Kamm giving back to baseball as new Warren Central head coach

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Justin Kamm built a career in Information Technology.

At one point, Indiana University had Kamm running the internet for all its campuses across the state. That led to positions are software companies ExactTarget and Sales Force.

A former baseball coach at Park Tudor School in Indianapolis, Kamm opted to retire early from the IT industry.

“I decided to dedicate my time to teaching the game of baseball,” says Kamm, who took over the Indy Titans and became president of the travel organization which now fields 36 teams from 8U to 17U and founded Indiana Baseball Academy in Westfield, Ind. “I felt it led me to success in my life and I wanted to give that back to folks and the only way I knew how to do that was through coaching.”

Kamm is a 1992 graduate of North Central High School in Indianapolis, where Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Famer Tom Bradley was Panthers head coach his freshmen and sophomore years and Rick Shadiow his junior and senior seasons. Current Brownsburg (Ind.) High School head coach Dan Roman was a Shadiow assistant.

At Vincennes (Ind.) University, Kamm did not play baseball at the school he formed a relationship with the Trailblazers head coach Jerry Blemker, who went into the National Junior College Athletic Association Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.

“There are lots of lessons learned from all those coaches,” says Kamm, who also went to Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis and Indiana Wesleyan University and earned a Business Management degree. “I learned to care about players as individuals and teach life lessons.”

At the end of January 2024, Kamm added head baseball coach at Warren Central High School on Indy’s east side to his diamond duties.

Warren Central (enrollment around 3,500) is a member of the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference (with Ben Davis, Indianapolis North Central, Lawrence Central, Lawrence North and Pike).

MIC games are home-and-home series on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Warriors are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Arsenal Tech, Franklin Central, Perry Meridian, Roncalli and Southport. Warren Central has won nine sectional titles — the last in 1991.

Other teams on the schedule, which includes the May 11 Warrior Invitational as well as the first round of the Marion County Tournament, include Brebeuf Jesuit, Danville Community, Greenfield-Central, Greenwood Community, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard, Indianapolis Kings, Indianapolis Scecina Memorial, Indianapolis Shortridge, New Palestine, Shelbyville, Speedway and Whiteland Community.

Eli Shaw (Class of 2023) is a right-handed pitcher at Indiana University. The team took a field trip March 28 to see him hurl at Butler University.

College baseball commits in the Class of 2024 include Justin Concepcion to the University of Northwestern Ohio and Jackson Hobbs and Lucas Hobbs both to Marian University’s Ancilla College.

Kamm’s Warren Central coaching staff features three returnees and three newcomers. 

“I think it’s important to keep continuity,” says Kamm.

Jeff Cardenas, Todd Wellman and Josh Ott are back with the varsity. New to the program as coaches are varsity coach Jordan Hamsley and junior varsity coaches Zach Summeier and Aaron Betts.

Fort Wayne Bishop Luers High School graduate Cardenas played at the University of Northwestern Ohio and independent pro ball. 

Floyd Central High School graduate Hamsley played at Indiana Wesleyan and was a strength and conditioning coach in the Atlanta Braves organization. He runs Hamsley Performance out of Indiana Baseball Academy. 

Summeier is a 2017 Warren Central graduate. 

Betts played for the Indy Titans, North Central and at Kentucky State University.

The Warriors’ on-campus home diamond is Foreman Field. Kamm says he hopes a corporate partnership with LIFT Academy — a pilot and flight mechanic training company — will help with some upgrades to the facility.

Kamm says he had other coaching opportunities, but chose Warren Central because it aligns with his personal mission of developing baseball players.

“The landscape of east side baseball has changed drastically in the last decade,” says Kamm. “Part of my goal going forward is to bring back baseball in Warren and on the east side of Indianapolis because it seems to be dying right now.

“Less kids are playing than before.”

Warren Little League has closed. Some players from Irvington Sports Baseball & Softball make their way to Warren Central.

Metropolitation School District of Warren Township’s eighth grade and seventh grade baseball teams run through Raymond Park Intermediate and Middle School.

Recent discussions have focused on creating a Sunday showcase program for 9U to 12U that is currently being called Warrior Baseball.

Justin and wife Tara Kamm, an avid Chicago Cubs fan and daughter of retired sportswriter Hank Lowenkron, have two children — daughter Megan Kamm is an accountant at Deloitte in Chicago and son Zach Kamm is a senior at Brebeuf Jesuit and a former baseball player.

Justin Kamm. (Warren Central High School Image)

Warren Central High School.

Hall of Famer Webster comes back to diamond at Martinsville

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Phil Webster coached baseball each season from 1984-2022.

He led the Decatur Central High School program in Indianapolis for 27 springs and won 528 games as the Hawks field boss through 2011.

The Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer (Class of 2015) with 50-plus years as an educator also had head coaching stints at North Putnam High School in Roachdale, Ind., and Southport High School in Indianapolis and served as an assistant at Franklin (Ind.) College, Mooresville (Ind.) High School and Perry Meridian High School and Pike High School (twice) — the latter two in Indy.

Both times at Pike he was helping son and Red Devils head coach Todd Webster.

As the 2022 season was coming to a close, Phil Webster announced that he had identified some other pursuits and stepped away from baseball and did not coach in 2023.

Then the diamond came calling again.

“I found out that when I was doing other things I really missed the game,” says Webster, 82. “(Martinsville, Ind., High School athletic director/head boys basketball coach Kip Staggs) took a chance on me. We’ll see what happens.”

Webster took over the Artesians program in the summer and has been able to lead some players in IHSAA Limited Contact Period activities in the fall and winter (two days per week of practice and one day of conditioning), though many have been occupied in other sports.

“We have an awful lot of people that we haven’t seen yet,” says Webster. “We have yet to assemble all the people we anticipate will be playing the spring.

“I have spent quite a bit of time with some of them. Little by little, we’re beginning to blend.”

Among the returnees is right-handed pitcher and University of Notre Dame verbal commit Rhys Wolf (Martinsville Class of 2026).

Since the 2017 season, the IHSAA has had pitch count rules ( 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).

“You may need to teach everybody on your team the pitching fundamentals because you may need them,” says Webster. “We need more pitchers.”

Webster has noticed many lopsided scores in recent seasons — 25-0, 13-run innings etc.

“That can’t be good for the game,” says Webster. 

At the same time, he is no fan of the 10-run or “mercy” rule.

