When you’re at a small school where two- and three-sport athletes are the reality and not the exception, it might take some time for a team to hit its stride.
“We have to make sure we can get everything we can out of every kid who can play,” says Simmons, who took over the Wolves program after six seasons as head boys basketball coach at nearby Riverton Parke (2015-16 to 2020-21). “We understand that we’ll have a basketball player or wrestler come in and they’re not quite ready. Our biggest point of emphasis is development — not just in January but we have to continue to work and develop. The point is to be good in the last week of May. That’s always been our push. We’re going to have growing pains. We’re going to have mistakes.
“When there’s no tomorrow is when you need to be your best. That’s when all the cards are on the table.”
Basketball is a big deal at Parke Heritage, where the Wolves are coming off a 24-5 season with sectional and regional titles in 2023-24 and are 117-49 with four sectionals, three regionals and one semistate in head coach/athletic director Rich Schelsky’s seven campaigns.
“We’re doing what we can to make baseball what it’s supposed to be. We have to get all the best athletes.”
WRC games tend to be Saturday doubleheaders. The Wolves are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping in 2024 with Cloverdale, Greencastle, North Putnam, South Putnam and Southmont. Parke Heritage, which opened its doors in 2018 as a consolidation of the old Rockville and Turkey Run high schools, has won two sectional titles — 2021 and 2022.
There are 16 players in the program, including eight freshmen. While there is nothing scheduled yet, a few junior varsity games may be sprinkled in to give some of the younger players some playing experience.
Noble Johnson (Class of 2022) is on the baseball team at Vincennes (Ind.) University.
Simmons says current Wolves with college baseball potential are 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher Brendon McCamis (Class of 2024) and catcher Renn Harper (Class of 2025).
Mark Harper and Michael Featherling are Simmons’ assistant coaches.
Harper is the head girls basketball coach at Parke Heritage and was a baseball assistant to Bob Kyle at Rockville and Ron Alabaugh at Parke Heritage.
Featherling played baseball at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill., and the University of Indianapolis. He was a boys basketball assistant at Riverton Parke in 2023-24.
Stan Gideon Fields are about 1/10 of the mile northwest of the school on Strawberry Road and are home to Parke Heritage baseball, softball and tennis.
The lighted baseball diamond sports a spacious outfield.
“It’s one of the bigger ones in the state,” says Simmons. “I’ve seen three homers in two years. It takes an absolute shot to get out of that dude.
“When we’re setting lineups, outfield speed becomes very important.”
Feeding the Wolves are Parke-Vermillion Youth Baseball (T-ball to 13), a school-affiliated baseball program for seventh and eighth graders and area travel organizations.
An annual youth camp drew more than 40 third through fifth graders last fall.
“We start early and show them that it is fun,” says Simmons. “That goes a long way.”
When high schoolers came in for January practice, so did junior high players.
“There are certain techniques that need to be taught,” says Simmons. “I don’t want to teach you how to get ready for a ground ball as a freshman when you should already be doing that when you’re in junior high.”
Simmons is a 2007 Turkey Run graduate. Jimmy Nevins was the Warriors head baseball coach his senior year.
Much of what Simmons knows about sports and life comes from his father.
“My dad was the voice of reason in my ear,” says Simmons. “He is the reason I’m in this position.”
Mitch watched many Chicago Cubs games and traveled to Victory Field in Indianapolis with his dad.
Keith Simmons died in June of 2020 and Mitch took the Parke Heritage baseball job that October.
“This is one of those this is what I’m supposed to do type of things,” says Simmons.
Making his living as a farmer, Simmons works just under 1,000 acres near Turkey Run State Park. The farm features cattle, corn and soybeans.
Mitch and Brittany Simmons were married in 2014 and have three children — son Hagen (12) and daughters Harlow (7) and Hazlee (3) — with another son due in June.
A nod to local baseball history can be found about four miles east of the school. That’s where the Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown memorial sits on a farm on Nyesville Road. Brown won 239 big league games and was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1949.
The Simmons family (clockwise from left): Hagen, Mitch, Brittany, Hazlee and Harlow.
Swinging from the left side, the 6-foot-2 Romero amassed an average of .376 (173-of-460) with 15 home runs, two triples, 44 doubles, 139 runs batted in, 138 runs scored, 42 strikeouts, 95 walks, 29 stolen bases and a 1.076 OPS (.498 on-base percentage plus .578 slugging average).
He helped the Ben Reel-coached Grenadiers go 109-32 from 2020-22 with a trip to the 2021 NAIA World Series.
“I’ll never regret going to IUS,” says Romero, 27. “I’ve moved around every few years. New Albany is a place that feels like home to me.”
Romero graduated from high school and completed two years of college in Venezuela. The political unrest there caused only-child Marco and mother Julia Villalobos to go to Tampa, Fla., where they had visited family on vacation (father Marco Romero is in Venezuela and his son has contact with him everyday).
The younger Marco Romero attended a Tampa baseball academy then started his college career over.
He landed at Oakton College in Des Plaines, Ill., and helped the Owls to National Junior College Athletic Association Division III World Series appearances in 2018 and 2019.
Reel recruited at the NJCAA D-III World Series and coaxed Romero to southern Indiana.
There were a few other options at the NAIA level, but they were in Tennessee and Marco’s mother was in Chicago.
“I liked the vibes Coach Reel gave me on my visit,” says Romero. “It was about more than baseball.
“He was trying to make them a better person for the world.”
Romero could see that the coach formed close bonds with his players.
