In 2023, Covington went 14-11-1 and 10-4 in the Wabash River Conference. The Trojans came within a win of at least sharing the WRC crown, bowing to champion South Vermillion in the nightcap of a doubleheader after taking the first contest.
In the Lafayette Central Catholic Sectional championship game, Covington led eventual state champion LCC 2-1 in the middle of the fifth inning before the Knights took control.
Covington and Lafayette Central Catholic also met in the 2022 sectional final.
Among those earning Class 2A all-state honorable mention in 2001 were Trojans Terry Badger, John Paddock, Steve Pierce and Ryan Sowers.
Scott Holycross, a 2001 Covington graduate who played on the 2000 team that spent the season ranked No. 1 before getting upset by North Montgomery in the 2A Covington Sectional championship game, is heading into his fourth year as Trojans head coach in 2024.
Eight players from 2023 were lost to graduation, but Holycross is upbeat about this spring.
“We’ll be young this year, but I’m optimistic,” says Holycross. “We’ve got some good ballplayers.”
Lifelong resident Holycross coached for a decade in Covington Youth Baseball League (T-ball through age 16) and was president of the organization established in 1952 for eight years. When he started there were 97 players. In 2024, there are 264.
Holycross also started junior high club baseball for seventh and eighth graders. A 14-game schedule has been put together for a team of 15 players.
At the high school, Covington is expecting to have at least 21 when the season opens April 2 at Southmont.
The Trojans are part of a Class 1A sectional grouping in 2024 with Attica, Fountain Central, Lafayette Central Catholic, North Vermillion and Riverton Parke. Covington has won 12 sectional titles — the last in 2018.
Covington is less than 10 miles from the Indiana-Illinois State Line.
Holycross played for Coach Rusty Goodwin, respects the “old school” and expects the same from his players.
Goodwin ran a program based on discipline and so does Holycross. There are school rules, but also team rules.
“Parents had to understand we abide by the team rules,” says Holycross. “If we got a detention at school, we knew we owed Coach 10 foul poles.
“If there was an in-school suspension, it was an automatic one-game suspension and 30 foul poles.”
If player could not maintain a C average during the season, they were suspended until they brought that grade up.
“These are the rules we abide by,” says Holycross. “(Players are a) direct representation of our school name and our coach. I won’t have that dark cloud hanging over my head. We don’t tolerate profanity.”
Covington baseball is also built on giving back. With high school players leading the way, a youth clinic on the last two Saturdays in February and first two in March drew 110 participants.
Covington does not have any recent graduates currently playing college baseball. There has been interest shown in Cian Moore (Class of 2025) and Kyven Hill (Class of 2026).
Holycross counts four other Covington alums as assistant coaches — Matt Gerling with the varsity, Bradley Slider as junior varsity head coach and Ethan Engle and Jordan Inman as JV assistants. Gerling has been a coach in the program for the better part of a decade.
“We’re all homegrown,” says Holycross.
Located less than a mile north of the school, Covington Trojan Complex is home to baseball, softball, tennis, track, football, cross country and soccer.
With no trees right next to it, there is a fair amount of wind at the baseball field.
“Keep the ball low when you’re pitching,” says Holycross. “If you get it up in the air it’s going to carry.”
Home runs to left field land in a cornfield.
There are no lights for baseball, meaning Covington has not hosted sectional in years. This year, the Trojans are getting a new scoreboard.
The facility also gets TLC from the players.
“We take care of our field before, during and after games,” says Holycross, who divides them into groups to take care of raking, tamping, tarping etc. “We’re finally getting it up to where it needed to be when I played.”
Holycross is general manager at Glasscock Equipment & Sales in Veedersburg Ind., which specializes in farm implements.
Scott and Rebecca Holycross have been married for 16 years and have two children — Emma (18) and Raylon (11).
Rebecca Holycross attended Covington until her junior year then graduated from Schlarman Academy in Danville, Ill., in 2003. She was in dance, basketball, softball and tennis during her school years.
Emma Holycross is a Covington senior who plays soccer, basketball and softball.
Fifth grader Raylon Holycross is in football, basketball and baseball and is already a veteran varsity batboy.
All games for the 2024 season — the first with Kyle Ellrod as head coach — will be played away from campus.
The Rebels are scheduled to begin the schedule with a “home” doubleheader Saturday, March 30 against Fountain Central at Goodland (Ind.) Baseball Park, which is about eight miles southeast of South Newton.
Other home games are to be played at Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. That’s about 20 miles northeast of campus.
Ellrod says Tim Taylor has been instrumental in getting the SJC diamond back up and running.
Taylor and Buddy Scott are Ellrod’s assistants. Both are new to the high school baseball staff this year and have coached boys basketball for the Rebels.
The Rebels are part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping in 2024 with Clinton Central, Faith Christian, Frontier, Rossville and Tri-County. South Newton has won eight sectional crowns — the last in 2017.
“I think we’re going to go out there and play competitive baseball and surprise a lot of people,” says Ellrod, who was a baseball assistant in 2022-23 and is in his third year as a teacher in the South Newton School Corporation where instructs high school Government and Economics as well as sixth grade Social Studies.
He has coached three boys basketball seasons — the past two for eighth graders after one with the sixth grade team.
Before South Newton, Indiana State University graduate Ellrod was a half-year interim teacher at Attica.
A 2007 graduate of Terre Haute (Ind.) North Vigo High School, Ellrod counts his father — Dennis Ellrod and grandfather Eugene Ellrod Sr. — as mentors.
“My dad was a huge impact on my life,” says Kyle of the man who died in 2020. “He coached my Little League and basketball teams.”
The younger Ellrod played for an AAU-style basketball team during his prep years.
He also received coaching from his grandfather.
Eugene Ellrod Sr., who is also deceased, coached Babe Ruth League baseball in Terre Haute for more than 25 years. One of his players was a young Tommy John, who went on to pitch 26 big league seasons and win 288 games.