“Here’s why I don’t like it: Back in the old days if you had kids sitting on the bench who don’t get to play very much, that’s when we would put that kid in there,” says Webster. “Now he gets a chance to maybe get a couple of base hits and impress the coach. Now you cut the game off and the kid that works hard in practice everyday loses his one chance to play.

“Those kids get robbed of an opportunity.”

Among recent graduates moving on to college baseball, left-hander Kevin Reed (MHS Class of 2023) is now at the University of Evansville.

Webster says he expects to have about 30 players for varsity and junior varsity teams. His coaching staff includes Tom Kitchen, Levi Floyd and wife Lorrie Webster (who is also director of operations) at the varsity level and Matt Long with the JV. A search is on for another JV coach.

Martinsville (enrollment around 1,330) is a member of the Mid-State Conference (with Decatur Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood Community, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Plainfield and Whiteland Community).

The Artesians are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Bloomington North, Bloomington South, Center Grove, Greenwood Community and Mooresville. Martinsville has won 15 sectional titles — the last in 2019.

Tutterow Field — home of Martinsville baseball — has been upgraded. A turf surface and a new scoreboard, fencing and lights have been added. A fieldhouse where the Artesians can practice inside was opened in the fall of 2021.

“They’re doing everything they can do to give the coach and the kids opportunities to succeed,” says Webster. “The athletic director is a wonderful guy and it’s fun to work for him.

“There are a lot of positives. The negatives are ones a good coach should be able to overcome. I’m pleased with the way things are going.”

Martinsville is scheduled to play on the new carpet for the first time in the 2024 season opener March 26 against Pike. After that father vs. son contest, the Artesians are to host Franklin Central March 29. The Flashes feature Nevan Tutterow (grandson of IHSBCA Hall of Famer, 39-year Artesians head coach and the man for whom the field is named, Bill Tutterow).

There is a trend toward high schools going to turf. Bishop Chatard in Indianapolis got it years ago. Beech Grove was among the first public schools in central Indiana to install it. 

“Within five years a regular baseball field with dirt and grass will be the exception rather than the rule,” says Webster. “You probably pick up 30 practices outdoors because you have the turf field.

“I can remember times when we started the season and we’d only been outside three times. It wasn’t because it was too cold. It was because the field was too muddy. Turf is a godsend to high school baseball in the state of Indiana in my opinion.”

Another change that Webster would like to see involves start times for weekday games.

“With Daylight Savings Time if they would just move the start time back an hour (to 6 p.m.) you would see the fan base rapidly increase,” says Webster, who notes that starting earlier makes it tough — if not impossible — for umpires to get off their day jobs, get through traffic and to the ball park on-time. 

Lorrie and Phil Webster.

Martinsville High School.

Small things matter for Franklin Community alum, head coach McKinney

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

As a pitcher, Jeremy McKinney competed at the high school, junior college, NCAA Division I and minor league levels.

When he returned home, McKinney became a Whiteland, Ind., police officer and a baseball coach.

“It’s exciting,” says McKinney. “I enjoy coaching at Franklin where I played baseball. I’m trying to keep traditions and do what we used to do.”

McKinney, a 2013 graduate of Franklin (Ind.) Community High School, who played at Northwest Florida State College (2014), Indiana State University (2015-17) and in the Washington Nationals organization (2017-19) was a Grizzly Cubs assistant in 2022 and 2023 and goes into 2024 as head coach. “I look forward to instilling the discipline, work ethic, responsibility, character traits and getting these kids ready for what comes after high school baseball.”

Discipline to McKinney means doing things correctly and attention to detail.

“It’s the small things that matter,” says McKinney, 29. “Everybody can look at the big picture. A win’s a win, right? But the way to win is by doing the small things correctly and the only way we can do the small things correctly is by instilling the discipline, work ethic and responsibility in these kids.”

McKinney, a former Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series participant, was named head coach around the beginning of the 2023-24 school year and led players in IHSAA Limited Contact Period activities in the fall.

“We did a lot of team stuff,” says McKinney, who led the Grizzlies through defensive and hitting work. “I kind of gave pitchers off in the fall because they throw so much now. Kids arms are young, right? They’ve got to have rest at some point. 

“If you’re constantly putting that pressure on your arm you never give it time to heal.”

The winter Limited Contact Period began Dec. 4. Pitchers got on the mound but have been limited to 10 to 15 tosses with no off-speed pitches. 

All players — pitchers and non-pitchers — are doing arm care.

Working in shifts because practice facility size, seniors and juniors as well as sophomores and freshmen come in for work.

The Grizzlies will field two teams this spring — varsity and JV.

McKinney’s coaching staff includes Ty Urban (a long-time Franklin assistant), Javin Drake (who played at Western Illinois University and Indiana State), Connor Ulmer (who is junior varsity head coach) and Bryce Garrity (who is a JV assistant).

An addition to Mercer Field is a 180-degree camera that can be used to study player performance and to share clips with college coaches. There’s also a possibility of live streaming games.

There is a booster club that hosts golf and bowling outings and other events to raise funds for the program.

McKinney says the aim is turf on the field and an adjacent practice building.

Max Clark (Franklin Community Class of 2023) was named the Indiana Player of the Year by several sources after his senior season and is now in the Detroit Tigers system.

McKinney says that example is a positive for the current and future pack of Grizzly Cubs.

“Kids see that and they want to be that, right?,” says McKinney. “Having Max there amped our competition up a little bit.

“Max is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. Not every kid is going to be Max Clark. But if every kid can work like Max Clark did in a team setting we’re going to fare pretty well.”

McKinney and Mason Clark (Max’s older brother) were in the same class. There were times when Franklin Community players wanted to get in some swings during a game and went down to the batting cage and there was Max.

“We would physically have to fight Max to get him out of the cage,” says McKinney. “I love that work ethic.”

Franklin Community (enrollment around 1,660) is part of the Mid-State Conference (with Decatur Central, Greenwood Community, Martinsville, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Plainfield and Whiteland Community).

MSC teams typically play and home-and-home series on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The Grizzly Cubs are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping with Columbus East, Columbus North, East Central, Shelbyville and Whiteland Community. Franklin Community has won five sectional crowns — the last in 2013.

Jeremy and wife Drue (neé Kluemper) met while attending Indiana State were married in 2022. Drue McKinney is a Registered Nurse. The couple is expecting a baby boy in July.