Told to sleep on the decision, Romero did not and signed on the day of his visit.
“This is the place I need to be,” says Romero, who enjoyed a productive career and spends time on-campus each off-season.
After graduating as a Business Management major and Entrepreneurship minor in 2022, Romero began aiming for baseball operations jobs since he did not play pro ball.
A Linkedin contact viewed his resume, which showed that he had coached youth players and helped his teammates and served as a team captain, to go for coaching positions.
Romero was hired by the Houston Astros and went to work as a hitting coach apprentice at their West Palm Beach, Fla., complex in the summer of 2022.
Since December 2022, Romero has been a player development coach in the Chicago Cubs organization. In 2023, he helped the Double-A Tennessee Smokies on both the hitting and pitching side. In 2024, he will likely be an assistant hitting coach — with either the High-A South Bend (Ind.) Cubs or Low-A Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Pelicans. Those assignments have not yet been announced.
Romero went to Mesa, Ariz., on Jan. 3 to work at an early camp and spring training starts in a few weeks. Justin Stone is the Director of Hitting and Will Remillard is the Assistant Director of Hitting.
From Romero’s perspective, quality of contact is the most important tool for an everyday player.
“It’s how well the can make contact with the ball,” says Romero. “Some make good decisions at the plate but don’t hit the ball hard.”
A metric used by the Cubs is Expected Weighted On-Base Average (xwOBA). While organizations may differer on some of the numbers, it is formulated with velocity, launch angle and, on certain types of batted balls, Sprint Speed.
“It eliminates the outcome of the ball in-play,” says Romero. “If the hitter hits a 110 mph line drive caught by the center fielder, there’s nothing he can do about that.”
Romero also notes that some organizations are focused on development at the minor league level and others promote winning.
“In the big leagues it’s all about productive outs and it’s all about winning,” says Romero. “There’s an open debate on this. A million hitting coaches are going to give you a million answers. To me, you want to maximize the run value per ball in-play.
“In professional baseball, every hitter is different. The key is to have an explanation on why you’re doing something.”
Romero is serious about what he does because the hitters he coaches need to produce or the organization will let them go.
“At this level you’re playing with people’s careers,” says Romero. “You can end someone’s career by making the wrong adjustment.
“It’s not a hobby anymore. People need you to perform. That’s what inspires me to do this everyday. There are two things that I’m passionate about: Baseball and seeing people succeed.
“My mantra in my life is leave them a better person than they were before they met me.”
His short-term goal is to be a hitting coach, his long-term goal is to be a big league manager.
“I want to be able to influence who they are as a player,” says Romero. “You get more of that as a manager.”
Romero notes that mental skills coaches travel throughout the minor leagues and on-field coaches will direct the players that may be struggling to them.
While the percentages can be debated, Romero sees baseball as more mental than physical.
“If there confidence is not where it should be, they’re not going to perform,” says Romero. “You have to make sure everyone is in the right mental state.”
The IL’s home clubhouse attendant of the year was Steve Seipel (Iowa Cubs) while the MWL award went to Sam Reatini (West Michigan Whitecaps).
Clubhouse managers are graded by field managers, athletic trainers and strength coaches based on a list.
Martin, who spends the off-season in Canton, Ohio, has been with Indianapolis since 1997 and the visiting clubhouse manager since 2009.
Ahead of a team coming to town, Martin gets a call from that club to alert him about the time the equipment will arrive.
“Sometimes it gets there at 5 in the morning or 2 in the morning,” says Martin. “With the new minor league schedule (Tuesday through Sunday six-game series) it gets there on Monday around 9 in the morning.
“I love the six-game series. Before we’d have a seven-day (homestand) with two teams in and out. That’s more work.
“(With the six-game series) you can get to know players and staff a little better. The next time they come you know what their needs are.”
Martin and his assistant unload the bus and put things in their place — the locker, training room and weight room.
Then it’s time settle in for a week of hospitality.
There was a time when Martin was traveling all over to get food for the players and other team personnel. While they still fetch an occasional meal, online services have mostly taken that off the clubhouse attendants’ plates.
“I do appreciate is Grubhub and DoorDash I’ll you that,” says Martin. “Guys have all the stuff on their phones. It saves me and Text messages and emails helps keep the communication flowing.
The work week at Victory Field can be up to 90 hours. When Indianapolis hits the road, Martin heads back to Canton to see his wife of 16 years and goes back to Indy on Sunday.
The baseball position in Indy is seasonal so Martin works third shift at a warehouse in Ohio. He’s been with the same company since 2003.
“The owner thinks what I do is different and cool,” says Martin, 42. “I’ve been blessed. I haven’t had to look for a job every year.”
Bobby Martin — Jeremy’s brother — is the home clubhouse manager in Indianapolis. The siblings got their start for the old Canton-Akron Indians.
“He handles more personal things like cars getting transporting from Florida to the Indianapolis and Indianapolis to Pittsburgh. The players need his help more than the players need my help when it comes to stuff like that.
“He has to do a lot more FedX. That’s for sure.”
Since 2005, Indianapolis has been the Triple-A affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Indians were tied the Milwaukee Brewers 2000-04. Right before that, it was the Cincinnati Reds 1993-99.
Growing up near the Cleveland Indians, that was Martin’s team. As he’s gotten older, he has started to root for players.
“If he’s a good guy and a good person in the locker room I’m pulling for that good not necessarily the team,” says Martin. “Being around as long as I have I’ve seen some guys come through (on the way to the big leagues).”
