Confidence key for Benedictine U. right-hander Pizer

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Austin Pizer is scheduled to make a spot start on the mound today (April 30) for the Benedictine University Eagles. A doubleheader is slated for noon Central Time at Illinois Tech in Chicago.

Whenever the junior right-hander takes to the hill, he has a few keys in his mind that he takes from Ben U. pitching coach Adam O’Malley.

“Throw everything with confidence,” says Pizer. “We’ve worked really hard to command the baseball and worked on the pitch shapes. Now I have to go to trust it. We know the stuff is there, we just to be able to throw every pitch in every count, have confidence in myself and the defense that we’re going to get the job done.”

The Eagles use Rapsodo camera/radar technology.

“It gives us all the data we could ever imagine for pitching,” says Pizer, who has used feedback on release height and movement patterns to help him throw more strikes.

“I want to limit the walks,” says Pizer. “That’s been a big key this year.”

In 13 appearances (12 out of the bullpen), Pizer is 4-1 with four saves, a 1.93 earned run average, 29 strikeouts and seven walks in 32 2/3 innings. Opponents hit .248 against the 5-foot-10, 200-pounder.

Benedictine, an NCAA Division III program steered by Adam Smith, is 25-9 overall and 14-6 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. The Eagles are working to improve their seeding before the eight-team NACC tournament played at home in Lisle, Ill.

Pizer delivers the baseball sidearm.

From there, he mixes a two-seam fastball, slider and change-up.

The two-seamer is a strictly horizontal pitch — moving 9-to-3 on the clock face — with arm-side run. It’s topped at 84 mph and sits at 81 to 83.

The slider has very little to no vertical break.

“The two-seam and slider play very well off each other,” says Pizer. 

Since he has dropped down, it’s not a typical “circle” change that comes from Pizer.

“It drops a little more on the back foot of a righty that a traditional change-up,” says Pizer.

Throwing with minor discomfort during his first season at Benedictine, Pizer got into nine games (all in relief) and was 2-0 with one save, a 4.66 ERA, 15 strikeouts and five walks in 19 1/3 innings. He followed that up in 2023 with five bullpen appearances, a 0-0 record, a save 11.12 ERA, five K’s and five walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Born in Munster, Ind., Pizer grew up in Highland, Ind.

From age 7 to 13, he played both at Highland Little League and for much of that time with the traveling Highland Heat.

His 14U season found him with the New Lenox (Ill.) Rebels. From 15U to 17U, he played for the Cangelosi Sparks.

He was injured his freshman year (2018) at Highland High School. Pizer was on varsity as a sophomore (2019) and senior (2021). The COVID-19 pandemic took away his junior season in 2020.

John Bogner was Highland’s head coach. 

“He’s a great guy,” says Pizer of Bogner, who is now head coach at Chesterton (Ind.) High School. “He’s really, really passionate about what he does. I definitely would not be where I am now without him.

“He put a really big emphasis playing the game the right way. That’s one of the things I respected most about him. Whether we were going to win or lose it was going to be with class and the right way. That’s something I carry with me to this day.”

If his arm continues to feel good, Pizer says he plans to return to the Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs for summer ball. He was with the Crown Point, Ind.- based team in 2023. He took the summer of 2022 off to rest his arm. That led to an MRI which led to surgery for a torn labrum in August 2022.

Pizer, 21, is Social Science major at Benedictine with an emphasis in History. His minor is Secondary Education.

“I’m a big fan of the Revolutionary War and Colonial America,” says Pizer. “That’s what I’m interested in.”

Older brother Zak Pizer, who briefly attended Benedictine, is a Social Studies teacher and first-year head baseball coach at Highland High. 

Zak (who turns 24 in May) and Austin are the sons of Michael and Annamarie Pizer.

Austin roots for the Chicago White Sox. He admires many big leaguers.

“Tanner Houck of the (Boston) Red Sox is quickly becoming one of my favorite pitchers to watch,” says Pizer of the right-hander. “The way he throws and attacks the game is how I imagine myself to look like. We have a very similar pitch arsenal. 

“I’ve always partial to (right-hander) Marcus Stroman (now with the New York Yankees) as well and how he competes. He’s an undersized guy. He plays with a lot of passion.

“That’s something I like to emulate.”

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Lake County CornDogs Image)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Kuykendall coaching game he loves at Calumet New Tech

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Baseball means a great deal to Terrance Kuykendall and he wants his players to be just as passionate about the game.

After two seasons as an assistant, Kuykendall is in his first as head coach at Calumet New Tech High School in Gary, Ind., in 2024. 

“I’m honored, humbled and blessed to be the head coach of the Calumet New Tech Warriors,” says Kuykendall. “When I got the job I almost cried. This is something I love doing. I’ve been loving this sport since the day I was born. My father (Tim Kuykendall) taught me how to play.”

Kuykendall sees the diamond sport as more than just an activity.

“I see baseball as life,” says Kuykendall. “I learned about life from playing baseball. I learned that everything is not going to come to you straight down the middle and on the sweet spot every time. You’ve got to work hard for your swings.

“I’m teaching the boys to be a family first. Without us having this family bond, we’re not going to get anywhere. We’re not going to have a team. We’re not going to understand communicating with each other.

“If we have a family bond on the field, we’ll have a family bond outside the field. We’re here to put together a program and family that lasts.”

No matter the situation, Kuykendall wants his athletes to perform with confidence.

“If you play with your head down, other people are going to see that and take advantage of it,” says Kuykendall. “We want to keep our heads high.

“Keep fighting, keep pushing because if you don’t you ain’t getting nowhere.”