Jeremy McKinney. (Steve Krah Photo)

Franklin Community High School.

Banwart-led Perry Meridian Falcons locked in on mindset improvement

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

Jake Banwart, the head baseball coach at Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis since 2018, looks to the 2023 campaign with a mix of returnees and newcomers possession physical tools.
But that’s not been the focus for the Falcons in the months leading up to the season.
“It’s mindset,” says Banwart. “We definitely have some talent to work with in this group. The off-season can get pretty long and monotonous. We have established the mentality of not worrying about playing time and challenging themselves to get better on a day-to-day basis not only on the physical side but on their daily habits and mindset.
“We’ve dove in quite a bit on the mental side.”
Banwart is president and co-founder of Baseball Academics/Fastpitch Academics Midwest (BAM/FAM) — an organization he started in 2015 with Adam Gouker (the former Indianapolis Lutheran High School head coach who serves as vice president) that emphasizes the six-tool player (speed, arm strength, fielding, hitting for average and hitting for power plus the mental skill).
BAM and FAM has around 450 athletes on 36 travel teams — 18 baseball and 18 softball — that train at Extra Innings Indy South.
With the growth of all three and the addition of Dugout Coalition (which offers online mental training for coaches and players) and his one-one mindset and small group routine mindset training, Banwart wrapped an eight-year stretch as a classroom teacher about two years ago.
Perry Meridian (enrollment around 2,300) is a member of the Mid-State Conference (with Decatur Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood Community, Martinsville, Mooresville, Plainfield and Whiteland Community).
MSC teams play home-and-home weekday series.
The Falcons are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2023 with Franklin Central, Arsenal Tech, Roncalli, Southport and Warren Central. Perry Meridian has won eight sectional titles — the last in 2007.
Roncalli, Southport and Warren Central are also on the Falcons’ regular-season schedule.
Michael Carter (Class of 2023) is committed to Franklin (Ind.) College and two or three others are expected to announce where they will play college baseball by the start of the season.
Recent graduates moving on the college diamond include Class of 2018’s Jesse Wainscott (who has transferred from Eastern Illinois University to Arizona State University), Class of 2019’s Charlie Joyce (Hanover, Ind., College) and Sean Thomas (Franklin College), Class of 2021’s Luke Genier (Olney, Ill., Central College) and John Joyce (Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind.) and Class of 2022’s Kellen Reed (Franklin College) and Mason Rohlman (Franklin College).
There are typically 40 players to fill varsity and junior varsity roles for the Falcons. Perry Meridian is part of Perry Township Schools along with Southport High School and shares lighted Holder Field with Cardinals. The Falcons play JV games and run many practices on-campus.
Banwart’s varsity assistants are Robbie Strader, Cortez Hague, P.J. Miles and Ryan Parrot. Sam Ahrens is the JV head coach. He is assisted by Joe Garmon.
Southport Little League and Edgewood Athletic Association/Edgewood Bulldogs feed into Perry Meridian. Many players come from travel programs BAM, Top Tier Indiana (formerly Indiana Elite), Midwest Astros and Indy Clutch.
Banwart, who met Gouker while both were attending Anderson (Ind.) University, began assisting in baseball and teaching at Daleville (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School and helped the Broncos to the 2016 IHSAA Class 1A state championship. He taught online while guiding Liberty Christian School in Anderson to a conference championship then moved to Perry Meridian, where he taught for three years.
Perry Meridian has a large population that traces its roots to Burma. There is a Burmese American Community Institute in Indianapolis. Over the years, some have served as baseball student managers or athletic trainers. Baseball does not enjoy the same level popularity in Burma as soccer and volleyball.

Jake Banwawrt and Cortez Hague.

Adam Gouker, his son and Jake Banwart.

Jake Banwart (20).

Jake Banwart.

Jake Banwart (20) and his Perry Meridian Falcons.

NAIA RBI leader Bass, Taylor University heading into postseason play

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

T.J. Bass came out of the gate producing at the plate in 2022.
The righty swinger in his fourth baseball season at Taylor University in Upland, Ind., knocked in two run in the Trojans’ campaign-opening win against Kansas Wesleyan in Mesa, Ariz.
Heading into the Crossroads League tournament which begins May 7 at Taylor (note the change because of rain), Bass leads all of NAIA in runs batted in with 84.
Besides that, he’s hitting .382 (71-of-186) with 19 home runs, 14 doubles, 51 runs scored and a 1.254 OPS (.491 on-base percentage plus .763 slugging average).
“I need to start by giving credit to the guys batting before me,” says Bass of his big RBI total. “It seems like I come up with two or three guys on every time.”
Bass, who looks to be aggressive and barrel the ball up on the first good pitch he sees per at-bat, has been used by Trojans head coach Kyle Gould primarily in the No. 3 spot in the batting order with a few games in the 2-hole. He’s often found senior Nick Rusche (.337 with 63 hits) and freshman Kaleb Kolpein (.403 with 77 hits) — and for awhile — sophomore Camden Knepp (.282 with 44 hits)— reaching base before him. Rusche prepped at New Palestine (Ind.) High School, Kolpein at Homestead (Fort Wayne) and Knepp at Northridge (Middelbury).
“The back half the lineup has also been pretty good,” says Bass, a 2018 graduate of Greenwood (Ind,) Community.
Of his 19 homers, Bass has clouted three grand slams (vs. Reinhardt in Waleska, Ga., vs. Olivet Nazarene in Athens, Tenn., and vs. Indiana Wesleyan in Upland), four three-run bombs, seven two-run dingers and five solo shots. The enjoyed two-homer games against Reinhardt and Mount Vernon Nazarene.
Bass belted 14 circuit clouts in Crossroads League regular-season play.
Taylor (36-16) is the No. 2 seed in the eight-team Crossroads League tournament. Regular-season champion Mount Vernon Nazarene is No. 1.
The turf at Winterholter Field will also be the site of an NAIA Opening Round May 16-19.
“It’s incredible,” says Bass of playing at the facility located in the heart of the TU campus that was resurfaced after the 2021 season. “Coach Gould takes huge pride in how the field looks and it’s awesome to see so many fans come out.”
Bass has started in all 52 of the Trojans’ games in 2022, mostly in center field or right field. But he’s also been used as a catcher and first baseman. During his college career, he’s played everywhere but the middle infield and on the mound.
“It’s wherever the team needs me most based on who’s healthy if we need an offensive day or a defensive day,” says Bass. “Coach Gould does a good job of looking at Synergy in scouting teams.”
Taylor players watch videos of opposing hitters and pitchers to study their strengths weaknesses.
At 6-foot-2 and 235 pounds, Bass has gotten physically stronger and faster since arriving on-campus thanks to off-season programs led by assistant coach Justin Barber as well as Gould.
When Bass arrived at Taylor in 2018-19, Josh Lane and Wyatt Whitman were seniors.
“They they were both huge role models taking a freshman and hour and a half from home under their wings,” says Bass. “They took the strain off.”
Bass was asked how they could help and if they could pray for him.
When Whitman moved on and acted jersey No. 11, Bass took it.
It was also during his first year at Taylor that Bass was undecided on a major. He landed on Elementary Education.
A camp counselor at a community recreation center since his junior year of high school and the son of high school teacher (Andy Bass) and pre-kindergarten teacher (Jenni Bass) with other educators on both sides of the family, T.J. sees that as a natural career path.
“I’ve been around teaching my whole life,” says Bass. “I really love to be able to work with kids and I like getting to know them and finding their interests.
“It didn’t feel like I would do as well with secondary (students). God was calling me to work with elementary.”
Andy Bass teaches Algebra II and Geometry at Greenwood Community, where he has been head baseball coach since 1998. Jenni Bass ran her own daycare for more than a decade and now works at Waverly Elementary School in the Mooresville corporation.
Timothy James Bass, 22, is the oldest of Andy and Jenni’s four kids. Sam Bass is two years younger than T.J. and living and working in Fort Wayne. Mary Bass is a Greenwood Community freshman. Claire Bass is a sixth grader in the Mooresville system.
T.J. was born and raised in Greenwood and played Little League baseball there. Around fifth grade, he played with the traveling Johnson County Jaguars. The summers following his freshman and sophomore years were spent with the Indiana Bulls. The next summer he played for the Indiana Nitro then was with Demand Command right before and right after his freshman year at Taylor.
Bass did not play during the COVID-19 summer of 2020. In 2021, he split his time between the Prospect League’s Lafayette (Ind.) Aviators and the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.
With an extra year of eligibility because of the pandemic, Bass plans to come back for a fifth season at Taylor in 2023. He expects to do his student teaching this fall.