With 16 players in the program, Ellrod says there probably will not be a full junior varsity schedule but some JV games will be scheduled for the many younger players on the team to gain experience.
The first day of IHSAA practice was March 11. Before that was a Limited Contact Period of two days a week for two hours.
“We did about as much as we could,” says Ellrod of that time. “We had the boys in working on hitting, pitching and fielding.”
Kentland Baseball Association for ages 4-14 is a feeder for the South Newton program. There is currently no junior high baseball at the school.
Following the team can be done via the South Newton Facebook page. Ellrod says a page devoted to baseball is in the works. The schools’ X (formerly Twitter) handle is @SouthNewton.
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.
“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.
“My main goal is to have a little bit grittier of a group,” says Holland, who coached many of the current players from T-ball through junior high and was head coach at Covington (Ind.) Community High School for five years in the early 2000’s and joined the Shawn Turner-led Seeger coaching staff as an assistant in 2023. “I think we underachieved a little bit last year. Some toughness and grit on the diamond is going to go a long way to having a more successful year.”
The 2023 Patriots went 18-9 overall and 10-4 in the Wabash River Conference. The season ended with a 4-3, 10-inning loss to Carroll (Flora) in the Delphi Sectional. The squad featured a pair of four-year starters in seniors Caleb Edwards and Jace Ware.
Seeger set a single-season school record for victories in back-to-back seasons, going 21-5 in 2021 and 23-5 in 2022. The corresponding WRC marks were 13-1 and 11-3.
Many returnees for 2024 were regulars on the last three teams.
“Those guys are a little older now and more experienced,” says Holland.
Mike’s wife — Maribeth Holland — teacher upper level high school Science at Seeger. The couple has two sons — Drew and Christian. Drew Holland (Class of 2022) played tennis, basketball and baseball at Seeger and is now a Purdue University sophomore. Christian Holland (Class of 2024) plays the same three sports as his brother.
A 1998 Seeger graduate, Holland was a four-year player in high school — three for head coach Brent Rademacher with Mike Dowell leading the program his senior season.
With undergraduate and masters degrees from Indiana State University, Holland is in his 11th year as principal at Warren Central Elementary School which occupies the same building as junior high and high school.
An IHSAA Limited Contact Period began Dec. 4. Holland says players will begin long toss, hitting and fielding after the Christmas break.
“The guys in multiple sports will be coming in to get their arms ready more than anything else,” says Holland. “The teams that are successful are the ones that can figure out how to get six or seven good (pitching) arms out there. Everyone hopes to have an ace or top two guys, but you also have to have that depth to be successful and win a bunch of games, too.”
Assistants for Holland so far include Landon Maroska, Matt Pruitt, Avery Acton and Roger Dickison.
All but Fountain Central Junior-Senior High School graduate Dickison are Seeger alums. Holland hopes to add a few more assistants to his staff.
Recent Seeger graduates now in college baseball include Class of 2021’s Khal Stephen (Mississippi State University) and 2022’s Nick Turner (Earlham College). Both were Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series participants.
Seeger’s on-campus field has received or soon will get many upgrades including new lights, bleachers, press box, batting cage, dugouts and a backstop with a knee wall and netting.
“There’s a brand new face on the softball and baseball fields,” says Holland. “I’m pretty excited.”
There is also a Pony League. Some youngsters also play travel ball.
Seeger’s junior high baseball team typically features 25 to 30 seventh and eighth graders and shares the field with the high school. The program is led by Aaron Vredenburgh.
Mike Holland (right) and youngest son Christian Holland.
IHSBCA members may vote for up to four coaches and three players/contributors. Deadline for returning the ballot is Oct. 20. Inductees will be honored at the State Clinic Jan. 18-20, 2024 at Sheraton at the Crossing in Indianapolis.
Ballots that were emailed or those in the October IHSBCA newsletter are to be mailed to IHSBCA/Brian Abbott, 2340 Guilford Street, Huntington IN 46750. They can also be emailed to babbot@ctLnet.com or faxed to 260-356-3031.
IHSBCA HALL OF FAME
2024 BALLOT
Coaches
Brian Jennings
(Griffith — Retired)
Jennings is a 1987 graduate of Whiting High School and a 1991 graduate of Indiana State University.
He began his baseball coaching career at Whiting in 1996 before moving on to Griffith High School in 1999.
During his time at Griffith, his clubs won 14 sectional titles, four conference titles and made a trip to the state championship game in 2001 before losing to Indianapolis Cathedral.
During his 27 seasons as a varsity coach, he won 448 games.
He is a four-time Conference Coach of the Year, and he has been named “District Coach of the Year” once during his career.
He has had over 40 players go on to play college baseball and has had seven North/South All-Stars, as well as have four players play professionally, including Kody Hoese who was a first round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2019.
The Griffith High School baseball field was renamed Brian Jennings Field in the spring of 2023.
He has served on numerous IHSBCA committees during his time, served as a coach of the 2012 North/South All-Star game in Jasper, and organized the 2016 North South Series in Whiting.
Jennings has announced the IHSAA baseball state finals for several years on the IHSAA Champions Network via both radio and television.
He currently serves as the Assistant Principal at Griffith High School and resides in Crown Point with his wife, Luann. Brian has two stepchildren: Ashley and Steve.
Doug Jennett
(Benton Central/Milligan University — Retired)
Jennett coached at Benton Central High School from the day the school opened in 1968 until 1985. Doug served as the head baseball coach from 1971 until 1985 compiling a 304-123 record.
In addition to winning an average of 20 games a year, his teams won nine sectionals and three regionals in his 15 years as head coach of the Bison. In his three semi state appearances in the one class era, his teams lost in 1973 to eventual state runner-up Laporte; in 1981 to eventual state champion Ben Davis; and in 1985 to eventual state champion Kokomo.
