Tag Archives: Illinois

Lefty Cortner part of Indiana State’s special 2023 season

June 9, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

Kyle Cortner has been part of something special in his first season as a member of the Indiana State University baseball team.
A left-handed pitcher from Fishers, Ind. and a 2020 Indianapolis Cathedral High School graduate, Cortner contributed along the way to a squad that is 45-15 going into the Fort Worth Super Regional against Texas Christian University (40-22).
Game 1 in the best-of-three series is at 5 p.m. ET today (June 9). Game 2 is at 6 p.m. ET Saturday. If a third game is necessary that will be Sunday. The College World Series in Omaha, Neb., is June 16-26.
“It’s very exciting,” says Cortner, who has made seven mound appearances (six in relief) so far in 2023 and gone 0-0 with a 4.91 earned run average, four strikeouts and four walks in 7 1/3 innings. He last pitched in a game on May 20.
“I’ve been in the bullpen,” says Cortner of his current role. “They want me facing mainly (left-handed hitters) if possible and being a match-up guy.”
Cortner, 21, came to Terre Haute after two seasons at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill., There, the southpaw pitched in 20 games (all in relief) and won three saves with a 4.80 ERA, 81 strikeouts and 60 walks in 69 1/3 innings.
As a left-handed hitter, he posted a .283 average (66-of-233) with 13 home runs, 11 doubles, 41 runs batted in and 61 runs scored. He was a first baseman when not pitching as a freshman and took on more starting pitcher responsibilities and played less at first as a sophomore. He gave up the bat and infielder duty when he went to ISU.
“It’s definitely difficult to do both,” says Cortner.
Kevin Bowers followed current Sycamores head coach Mitch Hannahs as Lincoln Trail field boss.
“I got introduced to (Hannahs’) coaching style so that helped a lot,” says Cortner of Bowers. “He’s pretty hard-nosed. It’s junior college and there’s not a lot of room for error. You’re there to get better.”
Bowers made his Statesmen toe the line off the field, insisting that they behave correctly and tend to their studies.
“He kept me in-line for two straight years and helped me get (to Indiana State),” says Cortner.
The lefty has enjoyed his time with Hannahs.
“I really like him as a coach,” says Cortner. “He’s brutally honest. He doesn’t sugar coat anything. He tells it as it is.
“He’s a good motivator. He knows how to fire up the team. He brings a blue-collar style of coaching to Indiana State which has helped us a lot after starting out so slow. He’s not going to hold your hand and guide you along the process.”
Hannahs knew there more to a club that started the season 2-8. Later on, the Sycamores went on a 14-game win streak.
Cortner spends much of his time with ISU pitching coach and former big leaguer Justin Hancock.
“He’s helped me develop my slider more and focus on certain pitches that will get more outs like my slider and my fastball command for sure,” says Cortner of Hancock. “And with moving my body down the mound better. I came in not doing that very well. It’s helped me rhythm and being more consistent.”
A 6-foot-3, 215-pounder with a three-quarter overhand arm slot, Cortner mixes a four-seam fastball, slider and change-up.
The four-seamer has been clocked at 90 mph. The slider tends to travel 10-to-4 on the clock with “more vertical than normal” movement.
He throws a “circle” change.
“It rolls off the outside of my middle finger,” says Cortner, who has also been working on adding a cutter to his pitch mix.
Is it true that left-handers just have natural movement on their pitches?
“Every lefty that I play with here does not throw a straight fastball ever,” says Cortner.
Born in Indianapolis, Cortner grew up in Fishers. He attended grades K-8 at St. Simon the Apostle School in Indianapolis.
His travel baseball teams were the HSE Cats at 8U and 9U, Matt Turner-coached Indiana Propects from 10U to 12U, USAthletic at 13U and Turner-coached Indy Sharks from 14U to 18U.
At Cathedral, Cortner played for Ed Freje. As an Irish junior in 2019, the lefty went 6-0 with an 0.68 ERA, 33 strikeouts and 12 walks in 31 innings. He also knocked in 19 runs.
The COVID-19 pandemic took away his senior season. He did play in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2020 and returned the next summer. He was with the Terre Haute (Ind.) Rex in the summer of 2022 and expects to join the Kokomo (Ind.) Jackrabbits when Indiana State’s 2023 season is done.
Kyle’s mother — Jennifer Cortner — is the escrow manager at Summit Title in Carmel, Ind. Older sister Katelyn (Cortner) Schaefer (Cathedral Class of 2018) played volleyball in high school and one year at Aurora University and is now a nurse.

