McCormick goes from Gyrenes to Red Sox

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

With know-how gained as a player, trainer and coach, Michael McCormick has been hired to guide pitchers in the Boston Red Sox organization.

McCormick, a 2012 graduate of Speedway (Ind.) High School, pitched at Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., and Eastern Illinois University and in the Chicago White Sox system and independent ball followed by stints as a Driveline Baseball trainer and pitching coach (2020) then head coach at Ave Maria (Fla.) University (2021-23).

The Red Sox reached out at the beginning of the fall. Hired about a month ago, McCormick will be a pitching coach for the rookie ball team based in Fort Myers, Fla. Camp starts in January and the Florida Complex League season begins in June.

Until seeing the players and other personnel, McCormick is go over data while familiarizing himself with different Red Sox systems and getting on-boarded onto those systems.

“I’m familiarizing myself with each guy and getting an idea of what they need to improve on this next season,” says McCormick.

He expects a smooth transition and will continue to emphasize relationship leadership over transactional.

“It reinforces the fact that the development of relationships between coaches and players in fundamental for trying to develop guys on the baseball field,” says McCormick, 30. “It’s just getting to know the person — off the field as well as on the field. 

“You’ve just got to build that rapport. It’s easier to make those adjustments when there’s trust going both ways.”

The roster will be made up of player selected in the 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft or those coming from the Dominican academy.

McCormick, who took Spanish in highs school, says he is conversational in the language and got to use it while playing pro ball and with bilinguals at Ave Maria.

“I’m looking forward to using it everyday (with the Red Sox) and it getting even better,” says McCormick.

Former big league left-hander Craig Breslow was hired in October as the Red Sox chief baseball officer after being Director of Strategic Initiatives for Baseball Operations with the Chicago Cubs.

Justin Willard became the Red Sox director of pitching in December after serving as pitching coordinator for the Minnesota Twins.

“I’m really excited to work with those two,” says McCormick. “It’s also the gains the Red Sox have been able to make on the pitching side I’m excited to contribute where I can.

“The emphasis will be more so on the player development side as opposed to winning at the rookie ball level. But when you focus on the important things sometimes winning is a result.

“The end goal is to win a (World Series) championship.”

McCormick will also interact with Red Sox Director of Player Development Brian Abraham as well as many others in the system’s player development department especially those who focus on pitchers. There are other former Driveline employees, too.

There will be daily interaction with the strength and conditioning staff, athletic trainers and nutritionists.

“It’s a holistic approach when it comes to player development,” says McCormick. “More goes into it than solely pitching.”

The job change does not require McCormick and his family to move. He will commute from Ave Maria to Fort Myers, a distance of about 35 miles.

Wife Teigan McCormick is heading into her first season as indoor/beach volleyball coach at AMU, which recently upgraded Tom Golisano Field House. 

The McCormicks met at Parkland when he was playing baseball and she volleyball. The couple has three children — daughter Kolby Rae (7) and sons Steston (2) and Augustin (4 months). Kolby Rae attends Rhodora J. Donahue Academy of Ave Maria.

“We love living here in Ave Maria,” says McCormick. “It really worked out.”

Staying in Ave Maria also means that when time allows Michael will be able to visit the team and his younger brother Nicholas McCormick (a Speedway and Eastern Illinois graduate) — who was elevated from Gyrenes pitching coach to head coach with Michael’s leaving. Nicholas is a 2014 Speedway alum.

Ave Maria plays in The Sun Conference and that NAIA-affiliated league’s tournament is slated for JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers.

Marcus McCormick — father of Michael and Nicholas — was the head baseball coach at Speedway through the 2023 season. He has stepped away from that position and is now athletic director at Speedway Middle School while also giving baseball lessons.

The Sparkplugs baseball program is now led by former McCormick assistant Matt Burke.

Michael McCormick. (Ave Maria University Photo)

Penn, Notre Dame alum Kavadas working way up ladder in Red Sox organization

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Niko Kavadas was a force to be reckoned in high school and college and is now becoming the same as a professional baseball player.

The powerful lefty swinger excelled at Penn High School (Mishawaka, Ind.) and the University of Notre Dame. 

Playing for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Greg Dikos at Penn, Kavadas helped the Kingsmen win a Class 4A state championship as sophomore center fielder in 2015 and finish as 4A state runners-up as a senior shortstop in 2017.

Coached by Mik Aoki (2018-19) and Link Jarrett (2020-21) at Notre Dame, Kavadas played 161 games in a Fighting Irish uniform and hit .286 (158-of-552) with 46 home runs, 28 doubles, 144 runs batted in, 112 runs scored and a 1.002 OPS (.415 on-base percentage plus .587 slugging average). 

In 2021, he thumped a single-season school record 22 homers, drove in 64 runs and was named to numerous All-American teams. He was a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and Golden Spikes Award.

That year also brought a Business Management and Consulting degree from Notre Dame.

Selected in the 11th round of the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Boston Red Sox, Kavadas became a pro.

In three minor league seasons (2021-23) and 252 games, he has hit 

.242 (197-of-805) with 50 homers, one triple, 45 doubles, 161 RBIs, 143 runs, 337 strikeouts and 215 walks with a .903 OPS (.413/.489). He was the Red Sox Minor League Player of the Year and played briefly in the Arizona Fall League in 2022.

Splitting his time between the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs and Triple-A Worcester Red Sox in 2023, first baseman Kavadas played in 117 contests and hit .206 (76-of-369) with 22 homers, 16 doubles, 69 RBIs, 62 runs, 172 strikeouts and 98 walks with an .805 OPS (.377/.428).

A few times, Kavadas saw former Notre Dame teammate Nick Podkul (an Andrean High School graduate now in the Philadelphia Phillies system) in the opposing dugout.

