Harsin wants Madison Cubs to play ‘Fast, Focused and Free’

BY STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Madison (Ind.) Consolidated High School baseball has adopted a motto for 2023: Fast, Focused and Free.
That’s how first-year head coach and alum Kyle Harsin wants his Cubs to play.
“I’m fortunate to have a team with nine seniors,” says Harsin, whose hiring became official in October 2022. “One of the knocks on my older group is they played uptight. They played to not make a mistake instead of just going out there and playing baseball.
“We want them to understand playing baseball is a privilege God’s given them. It’s a game. Go out there and have fun. Play free. Enjoy yourself.”
The motto was coined by assistant Ryan Mahoney (Madison Consolidated Class of 1999).
Harsin’s other varsity assistants are Joe Jenner (Class of 1999), Doc Boyd and Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame coach Gary O’Neal with Derek Wynn (Class of 2009) and Matt Black (who played high school and college ball in Oklahoma) leading the junior varsity squad.
Mike Modisett is the caretaker of Gary O’Neal Field, which was home to the 2019 IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series.
In recent years, the field has upgraded the press box and stands and leveled and re-sodded the playing surface.
“It’s a beautiful setting,” says Harsin. “It always has been — even before the improvements. The one thing I remember most from high school it’s a tough place to win as an opponent because we had such community turnout.
“When things were really going well in the ‘80s and ’90s it wouldn’t be uncommon for hundreds to come to the games and watch.
“It definitely gives the home team an extra gear.”
He is convince the home crowd added zip to his fastball.
Harsin went 13-0 as a pitcher in 1998 and was the starting pitcher for the South in Game 1 of the IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series at Bosse Field in Evansville.
He began his collegiate career pitching a few innings for head coach Lelo Prado at the University of Louisville.
After a year, Harsin transferred as a medical redshirt to Hanover (Ind.) College and was a pitcher and right fielder for American Baseball Coaches Association and IHSBCA Hall of Famer Dr. Dick Naylor for four seasons.
“He was intense,” says Harsin of Naylor. “He was very demanding of us in regards to the important things like being on-time and performing under pressure.
“He got us ready for the real world where your boss is going to be demanding about your performance.”
Harsin, who won three baseball letters under O’Neal and graduated from the school in 1998, has been on the Madison coaching staff since the 2020 season taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.
He has also coached in the Madison Baseball Club travel organization since son Bodie Harsin (Class of 2025) was 8U and re-started the Madison American Legion Post 9 program. As a player, Harsin was with Post 9 for three summers.
O’Neal, who is a varsity assistant in 2023, made an impact on Harsin with his attention to fundamentals.
“He went over the fine details over and over again in practice,” says Harsin. “As a kid you don’t understand why you keep going over pick-off moves at first or how many rounds of soft toss we hit. Those are the minor details I learned from Coach O. You never know when it’s going to be the bottom of the seventh and something happens and we’ve already gone over this a hundred times.”
Did O’Neal teach Harsin how to whistle?
“You can hear that from about a mile away,” says Harsin. “He still has it. We’ve all tried. It’s funny. Now that I’m 43 years old, I’ve had people come up to me and claim that Coach was giving us signs through whistling. Certain whistle cadences meant bunt or steal.
“That was definitely not the case.”
Madison Consolidated (enrollment around 860) is an athletic independent, having left the Hoosier Hills Conference in 2020.
The Cubs are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping with Charlestown, Corydon Central, North Harrison, Salem, Scottsburg and Silver Creek. Madison has won 22 sectional titles — the last in 2009. The Cubs won the 1999 3A state title. That team featured 1999 Indiana Mr. Baseball and future big league pitcher Bryan Bullington.
The 2023 season opener is scheduled for March 28 at North Harrison.
Madison has junior high baseball with seventh and eighth grade teams playing in the spring on Mike Modisett Field.
The Madison Baseball Club — aka the Madison Mudcats — fields teams from 8U to 13U/14U. Steve Sheets is the president of that organization.
“He and other people have put a lot of time into it,” says Harsin. “The players that come to the junior high and high school are noticeably different in terms of player development.”
Zach Forner (Madison Consolidated Class of 2021) is on the baseball team at Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky.
Catcher Zander Vonch (Class of 2023) is committed to Indiana University Purdue University-Columbus. A few others are undecided about playing in college.
Harsin is national sales manager at Environmental Laboratories, Inc. (Madison) — a third-party laboratory for drinking water and waste water testing for EPA and Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Kyle and Amanda Harsin have three children — Taylor, Bodie and Annie.
Amanda Harsin is chancellor at Ivy Tech Madison. Taylor Harsin (Madison Consolidated Class of 2022) was a an all-conference volleyball player and tennis player at Madison is in now an English major in the Pre-Law program at the University of Alabama. Besides baseball, Bodie Harsin also plays tennis. Fifth grader Annie Harsin is into horseback riding, volleyball, tennis and theater.