Martin’s boss is stadium operations manager Kim Duplak.
“As long as I’ve done it (management) knows I’ve pretty much got it under control,” says Martin.
Pearson, who has lived the past 12 off-seasons in Myrtle Beach, S.C., was with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans for a decade before serving his first season with South Bend in 2023.
Prior to that, he ran his own landscaping company for 20 years and has always considered Raleigh, N.C., home.
The move from Myrtle Beach to South Bend represents going up from Low Class-A to Advanced Class-A in the Chicago Cubs organization.
What does Pearson do in South Bend?
“I basically handle everything from the time (the opposing team) gets there until the time they leave,” says Pearson, 54. “I arrange their food, wash their clothes, provide anything I can inside the clubhouse — towels, soap, razors, that kind of thing.
“I’m there for anything they need while they’re there.”
It didn’t take Pearson too long to learn his way around the South Bend area.
“It’s all on a grid for the most part,” says Pearson, who is a frequent visitor to Sam’s Club and Costco. “I do complain because it seems that every block you have to stop at a red light and wait 12 minutes and there won’t be another car around.
“I love the area. I hate driving around the area.”
Pearson says the difference between the home and visiting clubhouse manager at Four Winds Field is that the home side has basically the same personnel all season while his changes.
“It’s kind of neat that way,” says Pearson. “I see more people. But it’s pretty much the same job.”
The home clubhouse manager in 2023 was Tim Hart.
Pearson is not a fan of the six-game series.
“I may be the only person with the team that doesn’t,” says Pearson. “It hurts my tips. Back before COVID when we played three or four games (in a series) my tips were the same as they are for six days. Adding three or four days doesn’t add three or four days worth of money.
“In a two three-game series I get tipped twice. I do get to know the guys a little better and have more of a rapport and friendship after six days.”
With the six-day schedule, Pearson uses Monday as a travel day with the team out of town and either flies home and catches baseball in Chicago. As it turns out, he saw the White Sox more than the Cubs.
“I love baseball,” says Pearson. “Unless it’s the Yankees or the Dodgers I’ll come watch you play.
“Being a visiting clubhouse manager for 12 years, I’ve got a lot of people I consider friends playing in the big leagues now.
“I drive my kids crazy watching a game on TV: ‘I know him. I know him.”
With the clubhouse manage job being seasonal, Pearson seeks a new job every six months.
“I think it’s worth it,” says Pearson, who is a wine company representative during this off-season.
Pearson answers to South Bend general manager Nick Brown and Tim Hart — brother of South Bend Cubs president Joe Hart — is employed by the parent club in Chicago.
“But you’re basically your own boss and your own employee when you’re in the clubhouse,” says Pearson. “You’re pretty much a solo act most of the time.”
During the baseball season is when Pearson tends to feed his Instagram feed: milb_Michael.
Martin and Pearson have both indicated the desire to return to their respective positions in 2024.
The 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team went 4-2, making it to the Sweet 16 in the 104-team event at Oct. 4-9 at Roger Dean Complex in Jupiter, Fla.
The field featured another squad fullof players from the Hoosier State — Team Indiana Bulls. With an online tournament roster featuring standouts from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, 5 Star/Top Tier Roos Mafia went 8-0 and won the title.
“Jupiter is the best tournament in the country every year for high school ballplayers,” says Bobby Morris, who served as hitting/assistant coach for the 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team. “We had a good run.”
From the Class of 2024 looking at Indiana players (there were also eight from Illinois, three from Kentucky, one from Michigan and one from Nebraska on the 30-man online tourney roster), there was outfielder Cole Decker (Evansville North/Cincinnati commit), first baseman/third baseman/right-handed pitcher Josh Ferguson (Evansville Central/Marshall commit), right-handed pitcher Alex Graber (Homestead/Northern Illinois commit), middle infielder Reid Howard (Forest Park/Western Kentucky commit), right-handed pitcher/utility Christian Klug (Indianapolis Bishop Chatard/Navy commit) and left-handed pitcher Ethan Lund (Hamilton Southeastern/Uncommitted);
Also, catcher/third baseman/outfielder Thomas Lynch (Evansville Memorial/Purdue commit), right-handed pitcher Brendin Oliver (Mooresville/Cincinnati commit), catcher/first baseman J.T. Stiner (Indianapolis Cathedral/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher/third baseman/middle infielder/outfielder Cameron Sullivan (Mt. Vernon of Fortville/Notre Dame commit), right-handed pitcher Conner Vander Luitgaren (Center Grove/Evansville commit), right-handed pitcher/first baseman Mason Weaver (Homestead/Uncommitted) and right-handed pitcher Max Winders (Carmel/Western Kentucky commit).
Representing the Class of 2025 were first baseman/left-handed pitcher/outfielder Mason Braun (Home schooler from South Bend/Uncommitted), first baseman/left-handed pitcher/outfielder Davian Carrera (Boone Grove/Indiana U. commit), right-handed pitcher/third baseman/shortstop Xavier Carrera (Boone Grove/Indiana U. commit) and first baseman/third baseman/right-handed pitcher Joshua Flores (Lake Central/Cincinnati commit).
