Who are state’s best run producers so far in ’23?

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

Indiana college baseball teams have combined to score nearly 5,800 runs so far in 2023.
Based on posted numbers, NAIA Taylor averages 9.5 runs per game. Other leaders in the division are Indiana Tech (8.6), Huntington (8.3), IU-Kokomo (8.2) and Indiana Wesleyan (8.1).
Ball State (8.3), Indiana (7.8), Purdue (7.5), Evansville (7.4 are at the top of the NCAA Division I list.
NCAA Division II Indianapolis scores 8.5 runs per contest.
NCAA D-III leaders are Wabash (9.0), Anderson (8.7), Earlham (7.8), Franklin (7.7), Manchester (7.5) and Hanover (7.2.)
Pacing junior colleges is Vincennes (7.7).

Here’s a list of individual runs batted in leaders:
T.J. Bass (Taylor) 33
Lucas Goodin (Indiana Wesleyan) 33
Paul Toetz (Purdue) 33
Kade Vander Molen (Taylor) 33
Eric Roberts (Evansville) 32
Jarrett Gray (Huntington) 31
Trevor Campbell (IU Southeast) 30
Colton Evans (Vincennes) 29
Ben Kalbaugh (Taylor) 29
Luke Picchiotti (Taylor) 29
Kaden Elliott (Vincennes) 28
Max Fries (Earlham) 28
Langston Ginder (Huntington) 28
Kaleb Kolpien (Taylor) 28
Brayden Manning (Taylor) 28
Luke Barnes (IU Kokomo) 27
A.J. Reid (Wabash) 27
Brock Tibbitts (Indiana) 27
Nick Wiley (Indiana Wesleyan) 27
Xander Willis (Oakland City) 27
Jenner Rodammer (Goshen) 26
Nicholas Anderson (Calumet of St. Joseph) 25
Jayden Lepper (Saint Francis) 25
Jordan Malott (Huntington) 25
Ryan Peltier (Ball State) 25
Brenden Bell (IU South Bend) 24
Noah Matheson (Ivy Tech Northeast) 24
Andrew Miranda (Bethel) 24
Satchell Wilson (Huntington) 24
Matt Wolff (Huntington) 24
Alex Christie (Hanover) 23
Xavier Croxton (Saint Francis) 22
Tucker Ebest (Southern Indiana) 22
Kaleb Farnham (IU South Bend) 22
Eli MacDonald (Bethel) 22
Christian Mojica (Indiana Tech) 22
Conner Oxley (Oakland City) 22
Kody Putnam (IU Southeast) 22
Tyler Stahl (Indiana Tech) 22
M.J. Stavola (Indiana Wesleyan) 22
Mason David (Taylor) 21
Kamden Earley (Wabash) 21
Caleb Engelsman (Indiana Wesleyan) 21
Brendan Hord (Evansville) 21
Ian McCutcheon (Huntington) 21
Justin Reed (Anderson) 21
Mike Sears (Indiana State) 21
Sam Gladd (Taylor) 20
Phillip Glasser (Indiana) 20
Treven Madden (Oakland City) 20
Sam Newkirk (Grace) 20
Nick Parsons (Saint Francis) 20
Aidan Stevens (Manchester) 20
Mason White (IU Southeast) 20
Parker Bates (Indiana Tech) 19
Ben Berenda (IU Southeast) 19
Blake Bevis (Ball State) 19
Braedon Blackford (Purdue Fort Wayne) 19
Garrett Causey (Oakland City 19
Jacob Daftari (Indiana) Tech) 19
Matthew Ellis (Indiana) 19
Ben Higgins (Purdue Fort Wayne) 19
Jake Jarvis (Purdue) 19
Caleb Niehaus (Southern Indiana) 19
Sam Pesa (Saint Francis) 19
Josh Pyne (Indiana) 19
Brent Widder (Evansville) 19
Evan Albrecht (Purdue) 18
Jared Bujdos (Indianapolis) 18
Bryce Davenport (Marian) 18
Drew Donaldson (Indianapolis) 18
Riley Garczynski (IU Kokomo) 18
Jarod Gillespie (IU Kokomo) 18
Chase Hug (Evansville) 18
Hayden Lowe (Ivy Tech Northeast) 18
Liam Patton (Wabash) 18
Jeff Pawlik (Grace) 18
Sam Pinckert (Oakland City) 18
Matthew Rivera (Ball State) 18
Brett Sikoroski (IU South Bend) 18
Dion Wintjes (Marian) 18
Danny Borgstrom (Evansville) 17
Trevor Goodwin (IU Southeast) 17
Brayden Hazelwood (IU Southeast) 17
Camden Knepp (Taylor) 17
Sebastian Kuhns (Huntington) 17
Tysen Lipscomb (Franklin) 17
Carter Mathison (Indiana) 17
J.J. Rivera (Marian) 17
Kyle Schmack (Valparaiso) 17
Sean Sullivan (Franklin) 17
Joey Urban (Butler) 17
Kobe Bartlett (Vincennes) 16
Jacob Dupps (Hanover) 16
Seth Gergely (Indiana State) 16
Jared Holley (Manchester) 16
Ben Kennedy (Taylor) 16
Darrius Little (Calumet of St. Joseph) 16
Michael Machnic (Calumet of St. Joseph) 16
David Miller (Saint Francis) 16
Carter Putz (Notre Dame) 16
Decker Scheffler (Ball State) 16
Tyler Smitherman (Anderson) 16
Jo Stevens (Purdue) 16
Alex Stout (Bethel) 16
Devin Taylor (Indiana) 16
Cooper Tolson (Bethel) 16
Peyton Blinn (IUPU-Columbus) 15
Hunter Dobbins (Ball State) 15
Matt Earley (Franklin) 15
Kip Fougerousse (Evansville) 15
Connor Gordon (Anderson) 15
Rocco Hanes (Manchester) 15
Rylan Huntley (Marian) 15
John Joyce (Grace) 15
Jack Leverenz (IU Kokomo) 15
Ty Mathews (Indiana Wesleyan) 15
Lucas McNew (Southern Indiana) 15
Thomas Obergfell (IU Kokomo) 15
Jake Parr (Purdue) 15
Brady Renfro (Valparaiso) 15
Simon Scherry (Evansville) 15
Bobby Whalen (Indiana) 15
Carter Whitehead (Vincennes) 15