Kavadas also made a point to follow former Irish outfielder Matt Vierling (Detroit Tigers) and infielder Jack Brannigan (Pittsburgh Pirates organization) and still communicates regularly with outfielder Jack Zyska (who played at ND 2019-23 and has transferred to the University of Central Florida where former Irish assistant Rich Wallace is now head coach).

Making the transition from college where teams tend to play weekend series with an occasional midweek contests to the minors and six games a week, Kavadas has embraced the grind.

“Now you’re playing every single day,” says Kavadas. “You have to find time prior to and after games to make improvements in your game or else you’re going to be static.”

Kavadas’ last game of the season for Worcester was on Sept. 22. He hustled home to Granger, Ind., and attended the wedding of older sister Abby then headed to Fort Myers, Fla., for a six-week camp.

“It was a big strength program,” says Kavadas. “Strength has always been something that’s come natural to me. Being more limber, having more range of motion and being quicker laterally has been a big focus for me since I’ve gotten to pro ball.

“I’ve lost a few pounds since my rookie season and I’m moving better. It’s less about moving more powerfully and moving faster and more agile.”

Kavadas, 25, carries about 225 pounds on his 6-foot frame.

“We had a lot of really good lifts and conditioning and were taking a lot of swings,” says Kavadas of his time in Fort Myers. “They have some really nice technology down there.”

Armed numbers from the season and the offensive-focused camp, Kavadas has spent time in the off-season putting that information to use with the help of Mike Marks.

While in high school, Kavadas, traveled to Sturgis, Mich., a few times a week to train with Marks at Hitters Edge.

Marks has opened a second facility in Osceola, Ind. — about 15 minutes from Kavadas’ home. 

“Mike’s awesome,” says Kavadas. “Mike has this ability to make really complicated things really simple.”

Getting feedback from Marks gives him a direction to move in.

“That really helps me,” says Kavadas. “There’s so many things pulling me in so many directions.

“Mike’s able to take all the data, watch me take a few swings and say ‘You’re in a spot sport. We’re this close.’”

Kavadas and Riley Tirotta, a Mishawaka Marian High School graduate and Toronto Blue Jays minor leaguer, have been off-season regulars at the new digs.

After enjoying time with family (he is the second of Jim and Robin Kavadas’ four children behind Abby and ahead of youngest son C.J. and youngest daughter Tess) and friends around the holidays, Kavadas plans to head back to Florida in January for another six-week camp that leads right into spring training.

There’s more work to do.

Niko Kavadas. (Boston Red Sox Photo)

Niko Kavadas. (University of Notre Dame Image)

Niko Kavadas. (Greenville Drive Image)

Niko Kavdas. (Portland Sea Dogs Image)

Niko Kavadas. (Salem rRd Sox Photo)

Indiana-raised right-hander Gray closing the door in Mexico

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Peyton Gray has been mowing down batters on either side of the border.

Following a spring and summer season in which he was a 2023 American Association All-Star with the Franklin, Wis.-based Milwaukee Milkmen the right-handed pitcher finds himself back in the Mexican Pacific Winter League — this time with Algodoneros de Guasave (Guasave Cottoneers) — and he just recorded his circuit-leading 13th save for a first-place team at 26-14 through Nov. 29.

“Baseball’s very huge in Mexico,” says Gray. “There are a ton of fans. I enjoy it down here. It’s very winning-focused. They value wins and playing hard.”

The lifestyle, including the food, are different in Mexico than the U.S. but Gray sees the common denominaters.

“The way you have to look at it is that you’re still playing a kids’ game for a living,” says Gray. “You’ve got to just have fun with it. You may not speak the same language as the umpires or the fans, but it’s still baseball. I’m still pitching, the strike zone’s the same, the hitters are the same.

“It’s nice to play in a different country. I know it’s going to be great memories.”

Gray, a 6-foot-4, 235-pound right-hander, has made 21 mound appearances so far in 2023-24 and is 0-0 with a 0.00 earned run average (he’s allowed two unearned runs). In 21 innings, he has 33 strikeouts and seven walks. He averages 14.1 strikeouts per nine innings.

After a dozen days of summer training, the season opened in mid-October and runs until late December. The playoffs in January are three best-of-seven rounds. The league winner moves on to the 2024 Caribbean World Series Feb. 1-9 in Miami.

On Nov. 28, Gray locked up a job for the 2024 season by signing with Saraperos de Saltillo of the Mexican Baseball League.

“I’m technically still a free agent,” says Gray. “I can still sign with a (Major League Baseball) club or Japan or Taiwan team.”

In Milwaukee in 2023, the 2014 graduate of Columbus (Ind.) East High School pitched in 37 games (all in relief) and went 1-2 with nine saves, a 1.38 ERA, 64 strikeouts and eight walks in 39 innings. His K/9 rate was 14.8. Gray turned 28 on June 2 and earned the save for the East in the American Assocation All-Star Game at Franklin Field on July 18. 

“I gave that league all I had and posted some pretty good stats,” says Gray of the American Association. “I wasn’t really getting signed out of that league.”

He had also hurled for the Milkmen in 2020 and 2022 with stints in the Colorado Rockies (2018 and 2019) and Kansas City Royals (2021) systems.

Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery came for Gray in August 2021. Cleared to play again in July 2022, he was released by the Royals and went back to independent ball with Milwaukee.

Gray pitched in seven games for the MPWL’s Yaquis de Obregon in 2022-23 and went 0-0 with a 7.11 ERA, six strikeouts and four walks in 6 1/3 innings.

“I wasn’t quite 100 percent again from my surgery but I wanted to get my foot in the door and the opportunity to play in Mexico,” says Gray. “(Guasuave) liked what they saw this summer and gave me a shot to come down and be the closer. I took it and ran with it.”