According to their Prep Baseball Report file, travel affiliations for these Indiana players: Decker (Louisville Legends 2024 National); Ferguson (Indiana Nitro Gold); Graber (Elite Baseball Training-Chicago); Howard (Midwest Canes); Klug (Cubs Scout Team); Lund (Nitro Gold); Lynch (Indiana Bulls Black 16U); Oliver (Canes Midwest 17U); Stiner (Cubs Scout Team); Sullivan (Indiana Nitro); Vander Luitgaren (Canes Midwest); Weaver (17U Indy Sharks Lantz); Winders (Canes Midwest); Braun (Indiana Tucci Mustangs National); Davian Carrera (5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs National); Xavier Carrera (5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs National); and Flores (5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs National).
Morris, owner of the 5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs based in Crown Point, Ind., coached a 5 Star team with Carmel resident Jerry Cowan in Jupiter the past two years.
EBT, headquartered two miles west of Wrigley Field and developed by Chicago Cubs Director of Hitting Justin Stone, has a relationship with the MLB team and 5 Star had a WWBA World Championhip bid so the fall team became the 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team.
“We have the blessing and the support of the Cubs,” says Morris. “They watch our team closely — not just our performance but from a scouting perspective.
“It’s really exciting for the kids. It’s a great opportunity.”
Morris, a Munster (Ind.) High School graduate who played in the Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers organizations, says the positives for the players are numerous.
A group high-level players — most NCAA Division I commits — gets to play together in elite tournaments and against top-notch teams prior to their trip to Jupiter. Hitters get to hone their skills with wood bats and against better pitching and there is the exposure to professional baseball and scouts from around pro and college baseball.
“I’d like to think they get very good coaching in the process,” says Morris, 50.
Tierney, 40, was the Cubs Scout Team’s director and pitching coach.
“What I spend a lot of my time doing is teaching these guys how to get high-level hitters out and pitch with more confidence,” says Tierney. “These guys are getting constantly challenged.”
Tierney says the level of talent the scout team sees in the fall is far superior to that seen in the summer.
“Whenever we go somewhere they usually put us against the top teams,” says Tierney.
Before Jupiter, the Cubs Scout Team competed in Prep Baseball Report tourneys at The Rock in Franklin, Wis., and Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., as well as exhibitions with Team Indiana, the Cangelosi Illinois Sparks, Chicago Scouts Association and Cincinnati Reds Fall Scout Team.
“It’s easy to collect a bunch of all-star-oriented kids but if they don’t get a chance to play together usually they’re not very effective in (the WWBA World Championship),” says Cowan. “A lot of teams will try to go down there with a collection of studs. We try to work with our kids all fall long. We play in five or six (elite) tournaments before we go down there so they get a chance to jell together.
“We as coaches have a better feel for what they can do in those team situations.”
Cowan, 55, had coached the 5 Star Midwest National team in 2022 and decided to focus his baseball attention on the fall team.
In forming a fall scout team, Cowan has forms a list of players who will be draft-eligible or headed to a top college program.
“We identify those kids early on,” says Cowan. “I’m already starting to identify the (Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 players) for next year.”
Since getting back from Jupiter, he has already 50 players reach out about getting involved next year.
“When you go down there and you’re one of the top 16 teams in the nation it’s a big deal,” says Cowan. “Now that we’re affiliated with the Cubs we’ve got kids calling us from all over the Midwest.
“It’s growing really fast.”
While the 2023 team was formed through invitations, Cowan says he can see area code tryouts being part of the team-building process in the future.
“It’s a select group,” says Cowan. “We’re looking for the best players.”
Jared Cowan — aka J.J. — is Jerry’s son and served as a Cubs Scout Team assistant. He played for Brad Lantz at Guerin Catholic High School and Jake Martin at Wabash College. The 25-year-old worked with Cubs Scout Team infielders.
And that’s not all.
“Jerry and Jared try to nurture these kids more than from just a baseball perspective,” says Morris. “I’ve got a lot of respect for how they handle things.”
Morris notes that just because an athlete has committed to a school that’s no reason for a coaching staff to take their eyes off of him.
“It’s so much more important for colleges to continue to watch players because of the introduction of the Transfer Portal,” says Morris. “These players have the opportunity of leaving one, two, three years down the road.
“The game has changed with Name, Image, Likeness (NIL money) being available for players. The dynamics are ever-shifting.”
Adds Cowan, “(a player’s) position within the program can change since the time they committed to it. A lot of times these kids are making decisions as sophomores and juniors and they’re babies.
“They’re having to make huge life-altering decisions and they just don’t have enough data points to possibly be making those decisions.”
Cowan has also witnessed what he calls re-recruiting.
School X may offer a 25-percent scholarship and School Y comes along proposing 50 percent.
Sometimes a player has not developed since their commitment and that original offer is rescinded or downgraded.
“Even players who sign (a commitment letter), it’s only a year-to-year contract,” says Cowan. “That contract is renewable (or revocable) every year.”
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.
Alex Richter says he only had a couple of serious offers to play baseball at the next level before graduating Carmel (Ind.) High School in 2021.
One of those was from perennial NCAA III power and tradition-rich Marietta (Ohio) College and Richter has made the most of the opportunity.
A third baseman in his one varsity season at Carmel (the 2020 season was taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic), Richter arrived with the Pioneers with an all-region/all-conference player — Damian Yenzi — minding the hot corner so he was moved to second base.
Richter started in 48 of his 49 appearances as a freshman and committed just three errors while fielding at a .986 clip.
“Our saying here is make the routine play 100 percent of the time,” says Richter.
As a left-handed hitter, he posted a batting mark of .353 (62-of-176) with one home run, five triples, 10 doubles, 37 runs batted in, 48 runs scored, a .921 OPS (.438 on-base percentage plus .483 slugging average) and six stolen bases from the 8-hole.