Not forgetting about the pitchers, here are the victory leaders:
Ryan Troxel (Indiana Tech) 6
Lucas Letsinger (IU Kokomo) 5
Tyler Papenrock (Huntington) 5
Ryan Brown (Ball State) 4
Jack Findlay (Notre Dame) 4
Marcus Goodpaster (Hanover) 4
Alec Holcomb (Taylor) 4
Graham Kollen (Huntington) 4
Blaine McRae (Saint Francis) 4
Jack Ross (Taylor) 4
Donovan Schultz (Evansville) 4
Damien Wallace (Marian) 4
Matthew Alter (Hanover) 3
Cason Bennett (Earlham) 3
Jarrett Blunt (Evansville) 3
Brandon DeWitt (Indianapolis) 3
Caleb Everson (Wabash) 3
Ben Harris (IU Kokomo) 3
Jacob Hartlaub (Ball State) 3
Derek Haslett (Wabash) 3
Matthew Johnson (Franklin) 3
Ty Johnson (Ball State) 3
Maddox Manes (Franklin) 3
William Myklebust (Ivy Tech Northeast) 3
Gabel Pentecost (Taylor) 3
Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast) 3
Jake Stuteville (Vincennes) 3
Aaron Suval (Purdue) 3
Aidan Tyrell (Notre Dame) 3
Craig Yoho (Indiana) 3
Drue Young (Indiana Wesleyan) 3
Tyler Yotkewich (IU Southeast) 3
Jackson Young (Franklin) 3
Zach Zaborowski (Indiana Tech) 3

The saves leaders:

Ryan Kraft (Indiana) 5
Hunter Schumacher (Grace) 4
Jared Crandall (Taylor) 3
Jonathan Oliger (Rose-Hulman) 3
Wyatt Phillips (Indianapolis) 3
Jack Ross (Taylor) 3
Grant Simmons (Huntington) 3
Aaron Barokas (Butler) 2
Robbie Berger (IU South Bend) 2
Carter Bosch (Notre Dame) 2
Noah Brettin (Trine) 2
Jesse Burch (Indiana Tech) 2
Hunter Frost (Saint Francis) 2
Riley Gallagher (Purdue Northwest) 2
Nate Hardman (Evansville) 2
Xavier Hart (Vincennes) 2
Garrett Hill (IU Southeast) 2
Carter Hooks (Manchester) 2
Maddox Manes (Franklin) 2
Sam Phillips (Wabash) 2
Jaden Siemer (Hanover) 2
Taylor Sopor (Marian) 2
Benjamin Witterstaetter (Goshen) 2