Flash forward to the present day and Gray is a tick up in velocity since the surgery and recovery.

“I’m a little better than I was,” says Gray. “I did tear my (Ulnar Collateral Ligament) on a single pitch. I don’t know if my elbow was messed up for awhile. I throw a little harder (with the four-seam fastball going from about 90 to 93 mph to 92 to 94 while almost touching 96) and my slider and change-up velocity has gone up.”

A relief pitcher throughput his pro career, Gray has noticed more resiliency since surgery which replaced his UCL with Palmaris Longus tendon taken from his right wrist.

“I’ve noticed that I’m able to bounce back a lot faster,” says Gray. “My recovery’s a lot shorter. I can throw more days a week.

“At first it’s hard to get conformable and really let it rip. Once you realize that — man — I’m 100 percent and mentally I’m super-confident in my arm. It’s healthy and I’m not going re-tear my UCL.”

Gray threw five times last week, including ends of a Nov. 20 doubleheader.

Rehab has shown Gray how to stay healthy with shoulder and mobility work between trips to the mound.

There’s another important part of his routine.

“I try to drink a lot of water,” says Gray. “That’s definitely going to help me recover, stay hydrated and have energy.”

After reporting the to field, he stretches, runs and plays catch. Around the third inning he ramps up his focus and begins getting his body ready. He walks out to the bullpen in the fifth inning and does his band and plyo ball work — things he has done while visiting PRP Baseball at Mojo Up Fieldhouse in Noblesville, Ind.

“It’s one of my favorite places to train,” says Gray. “I’m thankful for everything (PRP founder) Greg (Vogt) did for me (when I made my first velo jump in 2019).

“I still message those guys and ask them questions. They’re always there for me.”

Peyton and wife Samantha Gray — the Columbus East alum answers to Sam and her maiden name is Watters — were married in 2021. The couple resides in Fort Myers, Fla. Sam’s family has a vacation home in nearby Cape Coral. 

This winter, she has been going back and forth to Mexico about two weeks at a time. 

Gray pitched one season at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo (2015), one at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla. (2016) and two at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers (2017 and 2018). 

“I still have a lot of college buddies down there which is nice,” says Gray. “It’s great weather and it’s nice to throw outside year-round.”

Peyton Gray. (Algodoneros de Guasave Image).

Peyton Gray. (Mexican Pacific Winter League Image).

Peyton Gray. (Algodoneros de Guasuave Photo).

Peyton Gray. (Algodoneros de Guasave Photo).

Peyton Gray. (Algodoneros de Guasuave Photo).

Peyton Gray. (Algodoneros de Guasuave Photo).

Peyton Gray. (Milwaukee Milkmen Photo).

Peyton Gray. (Saraperos de Saltillo Image).

Denning enjoys helping ballplayers, more as physical therapy doctor

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Prep players Max Clark and Andrew Wiggins were not the only ones from Indiana involved in the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft Combine June 19-24 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

Dr. Nathan Denning, who founded Integrated Performance LLC in January, was among the professionals who conducted movement screening and performance testing with the athletes. 

Denning says knowing the movement patterns of a player can be helpful to a team’s strength and conditioning staff when trying to help that athlete reach their potential.

MLB Draft combine attendees were checked for range of motion and stability and for any limitations with their shoulders, back, hips or ankles.

“It was almost as beneficial for the players as it was for the teams,” says Denning. “We want to see how powerful they are and how they can re-use some energy they may have.

“The main focus was trying find out the different areas a player can improve upon so he can level up his game and a team can use that.”

Denning hails from Saint Meinrad, Ind., and played baseball and football at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Ind., where he graduated in 2009.

The 2023 MLB Draft Combine was his second. He worked the first one in 2021 and was employed by the Minnesota Twins as a physical therapist and reconditioning specialist in 2022. 

Players throughout the organization on the Injured List for extended periods or those in need of mechanical tweaks would come down to Fort Myers, Fla., for sessions with Denning.

Many of the things he did at the MLB Combine he does in his practice. Denning runs Integrated Performance at the Indiana Baseball Academy, 733 E. Main St., Westfield, Ind., where the Indy Titans travel organization trains.

Athletes of all ages come to Denning. The majority of his clients are baseball players, but he also sees recreational athletes.

He works with the injured to help them alleviate their pain and get them to a better level of performance.

Denning also does movement testing and range of motion/stability work for the healthy to see if they have any deficiencies that are hindering performance.

“I work with those guys to clean up some of their movements and body mechanics so they can take that to their game,” says Denning. “I want them to become as efficient as they can when they swing or throw.”

For pitchers, there are typically up to seven things that Denning tracks: shoulder flexion mobility, shoulder internal rotation mobility, shoulder external rotation and motor control with stability, thorax or back rotation, hip rotation, ankle mobility and single-leg stance.

“Each pitcher loses one of those when he steps on the mound,” says Denning. “Sometimes he loses a couple. What I talk about with players is defining what you lose so you can restore that efficiency by the next time you step on the mound.

“You get in a routine to help that and recover a little quicker.”

Denning looks at the kinetic change — for throwers or hitters.

“It is essentially the production of force,” says Denning. “For pitching it’s to release the ball and create high (velocity) and greater command. You create force with your feet and your legs.

“You have to be able to transfer that force from the ground to your foot and up the chain.”

The hips, torso, stomach, upper back, shoulder, elbow and hand are all part of the sequence.

Denning is checking for acceleration and deceleration. 

The goal is for the points in the chain to accelerate and decelerate in the same order.

“That’s considered an efficient pitcher,” says Denning. “If they’re limited in (mobility/stability) a lot of times you won’t be able to create that sequence.

“There’s a kink in the system. It can be different on every pitcher. You’re trying to find where the restriction is in body so they can create a proper mechanical format.”