Calumet New Tech (enrollment around 615) is a part of Lake Ridge New Tech Schools and a member of the Greater South Shore Athletic Conference (with Griffith, Hammond Bishop Noll Institute, Illiana Christian, Lake Station Edison, River Forest, Wheeler and Whiting).

The Warriors are part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2024 with Andrean, Boone Grove, Griffith, Hanover Central, Highland, Rensselaer Central and River Forest. Calumet New Tech has won three sectional titles — the last in 1990.

Other teams on the schedule include 21st Century Charter, Bowman Academy, East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton and Kouts.

Justin Quiroz (Calumet New Tech Class of 2024) shows college baseball potential to Kuykendall.

“He’s an excellent baseball player,” says Kuykendall. “The kid loves the game. He gets on me. I like it when players tell me when I’m doing something wrong. 

“I want to try to fix it and do it right for them. I want to have a team that the school will be happy to see.”

To build up a feeder system, Kuykendall has been coaching in Calumet Region Little League and has been appealing to the school board to install middle school baseball.

“I have a lot of freshmen who never played a day of baseball in their lives, but they’re learning,” says Kuykendall, who is assisted by Terrence Jackson, Kavel Killins (Calumet New Tech Class of 2021) and Tim Kuykendall. 

Calumet New Tech is southwest of Gary’s city center. CNT’s home diamond is on the west side of campus next to the football stadium.

“I’d love for us to see us put lights on our field, fix our scoreboard and sound system,” says Kuykendall. “This program needs it.”

Kuykendall graduated in 2007 from Wirt-Emerson Visual and Performing Arts High Ability Academy in Gary and played his freshman year at Gary Horace Mann and then at Gary West Side where he also participated in football and wrestling.

Away from coaching, Kuykendall works for the independent American Association’s Gary SouthShore RailCats in broadcast production and also serves as mascot Rusty. 

He is also in the custodial department at U.S. Steel.

Terrance Kuykendall. (Steve Krah Photo)

Calumet New Tech High School.

Mahar back in Region coaching with Lowell Red Devils

By STEVE KRAH

IndianaRBI.com

Ben Mahar is back and coaching baseball in northwest Indiana.

After four years at Barry Goldwater High School in Phoenix, Ariz., and taking 2023 off, Mahar is going into his first season as Lowell High School head coach in 2024.

The 2011 Mundelein (Ill.) High School alum and 2015 Valparaiso (Ind.) University graduate and former Crusaders (now Beacons) pitcher was head coach at Lake Station (Ind.) Edison Junior/Senior High School 2016-18 and has returned to teach History there.

Mahar was named head coach at Lowell in October 2023 and led the Red Devils of the Calumet Region through the end of fall IHSAA Limited Contact Period events as well as the entirety of winter activities leading up to the official start of practice on March 11.

“We’re emphasizing accountability and all the standards like playing the game the right way and doing your job on a daily basis,” says Mahar, who leads a program with 43 players varsity, junior varsity and freshmen/sophomore teams. “We lifted twice a week and did conditioning during non-limited contact. In December, we built arms and introduce concepts.

“With the help of my coaches it was pretty easy transition back into high school coaching.”

Mahar’s Lowell staff features former Wabash College player and Griffith (Ind.) High School assistant Jared Wolfe (Terre Haute South Vigo Class of 2015) as hitting coach and former Ancilla College player and Boone Grove High School assistant Diante Kincaid (LaPorte Class of 2011) as JV head coach with Shannon Umfleet at the lower levels and volunteers Jim Brooker with the varsity and Jim Galvin with the JV and freshmen/sophomores.

Lowell (enrollment around 1,000) is a member of the Northwest Crossroads Conference (with Andrean, Hanover Central, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley and Munster).

NCC games are played as home-and-home series on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Red Devils are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Chesterton, Crown Point, Kankakee Valley, Portage and Valparaiso. Lowell has won nine sectional titles — the last in 1994.

The 2024 season/home opener is slated for Monday, April 1 against Highland. The Red Devils take to the road in May when construction begins on a new on-campus home diamond that will feature turf.

Other teams on the schedule include Boone Grove, Griffith, Hammond Morton, Hebron, Illiana Christian, LaPorte, Merrillville, Morgan Township, Rensselaer Central and Wheeler.

A pair of recent Lowell graduates graduates that moved on to collegiate baseball include Joey Paternostro at Goshen College and Chris Vinson at Lake Michigan College.

Mahar and others in the community are working to build up the Red Devils feeder system. There are a few age groups represented in the Lowell Devils.

“It’s a matter of going with all levels,” says Mahar. “It’s a work-in-progress.”

The high school staff was involved with recent evaluations for Lowell Baseball League (Babe Ruth).

Ben and wife Jenessa have four children (three girls and a boy) — Ava (7), Layla (6), Dani (3) and Eddie (six months).

Follow the Red Devils on X (formerly Twitter) at @rdpathletics.

Ben Mahar.

Lowell High School.

Coach, teacher Bogner makes move to Chesterton

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

After 27 years in the School Town of Highland (Ind.), John Bogner has made a change as an educator and coach.

Bogner, a math teacher, spent nine years at Highland Middle School and 18 at Highland High School and was involved in baseball for much of that time including the past 11 as the Trojans head coach. He was an assistant to Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dan Miller for 12.

It’s another Hall of Famer that Bogner is following in his first year at Chesterton (Ind.) High School. At the end of the 2023 season, Jack Campbell stepped away as the leader of the baseball program after 52 years and 820 victories.

Chesterton (enrollment around 2,030) is a member of the Duneland Athletic Conference (with Crown Point, Lake Central, LaPorte, Merrillville, Michigan City, Portage and Valparaiso).