During his tenure at Benton Central, he had five pro signees, 86 collegiate players, and he was a 1985 North All-Star coach.
Six of his Bison players were named to the Indiana North All-Star team. Fourteen of his former players went into high school coaching while three coached at the collegiate level, including Todd Bacon who is still active as the head coach at Marian University.
Even though Doug has not been an Indiana high school coach since 1985 he was a charter member joining in 1972 and is still an active member of the IHSBCA.
While coaching the Bison he served the IHSBCA as a district director, all-star selection committee member, and poll member.
Doug won 271 games at Milligan University in Tennessee. He coached two NAIA All Americans and was named district Coach of The Year once
and TVAC conference COTY three times.
He had 12 Buffs sign pro contracts including three from Indiana: Yankees Danny Johnston (Indianapolis Manual), Twins Jayson Best (Benton Central), and Red Sox Eddie Kidwell (Madison). Most of the Milligan Baseball coaching staff were Indiana natives as well.
Doug heavily recruited Indiana high school players to play at Milligan. During his 15 years he had 58 players from the Hoosier State which represented 30 different Indiana high schools. In his best season at Milligan, 15 of his 29 players were from Indiana.
Doug spent the last 14 years of his career as Athletic Director at Cypress Lake High School in Fort Myers, Fla. He was the PA announcer for the Minnesota Twins spring training games in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 and 2018 he came home from Florida and was an assistant coach for Jake Burton at Twin Lakes High School.
Doug’s health forced him to retire from coaching at the age of 74. He remains active in high school baseball as the PA voice for the Florida High School State Baseball championships doing all 32 games each year. In addition, he is the PA voice for Florida Southwestern State College basketball and baseball.
He was an associate scout for the Chicago Cubs for 10 years. In 2004, Doug was appointed by the Governor of Florida to a task force to study recruiting in high school sports.
Doug and wife of 52 years Pam, have recently moved back to West Lafayette, Ind., and are the parents of a daughter Keli, a business owner in Monticello, Ind., and a son Kraig, an attorney in Washington, D.C.
Joe Decker
(Silver Creek — Retired)
Decker is a 1987 graduate of Silver Creek High School and a 1991 graduate of Hanover College.
He began his coaching career at Brown County High School in 1992 before moving to Silver Creek in 1996. He also was the head coach at Indiana University Southeast from 2003-2006.
He has amassed an overall head coaching record of 634 – 344 over his 30-year coaching career. At the high school level, he has an overall record of 553 – 256. His teams have won 16 conference championships (including a current 65 game winning streak in the Mid-Southern Conference), 12 sectional championships (six straight), four regional championships, two semistate championships and one state championship in his final game in 2023.
Decker has been named Conference Coach of the Year 16 times and District Coach of the Year twice. He has over 40 players go on to play at the next level, eight All-State players, six North-South All-Stars and four Academic All-State players.
He has served on numerous IHSBCA committees as well as serving as a coach on the North/South All-Star series at Indiana Wesleyan University in 2022.
Joe teaches math at Silver Creek High School and lives in Sellersburg, Ind., with his wife Stephanie who is a motivational speaker. They have three children: Nolan (25), Dominic (20), and Reese (17).
Randy Roberts
(Washington Township — Active)
Roberts graduated from Warsaw Community High School and Grace College. At Grace he was a four-year letter-winner and was an all-conference performer at third base. He was a member of the last Lancer championship team in 1984.
He began his coaching career in Puerto Rico before taking over the reins at Washington Township in 1997.
At Wesleyan Academy he inherited a team that won two games the previous season. In his first season his team won the B division championship and lost in the opening round of Island championship.
In his second season they again won the B division and defeated 3 larger division A school to win the PRHSAA island championship. This was the first time a B division team had won the Island championship. He coached against many Puerto Ricans that went on to play professionally.
At Washington Township he took over a program that had two winning seasons in 57 years and a winning percentage of .213.
Since becoming the head coach they have had 23 winning seasons and a winning percentage of .627. During his time with the Senators, he has won 452 games with 10 sectional titles, five regional crowns, two semi-state titles, and one state championship.
During that time his teams also won six Porter County Conference titles. Roberts has been named District Coach of the Year for the IHSBCA several times over the years.
Randy has been a fifth grade teacher at Washington Township for 27 years and the head coach for 26 of those years. He also has organized Little League, Babe Ruth, and Cal Ripken at WTS for 25 years. Randy has three children: Sophia (27), Max (26) and William (21).
His son Max is currently pitching in the minor leagues with the Seattle Mariners organization.
Dave Ginder
(Fort Wayne Carroll — Active)
Ginder is a graduate of Carroll High School in Fort Wayne and Anderson University. He enters his 22nd season as Carroll head coach and has won 446 games against 154 losses.
During that time, his teams have captured seven Northeast Hoosier Conference crowns, 11 sectional titles, four regional titles, two semistate championships, and two state titles in 2010 and 2011.
Ginder has been named State COTY twice (2010 and 2011), NHC COTY (2003, 2011, and 2013), and District COTY in 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2022.
Dave is an active member in the IHSBCA serving as an assistant North All-Star coach in 2011 and Head Coach in 2022 and a member of the 4A Poll Panel for many years.
He is also involved with local baseball camps and clinics, along with being a member of the ABCA and Northeast Indiana Baseball Association where he was inducted into their HOF in 2022 and serves on the NEIBA board.
Ginder teaches Mathematics at Carroll High School. He resides in Fort Wayne with his wife, Kristen, a Registered Nurse at Parkview, and Certified Health Coach. They have three children: Langston (24), Drezdan (22) and Jantzyn (19).
Tim Terry
(South Vermillion — Active)
Terry is a Clinton (Ind.) High School graduate who played baseball, basketball, and football. He attended Indiana State University, where he
played baseball until an injury sidelined him. He received his B.S. in 1978 and M.S. in 1983.