He was named to American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings and D3baseball.com all-region first teams as the 2022 Etta Express went 44-7, won OAC tournament, regional, super regional championships and finished 1-2 at the D-III World Series (Marietta earned national titles in 2006, 2011 and 2012).
In 2023, Richter returned at second base with some time at shortstop and was bumped by head coach Brian Brewer to No. 2 in the batting order.
“I was getting a lot more off-speed (pitches),” says Richter, who cut down his strikeouts from 28 in 2022 to 14 in 2023. “I could not fall into deep counts like I could later in the batting order.”
“I finally started listening to Coach, shortened up with two strikes and took the ball to the other side.
“I’d choke up and put it in-play.”
In 44 games (all starts), he hit .378 (62-of-164) with seven homers, nine triples, 10 doubles, 45 RBIs, 62 runs, a 1.165 OPS (.488/.677) and nine steals.
He made the D3Baseball.com all-region second team and was chosen as an ABCA/Rawlings All-American. Marietta went 37-13 in 2023, won a regional title and was eliminated in the super regional round.
Richter, who is 6-foot-1 and 195-pounds, just arrived back at Marietta, a private school of about 1,300 located where the Ohio and Muskingum rivers meet near the Ohio/West Virginia line.
Fall practice begins at the end of the month.
What’s it like playing for Brewer, a 1993 Marietta graduate and the Etta Express head coach since 2004?
“I’ve never had a coach like him before,” says Richter. “He’s kind of hard on you.
“He tells you what you don’t want to hear a lot. But he’s a good one.”
Long-held values rank high in the Pioneers program.
“We’ve been doing the same things since the ‘80s and ‘90s,” says Richter. “We do these things call the ‘Tradition Runs,’” says Richter of four hard runs on around the hills of Marietta. “It keeps everyone close-knit and the alumni talking.”
“We hit every single day in the winter time,” says Richter.
Born and raised in Carmel, a young Richter played travel ball for the Indiana Mustangs and Indiana Baseball Club. He finished with the Chris Holick-coached 17U Indiana Mustangs.
“Playing summer ball for him was great,” says Richter. “His big thing is we could only use wood bats to get looked at by colleges.
“Our summer team was using wood while others were using metal all (season).”
Matt Buczkowski was Carmel’s head coach during Richter’s prep career.
These days, Richter enjoys following Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson.
“The Cubs are my favorite team,” says Richter. “I also love the way he plays.”
Alex is the youngest of roofer Cameron and hair stylist Stacey Richter’s two sons.
Alex Coil was a baseball player for as long as possible.
The day before he headed to Arizona State University the Valparaiso, Ind., native competed for the Crown Point-based Northwest Indiana Rippers in the 2018 Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown, N.Y.
Once in Arizona, Coil immersed himself in sports journalism, radio, television and digital communication.
“I knew I wanted to be around sports as much as I could,” says Coil, who also played at Valpo Americans Baseball and for Valparaiso American Legion Post 94, Valparaiso High School and other travel teams. “It’s the way my brain comprehends things. My brain has always looked through the lens of sports. Playing was the No. 1. When it got to the tail end of that it was always (broadcasting).”
For two semesters, former baseball commissioner Bud Selig was one of Coil’s professors at ASU. Starting as a freshman, he did play-by-play for many sports and also wrote for the school paper.
He was director of broadcasting and media relations for the Joliet (Ill.) Generals in the summer of 2020.
He also partnered with Crown Point High School graduate Andrew Mild, who is now a broadcaster with the Atlantic League South Maryland Blue Crabs.
After graduating ASU in 2022, Coil was hired by the Memphis (Tenn.) Redbirds and as the play-by-play voice for the International League team and Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and is now in his second season. He is the lone on-air talent for games on the Bally Live app, also serving as pregame and postgame host.
“We have a tremendous production crew,” says Coil. “We pride ourselves on the product. It’s really elevated since the beginning of the season. We go all-in for all 75 of our home games.
“We’re seeing progress in getting as close as we can to a major-league quality TV broadcast.”
When the Redbirds are on the road, Coil is involved with public relations and communications, putting out press releases and game recaps and feeding social media. In 2022, he went on three road trips, including Indianapolis where he got to meet longtime Indians play-by-play broadcaster Howard Kellman.
Cincinnati Reds color analyst Chris Welsh — who pitched in parts of five MLB and seasons became a mentor for collegian Coil — pitched for Indianapolis in 1984 with Kellman calling the action.
Coil, who turned 24 earlier this month, goes into every broadcast looking to bring the energy of a fan with the knowledge of how baseball is supposed to be played.
“That doesn’t come from me,” says Coil. “It comes from everybody I’ve surrounded myself with growing up in baseball.”
Alex, the son of Wayne and Traci Coil and older brother of Nolan Coil, comes from a baseball family. Wayne Coil coaches at Valparaiso High School and for Post 94. Nolan Coil is a pitcher at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.
While his friends were watching cartoons growing up, Alex was taking in SportsCenter on ESPN and now constantly consumes the MLB Network.
“I try to take pieces of everybody I’ve watch and try to apply that to what happens in the game,” says Coil.
Not wishing to force it, Coil does not yet have a signature call.
“I want it to happen organically,” says Coil. “Where I’m at now if I just came up with something it would fall flat.
“With a home run call there is a rhythm to it I’ve got consistently down. But when that home run is hit I’m not automatically going to something.”