DAC teams play a home-and-home series on consecutive weekdays.

The Trojans are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Crown Point, Kankakee Valley, Lowell, Portage and Valparaiso. Chesterton has won 19 sectional titles — the last in 2018.

With a math and baseball opening at Chesterton, Bogner saw his chance to make a change. He was named to the coaching position in late July.

“I gave my heart, body and soul to the place,” says Bogner of his time at Highland. “(Making the move) was an opportunity for me to grow a little more. It recharges me personally and is better for my family in the long run.”

Bogner (pronounced BOAG-ner), wife Mandy, sons Justin and Jason reside in Highland. 

Justin Bogner (Highland Class of 2020) is a Purdue University senior. The Computer Information Technology major has accepted a job at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago after graduation. 

Jason Bogner has transferred to Chesterton where he can take Calculus. He is bound for Purdue.

Mandy Bogner teaches at W.C. Reavis Elementary School in Lansing, Ill.

Living in town, 1990 Griffith (Ind.) High School graduate John Bogner had about a two-mile commute to school.

With about a 25-mile drive in each direction, he now appreciates Windshield University.

“I’ve never had decompression time,” says Bogner. “I’ve never had time to soak things in. There are days I don’t put on the radio, I just chill and think, get my thoughts together.”

As he did at Highland, Bogner has set standards at Chesterton.

“First and foremost it’s the kids and coaches buying into things that I firmly believe in,” says Bogner. “So far they’ve all been amazingly receptive to me.”

Bogner emphasizes effort and improvement.

“Be better than what you have been,” says Bogner. “Every kid has told me they want to represent school and community. They say that and they mean it.

“What’s important to me is that the kids be good teammates, have a great work ethic and focus on what you’re doing while you’re doing it. The byproduct should be more wins and a lot more pride in wearing the uniform.”

There will likely be 45 to 54 players in the progam, according to Bogner.

At least one IHSAA Limited Contact Period session in the fall drew 70 participants. Drill stations were set up on the two side-by-side on-campus fields.

“We had every coach there for every workout,” says Bogner. “It’s awesome.”

There was a dynamic warm-up and Bogner installed a long toss program.

The Trojans concentrated on their two-strike approach at the plate.

“Kids who buy in have had better results,” says Bogner. “Coaches have bought in, too. I’m not just coaching new kids, but I’m coaching with new guys.

“It’s baseball. There’s a lot of commonalities. It’s different if your personalities clash. These are guys I feel like I’ve known for years and it’s only been four or five months.”

Bogner’s coaching staff includes Justin Jenks, Toby Gentry and Zach Coulter with the varsity, Spencer Sutton and Aaron DeLong with the junior varsity and Jason Finner and Austin Cooley with the freshmen. Coulter comes to Chesterton after serving as head coach at South Central (Union Mills).

To get in-touch with the local baseball community, Bogner has met with the State Park Little League board and conducted a few camps with about 70 attendees. There have also been contacts with the Duneland Flyers travel organization and others.

The plan is to reach out even more in the spring.

John Bogner. (Steve Krah Photo)

Chesterton High School.

Griffith chooses alum Wright as baseball head coach

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Amir Wright’s baseball role has gone from player to coach.

The 2016 graduate of Griffith (Ind.) High School was a lefty swinging and throwing outfielder for the Panthers, Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., Saint Leo (Fla.) University and Ball State University and saw his last game action in 2022 with the MLB Draft League’s Frederick (Md.) Keys and signed with the Evansville (Ind.) Otters in November 2022.

“I got injury after injury and didn’t know what I wanted to do,” says Wright. “Griffith called and asked if I was interested in coaching. I entertained it and prayed on it, talked to God and found it’s time to go a different path and go into coaching.”

After a short stint as a volunteer assistant to Whiting (Ind.) High School head coach Jacob Hunt before heading off for indy ball, Wright is now the head coach as his prep alma mater.

The Griffith Public Schools board approved the hiring of Wright, who turns 26 in February, on Tuesday, Oct. 24.

A call-out meeting was held before Wright was named head coach and he hopes to have his own soon.

“I’m going to emphasize playing the right way and playing hard, being disciplined, buying in, being part of a team and being selfless,” says Wright of the culture he looks to build for the Panthers. “Those are things I learned at Ball State that really helped. We also want to be really good people and really good students. 

“It’s important to be good on the field but it’s even more important to be good off the field.”

Wright played for Brian Jennings at Griffith, Rick O’Dette at both Saint Joseph’s and Saint Leo and Rich Maloney at Ball State.

“A lot of the people who mentored me and I played for led me to be in the position I am,” says Wright. “I’ll take a little bit from each person and incorporate it into my own thing.”

Griffith (enrollment around 630) is a member of the Greater South Shore Conference (with Calumet New Tech, Gary West Side, Hammond Bishop Noll Institute, Lake Station Edison, River Forest, Wheeler and Whiting as baseball-playing members).

The Panthers were part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional in 2024 grouping with Andrean, Boone Grove, Calumet New Tech, Hanover Central, Highland, Rensselaer Central and River Forest. Griffith has won 18 sectional titles — the last in 2021.

Wright has brought Hammond Bishop Noll Institute graduate Angel Figueroa as a varsity assistant who will lead infielders and help with hitting and baserunning. He is looking for a pitching coach and junior varsity coaches.

The Panthers practice and play on Brian Jennings Field.

“I’m going to take care of it to the best of my ability, make it the most playable and one of the better fields in the area,” says Wright.