Tim has been coaching high school baseball for 45 years. He began his head coaching journey as an assistant, then became the head coach in 1980 at Turkey Run. He was an assistant again at South Vermillion in 1981 before becoming the varsity coach in 1982.
He has over 600 wins with eight Sectional Championships, 10 Conference titles, and one trip to the Final Four. He has also won 20-plus games in 10 seasons and has been named conference Coach of the Year 10 times.
Coach Terry has twice been named IHSBCA District Coach of the Year. He has been a member of several IHSBCA committees and served as a North/South All-Star coach twice.
Tim has also been involved in baseball outside the high school program. He has coached many little leagues, including Pony League, Babe Ruth, and travel ball teams.
His past coaching career has also included being the varsity football coach for three years and girls basketball for 34 years. He has accumulated over 900 varsity victories, coaching the three sports.
Tim was an industrial arts, driver’s education, physical education, and health teacher and has been the Athletic Director at SVHS since 2014. His wife Kim teaches science at South Vermillion. They have four boys, and the oldest three are also high school coaches.
Kyle Kraemer
(Terre Haute South Vigo — Active)
Kraemer is a 1986 graduate of Terre Haute South Vigo High School. He was an IHSBCA First Team All-State Selection after his senior year and played
in the 1986 IHSBCA North-South All-Star Series.
Kyle then played collegiately for four years at Purdue University under legendary IHSBCA Hall of Famer Dave Alexander. Kraemer was named team captain and lead the Boilermakers with 10 home runs his senior season.
Kraemer will begin his 30th year as the head at his alma mater this year. He has accumulated a 550-266-2 career record.
Coach K was also an assistant varsity coach at West Lafayette Harrison High School in 1992 as well as an assistant varsity coach at Terre Haute South Vigo in 1993 and 1994, prior to taking over as head coach in 1995.
Kraemer has sent 76 former players on to the next level — primarily in baseball. Eight of his former players have played professionally and 66 of his players have been all-conference selections (42 Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference and 24 Conference Indiana).
Eight players have been named to the IHSBCA Academic All-State team and 12 players have participated in the IHSBCA North-South All-Star Series. Five players have been recognized as IHSBCA First Team All-State.
Kyle was a member of the first two Terre Haute South Vigo baseball teams to ever win sectional and regional championships in 1985 and 1986 and since then, he has coached the Braves to eight Conference Championships (six in the MIC, two in CI), 10 sectional championships, four regional
championships and two Final Four appearances.
He was also selected as the MIC Coach of the Year six times and the CI Coach of the Year twice.
Coach K is an active member of the IHSBCA. He has served as the District M Representative for over 20 years.
He acted as the host for the 2006 IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series, was an assistant coach for the South All Stars in the 2008 IHSBCA All-Star Series and has served as a member of the South All-Star Selection Committee on numerous occasions. He was a member of the 4A poll panel for the last seven years.
Kraemer teaches in the CTE Department at Terre Haute South Vigo. He lives in Riley, Ind. with his wife Valerie, who is a fourth grade teacher in Vigo County. They share three children together: Koby Kraemer and his wife Seyma, Ali Gonzalez and her husband Rigo and Jacob Givens as well as five grandchildren — Kali and Khalil Kraemer, Liam and Leia Givens and Mila Gonzalez.
Players/Contributors
Wallace Johnson
(Retired)
Johnson is a 1975 graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School and a 1979 graduate of Indiana State University playing for legendary coach Bob Warn.
He was co-captain of ISU’s first Missouri Valley Conference championship team and their first appearance in NCAA postseason play. Wallace led the nation in hitting (.502 in regular season) during that season and holds a .422 career average. He was elected to the ISU Hall of Fame in 1985.
Johnson was selected in the sixth round of the 1979 draft by the Montreal Expos.
He was MVP of the Florida State League and a member of the 1981 (Denver) and 1986 (Indianapolis) Triple-A championship teams.
Johnson made his major league debut in 1981 with the Expos and was their all-time pinch hitter leader with 86 hits. His MLB totals were .255 batting average, five home runs and 59 runs batted in over 428 games. Upon retiring as a player, he was the third base coach for five seasons with the Chicago White Sox.
Josh Phegley
(Retired)
Phegley spent eight seasons in the big leagues playing for three teams — the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Chicago Cubs.
On his way to playing in the major leagues, Josh was the epitome of a hard-working Hoosier. He started as a freshman for the Terre Haute North Vigo High School Patriots behind the plate.
Josh took to the defensive side of the game instantly, and, offensively, finished his high school career hitting .592 as a senior with 13 home runs and 50 runs batted in.
His accomplishments on the field led him to being named to the South All-Stars as well as the Indiana High School Player of the Year for 2006.
He and his South teammates swept the North in the annual series, and he was selected as the MVP for the North-South Series which was played on the campus of Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
After high school, Phegley went to Indiana University on a baseball scholarship. As a Hoosier, Phegley excelled on the diamond hitting .344 as a junior with 17 homers and 59 RBIs leading him to being drafted 38th overall by the White Sox.
Josh made his major league debut on July 5, 2013, at Tropicana Field vs. the Tampa Bay Rays.
He wasted no time in getting acclimated to the big leagues collecting a hit in his first game and hit his first home run (off David Price) on his third day as a major leaguer. Phegley hit his first grand slam (off Anibal Sanchez) in his first week in the senior circuit.
After playing two seasons with the White Sox, Phegley was traded to the Athletics. During his five seasons in Oakland, Phegley became the everyday catcher. He played his last season in the major leagues for the Cubs in 2020. He announced his retirement on Feb. 3, 2021.
Bryan Bullington
(Retired)
Bullington attended Madison Consolidated High School where he was a two-sport athlete.
As a sophomore he had a 6-3 record while compiling 74 strikeouts. In 1998, as a junior, he was 10-1, with a 1.69 ERA and 65 strikeouts.