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

T.J. Bass (Taylor University Photo)

Earlham’s Bradley enjoys five-homer day; Taylor’s Bass belts 13th

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

Earlham junior Andrew Bradley belted five home runs in a doubleheader sweep of visiting Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Defiance April 6.
The clean-up hitter launched two dingers each in the first and third innings of a 40-7 Game 1 rout. In Game 2, he circled the bases in the third frame as the Quakers won 12-3. The games were contested at Randal R. Sadler Stadium.
For the week of week of April 4-10, NCAA Division III Earlham went 3-1 and is 16-6 overall and 5-1 in the HCAC.
Earlham is in three-way tie atop the conference standings with Franklin (20-6 overall) and Anderson (13-10).
NAIA Taylor went 3-1 on the week and moved to 27-11 overall and 17-5 in the Crossroads League, which ties the Trojans for first place with Mount Vernon Nazarene.
Taylor junior T.J. Bass (Greenwood Community) has raised his season totals to 13 home runs and 60 runs batted in.
With two wins Sunday against Point Park, first-place Indiana University Southeast moved to 24-10 overall and 12-2 in the River States Conference.
Heading into Game 3 of the Point Park series today (April 11), Grenadiers coach Ben Reel has 499 career victories.
Indiana Tech has won five straight. The Warriors are 18-15 overall and 6-4 in the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference.
In NCAA Division I, Purdue (20-7 overall, 2-4 in the Big Ten) took two of three games from visiting Indiana (12-17, 2-3) at Alexander Field.
Game 1 Saturday saw the Boilers roll 17-0. Redshirt junior left-hander Jackson Smeltz (McCutcheon) gave up one hit in eight innings with 13 strikeouts.
In Sunday’s doubleheader, the Hoosiers prevailed 10-3 with freshman Brock Tibbitts cracking his seventh homer of 2022.
Purdue outlasted Indiana 16-15 in the nightcap. Redshirt sophomore Cam Thompson smacked a three-run homer and drove in four runs for the Boilers. Thompson paces the team with 10 circuit clouts.
Notre Dame pushed its win streak to eight games. The Irish (20-5 overall, 8-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference) are 6-1 at Frank Eck Stadium, including 4-0 this past week.
D1Baseball.com has Notre Dame No. 3 nationally in RPI. Indiana State is No. 60, Ball State No. 103, Evansville No. 119, Purdue No. 133, Indiana No. 156, Butler No. 187, Valparaiso No. 206 and Purdue Fort Wayne No. 230.
Purdue Fort Wayne is on a season-best four-game win streak after besting Michigan once and Wisconsin-Milwaukee three times.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through April 10
NCAA D-I
Purdue 21-7 (3-4 Big Ten)
Notre Dame 20-5 (8-4 ACC)
Indiana State 19-8 (5-1 MVC)
Ball State 18-12 (12-2 MAC)
Evansville 15-16 (1-2 MVC)
Butler 15-17 (1-2 Big East)
Indiana 12-18 (2-4 Big Ten)
Valparaiso 11-16 (0-3 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 8-22 (5-7 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Indianapolis 13-17 (7-5 GLVC)
Southern Indiana 13-17 (2-6 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 11-8 (0-4 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Franklin 20-6 (5-1 HCAC)
Earlham 16-6 (5-1 HCAC)
Anderson 13-10 (5-1 HCAC)
Rose-Hulman 12-7 (3-3 HCAC)
Wabash 12-8 (0-5 NCAC)
DePauw 10-12 (3-3 NCAC)
Hanover 9-14 (4-4 HCAC)
Trine 8-13 (3-1 MIAA)
Manchester 5-14 (2-4 HCAC)

NAIA
Taylor 27-11 (17-5 CL)
Indiana University Southeast 24-10 (12-2 RSC)
Indiana University-Kokomo 20-14 (10-3 RSC)
Oakland City 20-16 (6-10 RSC)
Saint Francis 20-17 (9-12 CL)
Indiana Wesleyan 19-18 (14-10 CL)
Indiana Tech 18-15 (6-4 WHAC)
Huntington 17-13 (15-7 CL)
Marian 15-19 (7-13 CL)
Bethel 15-23 (9-13 CL)
Grace 14-21 (8-14 CL)
Indiana University South Bend 10-23 (4-13 CCAC)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 8-23 (3-11 CCAC)
Goshen 7-25 (4-18 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 15-16 (6-6 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 11-10
Marian’s Ancilla 6-24 (4-6 MCCAA)