Amir and younger brothers A.J. Wright (a 2019 Griffith graduate who played at Northwood University in Midland, Mich.) and Aydin Wright (a 2022 graduate of Thornwood in South Holland, Ill., now at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill., who recently committed to Central Michigan University for 2024-25) all grew up playing in Griffith Youth Baseball.

“There’s some things I want to do within youth baseball to get more kids playing, learn the game and be more advanced so when they do come to the high school level they’re ready to go,” says Wright. “I’m looking to start a middle school team (likely to play in the fall) in the next year or two. They can get accustomed to what I want from them and the first time they see me is not freshman year.”

In addition to Aydin Wright, some recent Griffith alums to move on to college baseball include the Class of 2019’s Kyle Iwinski at Purdue University and Johnny Maynard at the University of Mount Olive in North Carolina and 2022’s Mikey Feliciano at Calumet College of St. Joseph in Whiting.

Besides making plans for his new role, Griffith resident Wright is studying for a nutrition and personal training license and giving lessons in the afternoons at Batting Champs in Crown Point, Ind.

Amir Wright.

Amir State at Ball State University.

Amir Wright swings for MLB Draft League’s Frederick (Md.) Keys in 2022.

Griffith High School.

Stickann keeping it fun with Southland Vikings

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Sullivan Stickann loves it when ballplayers have a smile on their face.

“The biggest thing I emphasize loving coming to the ballpark every day,” says Stickann, manager of the Northern League playoff-bound Southland Vikings in northwest Indiana this summer and pitching coach/recruiting coordinator at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago during the school year. “You want to have fun every day and get better.

“It doesn’t have to be miserable. I always push the kids hard but they have fun at the end of the day.”

Stickann was in junior high when he decided he wanted to be a coach and teacher. Along the way, he narrowed that to coaching and working in an athletic department.

He counts Olive-Harvey head coach Jameel Rush and former minor leaguer and 5 Star Great Lakes/Great Lakes Sports Hub president Bobby Morris as his biggest mentors.

“I spend almost every single day with him,” says Stickann of Rush. “We’ve become really good friends. He’s taught me a lot.

“(Morris) has given me a lot of good intel. He’s been in the game for a really long time and he played pro.”

At 24, Stickann is the youngest manager in the six-team Northern League — a hybrid of amateur and professional players — and he is an army of one. He does not have an assistant. 

The 2017 graduate of Highland (Ind.) High School had John Bogner as a prep head coach.

“He just loved everybody in the program,” says Stickann of Bogner, who recently became field boss at Chesterton High School. “He stays in-touch with me to this day. He’s a great family guy.”

Stickann spent two years at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Ill., and one each at Trine University in Angola, Ind., and Wright State University-Lake Campus in Celina, Ohio. He plans to finish a Sports Management degree through American Public University.

Having played on both sides, Stickann gets to share what he knows about pitching and hitting.

“It’s weird,” says Stickann. “In high school I was a better pitcher than a hitter. I got to college and I was a better hitter than pitcher.

“It’s really benefitted me coaching-wise. I’m able to work with position players and pitchers.”

He recruited every play who has donned the Southland Vikings red and black this summer.

“We’ve had about 65 players play for this team,” says Stickann. “We have a core group but some guys have to leave early.

“I look for guys who were ranked pretty high in high school and have a good background. Former coaches had good things to say about them. I did my research online and got a couple through word of mouth. I really wanted to focus on speed and defense this season. That’s where our bread and butter is. We play winning baseball.”

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Southland came to Nappanee, Ind., to play the Elkhart County Miracle with nine, meaning no designated hitter. When Charlie Dumo was injured in the third inning, Stickann had to put himself in the lineup.

Donning No. 79, the lefty swinger/thrower played right field and even pitched two scoreless innings.

It’s about 100 miles between Highland High School, where the team bus departs, and Nappanee. Plus there’s a time difference (Nappanee is on Eastern Time).

“It’s a long drive but I love coming out here,” says Stickann. “It’s a beautiful (turfed) field. It’s always a good atmosphere. 

“Whenever we come here I make sure everybody plays.

“We make it a fun day. We’ll go get food after (the game) and have a blast in the van on the way here.”

Southland (26-22) is scheduled to finish the regular season with games today (Wednesday) at Griffith and Thursday at Northwest Indiana before taking on those same Oilmen in a best-of-three playoff series beginning Saturday at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind.

Sullivan Stickann. (Steve Krah Photo)

Munster-raised moundsman Moell making the most of his summer

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Will Moell’s last mound start was special.

The 19-year-old right-hander for the Northern League’s Southland Vikings took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Moell (pronounced Mail) surrendered the only hit two out into the last frame of his seven-inning outing against the Elkhart County Miracle Friday, July 14 at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee, Ind. He finished with eight strikeouts, four walks and one hit batsmen over 113 pitches.

The 2023 Northern League All-Star Game is at 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, July 18 at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind., and Moell (announced today as NL Pitcher of the Week) is on the West roster.

A 2022 Munster (Ind.) High School graduate coming off his first season at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., Moell has made eight appearances (all starts; a league high) for Southland and is 4-1 with a 3.92 earned run average, circuit-pacing 45 strikeouts and 37 walks and 41 1/3 innings.

“It means a lot to me when I go out there and pitch because you only get so many opportunities to pitch compared to the amount of work you put in,” says Moell. “I love it.”

He enjoys giving other players a boost.

“I do a good job of knowing what the team needs,” says Moell. “Sometimes we need a strikeout to get the team going. 

“Even though I haven’t swung the bat in awhile I think I still have an impact on that side coming off the field and going right into hitting.”