During his senior season, in 1999, Bryan was an impressive 15-0 with a 1.49 ERA and 127 strikeouts. He led his team to the 1999 3A state championship where he threw a one-hitter.
Following the 1999 season he was named Indiana’s Hoosier Diamond Mr. Baseball, MVP of the IHSBCA North-South All-Star Series and drafted in the 37th round by the Kansas City Royals.
Bullington decided to forego Major League Baseball at that time to attend Ball State University. In three seasons at Ball State, he had a career record of 29-11 with 348 strikeouts. He was named first team all- Mid-American Conference all three years at BSU and was named MAC Pitcher of the Year in both the 2001 and 2002 seasons.
Upon leaving Ball State, Bullington held school records for most career wins (29), single-season strikeouts (139), career strikeouts (357) and single-season wins (11). He still holds the MAC conference record in career and single-season strikeouts.
In 2001, he was chosen to pitch for the United States National Team. In 2014, Bullington was inducted into the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame.
In the 2002 MLB Draft, Bullington was chosen as the first overall pick and signed to play with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Since the start of
the MLB draft in 1965 there have only been two No. 1 overall picks that call Indiana home.
His pro career lasted 12 seasons, but he missed the 2006 season due to labrum surgery and rehab. In seven seasons of Minor League Baseball, he was 61-38 with a 3.68 ERA and had 602 strikeouts.
In 2010, he signed a contract to play professional baseball in Japan. Over 5 seasons with the Hiroshima Carp he was 46-48 with a 3.25 ERA and 550 strikeouts.
Bullington continues to stay connected to the game of baseball as a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers. He lives south of Chicago with his wife and three children.
Clayton Richard
(Retired)
Richard played high school baseball for Hall of Fame coach Jake Burton at McCutcheon High School where he participated in football, basketball and baseball.
In football, he was four-time All-State, an All-American and was awarded the Indiana Mr. Football Award in 2002. He lettered four years in basketball and is a member of McCutcheon’s 1,000-point club and set rebound records.
In baseball, he played varsity all four years. He led the state in pitching his senior year while allowing only one earned run all season en route to the Mavericks’ second state championship in five years.
Clayton was awarded with the Mr. Baseball award following that season, becoming the first Hoosier athlete to win both Mr. Football and Mr. Baseball. During his time at McCutcheon, he was a valedictorian of his class.
He went on to play football and baseball at the University of Michigan. He played two seasons of football and one of baseball before being chosen by the Chicago White Sox in the eighth round of the 2005 MLB Draft. He was promoted in 2008 and made his debut for the White Sox in July.
He played baseball professionally from 2005-2019. He spent most of his career as a starter for the San Diego Padres.
Clayton Richard lives in Lafayette, where he coaches quarterbacks during the fall and is the head baseball coach at Lafayette Jefferson High
School.
He also owns Captain Spiffy Golf Carts. He is married to Ashley, and they are the proud parents of three children: Cashton (10), Cannon (9) and Kile (6). He is very appreciative of the support he has received through the years from all the members of the Lafayette community, especially Barry, Cindy, Casey, and Taylor.
A.J. Reed
(Retired)
Reed is a 2011 graduate of Terre Haute South Vigo High School and was coached by Kyle Kraemer.
He was a three-time All MIC honoree, first team 4A All-State (2010 and 2011) and was the Indiana High School Baseball Player of the Year in 2011 along with being an IHSBCA South All-Star and the North-South All-Star game MVP. He is listed in the top 10 in the IHSBCA record book for Base on Balls in a season (1st) and Home Runs in a season and career (6th).
His collegiate career at the University of Kentucky was capped off his junior year in 2014 with a series of honors including: SEC Player of the Year; the Golden Spikes Award for the nation’s top amateur baseball player; the Dick Howser trophy; ABCA and Baseball America College Player of the Year; the John Olerud Trophy; several first team All-America teams; and the Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year.
In 2012, he was also the recipient of several first team Freshmen All-America team honors. In 2014, he was a second-round draft pick of the Houston Astros and was the recipient of Minor League All-Star honors in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
He is a two-time recipient of the Joe Bauman minor league baseball home run award and the Rookie of the Year and MVP with Lancaster in the California League in 2015.
A.J. retired from baseball in March 2020. He currently resides in Riley, Ind., with his wife Shelby and their two dogs.
David Taylor
(Indiana Bulls — Active)
Taylor was an outstanding baseball player at Southmont High School and went on the play collegiately at Wabash College where he was a team captain.
He began his coaching career while a college student and this included Little League, Babe Ruth, high school, AAU and American Legion baseball.
During an AAU coaching stint in Florida, he realized the level of travel baseball and how Indiana was underrepresented in this area. It was at this time he formed the Indiana Bulls travel organization with the vision of providing Indiana high school players with the opportunity to pursue their college and MLB dreams.
In 1992, the Bulls sponsored two teams and David coached the 18-and-under team with future MLB players Scott Rolen and Todd Dunwoody. He continued to coach the Bulls for four more seasons, served as the president for 10 years, and officer for 20 years, and has been a director since 1992.
His vision for creating a platform for Indiana high school baseball players was realized.
Over 170 Bulls players have been drafted (12 in the first round) and over 300 players have received Division I scholarships. The Bulls have won 22 national titles, a professional staff that works 12 months a year, and currently field 25 teams from ages 8 to 17.
Several of these teams are coached by former professional who were Bulls players.
David resides in Brownsburg, Ind., and is a leading insurance defense trial attorney. He has served 20 years as a certified MLBPA agent and represented more than 100 professional players and continues to represent former players in various legal matters.