Below are season records, weekly results and links to web pages, schedules and statistics for all of Indiana’s 39 collegiate programs.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through March 26
NCAA D-I
Ball State 17-6 (8-1 MAC)
Indiana 17-7 (3-0 Big Ten)
Evansville 16-7 (3-0 MVC)
Notre Dame 12-9 (5-4 ACC)
Indiana State 11-11 (3-0 MVC)
Purdue 10-12 (1-2 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 7-10 (0-3 MVC)
Southern Indiana 7-17 (0-3 OVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 6-18 (3-3 Horizon)
Butler 5-18 (0-0 Big East)

Schedule Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

Stat Links
Ball State
Butler
Evansville
Indiana
Indiana State
Notre Dame
Purdue
Purdue Fort Wayne
Southern Indiana
Valparaiso

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 11-7 (0-7 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 4-12 (0-2 GLIAC)

Schedule Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

Stat Links
Indianapolis
Purdue Northwest

NCAA D-III
Wabash 13-6 (0-0 NCAC)
Earlham 12-5 (2-1 HCAC)
Anderson 11-6 (1-1 HCAC)
Franklin 11-6 (2-1 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 9-6 (2-0 HCAC)
Trine 9-8 (0-0 MIAA)
Manchester 9-9 (1-2 HCAC)
Hanover 7-10 (1-2 HCAC)
DePauw 5-7 (0-0 NCAC)

Schedule Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

Stat Links
Anderson
DePauw
Earlham
Franklin
Hanover
Manchester
Rose-Hulman
Trine
Wabash

NAIA
Oakland City 22-9 (6-6 RSC)
Taylor 21-9 (14-2 CL)
Huntington 19-8 (13-3 CL)
Indiana Tech 15-5 (4-2 WHAC)
IU-Kokomo 15-10 (7-3 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 15-10-1 (10-3 CL)
IU Southeast 13-13 (8-4 RSC)
Bethel 13-15 (6-10 CL)
Calumet of St. Joseph 12-18 (2-5 CCAC)
Grace 11-12 (3-9 CL)
Marian 11-15 (5-9 CL)
Saint Francis 11-15 (6-8 CL)
IU South Bend 9-16 (4-3 CCAC)
Goshen 6-19 (2-11 CL)
IUPU-Columbus 1-28

Schedule Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Stat Links
Bethel
Calumet of St. Joseph
Goshen
Grace
Huntington
IU-Kokomo
IUPU-Columbus
IU South Bend
IU Southeast
Indiana Tech
Indiana Wesleyan
Marian
Oakland City
Saint Francis
Taylor

Junior College
Vincennes 14-13 (4-2 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 12-11
Marian’s Ancilla 2-18 (1-1 MCCAA)

Schedule Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Stat Links
Ivy Tech Northeast
Marian’s Ancilla
Vincennes

Through March 26
NCAA D-I
Monday, March 20
Butler 3, Northwestern 2

Tuesday, March 21
Butler 9, Eastern Michigan 7
Indiana 15, Indiana State 5
Notre Dame 8, Valparaiso 4
Illinois-Chicago 6, Purdue 4
Bowling Green 8, Purdue Fort Wayne 6
Belmont 6, Southern Indiana 3

Wednesday, March 22
Ball State 19, Butler 2
Evansville 11, Southern Illinois-Edwardsville 7

Friday, March 24
Ball State 2, Eastern Michigan 1
Notre Dame 4, Louisville 3
Purdue 5, Michigan State 4
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Northern Kentucky 5

Saturday, March 25
Ball State at 16, Eastern Michigan 5
Cincinnati 15, Butler 5
Evansville 12, Missouri State 7
Evansville 7, Missouri State 3
Indiana 14, Ohio State 6
Indiana State 10, Valparaiso 1
Morehead State 3, Southern Indiana 2

Sunday, March 26
Ball State 7, Eastern Michigan 3
Butler 8, Cincinnati 5
Cincinnati 13, Butler 3
Evansville 7, Missouri State 4
Indiana 9, Ohio State 6
Indiana 7, Ohio State 5
Indiana State 7, Valparaiso 2
Indiana State 4, Valparaiso 2
Notre Dame 5, Louisville 4
Louisville 2, Notre Dame 1
Michigan State 5, Purdue 4
Michigan State 12, Purdue 6
Purdue Fort Wayne 9, Northern Kentucky 5
Northern Kentucky 10, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Morehead State 11, Southern Indiana 4
Morehead State 5, Southern Indiana 1

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, March 21
Findlay 10, Indianapolis 7