Moell subbed in a few games with the Northern League’s Crestwood Panthers in 2022.

Sullivan Stickann, a 2017 Highland (Ind.) High School graduate, is 2023 Southland manager. He was freshman coach at Munster when Moell was a senior and was an assistant at Olive-Harvey College in 2023.

“He’s really big into player development,” says Moell of Stickann. “He loves baseball than about anybody.

“That’s who I want to play for as a coach. 

“He gave me the opportunity without even seeing me play.

“I’m just really thankful for this team that summer. We players who have the ability to pick each other up. It’s a long season and everybody has bad days.

Northern League all-star catcher Matt Merk has been there as a steadying force as has shortstop Jack Fitzharris.

“There are guys who have shown confidence in me when I haven’t had confidence in myself,” says Moell, who plays home games with the Vikings at Dowling Park in Hammond, Ind.

Johns Hopkins went 48-8 and finished as the NCAA Division III national runner-up in 2023.

Moell pitched two innings and had two strikeouts and one walk over two games.

“This summer I was able to figure it out a little more,” says Moell. “I got a little more confidence and I’m ready to go back and hopefully grab a spot.”

Centennial Conference member Johns Hopkins had many graduate students and seniors in pitching roles in 2023. Moell’s class is full of arms.

“We’re going to have a serious impact on the pitching staff (in 2024),” says Moell, who turns 20 in October.

Bob Babb, an American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer, has been JHU head coach since 1980. He has amassed 1,266 career victories with five D-III World Series berths.

“He just knows baseball all the way around,” says Moell of Babb. “He’s kind of a wizard with the stuff he knows.”

Babb works with pitchers. But Ryan Graves and Andrew Furman share Blue Jays pitching coach duties.

“Graves is big on pitch calling and how to work hitters,” says Moell. “Furman (who has a Master of Psychological and Brain Sciences and teaches at the University of Maryland) is really good with the mechanical stuff. He knows a lot. He’s a really smart guy.”

Furman is able to find other pitchers to compare to his Johns Hopkins hurlers for instruction purposes.

“He helped me out a ton this past year,” says Moell.

He’s also been in Baltimore long enough to appreciate Maryland Crab Cakes.

“With Old Bay seasoning,” says Moell. “I’ve got a feel for it.”

Born and and raised in Munster, Moell played at Munster Little League until he was 12. He was with the Larry Crisler-coached Indiana Playmakers for his 13U through 17U travel ball seasons (2017-21).

Crisler, a 2014 graduate of Hammond Bishop Noll Institute, hit .541 with 12 home runs, 45 runs batted in, 38 runs scored and six triples as a senior and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. He played at Purdue Northwest.

“He was a really good hitter,” says Moell of Crisler. “That was something I never had as a pitcher. He could tell you how things looked from the plate. 

“Another thing was that he was really big into competition. To that point I hadn’t been much of a competitor. By the time I was done with him I was really wanting to go out there and win.”

Moell got into a few junior varsity games as a Munster freshman in 2019, lost his sophomore season to the COVID-19 pandemic then played on the varsity as a corner infielder, outfielder and pitcher for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Bob Shinkan as a junior and senior in 2021 and Mike Mikolajczyk in 2022. 

The hurler was 5-1 with four saves and a 3.00 ERA on the bump while earning IHSBCA Academic All-State and all-Northwest Crossroads Conference honors his final prep campaign.

“Everything was Munster Baseball to that guy,” says Moell of Shinkan, who passed away Feb. 24, 2022. “It was definitely an honor to have him in his last year as a coach and to make that semistate run.”

The 2021 Mustangs won Merrillville Sectional and LaPorte Regional titles.

Prior to his senior year, Moell looked into many high-academic colleges and universities.

“I had really good grades,” said Moell. “I didn’t want it to go to waste and I still wanted to play baseball.”

After sending multiple emails to Johns Hopkins, he got an invitation to a camp there, performed really well and received an offer Oct. 24, 2021 to join the Blue Jays the following fall.

“I had to get all papers in by Nov. 1,” says Moell, who did meet that deadline and is now a Public Health Studies on the Pre-Med track. With his athletic background and interests, he is considering specializing in orthopedics or sports medicine.

Two Major League Baseball players that Moell enjoys watching are Chicago Cubs right-handed starter Marcus Stroman and Cleveland Guardians righty reliever James Karinchak.

“I love how (Stroman) plays,” says Moell. “He’s athletic and shows anybody can pitch. He’s not the biggest guy. But he’s a big pitchability guy.

“(Karinchak) and I throw similar pitches. He’s a big high fastball and 12-6 curveball guy. He throws with just a ton of emotion.”

The 6-foot, 190-pound Moell’s arm angle is way over the top.

Some have said it looks like he’s trying to launch the ball into orbit.

He throws a four-seam fastball, curveball and splitter.

The four-seamer tends to be clocked in the mid-80’s with the 12-to-6 curve in the low 70’s.

Moll tries to get lift on the four-seamer with batters swinging under a pitch that travel around 2000 rpm and over a curve that goes 2100 to 2200.

So it’s fastball up and curveball down.

“Where a lot of people like to see inside-outside, I think it’s easier to go up-and-down,” says Moell. “I think that’s why I’ve been successful.”

The splitter, which is similar to a change-up, is thrown with about 1100 to 1200 rpm.

“I try to kill the spin on that and the speed difference helps a lot,” says Moell. “I move my fingers away from the ball and that’s how I get it to drop.

“It helps especially late in the game when (the opponent) has been seeing fastballs all day.”

On a good day, Moell’s four-seamer gets 19 inches of vertical break and the splitter gets eight.

