Without us having this family bond, we’re not going to get anywhere. We’re not going to have a team. We’re not going to understand communicating with each other.

“If we have a family bond on the field, we’ll have a family bond outside the field. We’re here to put together a program and family that lasts.”

No matter the situation, Kuykendall wants his athletes to perform with confidence.

“If you play with your head down, other people are going to see that and take advantage of it,” says Kuykendall. “We want to keep our heads high.

“Keep fighting, keep pushing because if you don’t you ain’t getting nowhere.”

Calumet New Tech (enrollment around 615) is a part of Lake Ridge New Tech Schools and a member of the Greater South Shore Athletic Conference (with Griffith, Hammond Bishop Noll Institute, Illiana Christian, Lake Station Edison, River Forest, Wheeler and Whiting).

The Warriors are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2024 with Andrean, Boone Grove, Griffith, Hanover Central, Highland, Rensselaer Central and River Forest. Calumet New Tech has won three sectional titles — the last in 1990.

Other teams on the schedule include 21st Century Charter, Bowman Academy, East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton and Kouts.

Justin Quiroz (Calumet New Tech Class of 2024) shows college baseball potential to Kuykendall.

“He’s an excellent baseball player,” says Kuykendall. “The kid loves the game. He gets on me. I like it when players tell me when I’m doing something wrong. 

“I want to try to fix it and do it right for them. I want to have a team that the school will be happy to see.”

To build up a feeder system, Kuykendall has been coaching in Calumet Region Little League and has been appealing to the school board to install middle school baseball.

“I have a lot of freshmen who never played a day of baseball in their lives, but they’re learning,” says Kuykendall, who is assisted by Terrence Jackson, Kavel Killins (Calumet New Tech Class of 2021) and Tim Kuykendall. 

Calumet New Tech is southwest of Gary’s city center. CNT’s home diamond is on the west side of campus next to the football stadium.

“I’d love for us to see us put lights on our field, fix our scoreboard and sound system,” says Kuykendall. “This program needs it.”

Kuykendall graduated in 2007 from Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy in Gary and played his freshman year at Gary Horace Mann and then at Gary West Side where he also participated in football and wrestling.

Away from coaching, Kuykendall works for the independent American Association’s Gary SouthShore RailCats in broadcast production and also serves as mascot Rusty. 

He is also in the custodial department at U.S. Steel.

Terrance Kuykendall. (Steve Krah Photo)

Calumet New Tech High School.

Davis returns to NECC as Angola head coach

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Getting to know his players and having them familiarize themselves with him and grooming mound talent are priorities as Clint Davis returns to the dugout after a half decade away.

“I’m just getting the lay of the land and what we’re returning,” says Davis, who was last seen on the diamond in 2019 at Northfield Junior/Senior High School in Wabash, Ind., Davis has been hired to lead the baseball program at Angola (Ind.) High School. “We lost a number of (varsity) innings on the mound. We return out No. 1 (senior right-hander Micah Steury), but after that building pitching depth is going to be huge for us.”

There have been about 30 players at each IHSAA Limited Contact Period session which began at Angola in January. A number of them have been getting a chance to show what they can do as a pitcher.

“I’ve been happy with the numbers so far,” says Davis, who expects to see more at the conclusion of the basketball season. “My magic number (for varsity and junior varsity teams) has always been between 28 and 30.”

Angola (enrollment around 770) is a member of the Northeast Corner Conference (with Central Noble, Churubusco, Eastside, Fairfield, Fremont, Garrett, Lakeland, Prairie Heights, West Noble and Westview). Games with Hamilton do not count as conference games. The Marines are to leave for the Hoosier Plains Conference at the end of 2023-24.

NECC games tend to be played on Tuesdays and Thursdays with some Saturday doubleheaders (the second game being a non-counter in the standings).

“We will throw our best in the conference games,” says Davis. 

The Hornets are to host an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2024 with Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Garrett, Heritage, Leo and Woodlan. Angola has won five sectional titles — the last in 2019.

An on-campus diamond has natural grass and lights and an adjacent practice field.

“It’s a really good set-up,” says Davis. “It’s a really nice facility. I want to make sure our kids take pride in it.”