Kyle Cortner. (Indiana State University Photo)

Kyle Cortner. (Lincoln Trail College Photo)

College

Merrillville grad Coty seeking next college opportunity

June 8, 2023 stvkrh905 1 Comment

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

Dylan Coty spent the summer of 2022 with a baseball team in Swift Current, Saskatchewan — the 57’s of the Western Canadian Baseball League.
Fitting for a player who counts swiftness as one of his best qualities.
“I know how to use my speed very well,” says Coty, who is in the Transfer Portal seeking four-year college baseball opportunities while playing this summer for the Northwoods League’s Rockford (Ill.) Rivets. “I have a lot of energy.
“I want to let coaches and recruiting coordinators know I can play with these guys.”
To market himself, Coty is also planning to expand his Twitter profile. His handle is @DylanCoty4.
Coty describes his approaches at the plate and in the field.
“I try to drive the ball in the gap,” says Coty, a righty swinger. “If I have to put the ball in the ground and beat it out, I’ll do that, too. There’s nothing wrong with bunting.
“(The defensive key is to) stay down on the ball (and use good footwork). Get the ball first and then worry about throwing the ball.”
Coty, who turns 20 in July, is a shortstop and second baseman and occasional outfielder who graduated from Merrillville (Ind.) High School in 2021 then went to Post Grad Sports in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a gap year experience before college.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder was at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill., in the fall of 2022 then transferred to Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, Calif.
Coty has studied Physical Therapy but says be is considering switching his major to Sports Management.
Born in Munster, Ind., Coty grew up in Hammond, Ind., and played Little League at Hessville and Merrillville and one year of travel ball with the Indiana Playmakers.
Also a basketball player (he was on the varsity at Merrillville High), Coty began to see his potential in baseball.
“I got way more serious my junior year when I began playing travel ball,” says Coty. “I knew I could do something with it.”
His high school baseball coach was Paul Wirtz.
“I’m not going to lie. He was very tough on me,” says Coty of Wirtz. “He was one of those guys who wanted me to be great. He always pushed me.”
The son of Donya Coty, Dylan has two older brothers — Darius Coty and Daveon Coty — and cousin Michael Coles.
Darius and Daveon played football and basketball at Hammond Morton High School. Coles played baseball at Hammond High, Parkland College, Purdue University and in independent pro ball (2006-13).

Dylan Coty. (Merrillville High School Photo)

Dylan City in orange. (Swift Current 57’s Photo)