Will is the youngest son of Stephen and Ginger Moell and younger brother of Noah Moell (23).

Stephen Moell works in the finance department for speciality subcontractor Crown Corr Inc. in Crown Point, Ind. Ginger Moell is a music teacher at Aux Sable Middle School in Joliet, Ill. Noah Moell (Munster Class of 2018) is a former prep soccer player who went on to marketing and event operations with the Chicago Bears.

Will Moell. (Johns Hopkins University Photo)

Will Moell. (Johns Hopkins University Photo)

Illinois junior colleges tap into Indiana baseball talent

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

Illinois junior college baseball has long been a destination for Indiana players.
Many have used the two-year institutions to springboard into a four-year school or the professional ranks.
Our neighbors to the west sport 41 National Junior College Athletic Association programs in Division I, II and III (Regions 4 or 24).
There is a difference between divisions.
NJCAA Divisions I and II can offer up to 24 athletic scholarships. Division III schools do not. Most (but not all) junior colleges have other scholarship and financial aid options.
Illinois’ NJCAA D-I teams include Frontier Community College (Fairfield), John A. Logan College (Carterville), Kakaskia College (Centralia), Kishwaukee College (Malta), Lake Land College (Mattoon), Lincoln Trail College (Robinson), Olive-Harvey College (Chicago), Olney Central College (Olney), Rend Lake College (Ina), Shawnee CC (Ullin), South Suburban College (South Holland), Southeastern Illinois College (Harrisburg), Southwestern Illinois College (Swansea), Triton College (River Grove) and Wabash Valley College (Mount Carmel).
Wabash Valley went 59-9 and qualified for the 2022 NJCAA D-I World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.
“We’ve been very fortunate,” says Wabash Valley coach Aaron Biddle, who is in his eighth season with the Warriors and first as head coach in 2023. “We’ve had some very good Indiana kids over the years. We’re just right across the border form Princeton, Ind. Getting into Evansville and going up to Indianapolis are great recruiting sources for us.
“Our conference is real competitive.”
John A. Logan, Kakaskia, Lake Land, Lincoln Trail, Olney Central, Rend Lake, Shawnee, Southeastern Illinois, Southwestern Illinois and Wabash Valley is in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference.
WVC plays mostly D-I schools with a few D-II’s sprinkled in.
“The more D-I opponents you have on your schedule the better it is for your (RPI) rankings,” says Biddle.
What does “JUCO Bandit” means to Biddle, who started his college playing career at former NJCAA D-III St. Catharine in Kentucky and finished at NCAA D-II Kentucky Wesleyan.
“Maybe he’s not be getting the offers he wants at (NCAA) D-I or a big school and he’s going to bet on himself and he’s going to go the JUCO route, grind for two years and get better everyday and definitely get that offer he’s not getting right now,” says Biddle. “We get to spend a lot of time with our guys. We get to be with them almost every single day. There’s not a lot of restrictions on how much practice time we have.
“The big things is that in the fall, we get to play 14 dates. We get to play every weekend. Guys are getting all those extra innings and they’re getting to compete. That’s a big thing for us.
“In baseball you’ve got to play to get better.”
Biddle says the funnest aspect of his job is seeing players land at their dream school.
South Suburban posted a 42-19 record in 2022.
Kevin Bowers has been head coach at Lincoln Trail since the 2010 season. That was the sophomore season of Justin Hancock (who went on to pitch in the big leagues and is now an Indiana State University assistant).
Bowers was on the LTC staff since 2001 and was an assistant to then-Statesmen head coach Mitch Hannahs (who is now head coach at Indiana State).
Bowers coached at ISU for the 2000 season. Lincoln Trail is about 10 miles from the Indiana line and 40 miles from ISU.
“The talent level is just off the chart,” says Bowers. “I’m certainly not knocking the state of Illinois. We’ve had a great deal of success with kids out of Indiana.”
Bowers has a take on “JUCO Bandit.”
“We develop an ‘ask no quarter, take no quarter’ mentality,” says Bowers. “We don’t want for a lot. We don’t need a lot. But we try to get a lot done.
“’Bandit has that negative connotation to it. When you go to junior college your mindset is that you’re foregoing the 100,000-seat football stadium. There’s not a lot of nightlife. Campus activities are geared around the athletics. You develop a worker’s mentality.
“There’s not a lot of thrills, but the talent at this level is crazy good.”
Bowers said there was a time when junior college baseball was battling the perception that their players had got booted from another school or could not make grades.
“Our guys are getting it done in the classroom and they’re getting it done on the field,” says Bowers, whose program earned a 2021-22 American Baseball Coaches Association Team Excellence Award for posting a grade-point average of 3.0 or above. “It’s a situation where academically you’re not going to lose ground.”
Illinois’ NJCAA D-II squads are Black Hawk-Moline College (Moline), Carl Sandburg College (Galesburg), Danville Area CC (Danville), Elgin CC (Elgin), Heartland CC (Normal), Highland College (Freeport), Illinois Central College (East Peoria), Illinois Valley CC (Oglesby), John Wood CC (Quincy), Kankakee CC (Kankakee), College of Lake County (Grayslake), Lewis & Clark CC (Godfrey), Lincoln Land CC (Springfield), McHenry County College (Crystal Lake), Moraine Valley CC (Palos Heights), Morton College (Cicero), Parkland College (Champaign), Prairie State College (Chicago Heights), Sauk Valley CC (Dixon) and Spoon River College (Canton).
Heartland (49-10) played in the 2022 NJCAA D-II World Series in Enid, Okla.
The Mid-West Athletic Conference features Heartland, Danville Area, Illinois Central, John Wood, Lewis & Clark, Lincoln Land, Parkland and Spoon River plus Vincennes (Ind.) University.
Also in 2022, Kankakee went 43-17, McHenry 40-18, Black Hawk-Moline 35-20, Lake County 32-20 and Morton 32-20.
Illinois’ NJCAA D-III features College of DuPage (Glen Ellyn), Harper College (Palatine), Joliet Junior College (Joliet), Oakton CC (Skokie), Rock Valley College (Rockport) and Waubonsee CC (Sugar Grove).
The Arrowhead Conference is made up of Black Hawk-Moline, Carl Sandburg, Highland, Illinois Valley, Kishwaukee and Sauk Valley.
Oakton (34-28-1) competed in the 2022 NJCAA D-III World Series in Greenville, Tenn.
Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference includes Lake County, Elgin, McHenry County, Moraine Valley, Morton, Oakton, Prairie State and Waubonsee.
Since 1993, Triton is a two-time D-I World Series runner-up (1993 and 1994).
D-II World Series titles were earned by Kishwaukee (1999), Lincoln Land (2000), Parkland (2002 and 2009) and Kankakee (2017). Parkland was also a runner-up in 2018.
Joliet earned D-III World Series championships in 1994, 2008 and 2012 and placed second in 1995 and 2015. Oakton reigned in D-III in 2018 and Waubonsee was runner-up in 1996.

