Former Indiana standout Dunham acclimating to pro baseball in Yankees organization

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Elijah Dunham signed as an undrafted minor league free agent by the New York Yankees in June 2020.

The professional baseball experience for the Evansville, Ind., did not really start until the spring of 2021.

Because of COVID-19, there was no instructional league in the Yankees organization last fall so Dunham finished up his Sports Management degree at Indiana University and trained for the 2021 season.

Dunham, who was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball, baseball) at Evansville Reitz High School and a three-year baseball standout at IU, has played 20 games for the Low Class-A Southeast League’s Tampa (Fla.) Tarpons.

Through games played June 1, the lefty-swinging outfielder is hitting .275 19-of-69 with two home runs, two triples, five doubles, 19 runs batted in, 22 runs scored and a .925 OPS (.432 on-base percentage plus .493 slugging average).

The difference between college and pro ball?

“There’s no school or someone telling what to do,” says Dunham. “You play everday and you have to know how your body feels.

“I love it. I love to play this game.”

To get familiar, Dunham has been playing all three outfield positions as well as batting anywhere from fifth to ninth in the Tarpons order.

Tampa is managed by former big league infielder David Adams.

“He’s a great guy,” says Dunham of Adams. “He’s a non-nonsense type manager — no matter where you were drafted. 

“He wants you to get better. He has a willingness to help every single player.”

Dunham, who turned 23 on May 29, figured he’d be playing as a pro before now. But he did not see a worldwide pandemic coming nor the restructuring of Minor League Baseball.

He was was selected in the 40th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates, but did not sign and went back to Indiana.

“I was very confident in myself in college,” says Dunham. “It was a misfortunate event that happened.”

Dunham played three seasons for the Hoosiers (2018-20). In 94 games (75 starts), the 6-foot, 213-pounder hit .312 (88-of-282) with nine homers, 25 doubles, 48 RBIs, 67 runs and a .925 OPS (.429 on-base percentage plus .496 slugging average). The left-handed thrower had a season-high three assists from the outfield in a March 8, 2020 game against San Diego.

As a Hoosier, Dunham answered to two head coaches — Chris Lemonis as a freshman and Jeff Mercer as a sophomore and junior.

“(Lemonis) is really hard on freshmen, but he’s a good dude,” says Dunham. “He’s a geat recruiter and a great baseball coach. He’s going to do well at Mississippi State.”

Dunham really connected with Mercer, who got him to focus on the variables to produce an outcome and only concern himself with the things he can control.

“I bonded with Merc,” says Dunham. “He’s like me — a blue collar baseball guy. He helped me fall in love with the process of getting better. He showed me what a successful mindset really is.

“I really appreciate him and what he did for me.”

Dunham and Mercer still regularly trade text messages.

The 2017 Reitz graduate played football for coach Andy Hape, basketball for Michael Adams and baseball for Todd DeWeese (who was assisted by Joe Paulin). Dunham was a part of two sectional championship teams in football and basketball and one in baseball.

As gridders, the Dunham boys — Elijah and Isaiah — lined up as safeties on defense and wideouts on offense. The Panthers went 9-2 in 2015 and 11-2 in 2016 — Elijah’s junior and senior seasons. Those seasons ended with a field goal and a “Hail Mary” pass.

Isaiah Dunham went on to play one football season at Yale University.

DeWeese took over the Reitz baseball program during Dunham’s freshman year.

“He was an easy-going coach,” says Dunham. “He let us play the game.

“What I remember is the times with the boys.”

Born and raised in Evansville, Elijah played from age 6-12 at what is now known as Golfmoor Baseball Association, where father Paul Dunham was league president.

After that, Elijah played travel ball for Louisville-based Ironmen Baseball.

Paul and Angie Dunham have four children — Elijah, Isaiah, Moriah and Josiah.

Moriah Dunham graduated from Evansville Christian and is headed to Taylor University to study and play soccer.

Josiah Dunham sparked Evansville Christian to an Indiana Christian School Athletic Association state championship in 2020-21.