While not every swing looks the same, the kinetic chain for hitters is supposed to begin with the hips followed by the upper back, back shoulder then meeting the ball with acceptation and deceleration.

Denning uses a NASCAR driver as an analogy for what he does to help players/athletes.

“They’re working on their car all the time and making sure they’re getting the best performance,” says Denning. “It’s the same thing with a person. They want to get to their highest potential and highest performance.

“They want to fine-tune the vehicle they’re using everyday.”

YouTube is one of the ways Denning shares with the public. Some of the recent videos on the Integrated Performance page include those Low back pain treatment, pitcher movement and arm care.

Denning earned a Kinesiology/Exercise Science bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington and a Doctor of Physical Therapy/Therapist degree from what is now the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis. He did his Sports Medicine Physical Therapy Residency at the University of Evansville.

Denning has also been a physical therapist clinic manager at EXOS in Pensacola, Fla., and at ProRehab, PC in Ferdinand, Ind., and holds numerous licenses and certifications.

“I like helping people,” says Denning of one of the reasons he chose his profession. “I also enjoy being around sports.”

After attending PT school in Indianapolis, he became comfortable with central Indiana and decided to locate his business there in a highly-populated area with a strong baseball focus.

“The facilities are super-nice up here,” says Denning.

Dr. Nathan Denning. (Integrated Performance LLC Photo)

Dr. Nathan Denning. (MLB Photo)

Dr. Nathan Denning. (MLB Photo)

Dr. Nathan Denning. (MLB Photo)

‘Underdog’ Miles making his way in baseball world

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

Jonathan Miles Jr. marvels at where he is in the diamond world.
“Reflecting over my life and my baseball career if you would have asked me maybe five or six years ago that I’d be playing college baseball I couldn’t give you an answer,” says Miles, who saw his life change when he began to really dedicate himself to the sport at end of his prep days.
Miles, who turned 22 in April, is a 2020 graduate of Cardinal Ritter High School in Indianapolis. He was in the Raiders program for three years with one year on varsity in 2019 (the 2020 season was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic). He played on defense but a designated hitter was used in his place in the lineup.
“I was seen as an underdog,” says Miles. “I did not have any offers coming out of high school.”
After seeing how close Alex Vela (Ritter Class of 2017) thrived as part of Lance Hershberger’s original aka “The Dirty Dozen” team at Ivy Tech Northeast Community College in Fort Wayne, Ind., Raiders head coach Dave Scott reached out to the Titans staff.
“He expected more out of you,” says Miles of Scott. “He’s definitely one of the better coaches I’ve had when it comes to teaching about baseball and life.
Miles played catcher and first base at Ivy Tech Northeast in 2021 and 2022 — for head coaches Hershberger then Connor Wilkins (who moved up from assistant).
“Legendary” is the word Miles uses to describe Hershberger. “His coaching style is old-fashioned for sure. You don’t see a lot of it any more. There’s lots of small ball, bunting and stealing bases.
“A true definition of dirtbag. Stealing bases hard, playing through injuries. The tempo of the game was a lot faster.”
Miles sees Ivy Tech as his turning point.
“The mindset that I had at juco carried over from high school — get at least 1 percent better each day.”
Miles spent an hour or two everyday working on his hitting or fielding, often at The Diamond Baseball and Softball Academy in Fort Wayne.
He credits Wilkins for much of his development as a player.
“He helped my I.Q. behind he plate,” says Miles of Wilkins. “He gave me a better arm (and made be better at) blocking.”
While recruiting another player, Trennis Grant saw Miles and the coach invited him to be part of a first-year NAIA program at Dillard University in New Orleans.
Miles played mostly first base with a few contests behind the plate for the Bleu Devils in 2023, breaking his leg 22 games into the season. The righty swinger was hitting .306 (15-of-49) with two doubles, 11 runs batted in and three stolen bases.
He was studying Criminal Justice at Dillard since the school did not offer an Exercise Science major.
With two years of remaining college eligibility, Miles is now seeking other baseball opportunities.
“I’m betting on myself,” says Miles. “I want to play some kind of pro baseball someday.”
Miles notes that Dillard does not have resources like a 24-hour weight room and batting cages that he desires.
“I’m open to anything that will get me better,” says Miles. “It’s about finding the best place that has the right coaches to help me reach my full potential.”
This summer, Miles is with the 10-team South Florida Collegiate League’s Florida Pokers in Delray Beach.
His parents — mother Erin Whysong-Garner and step father Jason Garner — moved from Indiana to Fort Myers. Older sister Maxine Miles (Ritter Class of 2016) graduated from the University of Indianapolis in 2020. Younger brother Marcus Whysong-Garner, a basketball and baseball player, is heading into eighth grade in Florida.
Heading into college, Jonathan weighed about 185 pounds at 6-foot-1.
Once he got into college, he began strength training in earnest with motivation from teammates Grant Lashure (who played at Eastern Illinois University the past two seasons) and Grant Hershberger (who played at Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 2023).
“The weight room definitely helped a lot,” says Miles, who is now 6-1 and 205. “I did not take it serious in high school.”
Added strength has helped Miles throw harder and move better.
It’s also benefitted him mentally.
“If you put in the work in the weight room and do it consistently you will see your work pay off,” says Miles, who was born in Indianapolis and grew up in the Eagledale area near the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Before Ritter, he attended school at what is now St. Michael-St. Gabriel.
He was at what is now Speedway Junior Baseball and Softball, Eagledale Little League and with the St. Michael middle school team and the traveling 17U and 18U Indiana Braves (coached by Joe Coughlan).
Of his time with the Braves, Miles says, “That’s the first time I got to show my talents on the field.”