Week of April 4-10
NCAA D-I
Tuesday, April 5
Notre Dame 5, Butler 2
Evansville 8, Indiana 4
Purdue 17, Northern Illinois 14
Wisconsin-Milwaukee 3, Valparaiso 2
Wisconsin-Milwaukee 8, Valparaiso 3

Wednesday, April 6
Indiana State 10, Purdue 6 (10 inn.)
Purdue Fort Wayne 6, Michigan 3

Friday, April 8
Oregon 13, Ball State 7
Villanova 13, Butler 3
Southern Illinois 14, Evansville 4
Notre Dame 4, Clemson 1

Saturday, April 9
Ball State 3, Oregon 2
Oregon 10, Ball State 4
Villanova 6, Butler 4
Evansville 6, Southern Illinois 2
Purdue 17, Indiana 0
Indiana State 2, Valparaiso 0
Notre Dame 8, Clemson 1
Purdue Fort Wayne 5, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 4
Purdue Fort Wayne 7, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 0

Sunday, April 10
Oregon 7, Ball State 6
Butler 11, Villanova 3
Southern Illinois 14, Evansville 5
Indiana 10, Purdue 3
Purdue 16, Indiana 15
Indiana State 15, Valparaiso 8
Indiana State 11, Valparaiso 8
Notre Dame 9, Clemson 3
Purdue Fort Wayne 7, Wisconsin-Milwaukee 6

NCAA D-II
Tuesday, April 5
Purdue Northwest 5, Indianapolis 1
Indianapolis 3, Purdue Northwest 0

Friday, April 8
Indianapolis 12, Missouri A&T 4
Southern Indiana vs. Illinois-Springfield

Saturday, April 9
Indianapolis 14, Missouri A&T 8
Illinois-Springfield 9, Southern Indiana 2
Illinois-Springfield 19, Southern Indiana 2

Sunday, April 10
Missouri A&T 14, Indianapolis 5
Missouri A&T 15, Indianapolis 7
Illinois-Springfield 9, Southern Indiana 1
Illinois-Springfield 6, Southern Indiana 2

NCAA D-III
Tuesday, April 5
Bluffton 4, Manchester 3
Bluffton 11, Manchester 2
Adrian 9, Trine 5

Wednesday, April 6
Anderson 10, Franklin 5
Franklin 9, Anderson 2
Earlham 40, Defiance 7
Earlham 12, Defiance 3
Rose-Hulman 18, Hanover 15
Hanover 10, Rose-Hulman 3
Wittenberg 5, Wabash 2 (11 inn.)

Thursday, April 7
Denison 13, DePauw 2
Denison 12, DePauw 2

Sunday, April 10
Anderson 13, Mount St. Joseph 9
Anderson 11, Mount St. Joseph 0
DePauw 7, Oberlin 3
DePauw 16, Oberlin 10
Hanover 3, Earlham 1
Earlham 7, Hanover 3
Franklin 10, Defiance 2
Franklin 7, Defiance 4
Rose-Hulman 5, Manchester 2
Rose-Hulman 22, Manchester 9
Kalamazoo 5, Trine 2
Kalamazoo 18, Trine 5
Kenyon 5, Wabash 1
Kenyon 10, Wabash 4

NAIA
Monday, April 4
Bethel 10, Marian 6
Bethel 12, Marian 11
Calumet of Saint Joseph 7, Trinity International 3
Mount Vernon Nazarene 8, Goshen 4
Mount Vernon Nazarene 6, Goshen 2
Indiana Wesleyan 11, Grace 4
Grace 4, Indiana Wesleyan 2
Taylor 13, Saint Francis 7
Taylor 8, Saint Francis 3

Tuesday, April 5
IU Kokomo 6, Indiana Tech 5 (8 inn.)
Judson 4, IU South Bend 3
Judson 15, IU South Bend 10

Wednesday, April 6
Indiana Tech 15, Wright State-Lake 2

Thursday, April 7
Ivy Tech Northeast 12, Indiana Tech JV 3
Indiana Tech JV 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Mount Vernon Nazarene 7, Saint Francis 6
Saint Francis 8, Mount Vernon Nazarene 3
Vincennes 12, Oakland City JV 5

Friday, April 8
Huntington 3, Indiana Wesleyan 2
Indiana Wesleyan 10, Huntington 8

Saturday, April 9
Marian 7, Grace 5
Grace 12, Marian 2
Huntington 17, Indiana Wesleyan 7
Huntington 2, Indiana Wesleyan 1
Trinity Christian 5, IU South Bend 4 (9 inn.)
Trinity Christian 10, IU South Bend 5
Taylor 5, Spring Arbor 3
Spring Arbor 4, Taylor 3

Sunday, April 10
Goshen 4, Bethel 2
Goshen 5, Bethel 2
St. Ambrose 14, Calumet of Saint Joseph 4
St. Ambrose 11, Calumet of Saint Joseph 3
West Virginia Tech 8, IU Kokomo 6
West Virginia Tech 2, IU Kokomo 0
IU Southeast 6, Point Park 5
IU Southeast 5, Point Park 3
Indiana Tech 4, Cleary 0
Indiana Tech 12, Cleary 5
Midway 3, Oakland City 2
Oakland City 14, Midway 0

Junior College
Tuesday, April 5
Ivy Tech Northeast 21, Glen Oaks 7

Thursday, April 7
Ivy Tech Northeast 12, Indiana Tech JV 3
Indiana Tech JV 6, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Vincennes 12, Oakland City JV 5

Friday, April 8
Mid-Michigan 8, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Marian’s Ancilla 3, Mid-Michigan 2

Saturday, April 9
Marian’s Ancilla 4, Mid-Michigan 3 (8 inn.)
Mid-Michigan 8, Marian’s Ancilla 3
Frontier 7, Vincennes 5