Friday, March 24
Saginaw Valley State 7, Purdue Northwest 1
Saginaw Valley State 3, Purdue Northwest 2

Saturday, March 25
Illinois-Springfield 11, Indianapolis 10
Illinois-Springfield 5, Indianapolis 3

Sunday, March 26
Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield
Indianapolis at Illinois-Springfield

NCAA D-III
Monday, March 20
Franklin 18, Trine 8
Franklin 14, Trine 1
Heidelberg 11, Manchester 10
Heidelberg 11, Manchester 3
Wisconsin-Osh Kosh 16, Rose-Hulman 5

Tuesday, March 21
Anderson 16, Alma 14
Anderson 16, Alma 6
Earlham 15, Principia 2
Spalding 14, Hanover 13
Trine 13, Manchester 10

Wednesday, March 22
Calvin 6, Manchester 0

Saturday, March 25
Manchester 9, Earlham 6
Transylvania 11, Franklin 0
Mount St. Joseph 6, Hanover 5

Sunday, March 26
Bluffton 10, Anderson 9
Anderson 19, Bluffton 3
DePauw 11, Houston-Victoria 9
Earlham 7, Manchester 6
Earlham 5, Manchester 4
Franklin 6, Transylvania 4
Franklin 14, Transylvania 7
Hanover 3, Mount St. Joseph 0
Mount St. Joseph 19, Hanover 9
Rose-Hulman 10, Defiance 2
Rose-Hulman 5, Defiance 3
Trine 5, Wright State Lake Campus 2
Trine 3, Wright State Lake Campus 2
Wabash 8, Illinois Wesleyan 7 (10 inn.)
Wabash 12, Illinois Wesleyan 9

NAIA
Monday, March 20
Saint Francis 12, Bethel 4
Saint Francis 10, Bethel 4
Olivet Nazarene 18, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
Indiana Wesleyan 9, Goshen 3
Indiana Wesleyan 20, Goshen 2
Mount Vernon Nazarene 10, Grace 8
Mount Vernon Nazarene 4, Grace 3
Saint Xavier 8, IU South Bend 4
Saint Xavier 13, IU South Bend 3
Lourdes 9, Indiana Tech 8
Lourdes 15, Indiana Tech 5
Oakland City 2, Rio Grande 1

Tuesday, March 21
Indiana Southeast 20, IUPU-Columbus 2
Indiana Southeast 14, IUPU-Columbus 6
Indiana Tech 7, Siena Heights 3
Indiana Tech 9, Siena Heights 3
Spring Arbor 10, Marian 9
Spring Arbor 11, Marian 5

Wednesday, March 22
Taylor 10, Mount Vernon Nazarene 7
Taylor 14, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Thursday, March 23
Huntington 9, Bethel 8
Huntington 13, Bethel 1
Asbury 13, IUPU-Columbus 12
Asbury 22, IUPU-Columbus 5

Friday, March 24
Bethel 6, Huntington 2
Huntington 12, Bethel 2
Calumet of St. Joseph 4, Saint Francis (Ill.) 0
Saint Francis (Ill.) 3, Calumet of St. Joseph 2
Spring Arbor 8, Goshen 0
Spring Arbor 10, Goshen 2
Grace 10, Marian 3
Grace 6, Marian 1
IU South Bend 11, Trinity International 1
Saint Francis 8, Indiana Wesleyan 4
Indiana Wesleyan 4, Saint Francis 1
Taylor 6, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
Taylor 3, Mount Vernon Nazarene 2

Saturday, March 25
IU Southeast 5, Alice Lloyd 3
West Virginia Tech 13, Oakland City 5

Sunday, March 26
Saint Francis (Ill.) at Calumet of St. Joseph
IU-Kokomo 12, Ohio Christian 2
Ohio Christian 9, IU-Kokomo 7
IU South Bend 12, Trinity International 4
IU South Bend 8, Trinity International 1
IU Southeast 7, Alice Lloyd 2
IU Southeast 18, Alice Lloyd 0
Indiana Tech 3, Lawrence Tech 2
Indiana Tech 15, Lawrence Tech 0
Oakland City 9, West Virginia Tech 3
Oakland City 10, West Virginia Tech 2

Junior College
Monday, March 20
Ivy Tech Northeast 7, Muskegon 5
Muskegon 5, Ivy Tech Northeast 4
Vincennes 12, Danville Area 2
Vincennes 7, Danville Area 4