Years before, the words on the town’s water tower on I-75/I-71 went from “Florence Mall” to “Florence Y’All” since advertising was not allowed on a public utility. When the Florence Freedom went through a name change the team became the Y’Alls and its mascot is a costumed representation of the striped water tower.
“When we won I’d say, ‘Paint the W on the water tower,’” says Coil. “That’s as closest to a signature call as I’ve ever gotten.”
Coil quickly adapted to the pitch clock, which was enacted to take out the down time in baseball.
“We played with pitch count last year,” says Coil. “For the first couple of series it was about trying to find the rhythm. Once you get used to that, it’s really just part of the game.
“I don’t even notice it any more.”
While his father and brother pulled for the Reds, Alex came up as a “massive Chicago Cubs fan.”
For a long time his Cubs favorite player was Darwin Barney.
“Partially because he wore the No. 15 (one of Coil’s travel ball numbers) and because he was so good defensively,” says Coil. “He was a really good person.”
His appreciation went with Anthony Rizzo when he played for the North Siders.
Growing up, Coil’s Cubs broadcasters were Len Kasper on TV and Pat Hughes on the radio.
“With Len Kasper it’s more of that fan,” says Coil. “It’s the energy. His voice will crack sometimes because he gets really, really excited about things. He also has a very analytical approach.
“With Pat Hughes it’s how polished and the command of a broadcast he has. When he says his first word you know who’s talking.”
Coil also took any plenty of Reds games with Marty Brennaman at the mic.
“He was the perfect mix of professional broadcaster and having that hometown fan approach,” says Coil. “He wouldn’t back away from criticizing things. If you do it in the right way, it raises your credibility.”
During spring training and Reds’ regular-season visits to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Coil got to work with Welsh and Thom Brennaman (Marty’s son) as a statistician.
He plans to broadcast Arizona Fall League games for the second straight year and return in February with college baseball’s MLB Desert Invitational. Both are on MLB.com. He also worked the 2022 home run derby during AFL Fall Stars festivities.
“He was my first interview last year for our pregame show,” says Coil. “He transferred in (from Northeastern University) and didn’t know too many people around Phoenix. He was such an easy guy to talk to.
“After the recorded interview was over he would carry on the conversation and be a normal person.”
Coil gets to weave history into his broadcasts when he talks about Memphis teams of the past. Every Thursday home game the Redbirds — in their 25th season — take on the alternate identity of the Memphis Chicks. In his time with the team, the franchise has also given nods to the Memphis Turtles and Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League, Negro National League and Negro Southern League during contests at AutoZone Park.
Alex Coil and Bud Selig.
Tyler Paley and Alex Coil.
Alex Coil with Northwest Indiana Rippers.
Alex Coil’s broadcast view at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn.
It was a night of firsts. The summer wood-bat Northern League’s Elkhart (Ind.) County Miracle played its inaugural contest Wednesday, May 31 on the turf at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee and earned the first victory in franchise history. Elkhart County bested the visiting Crown Point-based Lake County CornDogs 6-3 to make Wilson Valera a winner in his first game as Miracle manager. “It makes me feel very good and to play the best team in the league,” said Valera after the Miracle topped the NL champions from 2022 and gave them their first loss of the young 2023 season. “Now we know we can do it. Hopefully we can continue to play this way.” Elkhart County led 3-0. Lake County (4-1) tied it at 3-3 with three runs in the sixth inning. The Miracle responded with two in the bottom of the sixth and added one in the seventh.
On-field firsts … Starting lineup: lf Rickey Nye (1-3), 2b Cole Mason (0-3), 1b Bryce Lesher (1-5), c Javier Guevara (2-2), 3b Angel Perez (0-3), cf Jaden Miller (1-3), ss Evan Laws (2-4), dh Dylan Rost (0-3), rf Hunter Christunus (1-3), p Conor Gausselin (6 IP, 6 K’S, 3 BB). Strikeout: Gausselin fanned Lake County lead-off batter Zach Zychowski in the first inning. Hit: Lead-off man Nye’s single to center field to lead off the bottom of the first inning. Home run: Guevara’s three-run blast to left field in the first inning. Stolen base: Miller swiped second base after being hit by a pitch in the first inning. Double play: Third baseman Perez to second baseman Mason to first baseman Lesher in the fourth inning. Relievers: Right-hander Ethan Lengfelder in the seventh inning and righty Robino Vazquez Vallejo in the eighth and ninth. Umpires: Corey Stewart behind the plate and Steve Kajzer on the bases.
Off-the-field firsts … Ceremonial first pitch: William Lee (Vendor Bill’s Bar-B-Que). National anthem singer: Les Eads (member of Hideous Business, a band who entertained prior to the game). Mascot: Scooter made his gameday debut.
The homestand continues with games at 7 p.m. Thursday vs. the Indiana Panthers, Friday vs. the Southland Vikings and Saturday vs. Northwest Indiana Oilmen and 2 p.m. Sunday vs. the Indiana Panthers. Former Chicago Cubs player Ben Zobrist is slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and sign autographs Saturday.
