By STEVE KRAH
Tim Bragg takes over as head baseball coach at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis with a wealth of knowledge gained from successful diamond minds.
“I played for and coached under a lot of great baseball guys so I think I’m prepared,” says Bragg. “I’ve got all those things in my tool box.”
Bragg is a Physical Education teacher and coached eighth grade baseball at Belzer Middle School across 56th Street from LCHS the past three springs and had been named junior varsity coach at Lawrence North and was in that position for six weeks in the fall on the staff of Richard Winzenread (who won more than 500 games leading the Wildcats).
The two men had worked together at the former Craig Middle School and Bragg led the Craig eighth grade team in 2005.
“He’s such a great coach and a great guy,” says Bragg of Winzenread. “I’m part of his coaching tree. I’ve got a lot of his practice plans and practice book that I refer to everyday.”
One of Bragg’s Craig players was Micah Johnson, who played at Park Tudor High School and was all-Big Ten Conference at Indiana University and played in the big leagues with the Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves.
From 2006-08, Bragg was freshman coach under Winzenread and also coached an LN summer team. Winzenread announced his retirement a few weeks ago and knowing about the opening at Lawrence Central, Bragg applied and was hired.
Prior to landing at Belzer, Bragg spent a decade in Warren Township coaching football, basketball and softball at Raymond Park Middle School.
In 2004, Bragg was the Pike High School JV baseball coach. The Red Devils program was then led by Pat McCarthy.
Bragg also spent one summer coaching Hoosier Diamond travel ball in Noblesville.
As a radio and television host and producer at WNDE and WRTV, Bragg worked with Mark Boyle, Bill Benner and Ed Sorenson.
Bragg was the reporter who’s question prompted the oft-replayed “Playoffs?!” rant from Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Mora.
NCAA Division III power Marietta (Ohio) College — then led by head coach Don Schaly — was Bragg’s first post-high school stop in the fall of his freshman year.
“I did not make the team but I learned a lot of baseball,” says Bragg, who transferred to the University of Indianapolis. “Those guys were baseball maniacs.”
At UIndy, Bragg was a catcher for the Mark Peterson-coached Greyhounds and was named all-Great Lakes Valley Conference as a catcher in 1990 and 1991. He was team MVP and captain in ’91.
A 1986 graduate of Indianapolis North Central High School, Bragg backstopped teams guided by Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Tom Bradley (who also won over 500 games).
The Panthers were regional champions in 1984 and 1985 and were ranked No. 1 during the 1986 season.
Gary Thurman (Indianapolis North Central Class of 1983) went on to the play in the majors for the Kansas City Royals, Detroit Tigers, Seattle Mariners and New York Mets and was a long-time pro coach.
John Smith went from NC to the Miami Hurricanes to the Mets organization.
North Central alum Derek Henderson played at Tennessee State University then in the Mets and Toronto Blue Jays systems and in independent ball.
For a few summers Bragg played for IHSBCA Hall of Famer and former Noblesville High School head coach Don Dunker. The team went to Nashville, Tenn., and was Twitty City World Series runners-up two years in a row.
North Central teammate Mike Shebek pitched for that team.
“I learned a lot from Don,” says Bragg. “He’d work us hard. I made a lot of friends playing for him.”
Bragg, 55, was officially named as Lawrence Central head coach Nov. 28.
“I’m really excited about it,” says Bragg.
The first assistant coach is former North Central classmate Bryan Foster, a first-team all-state shortstop who was selected in the eighth round of the 1986 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and played four seasons in the Milwaukee Brewers system and one in the Houston Astros organization before going into business.
Foster will work with middle infielders and Bragg will take catchers, pitchers and corners. The interview process for other assistant candidates has begun.
Lawrence Central (enrollment around 2,500) is a member of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (with Ben Davis, Indianapolis North Central, Lawrence North, Pike and Warren Central).
The Bears are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Ben Davis, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis Crispus Attucks, Indianapolis North Central, Lawrence North and Pike. Lawrence Central has won eight sectional titles — the last in 2004.
The 2023 LC team went 1-24.
“I know there’s a lot of talent there,” says Bragg. “I’ve coached the kids that are juniors, sophomores and freshmen already. My first goal is improvement then we’ll set bigger goals.
“We want to build a winning culture and a team that everybody respects. We don’t want to be a pushover. We won’t be. We’re going to teach every single day. These guys are going to get better with their abilities and Baseball I.Q.
“I think we’re going to surprise some people.”
Among the returnees is University of Alabama commit Ahmaad Duff (Lawrence Central Class of 2024).
“We’ve got an SEC player on the team,” says Bragg of the outfielder/pitcher. “I’m not going to get into his way at all. He’ll be a great leader and have a great (senior) season.”
Another returnee from the Class of 2024 is Nick Johnson. Bragg says Bryson Luter is expected to come back to baseball from track.
A player meeting was slated for Thursday, Nov. 30. The first Limited Contact Period practice is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 11.
As a way of growing the program, a winter youth camp is scheduled for Dec. 27-28.
Youth players come from Fall Creek Softball & Baseball and Oaklandon Youth Organization with its Oaklandon Bombers travel team.
Lawrence Central is getting a brand new baseball stadium with field turf and generous dimensions plus two batting tunnels and is expected to be ready by the beginning of the 2024 season in April. The old varsity field will become the JV diamond.
Lawrence North is also getting a new field.
“It’s an exciting time to be a coach in Lawrence,” says Bragg expects that summer tournaments played at LC and Belzer will be stream of revenue.
Ted Bragg, Tim’s grandfather, went from Marion, Ind., to what was then the Eastern Division of Indiana Normal School (later Ball State University) and was on the first basketball team. He earned a baseball letter in 1924.
“I got my athletic genes from him,” says Tim Bragg.
Bragg resides in McCordsville, Ind., and has two children — Brianna Bragg (20) and Preston Bragg (16).
Brianna graduated from Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville. Preston, who is autistic and has played in the Challenger Division at OYO, is a Mt. Vernon sophomore.
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