Sunday, April 10
Vincennes 2, Frontier 1

‘Name on the front’ important to Winkelseth, Decatur Central Hawks

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

One of the pillars of baseball at Decatur Central High School in Indianapolis involves selflessness.
Hawks head coach Sean Winkelseth wants his young men to concern themselves more with the needs of others than themselves.
As the 2022 season approaches, Decatur Central players have already contributed nearly 200 hours of community service.
They’ve helped clean up the grounds at Decatur Central Little League (where Winkelseth and junior varsity coaches Jim Bushee and Todd Conn are on the board), worked at elementary school carnivals and more.
“There’s been a lot of volunteer efforts,” says Winkelseth, who was a Hawks assistant for one season prior to taking over the program in 2019-20. “We’re trying to be seen in the community as a positive.”
In playing as a catcher/utility infielder for Ryan Kelley at Wayne State University in Detroit Winkelseth was exposed to this mentality and the 2017 WSU graduate has adopted it.
“(Coach Kelley) is by far my biggest mentor for coaching,” says Winkelseth. “He just really instilled the importance of playing for the name on the front of the jersey. The team is is more important than an individual.”
Winkelseth says Kelley is focused on making leaders who became successful as husbands and father.
“He cared for us more than on the baseball field,” says Winkelseth, whose wife Madison went from Avon, Ind., to play volleyball at Wayne State and is now a speech language pathologist at Central Elementary School in the Beech Grove school district. The Winkelseths wed in August 2018.
Sean Winkelseth is a fifth grade teacher at Valley Mills Elementary School in Decatur Township.
A 2012 graduate of Ypisilanti (Mich.) High School, Winkelseth played his last three prep seasons for Chris Dessellier.
He admires the Grizzlies head coach for building relationships with players.
“He was getting to know guys and investing time,” says Winkelseth. “I still talk with him today.”
Winkelseth also coached for the Michigan Bulls travel organization the summers before and after his final season at Wayne State.
Decatur Central (enrollment around 1,800) is a member of the Mid-State Conference (with Franklin Community, Greenwood Community, Martinsville, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Plainfield and Whiteland).
The 14 MSC games are played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays as a home-and-home series.
In 2021, the Hawks were part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping with Avon, Brownsburg, Plainfield (host), Terre Haute North Vigo and Terre Haute South Vigo. Decatur Central has won 16 sectional crowns — the last in 2019.
The Hawks play home games at Phil Webster Baseball Complex, named for the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer. Phil Webster is now back as an assistant at Pike with son Todd after a stint as Southport head coach.
Recent field upgrades at Decatur Central have been made the the bases, home plate area and infield skin.
Winkelseth’s varsity coaching staff in 2022 includes Alan Curry, Brandon Curry, Nick Jenkins and Noah Klick. Pitching coach Alan Curry is a longtime DC assistant. Brandon is Alan’s son. Jenkins is director of Armstrong Pavilion, Decatur Township’s health and fitness center. DCHS teacher and volunteer Klick played at Tiffin (Ohio) University.
Besides Decatur Central Little League (T-ball to age 12), the high school’s feeder system includes seventh grade and eighth grade teams at Decatur Central Middle School.
While current players are contemplating offers, Decatur Central has sent several recent graduates on to college baseball, including 2017 graduate Bradley Brehmer (Indiana University), 2018 grads/twins Alex Mitchell (Indiana Tech) and Austin Mitchell (Indiana Tech), 2020 alums Timmy Casteel (Manchester) and Brayden Hazelwood (Indiana University Southeast) and the Class of 2021’s Nico Avila (Marian University’s Ancilla College) and Bryce Woodruff (Marian University’s Ancilla College). Avila was an all-Marion County catcher in 2021.

Sean Winkelseth.

Decatur Central High School players do community service by cleaning up at Decatur Central Little League in Indianapolis.

Martinsville’s Peterson puts stock in education, unity, fun

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

Tutterow Field is the varsity baseball diamond at Martinsville (Ind.) High School. It is named for late Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Bill Tutterow, who led the Artesians for 39 years through 2008.
Second-year Martinsville head coach Adam Peterson says getting to play there has to be earned.
“In order to be on the that field you’ve got to take care of business in the classroom,” says Peterson, who is also assistant principal at John R. Wooden Middle School in Martinsville. “That’s our first emphasis before we even get to the baseball part.”
MHS students are on a trimester schedule.
“It’s also about being good citizens and teammates and taking care of each other. Even if you’re not the best player on the team, you still have something to give.”
Peterson also wants his student-athletes to improve each day and have fun while they’re doing it.
“Winning is fun,” says Peterson. “But it’s the idea of being around their friends and relishing those experiences. The season is a grind with practices and games. We want to mix it up, keep the kids on their toes and keep it fresh.”
Peterson, who was a middle infielder in high school then played almost all the positions in college, encourages his players to be be versatile.
“It gives you more of an opportunity to be in the lineup everyday,” says Peterson.
In 2021, Martinsville had just over 30 players in the program at the end of the season for varsity and junior varsity games.
At a preliminary meeting this fall, 46 showed up to show their baseball interest.
An IHSAA Limited Contact Period ended Oct. 16. Twice a week, 10 to 13 athletes met twice a week for baseball activities (many others were in fall sports). Baseball players continue to lift weights twice a week with Martinsville head strength & conditioning coach Ethan Breach.
Tutterow Field is behind a new fieldhouse. The grand opening for the facility which his plenty of rubberized floor space and batting cages was Oct. 8.
Assistant coaches for 2022 are expected to be Martinsville alums Steve Bunton, Layne Bayird and Gary Brittain.
The Artesians had one senior in 2021 — Braxton Wilson. The right-handed pitcher signed at Purdue Fort Wayne.
Right-hander Brandon Dodson (Class of 2020) landed at Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill.
Verbal commitments to the University of Evansville have been made by catcher/shortstop Andrew Payton (Class of 2022) and left-hander/outfielder Kevin Reed (Class of 2023).
Last spring, Martinsville had junior high baseball. Seventh and eighth grade teams not affiliated with the school played against conference teams. In 2022, the school system hopes to sponsor the program.
Peterson joined Martinsville schools in 2016-17 and was a baseball assistant to Jeff Scott for two seasons (2017-18). The Artesians won a sectional title in 2017.
Martinsville (enrollment around 1,300) is a member of the Mid-State Conference (with Decatur Central, Franklin Community, Greenwood Community, Mooresville, Perry Meridian, Plainfield and Whiteland Community).
In 2021, the Artesians were part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping with Center Grove, Franklin Community, Greenwood Community, Mooresville and Whiteland Community. Martinsville has won 15 sectional titles — the last in 2019.
Before Martinsville, Peterson spent a year as assistant principal at Indiana Math & Science Academy, a charter school in Indianapolis.
Prior to that, Peterson was at Rio Rancho (N.M.) High School for nine years, where he was head assistant for four seasons then a volunteer while he and wife Donna started their family. Rio Rancho head coach Ron Murphy is the all-time wins leader in New Mexico high school baseball history. The Murphy-coached Rams won Class 5A state titles in 2007 and 2009 and he is in the New Mexico Baseball Coaches Association and New Mexico Sports halls of fame.
“He’s a fun guy,” says Peterson of Murphy, who built the Rio Rancho program from scratch. “He’s originally from Brooklyn, N.Y. He’s got some good stories.”
Before New Mexico, Peterson taught on an Indian reservation in Hayes Lodge Pole, Mont.
That’s where he met his future wife. When the New Jersey native applied to the University of New Mexico for her doctorate in History, that’s where the couple landed. The Petersons ended up in Indiana when Donna Peterson went to work at Indiana University and she is now teaching Ivy Tech History courses at Martinsville High.
Before Montana, Adam taught and coached in the Superior, Wis./Duluth, Minn., area.
Peterson graduated from Superior High School in 1999. He played four years of baseball – three varsity — for Spartans head coach Steve Fregin.
At the University of Wisconsin-Superior, Peterson was a four-year starter for Yellowjackets head coach Jim Stukel.
Adam and Donna’s three children are daughter Emma (12), Caleb (almost 10) and daughter Blair (5).