Tuesday, March 21
Ivy Tech Northeast 11, Lakeland 1
Ivy Tech Northeast 17, Lakeland 2
Marian’s Ancilla 6, Glen Oaks 4
Vincennes 18, Danville Area 6
Vincennes 19, Danville Area 11

Thursday, March 23
Kellogg 10, Marian’s Ancilla 2

Sunday, March 26
Ivy Tech Northeast 5, Cuyahoga 4
Illinois Central 13, Vincennes 2
Illinois Central 11, Vincennes 0

Advertisement

Ivy Tech’s Smith honing two-way skills this summer in Kansas

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

Gage Smith grew up in the small town of Garrett, Ind.
The third baseman/right-handed pitcher is playing in another bantam burg this summer while playing for the Wellington Heat in Kansas Collegiate League Baseball.
“The community is close-knit and we have great group of guys here,” says Smith, a 2021 graduate of Garrett High School who has completed one season of college ball for the Connor Wilkins-coached Ivy Tech Northeast Titans in Fort Wayne.
Heat home games are played under the lights at Hibbs-Hooten Stadium in the seat of Summer County — Wellington. Road trips in the KCBL are as short as 30 minutes and as long as 1 hour, 40 minutes.
Wellington won the National Baseball Congress title in 2007 and were NBC World Series runners-up in 2013.
In his first eight games with the 2022 Heat, Smith is hitting .238 (5-of-21) with two home runs, four runs batted in and five runs scored. He has pitched in five games (all in relief) and is 0-0 with one save, a 2.70 earned run average, 11 strikeouts and two walks for 6 2/3 innings.
In 26 games at Ivy Tech in the spring, Smith hit .341 (29-of-85) with one homer, four triples, six doubles,15 RBIs and a .952 OPS (.411 on-base percentage plus .541 slugging average). The righty batter has also scored 16 runs and swiped 10 bases.
In four mound appearances (one start), Smith was 0-0 with a 4.91 ERA, nine strikeouts and four walks over 7 1/3 innings.
Smith does not wish to choose between infielder/hitter and pitcher as his favorite.
“I love both equally,” says Smith, 19. “I’d like to be a two-way for my whole career. I try to balance out the work with both positions.
“As a fielder my strength is putting it all on the line while backing my pitchers. At the plate, I try to spray it anywhere and be a tough out.”
While working with Ivy Tech pitching coach Javier DeJesus, Smith took the velocity on the four-seam fastball from 83 mph to 88 mph from the fall to the spring.
But Smith does not focus on speed.
“I try to be dominant on the mound,” says Smith. “I’m pitching in the (strike) zone and attacking hitters with their weaknesses.
“Every hitter has a tell about what he’s going to chase. The catcher will also help you with that.”
Throwing over the top, Smith has a 12-to-6 curveball and “circle” change-up and he has been working on a two-seamer.
Smith calls DeJesus “a pitching genius.”
“He’s been moving the ball around in our hand to get the best break we can on (pitches),” says Smith.
Another Titans hurler that has benefitted from working with DeJesus is Matt Peters, who is moving on to NCAA Division I Miami University (Oxford, Ohio).
“It was awesome playing with him,” says Smith of Peters, who throws the ball in the high 90’s. “We got to face him in live (at-bats).
“He made an impact on all of us.”
Smith has three Ivy Tech teammates at Wellington — Joel Deakins, Coby Griffith and Noah Matheson. Deakins is an outfielder, Griffith a pitcher and Matheson an infielder.
Another — Zach Green — plays for KCBL’s Park City Rangers as a catcher. Smith and Matheson are roomies with host family parents James and Jodie McCarthy.
“They are some sweet people,” says Smith. “They are willing to have people live there and care for them.
“It’s definitely more comfortable having (Ivy Tech mates) around.”
At Ivy Tech — an National Junior Collegiate Athletic Association Division II team — Smith has embraced the idea of a “JUCO Bandit.”
“I means you have some sort of grit to you. You’re dirtbags,” says Smith. “You train hard and play the game hard.
“That’s what a ‘JUCO Bandit’ means to me.”
Smith is in Kansas this summer and plans to return to Ivy Tech in the fall as a General Studies major with the idea of attracting a four-year school who will give him the opportunity to continue his baseball career.
Born in Fort Wayne, Smith grew up in Garrett and played about eight years at what is now Garrett Youth Baseball. The summers before and after his last high school season, he played for the Brett Ratcliffe-coached DeKalb County Thunder.
Ratcliffe was head coach at Garrett High in Smith’s freshman and sophomore years with Jason Richards leading the Railroaders in 2019-20 (the season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic) and 2020-21.
“(Ratcliffe) was kind of an old school coach,” says Smith. “He taught me the basics of baseball and got me to where I wanted to play college baseball.
“(Richards) coached me in football in middle school. He was a guy I knew really well and could trust and depend on him.”
Gage’s parents are Pamela Smith and Chris Smith. He has a twin sister, Morgan Smith. Tori Smith is a few years older. Austin Carroll is second oldest sibling. Beau Carroll (who died in 2021 at 29) was the oldest.

Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast Photo)

Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast Photo)

Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast Photo)

Gage Smith (Ivy Tech Northeast Photo)

Gage Smith with the Wellington (Kan.) Heat (R .Newberry Photo)

Gage Smith with the Wellington (Kan.) Heat (R .Newberry Photo)

Dick Crumback/NEIBA Player of the Award finalists named

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Finalists gave been selected for the 2021 Dick Crumback/Northeast Indiana Baseball Association High School Player of the Year Award.

The winner will be named the week of IHSAA sectionals.

Finalists from a group of original nominees are: 

Xavier Nolan (Bishop Dwenger)

Lukas North (Bishop Luers)

Brayten Gordon (Churubusco)

Evan Snyder (Churubusco)

Seth Abel (Churubusco)

Cam Niedens (Carroll)

Conner Miller (Carroll)

Alex Smith (Carroll)

Sam Gladd (Columbia City)

Preston Henschen (Columbia City)

Owen Willard (Eastside)

Gage Smith (Garrett)

Graham Kelham (Garrett)

Trey Richards (Garrett)

Dalton Wasson (Heritage)

Carter Mathison (Homestead)

Kaleb Kolpien (Homestead)

Coley Stevens (Leo)

Augie DiFederico (New Haven)

Here’s Dick Crumback/NEIBA Player of the Year Watch List

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Baseball coaches from Adams, Allen, DeKalb, Noble, Huntington, Wells and Whitley counties were surveyed and 69 names appear on the 2021 Dick Crumback/Northeast Indiana Baseball Association (NEIBA) High School Player of the Year Watch List.

The list will be narrowed in early May to a group of award finalists. The winner will be announced May 26 to coincide with the start the IHSAA state tournament series. The winner will be honored at a Fort Wayne TinCaps game since the NEIBA banquet has been postponed until Sept. 12.

Since 1961, the NEIBA has recognized local baseball players, personnel and ambassadors through a Hall of Fame and honors program. South Adams’ Grant Besser was named Dick Crumback/NEIBA High School Player of the Year in 201. With the 2020 season being canceled because of the COVID-1 pandenic, there was no award given for 2020.

For more information, contact Gary Rogers at grogers@eacs.k.in.us or Brett Windmiller at brett.windmiller@nacs.k.in.us. 

DICK CRUMBACK/NEIBA 

HIGH SCHOOL PLAYER OF THE YEAR 

WATCH LIST

2021

Adams Central (Coach Dave Neuenschwander)

Sr. Justin Bultemeier

Sr. Chase Murray

Jr. Alex Currie

Jr. Blake Heyerly

Bellmont (Coach Tom Montgomery)

Sr. Tanner Hirn

Sr.  Tyler James

Jr.  Kobe Baker

Jr.  Magnuss Lee

Jr. Ethan Garner

Jr. Trevor Walker

Bishop Dwenger (Coach Jason Garrett)

Sr.  Brenden Lytle

Sr. Sam Pesa

Sr.  Callan Stauffer

Sr.  Xavier Nolan

Jr. Jack Tippmann

Fr.  Brayton Thomas

Jr. Beau Jacquay

Bishop Luers (Coach Jeff Stanski)

Sr.  Lukas North

Carroll (Coach Dave Ginder)

Sr.  Jerod Handshoe

Sr.  Cameron Niedens

Jr.  Alex Smith

Sr.  Conner Miller

Sr.  Josh Kuhns

Sr. Jaycob McCullough

Churubusco (Coach Jordan Turner)

Sr.  Brayten Gordon

Sr.  Evan Snyder

Jr.  Keenan Hendricks

Jr.  Callahan Ostrowski

Sr.  Seth Abel

Columbia City (Coach Rob Bell)

Jr.  Sam Gladd

Jr.  Adin Miller

Sr.  Preston Henschen

DeKalb (Coach Tim Murdock)

Sr.  Steele Jackson

East Noble (Coach Aaron Desmonds)

Jr.  Brayden Risedorph

Eastside (Coach Aaron Willard)