Jonathan Miles Jr. (Dillard University Photo)

Jonathan Miles Jr. (Dillard University Photo)

Jonathan Miles Jr. (Ivy Tech Northeast Community College Photo)

Jonathan Miles Jr. (Dillard University Photo)

Jonathan Miles Jr. (Dillard University Photo)

Jonathan Miles Jr. (Dillard University Photo)

Rutgers-bound Besser keeps on buzzing the ball past batters

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

Grant Besser’s habit of dodging bats with his pitches got him noticed during his prep days and it continues at the collegiate level.
At South Adams High School in Berne, Ind., the left-hander and four-time first-team all-Allen County Athletic Conference selection whiffed 451 in 241 innings with a 1.27 earned run average. He also hit .397 with eight home runs and 58 runs batted in.
As a senior, Besser fanned 130 in 54 frame and posted a 0.77 ERA and hit .426 with two homers and 17 RBIs for the Brad Buckingham-coached Starfires. He began working out that winter in Fort Wayne with Pittsburgh Pirates strength trainer Dru Scott.
When not pitching, lefty Besser was the unorthodox choice for South Adams at shortstop his last three seasons.
“I knew it looked silly, but I had been playing shortstop all my life,” says Besser. “I can throw from any arm angle. I had a great time doing it.
“Besides I knew I wasn’t going to be able to do it for long. I knew pitching is what I wanted to do.”
Besser played in the 2019 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Madison. He was honored as the 2019 Northeast Indiana Baseball Association/Dick Crumback Player of the Year.
The 2021 recipient of the award — Carter Mathison (Homestead/Indiana University) is Besser’s teammate this summer with New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Keene (N.H.) Swamp Bats. Mathison was also the 2021 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year.
The 5-foot-10, 185-pound Besser shined on the mound at Florida SouthWestern State College in Fort Myers.
In 36 appearances (10 starts), he went 6-4 with eight saves and a 2.66 earned run average as the National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Buccaneers posted marks of 16-11 in 2020 (COVID-19 shortened), 44-16 in 2021 and 42-15 in 2022. He amassed 125 strikeouts and 42 walks in 94 2/3 innings.
Besser played no summer ball in 2020 and dealt with an injury at the beginning of the 2021. He came back and hurled five innings in the state tournament and did not allow a baserunner.
“I really saw a spike in all of my numbers for the good (in 2022),” says Besser. “I blew every category away from the previous years.”
He was in 20 games in 2022 and went 3-2 with six saves, a 1.28 ERA, 61 K’s and 16 walks in 42 1/3 innings.
Ben Bizier is head coach at Florida SouthWestern State. Derrick Conatser is Bucs pitching coach.
“I like that toughness to he brings to the table,” says Besser of Bizier.
In his exit interview with Bizier Besser was told that 18 Major League Baseball organizations have been following him as they prepare for the 2022 First-Year Player Draft (July 17-19 in Los Angeles).
“He said there’s a really good chance it happens this year,” says Besser, who turns 22 in September. “Out of high school I had zero (college) offers. Coach Buckingham offered me to Florida JUCO’s. I earned a scholarship at FSW in the spring.
“Money has never been the big thing for me. It’s opportunity and getting my foot in the door.”
This is Besser’s second straight summer at Keene and he has had several meaningful chats with Swamp Bats president and general manager Kevin Watterson.
So far, Besser has made four appearances (one start) and is 1-0 with an 0.87 ERA. In 10 1/3 innings, the southpaw has 10 strikeouts and one walk. The NECBL regular season ends July 30.
Throughout his college experience, Besser has been used in multiple pitching roles, including starter, long reliever and a closer.
“It doesn’t matter to me as long as we get a win,” says Besser. “I’m very versatile.”
Besser has excelled with an ability to keep his head when things get tense.
“It’s mental toughness. I preach it,” says Besser. “I can spot when somebody doesn’t have that mental toughness.
“I’m ready for the situation. I’m consistent with all that I do. I work quick and throw strikes. Preparation and a steady mindset is key.”
Throwing from a three-quarter arm slot, Besser uses a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, change-up and curveball.
“My four-seamer has natural run and a high spin rate,” says Besser. “Up in the zone is where I get the most out of it.
“This summer it’s been sitting 89 to 91 mph (it hit 92 at Florida SouthWestern State).”
Besser’s two-seamer moves in to left-handed hitters and away from righties.
His “circle” change-up break to his arm side and is usually clocked around 83 mph.
“My curveball is more of a slurve,” says Besser of the pitch that’s often delivered at around 78 mph. “I mix and match. Sometimes it’s 12-to-6 and sometimes I sweep it. It depends on the situation.”
Grant is the oldest of Mike and Katina Besser’s two sons. Adam Besser, a right-handed pitcher for Ivy Tech Northeast in Fort Wayne, turns 20 in August.
Mike Besser is a salesman for Moser Motor Sales. Katina Besser is chief financial officer at Swiss Village Retirement Community.
The family moved from Geneva and Berne when Grant was in the fifth grade. Beginning at 9U, he played travel ball for the Muncie Longhorns and Indiana Bandits and then Summit City Sluggers founder Mark DeLaGarza reached out to him and he spent two summers with the 17U Sluggers, playing for head coaches Todd Armstrong and Brent Alwine.
“My parents’ sacrifices let me do that,” says Grant. “The Sluggers gave me a lot of knowledge on baseball.”

With two years of eligibility remaining, has committed to NCAA Division I Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J. He signed with the Scarlet Knights over the winter.
Why Rutgers?
“What really attracting me was coming home to the Big Ten,” says Besser, who was born in Fort Wayne and grew up in Geneva and Berne. “It’s up-and-coming program and pretty hard-nosed.”
With Steve Owens as head coach and Brendan Monaghan guiding pitchers, the Scarlet Knights posted an overall mark of 44-17 and Big Ten record of 17-7 in 2022. Rutgers played Michigan in the conference tournament championship game.
After earning an Associate of Arts degree in Business Management at Florida SouthWestern State, Besser is considering a Labor and Relations major at Rutgers.