The Harsin family (from left): Amanda, Bodie, Taylor, Annie and Kyle.

Advertisement

Alum Reister emphasizes ‘little things’ with Henryville Hornets

BY STEVE KRAH
http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Henryville (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School’s uniforms say “Hornets.” But first-year head baseball coach and alum Cody Reister wants “guys that have the dog in them.”
“We want to be tough defensively and on the base paths — someone that executes all the time,” says Reister (Class of 2013). “That’s our focus. Everyone can hit to some extent, but not everyone can do the little things well.”
Reister played for and coached with Jeff Schroeder who led the Henryville for 27 seasons.
As a student and player at Hanover (Ind.) College — where pitched for Panthers coach Shayne Stock (the 6-foot-3 right-hander was 6-1 out of the bullpen as a senior) — Reister would help out Schroeder’s Henyrville teams when he could.
Reister was born in Jeffersonville, Ind., and moved from Salem, Ind., to Henryville in second grade. He played American Legion baseball for Doc Boyd’s Scottsburg Post 234 team and later Ricky Romans’ Floyds Knobs Post 42 squad.
After graduating HC in 2017 with a History degree, Reister came home and became a middle school science teacher and to coach in the boys basketball and baseball programs.
As Henryville approaches the start of official practice March 14, Reister sees six or seven players with mound potential.
During conditioning, his players have been throwing footballs to build up arm strength.
A year ago, Reister worked almost exclusively with pitchers and catchers.
“We threw a ton of fastballs and change-ups,” says Reister. “It’s just as effective as anything if you can do it correctly.”
The competitor in Reister would not have been receptive to 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) when he played. But the coach in him understands.
“It puts you in-tune with development and what you’re guys can do,” says Reister. “I understand the reasoning for it.”
Reister, who is assisted by Henrville classmate Bailey Hall as well as Tim Hawkins, expects have have 12 or 13 players in 2022.
“We’re pretty light this year,” says Reister. “We have a bunch of kids in middle school. Hopefully we get them to continue on (with baseball).”
As a feeder system, there is Henryville Youth Sports (wee-ball to 12U) and Henryville Elite (a teams for Grades 6-8 not affiliated with the school that plays in the spring and summer).
The Hornets play on a diamond located on the west side of campus.
“Our field is very, very nice,” says Reister of the facility with Bermuda grass in the infield.
Henryville (enrollment around 300) is a member of the Southern Athletic Conference (with Borden, Crothersville, Lanesville, New Washington and South Central (Elizabeth).
Other non-conference foes include Brownstown Central, Charlestown, Clarksville, Corydon Central, Orleans, Paoli, Perry Central, Providence, Rock Creek Academy, Salem, Seymour, Scottsburg, Silver Creek, Southwestern (Hanvover) and Trinity Lutheran.
In 2021, the Hornets were part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping with Austin, Clarksville, Crawford County, Eastern (Pekin) and Providence. Henryville has won six sectional titles — the last in 2008.
March 2 marked 10 years since a EF4 tornado caused extensive damage to Henryville, killing one person and destroying the schools.
Rise Above Mental Health/Illness is a podcast hosted by Henryville senior athletes Caleb Lehaceanu, J.D. Michael and Tyler Orberson. The latest episode was dedicated to the tornado. Senior Sam Gilles, who was inside the elementary on that unforgettable day in 2012, was a podcast guest.
Reister is to be on the student-led podcast in the near future.
To follow the Hornets, see the Henrville High School Baseball page on Facebook.

Cody Reister.

Henryville (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School’s baseball field.

Armstrong, Madison welcoming IHSBCA all-stars this summer

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A baseball-mad town and surrounding area will be the focus of the Indiana high school diamond community this summer.

The 2019 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North-South All-Star Series are scheduled for the week of June 17.

“We’re going to make it a week-long event,” says Tim Armstrong, head baseball coach at Madison Consolidated High School. “We’re exciting about having an opportunity to host. We want to do it up right.

“We’re going to make the all-stars feel like all-stars.”

Festivities are to be held at Madison Consolidated, nearby Hanover College as well as on and along the Ohio River.

Madison boasts the “largest contiguous national historic district in the United States” with sites, landmarks and tours plus speciality shopping, restaurants and cafes and the lure of Clifty Falls State Park.

Madison Consolidated will be the site of three all-star games for seniors (25 each representing the North and South) on the weekend. Hanover will house the players and be the site of the Futures Games (replaces the Junior Showcase) and all-star banquet.

Armstrong says Armstrong says Governor Eric Holcomb has agreed to throw out a first pitch. Indiana University head coach Jeff Mercer has been tapped to be the keynote speaker at the all-star banquet.

The plan is to get local youth leaguers and Boys & Girls Club members involved in the fun.

Madison has long considered making a bid for the North-South Series. When Armstrong returned to the Madison Consolidated program for his second stint as head coach, he and former assistant Mike Modesitt (who now tends to all of Madison’s outdoor athletic facilities) began planning and got the mayor’s office and tourism folks involved.