Jr.  Owen Willard

Sr.  Dylan Herig

Sr.  Wade Miller

Jr.  Jack Buchanan

Garrett (Coach Jason Richards)

Sr.  Gage Smith

Jr.  Trey Richards

Jr.  Graham Kelham

Heritage (Coach Dean Lehrman)

Jr.  Dalton Wasson

Homestead (Coach Nick Byall)

Sr.  Carter Mathison

Sr.  Luke Palmer

Sr.  Kaleb Kolpien

Sr.  Graham Kollen

Sr. Grant Simmons

Sr. Cole Elkins

Sr. Jayden Lepper

Leo (Coach Gary Rogers)

Sr.  Tyler Papenbrock

Sr.  Coley Stevens

Sr.  Damien Gudakunst

Sr.  Quinten Peters

Sr.  Gannon Brown

Sr. Michael O’Brien

Sr. Dakota Patterson

New Haven (Coach Dave Bischoff)

Sr. Jacob Kortenber

Sr. Augie Difederico

Northrop (Coach Matt Brumbaugh)

Sr.  Tarron White

Jr.  Luke Siren

Norwell (Coach Dave Goodmiller)

Sr. Rocco Hanes

Sr. Eli Riley

South Adams (Coach Brad Buckingham)

Sr. Adam Besser

Sr. James Arnold

Jr. A.J. Dull

Jr. Conner Young

Southern Wells (Coach Blade Rheinhart)

Sr.  Tanner Johnson

Whitko (Coach Jorell Tucker)

Sr.  Bryce Tucker

Sr. Evan Wilson

Northeast Indiana Baseball Association

NECC Home Run Derby promotes baseball, cancer awareness

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

As a way of promoting baseball and helping the community, two senior ballplayers at Lakeland Junior/Senior High School in LaGrange, Ind., came up with an idea.

Jayce Riegling and Braden Yoder decided to organize a home run derby and invited other players from the Northeast Corner Conference to participate.

Sixteen hitters representing nine of the conference’s 12 schools — Angola (where Roger Roddy is head coach), Central Noble (Tyler Graybeal), Fairfield (Darin Kauffman), Fremont (Justin Bock), Garrett (Jason Richards), Lakeland (Michael Isaacs), Prairie Heights (T.J. Guthrie), West Noble (Doug Brown), and Westview (Jason Rahn) — are slated to slug it out, beginning at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3 on the Lakeland diamond.

There will be four rounds with batters seeing how many homers they can hit in three minutes.

All proceeds from the event, which has 48 corporate sponsors, will be going to Hello Gorgeous!, a non-profit organization that provides complimentary, professional makeovers and cosmetic education to all women battling all cancers. Organizers says that more than $5,000 has already been raised.

Tickets will be on sale the day of the event for $3. T-shirts will also be sold. To keep spectators fed, the MADD Chef Creationz food truck will be there, too.

Why an NECC Home Run Derby?

“Everyone loves home runs,” says Riegling. “I want to be an agent. I was talking to some (sports) agents. They told me to come up with baseball projects.”

After batting around a few ideas, they settled on bringing in players with the pitcher of their choice for a home run derby.

“It helps the community better,” says Riesling. “It gets us closer.”

Yoder, who is considering a career in engineering, sees his role in the project as the proof reader and aesthetic editor.

“I try to make everything look nice,” says Yoder. “I’m more behind the scenes. I keep things straight.

“This is going to be a fun event. I’m excited. It’s the first time I’ve ever done anything like this. So far it’s turned out perfectly.”

Yoder says permission forms need to be finalized, but they will welcome participation by younger kids to shag balls.

The event was originally scheduled for May 2020, but the IHSAA informed the organizers that players could not participate in-season so the date was changed.

If the weather does not cooperate Sunday, back-up dates are Nov. 9 and 10. Updates will be placed on the project’s Twitter page — @NECC_HRD.

Most of the participants came to a media day sponsored by Shipshewana Trading Place.

Here’s what the many of the hitters had to say:

Felipe Arevalo (Fairfield): “This is a very nice project … We all love baseball. This will be my first home run derby. It’s going to be fun … (Coach Kauffman) talks about hitting the ball hard.”

Brayden Bontrager (Lakeland): “I just love the game. Baseball is a fun sport to play. I always like to hit home runs … Home runs are the best part of the game. It rallies the team … (Coach Isaacs) is more of a contact guy, get guys on-base … The ball travels here in left field. There’s a cornfield out there.”