Davis says a locker room facility is being built for baseball and softball and is expected to be ready for the start of the 2024 season. The baseball opener is slated for April 4 at East Noble with the first home date an April 6 doubleheader against South Bend Adams. The NECC tournament is the week of April 22.

Angola baseball assistants for 2024 are O’Shea Owens and Cory Erbskorn with the varsity with Trevor Lynch as junior varsity head coach and Spencer Meyers as JV assistant.

Owens and Lynch were on the previous Hornets coaching staff. Erbskorn played baseball at Trine. Meyers is a first-year Angola teacher.

Alec Bixler (Class of 2023) is now on the baseball team at Indiana University South Bend. 

Davis says Payton Fulton (Class of 2024) is scheduled to sign with the University of Saint Francis. 

Getting involved at the local youth level, Davis and Owens have joined the Angola Kids League board attends monthly meetings.

High school coaches are also keeping track of the Stingers travel organization which attracts many local players.

At Northfield, Davis was an Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association District Coach of the Year in 2018 after leading the Norsemen to an IHSAA Class 1A Kokomo Semistate semifinalist finish. He was also athletic director at the school and was Three Rivers Conference president in 2018.

Davis went to Northfield after serving as head coach at Marion (Ind.) High School, guiding the Giants to their largest victory total in more than a decade in his second season (2015).

Before that he was an assistant at alma mater Churubusco (he graduated in 1996) and was a junior varsity coach at Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, Ind., where he worked with players who won Class 4A state titles. 

Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Hall of Famer Mark Grove was head coach at Churubusco and NEIBA/IHSBCA Hall of Famer Dave Ginder continues to lead the Carroll program.

Davis has been an assistant football coach at Trine University in Angola since before the 2020 season. Troy Abbs is head coach of the Thunder.

Going back to 2001, Davis was a gridiron assistant at Northfield, Marion, Churubusco, Carroll and at the middle school level.

Prior to joining the Metropolitan School District of Steuben County where he also been employed as a facilitator at Angola Digital Academy just after Labor Day 2023, Davis worked at the East Allen County Schools alternative school.

Angola High School baseball coaches (from left): Trevor Lynch (junior varsity head coach), Cory Erbskorn (varsity assistant), Clint Davis (head coach), O’Shea Owens (varsity assistant) and Spencer Meyers (JV assistant).

Angola High School.

Accountability important to new Hamilton Heights head coach Hughes

By STEVE KRAH 

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Adam Hughes has coached baseball and football with similar points of emphasis.

“It’s about personal responsibility and holding yourself and each other accountable to do the right thing,” says Hughes, who became head baseball coach at alma mater Hamilton Heights High School in Arcadia, Ind., after Christmas 2023 and is also on the Huskies football staff and in his second tenure at HHS coaching both sports. “Baseball is a game of failure. You learn to deal with a 4-for-4 and an 0-for-4 the same way. You have a short memory and make the adjustment.”

Hughes, an offensive coordinator to head football coach Jon Kirschner and a Lifeskills Instructional Assistant at the school, was a baseball assistant to Ryan VanOeveren when Hamilton Heights enjoyed a super 2021 season. The Huskies went 19-10 and won the IHSAA Class 3A Yorktown Sectional.

With a job change, VanOeveren is now a volunteer assistant on Hughes’ coaching staff. Other assistant include Brad Pitts, Alex Petty, Evan Warner and Garrison Bregey.

Hamilton Heights (enrollment around 710) is a member of the Hoosier Athletic Conference (with Benton Central, Lafayette Central Catholic, Northwestern, Rensselaer Central, Tipton, Twin Lakes, West Lafayette and Western).

The Huskies are part of an IHSAA 3A sectional grouping in 2024 with Brebeuf Jesuit, Guerin Catholic, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard and Indianapolis Shortridge. Overall, Hamilton Heights has won three sectional titles.

The 2024 season is to open in Winchester, Ky., with three games (April 1, 3 and 4) during spring break.

The Huskies are to play a doubleheader at Anderson April 6.

Non-conference opponents include Carmel, Clinton Prairie, Daleville, Elwood, Frankfort, Hamilton Southeastern, Kokomo, Lapel, Maconaquah, Madison-Grant, McCutcheon, Noblesville, University and Western Boone.