’22 Evansville North grad Decker adapting to life with the Dodgers

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

Cameron Decker was a young baseball player at McCutchanville Community Park on the north side of Evansville, Ind., when he donned a Dodgers jersey.
Flash forward about a decade later and Decker is with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.
The 18-year old was selected in the 18th round of the 2022 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Dodgers. The draft was held July 17-19, he signed July 30 and last week finished a short stint in the Arizona Complex League. He came back to Evansville for a few days then headed back to Glendale, Ariz., for “bridge” league and Arizona Instructional League (which conclude Oct. 8). The Dodgers’ training complex is at Camelback Ranch.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder enjoyed a super senior season at Evansville North High School in 2022. He made 115 plate appearances and hit .447 with 12 home runs, five doubles, three triples and .617 on-base percentage as a righty-swinging shortstop. He bashed six homers in the Huskies’ first three games.
“It was my goal going in to hit a lot of home runs,” says Decker of the offensive approach at the end of his high school career. “(After the hot start), I saw a ton of curveballs and balls. I switched my mindset to be less aggressive and more patient and take what comes my way.
“As a pro, I’ve tried to hunt fastballs. In two-strike counts, I’m looking to put something in-play.”
While he has not fully committed to it, Decker is considering becoming a switch hitter.
“When I was about 12 I took a few (lefty) swing in the cage and my body felt well and not awkward,” says Decker. “I’ll sometime hit (lefty) in the cage to loosen things up.”
Decker was selected to play in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series June 25-26 at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion and Evansville North head coach Jeremy Jones was head coach for the South.
A University of Central Florida commit, Decker opted to go pro rather than attend college.
“It was a combination of a lot of things,” says Decker of the factors that went into his decision. “Three years of college is a lot of time. You’re not guaranteed to be drafted again. Development in pro ball is higher than three years of college.
“My dream since I was a little kid to play Major League Baseball.”
Decker, who turns 19 on Sept. 22, is getting used to the transition from amateur to pro baseball.
“I’m enjoying you a lot,” says Decker. “It’s a job and it’s a lot of baseball. We’re at the field 9 to 12 hours a day getting work in and playing games.
“I’m around a lot of smart people who love baseball. It’s pretty cool.”
The Dodgers have used Decker as a corner infielder but he has also gotten reps in the outfield and at shortstop and second base.
Decker considers strength and the ability to cover ground in the infield and outfield and run the bases well as some of his best qualities.
“I’ve always been a strong kid,” says Decker. “I’ve always had power regardless of my height. I’ve been working on being more mobile and loose. “It’s part natural strength. I also hit weight room three times a week for a whole-body workout.”
Since the end of his freshman year at Evansville North, Decker has worked out with Tyler Norton, who is a strength and conditioning coach for the Dodgers and runs TNT Fitness and Performance in Fort Branch, Ind.
Decker was born in Evansville and grew up on the north side. After playing at McCutchanville, he was with Highland and competed in the Indiana Little League State Tournament at age 12.
Playing for father Chad Decker, Cameron went into travel ball with the Evansville Thunder.
“Then it was time to go chase bigger things,” says Cameron, who was with the Canes Midwest coached by David Bear and Phil McIntyre his 15U and 16U summers and 5 Star Midwest coached by Jerry Cowan at 17U.
Along the way, Decker impressed scouts including those with the Dodgers, especially after he showed well in an event in Jupiter, Fla.
Dodgers Upper Midwest area scout Mitch Schulewitz (who pitched the University of Illinois-Chicago) signed Decker to his first pro contract.
Cameron — the oldest of Princeton (Ind.) Community High School graduates Chad and Libby Decker’s two sons — comes from a family with a strong baseball pedigree.
Grandfather Joe Don Decker played at Indiana State and in the Cincinnati Reds system. He was a 1962 spring training roommate of Pete Rose and went as high as Triple-A.
Father Chad Decker set records at Princeton then went to the University of Central Florida as a pitcher. After developing arm problems, he transferred to Indiana University to study business and now sells dental insurance.
Cousin Jeff Goldbach broke Chad’s Princeton hitting records and was drafted in the second round of the 1998 MLB Draft by the Chicago Cubs. He was tragically shot and killed in Greensboro, N.C., in 2021.
Uncle Quinn Decker pitched at Indiana State and lettered in 1996.
Brother Cole Decker (Evansville North Class of 2024) is a lefty-swinging and lefty-throwing outfielder who spent the summer of 2022 with the traveling Louisville Legends. The spring high school season was his first baseball season playing with his big brother.
“We’re a very tight family,” says Cameron. “But summers are usually split with mom and dad trading off (to followed one brother or the other).”
Libby Decker is a former social worker now in marketing. She holds degrees from Indiana State and UCF.

