Construction | www.IndianaRBI.com

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

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.

Fountain Central (enrollment around 300) is a member of the Wabash River Conference (with Attica, Covington, North Vermillion, Parke Heritage, Riverton Parke, Seeger and South Vermillion).

WRC teams play each other twice — home and away — in the same week.

The Mustangs are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping with Clinton Prairie, Delphi, Lafayette Central Catholic, Seeger and Western Boone. Fountain Central has won 10 sectional titles — the last in 2009.

Acton was an assistant to Rick Cosgray at Lebanon (Ind.) High School for two years prior to spending four as head coach at Southmont High School in Crawfordsville, Ind. (2005-08). He’s also coached in the youth leagues.

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.

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Andrew Brabender keeps finding reasons to be grateful for Northridge High School’s new baseball field.

“No corners were cut,” says Brabender, who led players through their first fall workout on the new turf surface in Middelbury, Ind., Monday, Sept. 14.

Around two dozen athletes not participating in fall sports went through drills, getting used to how the ball bounces.

“Fall will be about practicing and seeing how it plays,” says Brabender. “Outfielders will have to move and keep (the ball) in front of them. Infielders will have to have arms (because there is much more foul territory than at the previous varsity field.”

Brabender notes that the backstop is about 60 feet from home plate.

Dimensions of the new field are 320 feet down the foul lines and 370 to center field.

Suspecting that the National Federation of State High School Associations is likely to put in a rule about making all outfield fences a minimum of eight feet high, Northridge made its fences that high with the batter’s eye in center at 20 feet.

There is an inning-by-inning scoreboard in left field and the sound system goes through it.

Padding and other fittings are to be installed in the dugouts. Windscreens and yellow piping will be added to the fences later.

The press box is spacious.

There is bleaching seating for about 350 fans and the space to bring in more when Northern Lakes Conference member Northridge hosts an IHSAA Class 4A sectional tournament next spring.

There are two full batting tunnels behind the Raider dugout on the third base side.

While not used Monday, the lights will be concentrated on the field.

Brabender had input in the facility and suggested that a large “N” in the program’s preferred font be placed in center field. He got the idea from the University of Michigan.

The adjacent softball field also has an “N” in center.

The football field, which played host to its first varsity contest Friday, Sept. 11, also an “N” at the 50-yard line.

Baseball, softball, football and track share the same complex, located right across the road from the high school. Interra Credit Union has the naming rights.

Construction continued through the summer even with the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the field being closer, time can be saved when starting practices or on gamedays.

Before, players had to get up the hill during dismissal traffic and that took at least 15 minutes.

“In-season, that’s a lot,” says Brabender. “Now we can start right at 4.

“We can go 90 minutes and have the same production (as a longer practice).”

The block house next to the fields has a locker room and a multi-purpose room with Promethean board that will allow for team talks or meals between games of a doubleheader.

By having two fields, the Raiders can conduct two practices or have two games at the same time. This will allow them to have a freshmen or C-team — something that previously was not practical.

“There are so many things I’m going to continue to find that’s going to be awesome,” says Brabender, who plans to run workouts on Mondays and Wednesdays on the field through the fall.

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