“Putting the ball in-play and running like the dickens.” In simplified terms, that’s the offensive philosophy Shawn Turner has as head baseball coach at Seeger Memorial Junior-Senior High School in West Lebanon, Ind. “We try to put the ball in-play and in the middle of the diamond as best we can,” says Turner. “We want to put the onus on the defense to have to make plays. “We’re not focused on launch angle. We’re not focused on things 15- to 19-year-old kids typically aren’t ready for. “Contact and hard contact is the most-important thing.” Turner led the Warren County-based Patriots to a 23-5 mark in 2022. Seeger hit .379 as a team with five home runs and 300 runs (10.7 per game). The pitching staff posted a 2.42 earned run average. The team committed 44 errors (1.5 per game). “Pitching and defense is what we focus on more than anything else,” says Turner. “We don’t have the capabilities — year in and year out — to go out there and rely on the three-run home run. We have to manufacture runs. We’re going to try to be smart on the base paths and move runners by putting the ball in play. “Once you get to tournament time and as you’re playing better teams, you face better pitching. Our kids recognize that they’re pretty good at hitting the ball when the pitcher’s not very solid. When he is that makes it a little more challenging so it’s easier for them to buy into what we’re trying to accomplish.” Turner calls the The groundout to the second baseman — which can move a runner from from second to third or score a runner from third — the most-overlooked play in baseball. Seeger (enrollment around 400) is a member of the Wabash River Conference (with Attica, Covington, Fountain Central, North Vermillion, Parke Heritage, Riverton Parke and South Vermillion). WRC teams meet twice during the same week — either two weekdays or Saturday doubleheader. The Patriots are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping in 2023 with Benton Central, Carroll (Flora), Clinton Prairie, Delphi Community and Lewis Cass. Seeger has won five sectional titles — the last in 2015. Turner, who is also a math teacher at the high school, spent four seasons as head coach at Richmond (Ind.) High School, one as an assistant at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., and 17 as head coach at Terre Haute (Ind.) North Vigo High School (1998-2014) after two as assistant. He was a McCutcheon assistant in 1994 and 1995, helped at West Vigo in 1993 and North Vigo 1990-92. At Seeger, Turner is part of a school where the multi-sport athlete is the norm. “We have very few individuals who are participating in (IHSAA Limited Contact Period activities),” says Turner. “We share athletes. I’ve got basketball players, wrestlers and swimmers.” Turner expects to have about 25 athletes for varsity and junior varsity baseball in the spring. Of that number, nearly 20 are involved in at least one other sport. “It makes it rough to have an aggressive off-season program,” says Turner, who also sees his baseballers go out for football, cross country and tennis in the fall. “It’s the nature of the beast. “Once high school is over, it’s over. We’re at a school where kids have the opportunity multiple sports. “We encourage that. It’s the day-to-day opportunities they’re going to remember not so much a win or a loss. It’s spending time with their teammates and practices along the way. We try to make sure they’re enjoying what they’re doing. It’s their team. It’s not my team.” Turner wants players to go on to become fine young men and positive members of society. If they also get to play at the next level, so be it. Two recent Seeger graduates and Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series participants are now in college baseball — pitcher and 2021 graduate Khal Stephen (Purdue University) and catcher and 2022 graduate Nick Turner (Shawnee Community College in Ullin, Ill.). Nick is the youngest of Shawn and Tiffany Turner’s two sons. Austin Turner played at McCutcheon (Class of 2017) and Indiana Wesleyan University. Three-year starters Caleb Edwards and Jace Ware are among the returnees for 2023. Seeger assistant coaches are Mike Holland, Matt Pruitt and Robert Jones. The Patriots’ home field is on-campus. The baseball and softball diamonds are due for major renovations following the 2023 season. That includes getting lights. There is junior high baseball in the spring and summer for seventh and eighth graders. Future and current high school players are also involved in youth leagues in Williamsport and Lafayette and travel and American Legion teams in Indiana and Illinois.
Nick and Shawn Turner at Seeger Memorial Junior-Senior High School in West Lebanon, Ind.
New head baseball coach Aaron Wood has long been a part of athletics at West Lafayette (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School. As a 2000 West Lafayette graduate, Wood earned eight varsity letters for the Red Devils — three in baseball, three in football and two in basketball. His head coaches were Dan Walbaum in baseball, Ernie Beck and Lane Custer in football and father David Wood in basketball. Wood has been an assistant coach for all three sports at West Lafayette. “It’s my way of giving back,” says Wood, who has gotten to work with Walbaum and Joel Strode in baseball, his father in basketball and Shane Fry in football. “I’ve been a member of this baseball program for a long time. The opportunity (to be head coach) presented itself and I took it.” In Wood’s 13 years on the baseball staff, West Lafayette won three sectionals, two regionals and seven Hoosier Conference titles. Next year will mark two decades for Wood with Red Devils football. He was the running backs coach under Fry this fall and the 2022 team was ranked No. 1 in IHSAA Class 3A and finished 13-1. “I have really enjoyed my time with that program,” says Wood. “I hope in some ways we can mimic the success (football) has had in the baseball program in terms of the postseason. “We want to have some fun and win a whole bunch of games in the process.” David Wood retired after the 2020-21 season — his 27th as Red Devils head boys basketball coach. He earned nine sectional titles, including in 1999 and 2000. Aaron Wood, who is in his fifth year as a Physical Education/Health teacher and strength and conditioning coach for West Lafayette, was hired last week to lead West Lafayette on the diamond. Strode is the Red Devils athletic director. West Lafayette (enrollment around 730) is a member of the Hoosier Conference (with Benton Central, Hamilton Heights, Lafayette Central Catholic, Lewis Cass, Northwestern, Rensselaer Central, Tipton, Twin Lakes and Western). Each conference baseball team plays each other twice in a home-and-home series during the same week. The Red Devils are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2023 with Frankfort, North Montgomery, Northwestern, Twin Lakes and Western. West Lafayette has won nine sectional titles — the last in 2011. The Red Devils play home games on Bob Friend Field, a facility which recently got new paint and work on the dugouts. West Lafayette went 13-8 overall and 8-1 in the conference last spring. Senior Evan Cooke (.353 with six home runs and 27 runs batted in and 4-2 on the mound with a 1.51 earned run average for 2022) and junior Jack Shaeffer (.400 with 18 RBIs and 2-3) are expected back for 2023. Cooke scored 34 goals this fall for West Lafayette’s 20-1-1 boys soccer team. While it is not affiliated with the school, West Lafayette Youth Baseball teaches the game at the younger levels. While he was busy with football, Wood noticed that some baseball players were getting in work at various places in the fall. He looks forward to the next IHSAA Limited Contact Period (Dec. 5-Feb. 4) where baseball activities will be permitted two times a week for two hours. Wood is in the process of assembling his coaching staff. “We need to get administrative things out of the way and start focusing on player development,” said Wood. A former multi-sport athlete himself, Wood is a believer in it. “We have to have it for our school to have success,” says Wood. “It does wonders for your support and it develops the sort of toughness that we need to win. “You’re remaining in competitive environments.” Wood went into the working world out of high school and earned an degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision degree from Purdue University more than a decade later. The husband of West Lafayette Elementary School third grade teacher Jennifer Wood later decided to go into education. “I have a passion for students and coaching,” says Wood. “I got a graduate certificate from Indiana Wesleyan and here I am. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made professionally.” With Aaron and Jennifer both being teachers they are on the same schedule and able to spend time together and with daughter Carson (6) and son Carter (3). “They enjoy being at the various fields and making it a family affair,” says Wood.