“Let’s go on a cowhide joyride!” It’s become the home run call for young baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild. Bringing his love of the game and excitement to his job, the northwest Indiana native is in his first season as the play-by-play voice of the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Waldorf, Md.). “Every game is a big game — it’s a baseball game,” says Mild. “I’ve listened to too many boring broadcasters.” Mild, who was born in Hammond, Ind. the son of Mark and Becky Mild and the older brother of Breeann, grew up in nearby Crown Point as a Chicago Cubs fan. Mom’s favorite from the 1980’s was Rick Sutcliffe. Breeann Mild (Crown Point, Ind., High School Class of 2020) is now a pre-med student at Purdue University. Andrew bonded with his father with Len Kasper as Cubs TV play-by-play man. Pat Hughes and Ron Santo formed the radio tandem. Hall of Famer Harry Caray died before Andrew was born, but he appreciates his passion. “He brought the excitement and was kind of like the No. 1 fan,” says Mild. “I grew up a baseball fan. My baby pictures were taken in a giant glove. “I just want to bring that excitement and for people to be interested, laugh and have a great time. I want to build a connection. I don’t want to be the next Harry Caray. I want to be the first Andrew Mild.” The young broadcaster has noticed that Hughes talks slow and gets excited when necessary. “You listen to these guys over 100 times a year and you start to develop your own relationship with them,” says Mild. “Ron Santo was so invested.” As an eighth grader at Col. John Wheeler Middle School, Mild went as Hall of Fame slugger Ted Williams for “Wax Museum” day. “I love hitting,” says Mild. “It’s the hardest thing to do in sports. You can fail 7 out of 10 times and still be the best hitter in the league. Ted had a passion for it and I have a passion for it.” Andrew grew up playing baseball and Wiffle@Ball with cousin Riley Clark. “He supposedly taught me how to hit left-handed,” says Mild. “I do everything righty except for golf and bat.” Mild, who turns 24 in July, learned about the gig with the Blue Crabs through TeamworkOnline.com. He sent in an application and his reel developed during his seasons with the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts and Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs and went through a few interviews. He was offered the job and moved to Maryland in mid-February. Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own for road games. “You just have to be prepared,” says Mild. “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that. “Fans just love the stories.” Field staff for the Blue Crabs is manager Stan Cliburn, pitching coach Daryl Thompson, bench coach Ray Ortega and hitting coach Brandon Lee. Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard. FloSports.tv is the live streaming partner of the Atlantic League. The Blue Crabs use streamlabs.com software to produce their scoreboard and other video elements. Mild typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scorebook next to the mixer. “It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.” A 2018 honors diploma graduate of Crown Point High, where he played baseball through his junior year, Mild got to broadcast for a league champion in his hometown in 2022. “The CornDogs’ first season was so instrumental to the rest of the league,” says Mild. “The other cities can see just how well it did in Crown Point. I give all credit (CornDogs majority owner) Ralph (Flores). He built a really strong team in a really strong place. “The nice thing about Legacy Fields in Crown Point is that it’s right on the border of Crown Point and Merrillville and Schererville is right there. We got a mixture of guys on that team. We had a packed house every night. I had a great time being the first voice of the team and getting my feet wet being the No. 1 (broadcaster) for a collegiate team. Winning the whole thing, that was great.” Mild was an intern at Windy City in 2021 while making a transition from being a Sport Management/Communications double major at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., — where he was an outfielder on the baseball team — to a Sports Media major with a Marketing minor at Butler University in Indianapolis. He partnered in the ThunderBolts booth with No. 1 broadcaster Connor Onion. “I always came in ready,” says Mild. “I was always asking Connor and my boss — Terry Bonadonna — what I could do better. “They were always willing to talk to me about broadcasting. That’s why I was there — to learn and get better. “They understood my passion. They knew whatever they told me wasn’t just going to be wasted air. What can I keep? What do I get rid of? Trying to slow down my talking was a big thing. “Now I tell myself if you feel like you’re talking too slow you’ve got the right pace. I’m a natural introvert and I became a broadcaster. Good for me.” Mild also got many practice reps on his friend’s MLB: The Show video game or by muting a contest on TV or online. Lecturer/head of Butler+ Media Nick White presented many on-air opportunities while Mild finished up his degree in December 2022 — about two months before landing his current position. “Life comes at you fast as Ferris Bueller once said,” says Mild. “I try to look around every once in awhile.” Another way Mild sharpened his skills was to call games for Crown Point Babe Ruth. Andrew’s grandfather — John Pearson — is president of the league and was an umpire in the first Cal Ripken World Series. Grandmother Gale Pearson is always around the park. His parents are also board members. “It was great, especially during COVID when fans couldn’t really attend the games,” says Mild of broadcasting games on Facebook Live. “They could see and hear everything. “Helping them out during a time of crisis was my way of giving back to the game and the people who love the sport.” His first partner was Alex Coil, who is a graduate of Valparaiso (Ind.) High School and Arizona State University and now a play-by-play announcer for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds. Onion introduced Mild to Bob Carpenter’s Baseball Scorebook. “I like it because it gives you lots of space to write down notes,” says Mild. “It allows you to put the defense on top of the opposing lineup. If I forget the guys’ name I can look down and look back up and I know I have time to put together a sentence and call the play. “The good part is that you spend so much time with your guys that you can just look at them and know immediately who it is. It might take you the first game of a series to learn the other guys. But after a few games you get into a rhythm and know who that is.” Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own at the road. “You just have to be prepared,” says Mild “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that. “Fans just love the stories.” Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard. He typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scoreboard next to the mixer. “It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.” Rule experiments in the Atlantic League in 2023 include the designated pinch-runner, single disengagement limit and “Double Hook” designated hitter. Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch-runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch-runner, may then return to the game without penalty. South Maryland’s designated runner is switch-hitting outfielder and former collegiate track and field champion sprinter J.T. Reed. The disengagement rule relates to the pitch clock and keeps pitchers from abusing the system while also leading runners to take more daring leads. If the starting pitcher fails to make it through fifth inning, the club loses the DH for the remainder of the game and must either have its pitcher hit or use pinch-hitters when that spot comes up in the batting order. Like Major League Baseball, the Atlantic League has a pitch clock, 3-batter minimum, wider bases, banned the shift and “ghost runner” or extra-inning free runner. The broadcaster disagrees with a scoring decision that sometimes comes with the latter rule. He also understands why things like this have been implemented. “If the ghost runner scores it should not be a blown save,” says Mild. “We’re getting to the point where there are so many things you can turn to that are streaming and at your finger tips, you need something that is going to interest them and keep their attention. That is scoring more runs at a higher volume even if it means changing the rules of the game. “This pitch clock, I love it. We had a 14-2 game last night and it only went 2 1/2 hours. You could add a few seconds, but otherwise it’s a great rule. “After awhile hitters and pitchers get used to it. Hitters are not stepping out of the box and pitchers are working a little faster.” Mild is living his dream. “I’d like to thank the game of baseball and my friends for supporting me throughout the whole process,” says Mild. “They challenged me to be better.”