Armstrong served as Madison’s mayor (Jan. 1, 2008 to Dec. 31, 2011) and was a city police officer for many years. He is currently certified through the Jefferson County Sheriff’s office and a resource officer at Madison Consolidated.

Basketball is also dear to Armstrong. He was varsity assistant in boys basketball at Madison two different times and was a lay head boys hoops coach at Shawe Memorial Memorial High School in Madison for two seasons.

The baseball-playing Madison Cubs call Gary O’Neal Field home.

Former Madison head coach Gary O’Neal, who retired for the second time after the 2002 season with 601 career victories, is a member of the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Armstrong graduated from Shawe Memorial in 1979. He became an assistant to O’Neal at Madison in 1982.

He started as Shawe’s head coach in 1989 and took the Hilltoppers the IHSAA Class 1A State Finals in 2001, losing 1-0 to eventual state champion Triton in the semifinals.

After sitting out the 2002 season, he returned as Madison’s head coach from 2003-07, resigned to serve as mayor and then got back into law enforcement. He returned to the program for the 2017 season.

Gary O’Neal Field is getting a new scoreboard and windscreen this spring and plans call for an expansion to permanent seating.

During Armstrong’s first stint with the Cubs, he enlisted the help of Madison American Legion Post 9 and got upgrades to the park like irrigation, a new back stop and fencing and a three-tier press box.

“It’s constant work if you want a nice facility,” says Armstrong. “We’ve got a lot of work to do between now and June. But we’re getting there.”

Madison Consolidated (enrollment around 875) is the smallest school in the Hoosier Hills Conference (which also includes Bedford North Lawrence, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County, New Albany and Seymour).

A tournament determines the HHC champion.

“It’s a great conference,” says Armstrong. “It’s traditionally strong.”

The Cubs are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping with Batesville, Franklin County, Greensburg, Lawrenceburg, Rushville and South Dearborn. Madison has won 22 sectionals — the last in 2009. A 3A state championship was earned in 1999 as the Cubs topped Fort Wayne Carroll 10-0.

Bryan Bullington was the winning pitcher in that contest, capping off a 15-0 senior season.

Bullington was selected in the 37th round of the 1999 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Kansas City Royals, but opted to go to college. He played three seasons at Ball State University and was chosen No. 1 overall in the 2002 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He made his MLB debut with the Pirates in 2005 and went on to pitch for the Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and Royals then in Japan.

Armstrong’s 2019 assistants include Joe Jenner, Ryan Mahoney and Drew Frazier with the varsity and Derek Wynn, Peyton Head and James “Doc” Boyd with the junior varsity or C-teams.

Local attorney Jenner and insurance agent Mahoney both played on Madison’s 1999 state championship team. Frazier played for Armstrong during his first stint as head coach.

Wynn also played one season for Armstrong at Madison. Head is a Hanover student. Boyd played at Evansville Memorial.

Armstrong’s core coaching values include taking responsibility for one’s actions.

“I stress accountability,” says Armstrong. “I hold them accountable for what they do on and off the field.”

The coach also looks to build a relationship and a sense of trust with his student-athletes.

“I’m very personable with my players,” says Armstrong. “We’re building the character and the type of person they will be once leave high school.”

Armstrong says he appreciates the drive and camaraderie of his current group.

“These kids work hard and they get along together,” says Armstrong. “That’s a big part of it.”

There are 30 in the Madison Consolidated program in 2019.

“Our middle school program is really strong,” says Armstrong. “They are athletes and baseball players. They’re going bump our numbers back up.”

There are close to 30 for seventh and eighth grade squads that play in the spring. The Madison Junior High School field is inheriting the old scoreboard and batting cage from Gary O’Neal Field.

This year, Madison Baseball Club aka Mudcats will field eight travel teams ranging from 7U to 14U. The 14U team, made up mostly of seventh and eighth graders, goes by the Madison Fusion.

Not strictly a Madison organization, players are welcomed from all over southeastern Indiana.

“We want to give kids an opportunity where they can play and not travel far and play a lot of money,” says Armstrong, who indicates that costs to families are cut through fundraising and sponsorships.

Mudcats and Fusion players are encouraged to participate with the local recreation leagues during the week and their travel teams on the weekend.

Madison American Legion Post 9, which won a state championship in 2000, went on hiatus in 2018. Armstrong and Jenner were coaches and would like to bring the team back in the future.

“(Post 9) pays for it all,” says Armstrong, who saw American Legion Post 9 Field become a reality at Shawe Memorial and games move to Gary O’Neal Field when he landed there. “It doesn’t cost the kids a dime to play.”

Armstrong played Legion ball for Delbert Liter in the ’70s and later coached with him.

Tim Armstrong is in his second stint at head baseball coach at Madison (Ind.) Consolidated High School.