Martinsville (Ind.) High School’s 2017 sectional baseball champions.

Adam Peterson.

Adam Peterson.

Donna, Emma, Blair, Caleb and Adam Peterson.

Rio Rancho High School’s 2007 New Mexico Class 5A state baseball champions.

Rio Rancho’s Micah Martinez and Adam Peterson in 2009.

Ron Murphy and Adam Peterson in 2018.

‘Community’ vibe big part of Franklin-based Powerhouse Athletics

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

A unique blend of active youths, men and women go to a space in Franklin, Ind., to get better at their chosen activity or to enjoy the company of friends.
Located since 2017 inside the 400 Complex in Franklin, Ind., Powerhouse Athletics is available to college ballplayers who need to get in some cuts or a lift at 2 a.m. or to boys and girls learning in clinics or private lessons.
Established in 2013 by Chad Fowler, Powerhouse Athletics’ training space — batting cages, bullpens, defensive areas and a fully-stocked weight room — is in the process of expanding from 20,000 to 33,000 square feet.
The place located a mile north of Franklin College and less than two miles west of I-65 is equipped with HitTrax, Rapsodo, Blast sensors, Diamond Kinetics, iPitch, Hack Attack and many other developmental tools.
“We also train athletic movement for football, basketball and adults,” says Fowler. “We’ve got a little bit of everything in here.
“Our weight room is going from 8 in the morning until 10 at night. Our doors are open basically 100 percent of the time.”
During the COVID-19 quarantine of 2020, some college players moved in.
“We checked on them and brought them food,” says Fowler. “They were also doing school work.”
As of this writing, 512 baseball and softball players train at Powerhouse Athletics. That number includes two 2020-21 Gatorade Player of the Year honorees — Max Clark (Franklin Community High School Class of 2023) in baseball and Keagan Rothrock (Roncalli High School Class of 2023) in softball.
There are around 240 contracted players who compete for Team Powerhouse in travel baseball or softball. Each year that’s between 20 and 22 teams. Players come from as far north as Kokomo and as far south as Louisville.
“It’s really a community program, but our community is more the state of Indiana than just Franklin,” says Franklin.
There are six school districts in Johnson County — Franklin Community (Franklin Community High School), Center Grove Community (Center Grove High School), Clark-Pleasant Community (Whiteland Community High School), Edinburgh Community (Edinburgh High School), Greenwood Community (Greenwood Community High School) and Ninevah-Hensley-Jackson United (Indian Creek High School).
Through mutual agreement, these students can train at Powerhouse free of charge if they work around lessons.
“They help clean and with clinics and do a lot of mentoring with our youth,” says Fowler, who was born and raised in Franklin and graduated from Franklin Community in 1995. “And they’re not spending money to work on their craft.”
Two physical therapists help athletes. Several teachers donate their time to help students with their studies.
“We have grade checks here,” says Fowler. “We can help parents reinforce better behavior. We preach good character and good grades.
“We want to get them on the right path.”
Fowler insists on meeting every parents and athlete and knows them all by name.
“(College) coaches call me because I know the kid on a personal level,” says Fowler. “I know his character and his work ethic.
“They’re all my kids. There’s going to be some tough conversations. I’m going to love you death.”
Powerhouse athletes are held accountable for their actions.
Fowler keeps a white trapper folder with apology letters written to people that athletes might have wronged and gives them copies when the the athlete graduates high school.
Besides owner Chad Fowler and softball pitching instructor Keagan Rothrock, trainers include Laura Rothrock (softball pitching), Mike Copeland (Max Strength and Performance), Sammy Wilkerson (Max Strength and Performance), Tony Maclennan (catching), Patrick Antone (baseball and softball hitting), Haley Wilkerson (softball hitting), Erin Lee (softball hitting), Corin Dammier (softball catching), Emma Bailey (softball pitching), Jake Sprinkle (baseball pitching), Grant Druckemiller (assistant facility manager and hitting), Cody Fowler (facility manager and hitting) and Dalton Carter (lead pitching instructor and arm health).
Full-time employees are Chad Fowler, Cody Fowler, Carter, Druckemiller and office manager Rachel Fowler.
Chad and Rachel Fowler have three sons — Cody (25), Blake (22) and Jace (18). Cody Fowler played baseball at Franklin Community High school and attended Indiana State University. Reptile-loving Blake Fowler — he has a room for them at Powerhouse — has completed Ivy Tech and is looking into further educational options. Jace Fowler (Franklin Community Class of 2022) is committed to play baseball at Indiana State.
Jace is part of a group that was with Chad Fowler from age 7 to 17 — aka “The Kids That Built The House.” The others are Xavier Brown, Max Clark, Logen Devenport, Drew Doty and Nolan Netter.
Clark has been coming to Powerhouse since he was 5. Cooper Trinkle has been part of the crew since 7.
Brothers Cooper and Grant Trinkle regularly come to Powerhouse Athletics to help with youth clinics etc.
While many athletes have gone from Powerhouse Athletics to college teams and others have made that commitment, Fowler takes no credit for that and he does not place one achievement about another.
“That’s that kids and parents’ success,” says Fowler. “I’m just excited for the kid who gets into trade school as one who gets into Indiana State or Vanderbilt.
“We literally try to invest in every kid. It’s not just a baseball and softball building. It’s a good place. Everybody is one team. It’s what I require.”
Fowler witnesses a facility full of grinders and see that spirit around this cold-weather state.
“Indiana is a hotbed for baseball and softball talent,” says Fowler. “It’s incredible.
“Our Indiana athletes can compete with anybody out there. They do great work.”