“We play big schools around here and then walk into a sectional (with teams that are) just as good.

“We’ve beefed up our schedule to get ready for that.”

Two recent graduates — pitchers Lucas Letsinger (Class of 2021) at Ball State University after a stop at Indiana University-Kokomo and Drew VanOeveren (Class of 2022) at Kankakee (Ill.) Community College — moved on to college baseball.

While third baseman/catcher Dean Mason (Class of 2024) looks to be a college football punter and outfielder/pitcher Jon Irion (Class of 2024) is also expected to be an impact player, Hughes says there are no current college diamond commits.

“We have a strong junior class,” says Hughes. Among those in the Class of 2025 are pitcher Levi Chandler, coach’s son first baseman Adam Hughes and pitcher/shortstop Nick Hulen. Pitcher Dillon Pitts (Class of 2026) is also a standout. 

The younger Adam Hughes is part of a Huskies legacy.

The elder Adam Hughes graduated from Hamilton Heights in 1996. Gary McGee was the head baseball coach. Eric Fisher was an assistant.

“We had ups and down my four years of playing,” says Hughes. “Playing in the Hamilton County sectional didn’t help either.”

Adam and Julie Hughes have two sons. Besides 17-year-old baseball player Adam, there’s 14-year-old eighth grade football/baseball athlete Owen.

Father/granddfather — the late Joe Hughes — was in Hamilton Heights’ first graduating class and played on the first baseball team in 1966. HH was founded in 1965 with the consolidation of Jackson Central and Walnut Grove. Jackson Central was formed from Arcadia, Atlanta and Cicero.

The Huskies play on an expansive home diamond located on-campus.

“It’s definitely large,” says Hughes of the unnamed field with lights and natural grass. “It’s 365 (feet) to the power alleys and 405 to dead center. There’s a lot of ground to open. 

“Outfield plays is huge for us.”

With little cover, the field is subject to the effects of the winds day to day.

Feeding the high school program are the Hamilton Heights Amateur Sports Association (T-ball through middle school) as well as the Indiana Eagles, a Cicero-based travel organization with teams 8U to 14U.

Adam Hughes.

Hamilton Heights High School.

GoRout Diamond aids coach-to-player communication

BY STEVE KRAH 

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Sports are full of plays and strategies that change moment by moment with players expected to players expected to use them.

Technology is being employed to help that process.

GoRout, a software development company based in Rochester, Minn., has been in the coach-to-player communication industry for the last nine years for football.

As an Indiana University football graduate assistant (2018-20) then quality control coach (2022-23) on a staff led by Tom Allen (who is now defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Penn State), Danny Friend was first exposed to the system.

“It was a huge asset to us on the football field,” says former Hoosiers offensive lineman (2013-17) and GoRout inside sales representative Friend based in Ellettsville, Ind.

Now used in both baseball and softball, the 2024 season is the first for GoRout Diamond.

Friend was in a vendor booth at the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association State Clinic in January and will report to the Sheraton at the Crossing in Indianapolis March 7-9 for the Indiana Football Coaches Association State Clinic. 

“We saw an opening in the market and jumped in,” says Friend.

It is approved for both college baseball and softball and is not yet approved for high school softball.

The apparatus is customizable with an app log-in that each coach gets when they join GoRout Diamond. 

They can input each pitcher’s repertoire in their own terminology. They can add defensive shifts, the opponent’s lineup and position-specific notes as well as bunts, steals, first-and-third calls etc.

“It’s not cookie-cutter, one-size-fits all,” says Friend. “We’re extremely flexible.

“You’re only limited by how much you want to put into it. We have the ability to be as detailed or as generic as they like.”

The coach pushes a button and the message is displayed on the player’s device. All of the one-way communication comes from the coach.

Friend says nationwide high school rules currently allow the coach to send information only to the catcher. College softball is allowed to use it only on defense.

GoRout works on a cellular network which is included in the annual subscription fee and the signal is encrypted. Each device works off its own sim card and account, which eliminates signal stealing from the equation. 

“There’s no way for it to be hacked,” says Friend. “If two teams are using the same system there will never be a crossover between the two.”

The idea is to clearly and concisely deliver the message.