Nathan Burr (Central Noble): “I’ve never heard about anything else like this in high school. I thought it would be fun to be part of the first one … This is a great cause — cancer awareness. I’m real excited.”

Tyler Curtis (Prairie Heights): “I like hitting dingers. I like the competition … Last year I had one (homer) on varsity … Rotational hitting (which I learned at Hitters Edge in Sturgis, Mich.) is a big thing. A big shoutout to Mike Marks and Robert Riley … Stamina is a big thing we don’t focus on (in a home run contest). You have to control your breathing.”

Camden “Bodhi” Hall (Prairie Heights): “(Bodhi) comes from a movie called Point Break with Patrick Swayze. My dad just wanted to name me that. He still calls me Bodhi … Tyler Curtis and I wanted to represent our school and show them what we’ve got as sophomores … Tyler and I were in a home run derby together while with the Hitter’s Edge. He was first and I second one year … (Hitter’s Edge coach Mike Marks) is great. You go up there, you’ll learn something.”

Camden Harris (Garrett): “I had four (home runs) last spring (behind senior Kobe Lucarelli’s six) … This will be my third (home run contest). I was in seventh grade and we were in Kentucky for nationals (in travel ball) and I got second place. As a freshman or sophomore, I was down in Florida and got first place.”

Connor Kreis (Fremont): “I heard about a slogan like ‘Swinging for Cancer’ or something like that. I figured it was going for a good cause. It’s just cool to get out here and see these other athletes that I’ve played against since I was a freshman.”

Owen Miller (Fairfield): “I hit two home runs last year. One was a grand slam (at Lakeland) … You have to have a good pitcher (Owen’s father, Tim Miller, will pitch to him) and you need to be confident.”

Nick Mortrud (Westview): “I thought it would be fun to do something to bring the schools together … In a way, this helps the school kind of showcase what they’ve got … We’re bringing the community here, too … I was in a home run contest in travel ball at around 10 (in Columbus, Ohio) at ended up winning it … I’m going to be thinking don’t take too many wasted swings. After each swing kind of analyze what you’re doing. Focus on what you’re body’s doing as you take the swing.”

Hunter Saggars (West Noble): “(Jayce) and I go way back. We used to play ball together … I’ve never seen anything like this before so I figured it would be cool to be a part of the first one … I’m not going into this thing thinking I’m going to win it. We’ve got some big boys. I just want to be a part of it … (2019 West Noble graduate) Jorge Villanueva will be throwing to me.”

Takota Sharick (Westview): “My Grandma has cancer so this is really important to me … I’m not necessarily a power hitter, but if I focus on it I can be alright … We use Blast Motion and (Coach Rahn) tells us when we’ve had good launch angle and bat speed.”

Gage Smith (Garrett): “We’ve got three (derby competitors) looking pretty sharp, honestly … I would honestly consider myself a power hitter (with four homers for the Railroaders last spring) … A Garrett cop (Kylan LaMotte) will be throwing to us.”

Evan Snyder (Churubusco): “I was in a home run derby a long time ago in Cooperstown. I hit one … It’s a good thing they’re doing this for, the charity.”

Tristan Taylor (Garrett): “We’re all a tight-knit group (at Garrett). All three of us are chatting and having a competition amongst ourselves. It’ll be fun … It’s a really good opportunity to support this charity. It’s a really good organization … Everything about this is great.”

NECC HR DERBY

At Lakeland

Sunday, Nov. 3, 3:30 p.m.

Bracket 1

First Round

Nick Mortrud (Westview jr.) vs. Brayden Bontrager (Lakeland jr.)

Gage Smith (Garrett jr.) vs. Dylan Eggl (Central Noble jr.)

Camden Harris (Garrett sr.) vs. Camden “Bodhi” Hall (Prairie Heights so.)

Owen Miller (Fairfield so.) vs. Connor Kreis (Fremont sr.)

Bracket 2

First Round

Tyler Curtis (Prairie Heights so.) vs. Evan Snyder (Churubusco jr.)

Nathan Burr (Central Noble sr.) vs. Kolton Taylor (Lakeland sr.)

Tristan Taylor (Garrett sr.) vs. Felipe Arevalo (Fairfield sr.)

Hunter Saggars (West Noble sr.) vs. Takota Sharick (Westview jr.)

The NECC Home Run Derby brackets for 2019. (Steve Krah Photo)

The Northeast Corner Conference Home Run Derby with proceeds to benefit Hello Gorgeous! is slated for Sunday, Nov. 3 at Lakeland Junior/Senior High School in LaGrange, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)