Cameron Decker. (Los Angeles Dodgers Photo)

Cameron and Chad Decker from the McCutchanville days.

Cameron Decker’s first Los Angeles Dodgers organization jersey.

Cameron Decker (left) and Los Angeles Dodgers strength and conditioning coach Tyler Norton in Glendale, Ariz.

Highland alum Ivetic getting ready for next baseball chapter

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

Dimitri Ivetic does not yet know where he will play college baseball in 2022-23.
But the right-handed pitcher has been in this position before and he’s not pushing the panic button.
Along his college baseball path, 2019 Highland (Ind.) High School graduate Ivetic has been at Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif., Santa Barbara (Calif.) City College and Danville (Ill.) Area Community College.
Ivetic (pronounced Eave-Uh-Titch) made the decision to attend each only a few weeks before going there.
“I think it helps me weigh my options and advice and make the decision that I think works best for me,” says Ivetic, 21.
Born in Dyer, Ind., and played in the Highland Babe Ruth League, then travel ball with Morris Chiefs (now 5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs) coached by Matt Mamula and Dave Sutkowski and Florida Pokers.
His head coach at Highland High was John Bogner.
“He’s very adamant on the fundamentals,” says Ivetic of Bogner. “He was very big on arm healthy and keeping guys healthy. Those are the biggest things I’ve been able to carry over into college.
“We had a rough senior year, but my sophomore and junior years we won quite a few games.”
How did a kid from northwest Indiana end up on the West Coast?
“Ever since I was younger it was my dream to play college baseball,” says Ivetic. “My favorite school was UCLA. I always wanted to play there. I wasn’t good enough to go to UCLA so I decided to go to JUCO out in California.”
Through a friend, Ivetic met Palomar pitching coach Hayden Carter while the latter was managing the summer wood-bat Kokomo (Ind.) Jackrabbits.
After a visit and seeing the facilities and experiencing the weather, Ivetic joined the program. The righty got into five games totaling three innings for the 2020 Palomar Comets.
“I struggled with command a little bit,” says Ivetic. “Then the pandemic hit and we got shut down with mandates and restrictions. We are all like super-disappointed.
“During that time I was able to go throw at nearby fields. On one of the last days I strained my forearm. I felt something pull in there.
“That bugged me for the next couple months. I worked through it and made some mechanical adjustments which ended up paying off.”
Away from baseball, Ivetic went to the beach and on hikes with his roommates.
“We became a lot closer,” says Ivetic. “Those are some of my best friends to this day that I still talk to (regularly).”
In the summer of 2020, Ivetic did not play but trained at Randy Sullivan’s Florida Baseball ARMory in Lakeland.
“He’s a great guy,” says Ivetic of Sullivan. “He’s very innovative. He helped me a lot over the course of a couple years.”
When Ivetic learned that the pandemic was going to keep Palomar from baseball activities in the fall of 2020 he decided to transfer to Santa Barbara City College.
That turned out to be a tough situation with several COVID-19-related shutdowns and — eventually — no 2021 season.
He played for the Bomb Squad in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., then went back to Santa Barbara in the fall and it did not go well.
“My velocity was down and I struggled,” says Ivetic. “I made one little adjustment that kind of messed everything up.”
During his fall exit meeting, Ivetic was advised that if he wanted more playing time in 2022 he should transfer so he went back to the Midwest and Danville Area, where he pitched in 12 games (26 2/3 innings) and went 2-2 with two saves, 36 strikeouts and 12 walks.
“Danville was great,” says Ivetic. “The coaches were great. We struggled through some stuff, but overall it was decent.
“I definitely made some memories.”
Throwing from a high three-quarter arm slot, Ivetic uses a four-seam fastball (which has been clocked as high as 90 mph), curveball and sweeping slider.
“My slider is what I’ve been most comfortable with,” says Ivetic. “I can throw it for a strike in basically any count. It’s got more horizontal movement, but sometimes it will start to look more like my curveball.”
Ivetic says he could return to Danville Area in the fall, but has no plans to do so.
“It wouldn’t make much sense to go back to junior college at this point because — academically — it would just put me so far behind on how many credits would transfer,” says Ivetic, a Finance major who is in the Transfer Portal. “I’m not quite sure where I’m going. But we’re starting to get some idea of where I’d like to go.”
Ivetic is back with the CSL’s Bomb Squad and was named to the July 4 All-Star Game. He also trains with PRP Baseball at the Mojo Up Sports Complex in Noblesville, visiting there before games at Grand Park.
PRP Baseball, which was founded by Greg Vogt (now a rehab pitching coach for the Toronto Blue Jays organization), is under the day-to-day guidance of Anthony Gomez. He has coached Ivetic since he was 16.
Dimitri is of Serbian descent and the only child born to Zarko and Paula Ivetic. His father sells for Jack Tuchten Wholesale Produce in Chicago and his mother works at Nordstrom.

Dimitri Ivetic (Palomar College Photo)

Dimitri Ivetic of the College Summer League at Grand Park’s Bomb Squad (Steve Krah Photo)