Grant Besser (Florida SouthWestern State College Photo)

Grant Besser (Florida SouthWestern State College Photo)

Grant Besser (Florida SouthWestern State College Photo)

Head coach Ben Bizier (left) and Grant Besser (Florida SouthWestern State College Photo)

City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.

City of Palms Park in Fort Myers, Fla.

Grant Besser (Keene Swamp Bats Photo)

Righty Gaff pursuing baseball dreams with Minnesota Twins organization

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

Tanner Gaff grew up in Whitley County, Ind., as a middle infielder who moved to the corners as he got older.
The right-hander doubled as a pitcher.
A 2016 graduate of Whitko Junior/Senior High School in South Whitley, Gaff went to the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne and was a two-way player until his last season — the extra year granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I had a pretty good year,” says Gaff, who employed Driveline Baseball training methods and increased his velocity going into 2021.
As a pitcher-only in ’21, the 6-foot-4, 225-pounder made 14 mound appearances and went 8-2 with a 4.15 earned run average and 92 strikeouts in 92 1/3 innings. USF went 34-22, setting a school record for single-season victories.
Gaff, who earned a degree in Business Management with a Sports concentration in 2020, still wanted to see how far pitching could take him.
“I had heard nothing but good things about Tread (Athletics),” says Gaff of the business specializing in online performance coaching. He began training remotely with Tread in the summer of 2021.
When Connor Lawhead left the Saint Francis coaching staff and went back to his native Washington, the Cougars were in need of a pitching coach. Gaff filled that role and was part of a staff featuring head coach Dustin Butcher and assistant Kristian Gayday while still honing his own skills.
Then came the time to go to Charlotte, N.C., and train with Tread in-house, which he did from February to May of 2022.
“Butch was happy for me,” says Gaff of Butcher’s willingness to let him pursue his dreams. “He was all for me furthering my baseball career.”
With the help of Tread, Gaff posted videos of him pitching to social media and got the attention of the Minnesota Twins. On May 20, he signed with that organization and is now in Fort Myers gearing up for the Florida Complex League season which opens June 6. The next two steps up the minor league ladder are with the Low-A Florida State League’s Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and High-A Midwest League’s Cedar Rapids (Iowa) Kernels.
Throwing from a high three-quarter arm slot, Gaff possesses a four-seam fastball, slider/cutter, curve and splitter (split-finger fastball).
“My four-seamer has ‘plus’ carry and sits at 91 to 94,” says Gaff, 24. “I’m always looking to gain mph.
When it’s right, his slider is delivered about 80 mph.
“My splitter is one of my most promising pitches,” says Gaff. “I get good swing-and-miss with it.
“I threw it in middle school though I didn’t know it was called a splitter at the time. I’ve always had it in my back pocket. The movement patterns are always consistent. Sometimes it’s left. Sometimes right.”
At Tread, Gaff used TrackMan cameras to learned how to manipulate his splitter and other pitches.
Born in Columbia City to James and Debra Gaff, Tanner spent his youth on a 40-acre farm (20 acres of farmland and 20 acres of wetlands) about 10 minutes from Columbia City, Larwill and South Whitley.
He played in the South Whitley youth league until about sixth grade then travel ball with a homegrown team later the Ken Jones-coached Flippin’ Frogs and Cam Brannock-coached Summit City Sluggers.
As a middle schooler, Gaff was on a Pony League travel team that was coached by then-Whitko head coach Erik Hisner (now at Eastern of Greentown).
“That helped us with high school,” says Gaff, who had some teammates go on to win the Wildcats’ first sectional title in 2017. “We kept our core together.”
Gaff played two years at USF for head coach Greg Roberts and then assistant Butcher took over the program.
“(Roberts) was a really nice guy,” says Gaff. “He cared about his players. Butch is a great coach, but an even better person.
“He changed the culture. Saint Francis wasn’t always typically known as a good baseball school.”
Tanner has two older married sisters — Starr Kane and Isis Ivy.

Tanner Gaff, a graduate of Whitko Junior/Senior High School and the University of Saint Francis (Ind.), signs with the Minnesota Twins. (Minnesota Twins Photo)

Former University of Saint Francis pitcher has signed to play professional baseball with the Minnesota Twins. He trained remotely and on-site with Tread Athletics of Charlotte, N.C. (Tread Athletics Image)