Elijah Dunham (Tampa Tarpons Photo)

Elijah Dunham steps to the plate for the 2021 Tampa (Fla.) Tarpons. (Cliff Welch Photo)

Elijah Dunham takes a cut for the 2021 Tampa (Fla.) Tarpons. (Cliff Welch Photo)

Elijah Dunham mans his outfield position for the Tampa (Fla.) Tarpons. (Cliff Welch Photo)

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Ingram looking to grow the game with West Washington Senators

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Brent Ingram went to Indianapolis to attend college.

His first two teaching jobs were in Gas City, Ind., and Switz City, Ind.

Then the Washington County, Ind., native came back south and became an educator and a coach at a school just up the road from where he grew up.

Ingram is a 2011 graduate of Salem (Ind.) High School. He had three coaches in four years. The last one was Brett Miller.

The Lions’ two county rivals were West Washington and Eastern (Pekin). His father, Larry Ingram, was head coach at Eastern for 29 seasons, concluding in 2011.

After earning his degree in kinesiology with an emphasis on physical education at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in 2015, Brent Ingram worked one year each as a teacher only at Mississinewa High School and White River Valley High School.

Then West Washington Junior-Senior High School principal MaryAnne Knapp called to say that the Senators needed a P.E. teacher and a head baseball coach.

To his his, he is just the second head baseball coach in the history of the program that was also a teacher.

“That’s a big deal to be able to recruit kids,” says Ingram. “Our numbers are better. We expect to have eight or nine freshmen.”

Ingram took both teaching and coaching positions in 2017-18 and made his father one of his assistants.

“I grew up around a baseball coach and a baseball setting and I loved every minute of it,” says Ingram, who counts Larry Ingram, Tim Barksdale and Lincoln Jones as West Washington assistants.

Barksdale is the former director of the youth league in Campbellsburg and a school board member. Jones teaches business at West Washington. The North Harrison High School graduate pitched for four years at Franklin (Ind.) College.

The 2000 baseball season will be Brent Ingram’s third at the IHSAA Class 1A school of about 290 students.

The first season saw the Senators on the wrong end of many run-rule games. That only happened a couple times last spring.

“They’ve improved,” says Ingram, who has had about a dozen players in the program and on a few occasions — such as days when baseball games and track meets fell on the same day — went into games with just nine. There was a time he his left fielder was playing with the broken arm. “It makes you sweat a little bit. If the guys are willing to put the time in, they’re going to play.”

Moving players around the diamond is the norm.

“We’ve had bunch of different lineups in the last few years,” says Ingram. “That’s for sure.”

Baseball is a priority at West Washington as evidenced by the building a junior high diamond next to the high school facility — Claude C. Combs Field (named for the former Senators head coach and current school board member).

The junior high team is affiliated with the school system and coached by West Washington Elementary principal Tom Rosenbaum and West Washington Community Schools superintendent Keith Nance.

A training building with indoor mounds and batting cages will also benefit the Senators.

Whether that will translate into any home runs at Combs Field remains to be seen. While is is 300 feet down the lines and 350 to center, the field sits up on a hill and the wind seems to always be blowing in.

Ingram has never witnessed a game-time home run there.

Combs Field is lighted and has brick dugouts, raised fences all the way around and, recently, a turf home plate area was added.

“For a 1A, we have awesome facilities,” says Ingram.

The Senators are part of a sectional grouping with Crothersville, New Washington and Shawe Memorial. West Washington, a sectional host the past two years, has yet to win a sectional title.

As a member of the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference (with Crawford County, Mitchell, Orleans, Paoli, Perry Central and Springs Valley), the Senators play home and away games against each league team.

Besides Eastern (Pekin) and Salem, past non-conference opponents have included Borden, Christian Academy of Indiana, Clarksville, Crothersville, Evansville Christian, North Harrison, Orleans, Scottsburg, Shoals, Southwestern (Hanover) and Trinity Lutheran.

The Ingrams (from left): Brooke, Nick, Dustin, Larry, Luke, Janis and Brent. Brent Ingram is head baseball coach at West Washington High School in Campbellsburg, Ind. Larry Ingram, who was head coach at Eastern (Pekin) for 29 years, is one of his assistants. Brent and Dustin are the sons of Larry and Janis. Nick and Luke are the sons of Dustin and Brooke.