Andrew Mild.
Andrew Mild (left) and Alex Coil.
Andrew Mild. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.
Paul Condry was on the play-by-play call Friday, April 21 for his 20th baseball Senior Day at Bethel University in Mishawaka, Ind. A longtime broadcaster and founder of Regional Radio Sports Network and a member of the Bethel Athletics Hall of Fame along with wife Tonya, Condry began calling baseball home games for the school at the same time Seth Zartman came back to campus to be the Pilots head coach. “It’s one of the greatest relationships I have,” says Condry. “Seth is not only great to work with and accessible like no other, but he’s also my friend. “I can always ask him the tough questions. I can be on-point about whatever situation that’s going on that I may observe from my spot here in the press box. I’m going to get a straight answer. “He’s going to be honest with me.” Over his many decades of sports, Condry has had several coaches tell him things in confidence. “I’ve never betrayed that trust and I think (Seth) knows that,” says Condry. The press box at Richard C. Patterson Field inside Jerry Jenkins Stadium has become Zartman’s working space. “I respect his office,” says Condry. “We keep it nice and tidy for him. But it’s a great viewpoint. “The sight lines are amazing. It’s just a great place to broadcast baseball.” Being the “Voice of the Pilots” has allowed Condry to call the exploits of future major leaguer Justin Masterson and several other superb players. In the last week or so, he received from Jacob Ringenberg, a senior in 2007, who wanted to share his thoughts. “He poured out his heart about the baseball program and the ministry that is the baseball program,” says Condry. “It’s been fun to feel like I’m part of the family. “I know I’m part of the Zartman family.” Seth’s wife Anitra and kids Senica, Ty, Lyric and Evik spent much time at Bethel. Anitra helps Condry with the Indiana Football Digest. “It’s been a great 20 years,” says Zartman. “We’ve had a lot of fun together. Hopefully we’re going to do this for many more (years). “I can’t put into words what (Paul) means to my family.” Not only Zartman, but Condry has bonded with assistant coaches like the late Dick Siler and current pitching coach Kiel Boynton. One of Condry’s favorite calls came Friday, April 14 as Andrew Miranda socked a three-run walk-off home run in Game 2 of a doubleheader against Marian. The broadcaster’s words before the clout set the stage. “That was one of those calls I absolutely nailed,” says Condry, who let his audience know the count (0-2), position of the two baserunners (first and third with the double play in order) and number of outs (one) before lefty-swinging Miranda cleared the fence in right. “Like anybody who’s in this position you always want to prime yourself. This is potentially what could happen.” He cites the famed “Shot Heard Round the World” of the New York Giants beating the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1951 — “The Giants win the pennant! The Giants win the pennant!” “That’s one of the greatest calls in all of sportscasting because you listen to the couple of minutes before the actual home run and you can hear (announcer) Russ Hodges set up the play,” says Condry. “Someone was here and so-and-so was there and this was going on and that was going on and then he he gives you that historic (home run) call.” Condry grew up in Hobart, Ind., as a fan of the Chicago Cubs and broadcaster Jack Brickhouse but was also drawn to the Baltimore Orioles because they were often on the NBC Game of the Week. He appreciated Chicago Blackhawks play-by-play man Lloyd Pettit. “I listened to everybody when it comes to baseball,” says Condry. That includes Ernie Harwell in Detroit, Jack Buck in St. Louis, Bob Uecker in Milwaukee and Vin Scully in Los Angeles. “There’s some special people who put on the headsets,” says Condry. “We all love and grew up with those guys. They painted the picture like nobody else could.” At age 4, Condry knew he wanted to paint, too, and has been able to do that most of his adult life. “God has blessed me immensely,” says Condry. “How many people in America truly get a chance to do the only thing they every really wanted to do in life?” At 66, Condry called his 191st and 192nd athletic contests of 2022-23 on Senior Day. He also broadcasts high school football and basketball as well as college basketball and college volleyball. Condry, who is also in the Indiana Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association and Indiana Football Coaches Association halls of fame, puts together the Indiana Football Digest, writes for the RRSN website and the Indianapolis Colts and on and on. The 17th annual Griddy’s award show is Sunday, April 23. “I feel like I’m working two full-time jobs,” says Condry. “And I’m loving every minute of it.”
Paul Condry calls Andrew Miranda’s walk-off home run. (Bethel Sports Network Video)
Paul Condry. (Regional Radio Sports Network Photo)
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