Arsenal making its mark on Indiana travel baseball

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

Arsenal Indiana is expanding for the 2021-22 travel baseball season.
The affiliate of Arsenal USA Baseball is to go with 12U, 13U, 14U and 15U squads in its third season.
“Within two or three years I want to have teams from 12U through 17U,” says Arsenal Indiana director Jeff Cleckner. “I want to have one team at each age group and be very competitive.
“I don’t want to water down the brand with seven 15U teams.”
Cleckner, a graduate of Fremont (Ind.) High School (1989) and Purdue University living in Fishers, Ind., says the focus is on skill development at the younger levels and that the older ones grow their mental approach to the game as they prepare for college baseball.
But first the current campaign where Arsenal is fielding a 17U team with Cleckner as head coach and Arsenal Indiana director and a 14U squad guided by Steve Smitherman. In 2020, 16U and 13U teams took the field for the organization.
Playing six weekends of seven — starting with the first one in June — the 17U team has competed or will take part in events sponsored by Prep Baseball Report, Perfect Game and Bullpen Tournaments.
The team placed second during the holiday weekend at the PBR Indiana State Games at Championship Park in Kokomo. The 17U’s were 22-9-1 through 30 games.
The season wraps with the Perfect Game 17U BCS National Championship July 21-26 at Major League Baseball spring training fields in Fort Myers, Fla. All the other tournaments have been staged at Grand Park in Westfield.
“It’s nice with Grand Park,” says Cleckner of the large complex in central Indiana. “Everyone comes to us.”
High schools represented on the 17U roster include Avon, Fishers, Harrison (West Lafayette), Heritage Christian, Huntington North, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis North Central, Noblesville, Penn, Plainfield, South Adams, Wapahani, Wawasee, Westfield and Zionsville in Indiana and Edwardsburg in Michigan.
Since the older teams can play as many as seven games in five days, there are often a number of pitcher-only players (aka P.O.’s).
“It’s nice to have P.O.’s,” says Cleckner. “We can supplement as needed with position players.
“We’re mindful of arm care and arm health.”
The 14U Arsenal Indiana team began in early April and will play until mid-July and could easily get in 60 games in 3 1/2 months. The 14U team plays in same types of tournaments that the 17U teams plays at Grand Park in Westfield.
Arsenal Indiana tryouts are planned for late July or early August, likely at Grand Park.
A fall season of four or five weekends features a trip to the Perfect Game WWBA 2022/2023 National Championship Oct. 7-11 in Jupiter, Fla., for the upperclassmen.
“The goal of the fall season is getting a little more work going into the winter,” says Cleckner. “You have new kids who’ve joined your team and you’re creating some chemistry and camaraderie.”
The fall also provides more college looks for older players.
Arsenal Indiana trains in the off-season at Finch Creek Fieldhouse in Noblesville.
What is now Arsenal USA Baseball was began in 1995 by Joe Barth Jr. and son Bob Barth as the Tri-State Arsenal with players from southern New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania. Besides USA National in New Jersey, there are affiliate locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
Many professionals and college players have come through the Arsenal program.

Arsenal Indiana’s Grant Brooks, a Butler University commit.

Arsenal Indiana’s Trey Dorton.

Arsenal Indiana first baseman Riley Behrmann.

Arsenal Indiana’s Joe Huffman.

Arsenal Indiana’s Jake Gothrup.

Arsenal Indiana’s Evan Jensen scores a run.

Arsenal Indiana’s Connor Ostrander, a Western Michigan University commit.

Arsenal Indiana’s Braden Gendron.

Arsenal Indiana catcher A.J. Dull.

Arsenal Indiana’s 17U with tournament hardware earned in 2021.

Coach/director Jeff Cleckner addresses his Arsenal Indiana 17U team at a tournament at Kokomo’s Championship Park. (Steve Krah Photo)

Columbus native Gray deliver for Milwaukee Milkmen in a big way

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Peyton Gray has spent July and August dodging bats.

The right-handed pitcher from Columbus, Ind., playing independent professional baseball has been dominant in his back of the bullpen role.

As the closer for the American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen, Gray goes into play today (Aug. 26) with a 2-0 record, 10 saves and a 0.00 earned run average. In 24 innings, he has yet to allow a run and has struck out 41 (15.375 per nine innings) and walked 10.

“For the most part, I try to stay with myself and pitch to my strengths,” says Gray. “I’ve been able to catch some breaks.

“It’s been fun so far.”

A 6-foot-3, 200-pounder, Gray delivers a fastball, slider and change-up from a three-quarter overarm slot. The slider breaks in on left-handed batters and away from righties and the “Vulcan” change sinks.

But it’s his four-seam fastball that’s been his out pitch. It travels 90 to 93 mph and — he learned while working out in the off-season with Greg Vogt of PRP Baseball at Finch Creek Fieldhouse in Noblesville, Ind. — that it has an above-average spin rate.

The 2020 season marks Gray’s third in pro ball. He was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Colorado Rockies in 2018 out of Florida Gulf Coast University and played rookie-level and Low Class-A ball in the Rockies system in 2018 and 2019.

A 2014 graduate of Columbus (Ind.) East High School, where he was a four-year letterman for Olympians head coach Jon Gratz, Gray pitched one season at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo (0-1 with two saves, a 3.58 ERA, 21 strikeouts and 18 walks in 37 2/3 innings in 2015), one at Gulf Coast Community College in Panama City, Fla. (8-1 with one save, a 3.93 ERA, 55 strikeouts and 13 walks in 71 2/3 innings in 2016) and two at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, Fla. (6-5 with one save, a 5.49 ERA, 110 strikeouts and 42 walks in 95 innings in 2017 and 2018).

Gray was both a mid-week starter and weekend reliever at Florida Gulf Coast. He came out of the bullpen in the Rockies organization.

With the Milkmen, he has been used mostly for one-inning outings with two exceptions. He has never faced more than seven batters at a time.

“Throwing’s very crucial,” says Gray. “When you’re sore force yourself to throw and break up whatever’s tight in the body.

Gray uses Driveline PlyoCare balls for recovery both on days he pitches and days he does not.

At 25, Gray is one of the youngest on a roster that features no less than six players with big-league experience — pitchers Henderson Alvarez, Tim Dillard, David Holmberg, Drew Hutchison, A.J. Schugel, and infielder David Washington.

“It’s been really good for me to be around an older crowd like this and learn the game more,” says Gray. “It’s pretty close-knit team. Everybody’s very friendly and down-to-earth.

“I watch how they go about their business. As a professional, you’re in charge of your career. You have to know the ropes if you want that career to last long.”

Gray is now with a team managed by Anthony Barone with Hayden Carter (formerly of the Kokomo, Ind., Jackrabbits) as pitching coach that plays its home games in the Milwaukee suburb of Franklin, Wis.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the American Association is operating with six teams — Milwaukee, Chicago Dogs, Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks, Saint Paul Saints, Sioux Falls Canaries and Winnipeg Goldeyes — playing a 60-game schedule. When the season began, Milwaukee was one of three hubs. Later on, Chicago and Saint Paul opened back up and began hosting games. Winnipeg has been playing mostly road games.