“There’s no miscommunication from a coach to a player on a signal or something like that,” says Friend. “It’s all typed in before the game even starts. All the catcher has to do is read what’s on the device.”

At present, there are 23 teams at all levels using GoRout Diamond. 

Among the high schools are Adams Central, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, Jay County, Kokomo, Scottsburg, Sullivan, Tri-West, Western Boone and Whiteland Community.

Colleges or universities with GoRout Diamond include DePauw, Indiana, Indiana State, Notre Dame, Purdue Fort Wayne, Southern Indiana and Valparaiso.

Friend is part of a team familiar with sports.

“The people I work with are all former coaches whether it’s baseball or football,” says Friend. “That says a lot about the company and the things we’re trying to do and trying to go.”

It’s the of GoRout sales representatives to demonstrate the product. They attend many clinics. Follow-ups are usually done online. Customer support is available 24/7.

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)

Beech Grove Post 276 launching Indiana’s first American Legion softball program in 2024; AL baseball coming back to Marion County

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Nearly a century after an Indianapolis team gained the inaugural Indiana American Legion baseball championship, the Hoosier State will debut its first softball teams.

That initial diamond title came in 1926.

In 2024, Beech Grove Post 276 on the city’s near southeast side will sponsor Indiana’s first girls fastpitch softball — hopefully one each for the junior and senior divisions — and bring a Legion baseball squad back to Marion County for the first time in more than a decade.

North Carolina adopted what is believed to be the first American Legion softball teams in 2018.

South Carolina launched its Legion softball in 2021 and Minnesota followed in 2022 and Wisconsin in 2023.

Now comes Indiana.

Post 276 member Wayne Harmon is heading up the organization of teams that is to play home games this summer.

“We are on the ground floor,” says Harmon, who is being helped by long-time friend and former high school classmate Dan Turner, who is head baseball coach at Irvington Preparatory Academy in Indianapolis, the 2023 Greater Indianapolis Athletic Conference champions. “It’s a coalition between the American Legion and helping the community and the kids.

“We’re promoting it in the surrounding counties so we can have other (Indiana) teams involved and can play each other instead of traveling.

Harmon says there is no cost to players because the program is American Legion-sponsored with the help of fundraisers.

Based out of Beech Grove High School, the team has adopted the name of Indianapolis Hornets Legion Lady Softball. According to Harmon and Turner, players 13U to 15U for juniors and 16U to 19U for seniors will come from the metropolitan area. Post 276 is part of American Legion Department of Indiana’s s 11th District.

“As of right now we will take anyone from Marion County,” says Harmon. “I’m reaching out to posts across the state to see if there are female teams for them to play while we’re there with the (Indianapolis Hornets baseball) team.”

Turner continues to coach IPA baseball, but will serve the Legion softball program as an organizer.

“It’s exciting for me to do something different and challenging and get the girls softball side off the ground,” says Turner. “We can make a difference for the youth. We’ve made an impact with the boys, now we’ve got to focus on the girls.”

It’s about more that sports.

“I want to bring in some professional motivators to develop young women,” says Turner. “I want them to understand there’s opportunities out there in this world. There are careers for them. 

“There are decisions that affect your life and let’s make those positive.”

Turner says there is a goal of scheduling Hornets games early in the week — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — to draw travel ball players.

“If kids can get some extra reps and still be involved on the weekends, it’s a win-win for us,” says Turner. 

Says Harmon, “We’re not necessarily looking at varsity players. It could be junior varsity or freshmen or even people who got cut. If they’ve got the skill of softball and baseball they’re more than welcome.”

As of this writing, there are 17 Indiana baseball teams listed on the American Legion website. Senior (19U) squads are Clay County Post 2, Kokomo Post 6, Muncie Post 19 Chiefs, Princeton Post 25, Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders, Crawfordsville Post 72, Valparaiso Post 94 Black, Valparaiso Post 94 Green, South Bend Post 151, Rockport Post 254, Terre Haute Post 346 and West Terre Haute Post 501. Junior (17U) clubs are Kokomo Post 6, Princeton Post 25, Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders, Valparaiso Post 94 Green and South Bend Post 151.

Indiana state champions in 2023 were Lafayette Post 11 (seniors) and Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders (juniors). Winner of the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C., was League City, Texas.