College players train at Powerhouse Athletics.

Older players help younger ones at Powerhouse Athletics,

Xavier Brown at Powerhouse Athletics.

Max Clark at Powerhouse Athletics.

Logen Devenport at Powerhouse Athletics.

Drew Doty at Powerhouse Athletics.

Jace Fowler at Powerhouse Athletics.

Nolan Netter at Powerhouse Athletics.

Bloomington’s Cornwell building coaching resume

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

Only a few years removed from playing himself, Adam Cornwell sees what makes today’s young baseball players tick in the era of metrics and analytics.
“It’s a different era of baseball,” says Cornwell, a former pitcher at Bloomington High School North, the University of Indianapolis, University of Pittsburgh and independent professional ball and the head coach of the 2021 Park Rangers in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. “They want to show off their athletic ability a little more as well as their velocity, strength and all this stuff.
“Metrics are a big numbers and they’re being used. Every single pitch is measured.”
When not guiding the Park Rangers, Cornwell can often be found at Grand Park learning how to use technology like TrackMan. He is also seeking his next full-time gig.
He just finished a two-year stint on the coaching staff at the University of Dayton, where he had access to Rapsodo, Synergy and more. Jayson King is the Flyers head coach. Cornwell assisted pitching coach Travis Ferrick. Dayton won 11 straight Atlantic-10 Conference games leading into the conference tournament where the Flyers were beaten by Virginia Commonwealth in the championship game.
Cornwell spent the 2019 season at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y. It Paul Panik’s first season as a head coach and his Gaels staff was among the youngest in NCAA Division I with Panik (29), head assistant Andrew Pezzuto (26), volunteer J.T. Genovese (23) and pitching coach Cornwell (24).
“Learning with those guys was awesome,” says Cornwell, now 26. “I had freedom and it made me grow faster. I was thrown into the fire early.
“I’m super-thankful for the opportunity I was given over there.”
Before beginning his coaching career, right-hander Cornwell pitched briefly with the Frontier League’s 2018 Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums. Manager Dan Rohn and pitching coach Greg Cadaret were former big leaguers.
Cornwell was signed by Traverse City after playing for the Grizzly in the California Winter League in Palm Springs. There he got to work with Dom Johnson and work out with Joe Musgrove (who pitched the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres history April 9, 2021).
“Dom is probably the best pitching coach in the country,” says Cornwell. “He’s just a stud.
“I got to work out with (Musgrave) a lot. I got to learn how pro guys go about their day and their business. Dom showed me how I needed to change my ways of working out. He is the guy that made me the player I was.”
Cornwell was connected to Johnson through Tracy Smith, whom Cornwell knew from Smith’s time as head coach at Indiana University in Bloomington.
“He is the reason I wanted to get into coaching,” says Cornwell of the former Arizona State University head coach. “I see the way he was day in and day out and how his kids looked up to him. He’s their hero. There’s no better family than that family.”
Smith’s children are among Cornwell’s best friends. Jack Smith was going to be in his Oct. 24 wedding in Bloomington (Cornwell is engaged to Renee Rhoades of St. Charles, Ill.) but he is expected to be the starting quarterback at Central Washington University after transferring from Arizona State.
Cornwell played three seasons for College Baseball Hall of Famer Gary Vaught and pitching coach Mark Walther at UIndy and graduated in 3 1/2 years. He joined the Pitt Panthers featuring head coach Joe Jordano and pitching coach Jerry Oakes just before the start of the 2017 season.
“I credit my coaching path to Coach Vaught,” says Cornwell. “He got me to the University of Pittsburgh. That’s where I made connections to start coaching.”
Cornwell, who holds Sport Management from Indianapolis and master’s degree in Athletic Coaching from Ball State University, appreciates his relationship with Walther.
“He’s a great dude and a hard worker,” says Cornwell. “As a pitching coach he allowed me to be me.”
Walther, the director of operations at Pro X Athlete Development, now runs the College Summer League at Grand Park and Cornwell reached out to him and landed his position with the Park Rangers and has former UIndy pitcher John Hendry and former Center Grove High School pitcher and current Trojans freshmen coach Zach Anderson as assistants.
Born and raised in Bloomington, Cornwell played in Danny Smith Park Baseball Leagues in Unionville, Ind., beginning at age 4.
The Smithville (Ind.) Sluggers were an early travel team. In high school, he was with the Southern Indiana Redbirds among others. That team featured three players selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft — Seymour High School graduate Zack Brown (fifth round by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2016), Columbus North alum Daniel Ayers (25th round by the Baltimore Orioles in 2013) and Greenwood Community graduate Alex Krupa (35th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2015).
In one tournament at East Cobb in Atlanta, Cornwell’s team picked up Nick Senzel as a shortstop and Cornwell pitched the only no-hitter of his career. Senzel is now an outfielder with the Cincinnati Reds.
A 2013 Bloomington North graduate, Cornwell play for Richard Hurt.
“He’s a worker and he does everything right,” says Cornwell of Hurt. “He’s on top of everything. He’s super-prepared. Every practice is down to the T.
“He demands respect and in return he gives a ton of respect to his players and the freed to be what they want to be. That’s the way these kids are taking to coaching and he understands that.”
Adam is the son of Kara (John) Jacobs and George (Michelle) Cornwell and has seven siblings — Andrew, Matt, Allison, Jake, Sabrina, Ayden and Addisyn.

Adam Cornwell with mother Kara Jacobs.

Adam Cornwell (left) with father George Cornwell.

Adam Cornwell (center) coaching at Iona College in New Rochelle, N.Y.

Adam Cornwell pitching in the California Winter League.

Adam Cornwell pitching for the independent Traverse City (Mich.) Beach Bums.