Milwaukee is about a five-hour trip from Columbus meaning his family has been able to see him play in-person.

“They’re huge baseball fans,” says Peyton of father Billy Gray and older brother Jordan Gray. “They get to live their baseball dream through me. They’ve traveled and supported me through all these years.

“It makes me happy to make them proud.”

Billy Gray played high school baseball at Columbus North and Jordan Gray at Columbus East. 

From 12 to 17, Peyton played travel baseball for the Indiana Blazers. Billy was head coach of that team in the early years and Shelbyville’s Terry Kuhn filled that role in the later ones.

Bowling is a big deal in the Gray family. Billy owns Gray’s Pro Shop in Columbus Bowling Center. Jordan is the men’s bowling coach at Marian University in Indianapolis and his fiancee — Jerracah Heibel — is an associate head bowling coach at MU. Billy Gray is a Knights assistant.

Lisa Gray, wife of Billy and mother of Jordan and Peyton, works for Bartholemew County Youth Services Center.

Peyton Gray holds a Criminal Justice degree from Florida Gulf Coast and goes on ride-alongs with police officers during the baseball off-season. He says he sees himself going into some form of law enforcement in the future.

Peyton Gray, of Columbus, Ind., has been a lights-out late-inning baseball pitcher for the independent American Association’s Milwaukee Milkmen in 2020. He played at Florida Gulf Coast University before being signed by the Colorado Rockies in 2018.

Elkhart’s Strausborger getting fresh start with Twins

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Spring brings with it a chance for a fresh start.

The sense of newness rings especially true for Elkhart native Ryan Strausborger as he heads into his eighth season of professional baseball.

Strausborger, a 2006 Elkhart Memorial High School graduate who hitting a program-record .500 as a senior first-team all-state shortstop honoree by the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association, recently signed with the Minnesota Twins organization. He will spend his first spring training in Florida’s Grapefruit League after knowing nothing but Arizona’s Cactus League.

“I’m excited about it,” Strausborger said. “It’s a big relief knowing I have a chance with a team. That’s all I can ask for.

“I’ll hopefully start in Triple-A (at Rochester, N.Y.).”

The right-handed-hitting outfielder who turns 29 March 4 plans to take the option of getting to Twins camp in Fort Myers early on Feb. 20. That’s well ahead of the March 7 official reporting date for position players (pitchers and catchers get there first).

“I’m anxious to get into the swing of things,” Strausborger said.

The versatile speedster was selected in the 16th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Texas Rangers organization after a stellar collegiate career at Indiana State University (he was a three-time all-Missouri Valley Conference performer as a second baseman in 2008, utility player in 2009 and outfielder in 2010).

Strausborger worked his way up the Rangers ladder and made his MLB debut with Texas Aug. 5, 2015 and socked his lone big league home run Aug. 16 of that year.

He spent all of 2016 in the minor leagues and was traded to the Seattle Mariners organization near the end of 2016 and hit .153 with two homers, 11 RBI and six stolen bases in 40 games at Triple-A Tacoma.

Strausborger chooses to see the positives.

“I’m thankful to the Mariners for the opportunity,” Strausborger said. “I met a lot of awesome people and took away a lot of good things.

“I just didn’t show what I bring to the table. I have nobody to blame but myself.”

Having moved from the Rangers to the Mariners, he had already experienced one transition and now he’s getting ready for another after the Twins reached out to Bob Garber, Strausborger’s agent, and showed interest.

The Twins are bringing Strausborger in as an outfielder, but he plans to let the right people know about his utility abilities and hopes to get in some infield reps.

When Strausborger was with the Rangers, former minor league manager and big league coach Steve Buechele took note of his talents.

“He has that one tool that’s unique to the game and it’s valuable,” Buechele said. “It’s speed and he uses that to play good, solid defense and it helps him offensively. It’s a big part of his game.”

Casey Candaele, who was then minor league field coordinator, also praised Strausborger.

“He plays the game right,” Candaele said. “He’s a hard-nosed guy. He has tools that play.”

While he won’t know too many faces, a couple of Strausborger’s former teammates in the Rangers organization — catcher Chris Gimenez and relief pitcher Nick Tepesch and — are now with the Twins.

Since the end of the 2016 season, Strausborger has gotten to play rounds of golf with his dad, Mike, and to practice the acoustic guitar (picking up pointers on YouTube), while splitting his time between Indiana and Texas.

Off-season training has been devoted to strength and conditioning.

“You want to get as strong as you can and go into the season strong and injury free,” Strausborger said.

Winter months have also been consumed with plenty of batting practice. He even got a chance to share his hitting knowledge in a camp put on by the South Bend Cubs Performance Center. His career has had him traveling too much to give lessons on a regular basis, but he can see himself giving back to the game more in that way after he retires.

During his rise through the baseball ranks, he’s noticed the difference in levels comes down to three things — speed of the game, experience and talent.

“Everybody’s good at this level,” Strausborger said. “Everybody’s here for a reason.”

Right now, he’s enjoying the pro baseball experience.

“I’m happy and I’m blessed,” Strausborger said. “Looking back on it, there’s nothing I would change. I love what I get to do for a living and a job and you can’t ask for more than that.”

Once in awhile, Strausborger might find himself glancing back to his high school days or even to the summers on Elkhart’s Cleveland Little League diamonds.

“It helps you clear your head a little bit,” Strausborger said. “You remember that this game has to be fun.”

Ryan Strausborger, seen running the bases for the Texas Rangers, is now in the Minnesota Twins organization. (Getty Images)