Rob Jordan was to lead his first Tipton (Ind.) High School baseball season during the spring of 2020. But the COVID-19 pandemic kept the Blue Devils from playing a game. Jordan’s first on-field campaign as head coach was 2021. Most of the players from that team graduated, leaving very little varsity experience in 2022. “Last season was pretty tough on us,” says Jordan of year where Tipton went 2-18 with 27 players in the program. “We had a whole new pitching staff.” Jordan does expect most of his pitching to return in 2023, meaning they will have more experience. There is a big freshman class and the Blue Devils should have eight seniors (Zane Goodrich, Chase Higgins, Houston Nasser, Jack Nasser, Clark Rodibaugh, Joe Shelly, Eli Shook and Austin Smith). “We’ve got good young kids,” says Jordan. “With our veteran leadership, we hope it’s a breakout year.” Ten to 15 players — those not in a fall sport — have been going over fundamentals with Jordan at twice-a-week IHSAA Limited Contact Period fall practices. Tipton (enrollment around 450) is a member of the Hoosier Athletic Conference (with IHSAA Class 2A Tipton, 3A Hamilton Heights, 2A Lewis Cass, 3A Northwestern and 3A Western in the East Division and 3A Benton Central, 1A Lafayette Central Catholic, 2A Rensselaer Central, 3A Twin Lakes and 3A West Lafayette in the West Division). The Blue Devis were part of an 2A sectional grouping in 2022 with Blackford, Eastbrook, Eastern (Greentown), Madison-Grant and Taylor. Tipton has won seven sectional titles — the last in 2009. Tipton plays its games on-campus. A new 30-by-30 college-style scoreboard was installed in the summer and new dugouts are nearing completion. Feeding the high school program are travel baseball teams plus Tipton Youth Baseball League (Little Sluggers ages 3-5, Pee Wee 5-8, Cal Ripken 9-12 and Babe Ruth 13-15). Right-handed pitcher Trayjan Phifer (Class of 2021) moved on to Cleary University in Howell, Mich.). Jordan says pitcher/first baseman Vince Hoover (Class of 2024) has been getting looks for colleges. Jordan’s coaching staff for 2023 includes varsity assistant Steve Cherry, junior varsity head coach Andy Hussong and JV assistant Brian Middleton and possibly two more. A 1988 graduate of Tri-Central Middle/High School in Sharpsville, Ind., Jordan played for Trojans head coach Dave Driggs. “We got a fair opportunity,” says Jordan of his prep days. “Politics wasn’t a factor for playing time.” At the time, there was a big rival between Tri-Central and Tipton and the Trojans are still on the Blue Devils schedule. At Missouri Valley College (Marshall, Mo.), first baseman/utility player Jordan played three seasons and learned about conditioning and hard-nosed play from Vikings head coach Ron Givens before an arm injury ended his career. Jordan coached youth league baseball before taking the reins at Tipton. Rob is foundation seed manager for Beck’s Hybrids. He and wife Laura had a daughter (Jessica) and son (Dylan). Dylan Jordan passed away in 2019 at 16. He was in the Tri-Central Class of 2022.
Indiana Nitro — a travel baseball organization launched in the central part of the state — has had 164 college commits and five Major League Baseball draft selections since 2014. Among Nitro alums who went on to pro baseball are Zach Britton (Toronto Blue Jays system), Matt Gorski (Pittsburgh Pirates), Niko Kavadas (Boston Red Sox), Devin Mann (Los Angeles Dodgers), Tommy Sommer (Chicago White Sox) and Zack Thompson (St. Louis Cardinals). The Nitro fielded more than 20 teams — spring, summer and fall — at the 8U to 17U levels in recent seasons. The group has earned many victories and championships and competed in multiple states. It all began with a single 11U team that took to the diamond in 2010. Tim Burns, whose sons Brendan and Brock were playing travel ball, was exploring diamond opportunities for his boys when he was approached by some fathers about coaching a team. With the idea of being able to control development and practice schedules, the elder Burns agreed and led that first Nitro squad, featuring Brock. Most of the players were from Hamilton County — one of the exceptions being Batesville’s Britton. Brock Burns is now on the football team at Ball State University as an outside linebacker while Brendan Burns was a right-handed pitcher for BSU baseball; Tim Burns is a graduate of Ball State where his major was Telecommunications. Both Burns brothers are Hamilton Southeastern High School graduates — Brendan in 2014 and Brock in 2017. Most games in 2010 were played in central Indiana and the team went 50-5 with five tournament titles. Eleven of the 12 players on that first team went on to play at the collegiate level. Tammy Burns, Tim’s wife, told him that he did not have the time to head a travel organization. Yet momentum kept on building. “Kids wanted to play,” says Burns. Parents and players gathered and voted on a team name — Burns presented around 300 choices found on Google — and team colors. The Nitro wound up donning Athletic Gold and Cardinal Red and uses explosive terms like Bombs and Gas on social media. In 2011, the Nitro had four teams. The number went to seven in 2012 then 11 in 2013. It jumped to 20 in 2014 (the first year the organization had a high school age team). “The snowball got big,” says Burns. “It took on a life of its own.” The mantra of the Nitro is “Advancing players to the next level.” That came to mean grooming them to play high school baseball and then — for those who wished to do so — college baseball. “It’s a very complex recruiting process that we came up with over the years,” says Burns, a 1982 graduate of South Newton High School in Kentland, Ind., who grew up on the diamonds of Goodland, Ind., and counted Tracy Smith (who went on to coach at Miami University-Middletown, Miami University, Indiana University and Arizona State University) as a teammate. “You dive deep into it and build relationships with college coaches and recruiters. “Learning how to help these kids get recruited was important to our board (of directors) and and organization.” Nitro staffers work the phones on behalf of their players and are constantly seeking talent and getting ready for the next thing. “It’s a year-round job,” says Burns, who is employed in sales for Bally Sports Indiana (the Indiana Pacers TV Network). “There’s so much behind the scenes in the off-season. It keeps the board and volunteers busy.” Randy Poiry has been on the board since the beginning. Two sons — catcher Rutger Poiry (Lincoln Trail College and Eastern Kentucky University) and right-handed pitcher Carter Poiry (Murray State University and Quinnipiac University) — played for the Nitro. Directors are Chris Poland (daily operations and high school age teams) and Dan Rodgers (ages 8-14). Jared Poland, son of Chris, is at the University of Louisville. Nathan Rodgers (Carmel High School Class of 2024) played for his father on the Nitro 14U Gold team in 2021. Burns, who coached the Nitro 16U Gold team to a 26-9-1 mark in 2021 and will move up to coach the 17U Gold squad in 2022, gets players from near and far. “We don’t care where they come from,” says Burns. “We want good kids from good families who want to put in the work.” Nitro players train at Pro X Athlete Development on the Grand Park campus in Westfield, Ind. A membership is included with fees. Burns counts four nephews — South Newton graduates Jarrett Hammel and Jay Hammel and Benton Central High school alums Payton Hall and Conner Hall — among former Nitro players. Former Saint Joseph’s College and Valparaiso right-hander Jarrett Hammel is now head baseball coach at Benton Central. Jay Hammel is a righty pitcher at Quincy (Ill.) University. Payton Hall is an outfielder at Oakland City (Ind.) University after transferring from the University of Southern Indiana. Former middle infielder Connor Hall is an Aviation Management student at Indiana State University.
Pitching is the priority as Adam Acton gets his baseball team ready for the 2021 baseball season.
Heading into his fourth campaign as head coach at Fountain Central Junior/Senior High School in Veedersburg, Ind., Acton wants to get his hurlers on the mound twice a week during this time of year with many throwing 20 to 25 pitches.
There’s also flat ground work, strength training, running and band work.
“We try to mix it up and not make it mundane,” says Acton, who has been leading a small group through January workouts while other baseball players are in winter sports. “The pitch count rule (1 to 35 pitches requires 0 days rest; 36 to 60 requires 1 day; 61 to 80 requires 2 days; 81 to 100 requires 3 days; and 101 to 120 requires 4 days) needed to happen. Some coaches were killing the kids
“It forces teams to have a deeper pitching rotation.”
Other items of importance for Acton’s Mustangs are aggressiveness and alertness on the bases, making the routine fielding play and being smart in the batter’s box.
Adam and wife Alison Acton have been married 19 years and have four sons — Owen (15), Nolan (13), Garrett (10) and Caleb (8). Freshman Owen Acton and seventh grader Nolan Acton play football, basketball and baseball. Third grader Garrett Acton participates in archery, football and baseball. Second grader Caleb Acton plays baseball. Adam Acton was on the archery team at Purdue University.
Acton is a 1992 Lebanon graduate, where he played for Tigers head coach Keith Campbell.
After a year playing at Milligan College in Johnson City, Tenn., for Doug Jennett (who also head coach at Benton Central High School in Oxford, Ind.), Acton transferred to Purdue as a student. He then headed in the work force.
This is his third year as a Construction/Building Trades teacher at Fountain Central.
Acton’s coaching staff for 2021 includes Ryan Hall (head football coach) and Tim Garbison (former FC head baseball coach). There are others who help on an intermittent basis.
Fountain Central’s home field is on-campus. The diamond was re-done about five years ago and re-graded in the last year. There is need for upgrading in the bullpens.
“It’s a pretty nice facility,” says Acton.
As a feeder system, the Mustangs have Fountain Central Summer League in Veedersburg that serves ages 4 to 12.
A junior high team for grades 7 and 8 (and sometimes 6) normally carries 12 or 13 players. Some players are affiliated with travel ball organizations.
There are no recent FC graduates playing college baseball and no current commitments though Acton expects some in the coming years.
“We’ve got some talent in those two younger grades,” says Acton. “We’re going to be relying on them quite a bit (in 2021).”
The Acton family — on a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyoming — are (from left): First row — Garrett, Caleb and Nolan Acton; Second row — Owen, Alison and Adam. Adam Acton is the head baseball coach and a Construction/Building Trades teacher at Fountain Central Junior/Senior High School in Veedersburg, Ind.
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