College

Fort Wayne’s Lashure bound for NCAA Regional with Eastern Illinois

May 30, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Grant Lashure is now a junior catcher on the Eastern Illinois University baseball team bound for the June 2-5 NCAA Division I Nashville Regional.
Lashure (pronounced Lasher) has played in 45 games for the 2023 EIU Panthers (41 starts) and the righty swinger is hitting .312 (49-of-157) with 11 doubles, 34 runs batted in and 23 runs scored. He is fielding at a .997 clip with 275 putouts and 25 assists.
In his first season on the Charleston, Ill., campus (2022), Lashure appeared in 35 games (31 starts) and hit .286 (32-of-112) with three home runs, one triples, two doubles, 14 RBIs and 17 runs. His fielding mark was .996 with 251 putouts and 19 assists.
While at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Bishop Luers High School, Lashure did not receive many offers to play college baseball.
He committed to North Carolina Central University only to have that program suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lashure opted to stay at home and play for Ivy Tech Northeast Community College in Fort Wayne.
He was familiar with Titans head coach Lance Hershberger and assistant Connor Wilkins. He played travel ball for them with the Northeast Indiana Buzz, Summit City Sluggers and Kekiongas.
Lashure was not big as a youngster and has since filled out his 5-foot-10 frame at 180 pounds. He appreciates the fundamentals and “small ball” he learned from Hershberger.
“He taught the game extremely well,” says Lashure of Hershberger. “He allowed me to become the player I am today.
“He allowed me to focus on the little things. With Coach Hershberger, I started to know the game and get a lot better. I became a more well-rounded player.”
Lashure credits Wilkins for helping to hone his catching skills — things like, mobility, set-up, receiving, throwing and blocking.
Born in Mooresville, N.C., Lashure moved to Fort Wayne as he was entering fourth grade. He was with the James Ball-coached Fort Wayne Cubs (now the Fort Wayne Diamondbacks) for his 10U to 12U travel seasons then was part of the 13U Strike Zone Spiders.
He played a little second base as a Luers freshman, but Lashure was mostly a catcher as a four-year Knights varsity player. His head coaches were Gary Rogers the first two years and Jeff Stanski the last two.
Grant says he is grateful to Rogers for giving him an opportunity to play with older brother Luke Lashure (Luers Class of 2016).
The summer after graduation (2019), Grant played in the local men’s league with the Fort Wayne Blues.
When he got to Ivy Tech, he got to play 30 games in the fall and just 11 in the spring because of the shortened 2020 season. But he continued learning and improving while working with Wilkins.
“When you’re getting a lot of reps you’re going to get better,” says Lashure.
In 2021, he played in 55 games (53 starts) and hit a team-best .421 (67-of-159) with two homers, one triple, 11 doubles, 52 RBIs and 46 runs. A .993 fielder, he collected 248 putouts and 37 assists.
Lashure was with the Appalachian League’s Greeneville (Tenn.) Flyboys for 14 games in the summer of 2021.
This summer, Lashure is to be with the MLB Draft League’s State College (Pa.) Spikes.
But before that comes the postseason at Eastern Illinois.
The Jason Anderson-coached Panthers followed up a 33-20 mark in 2022 by losing players who decided not to take their extra year of eligibility or enter the Transfer Portal.
Among those was Jesse Wainscott (a right-hander and graduate of Perry Meridian High School in Indianapolis who landed at Arizona State University).
“We were left scrambling,” says Lashure. “We had a lot of arms to replace.”
Even so, the team got off to a 12-4 start in 2023. But a 5-9 stretch came next.
“We worried about making the (Ohio Valley Conference) tournament at a certain point in our season,” says Lashure. “We had to play as a team. Not just one individual was going to carry us.
“We all competed.”
The team ended the regular season on a seven-game win streak, including a three-game sweep at Southeast Missouri and went into the OVC tournament in Marion, Ill., as the No. 5 seed.
Playing six games in four days, EIU went 5-1, beating No. 1 seed Morehead State for the NCAA tournament bid.
“We took the longest route to the championship,” says Lashure.
The Nashville Regional is hosted by No. 1 seed Vanderbilt (No. 6 of 16 national seeds) and also includes No. 2 Oregon, No. 3 Xavier and No. 4 Eastern Illinois (38-19).
Lashure, who turns 23 on June 18, earned a General Studies associate degree at Ivy Tech and is an Exercise Science major at Eastern Illinois.
Mike and Monica Lashure have six children — Luke, Grant, Leah, Nick, Anthony and Veronica.
Mike Lashure is Director of New Market Development for Schafer Industries. Monica Lashure is a stay-at-home mom.
Luke Lashure played one baseball season at Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne.
Leah Lashure played tennis at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger High School and is now a art/substitute teacher at Our Lady of Good Hope School in Fort Wayne.
Nick Lashure (Dwenger Class of 2024) is a prep baseball and football athlete.
Anthony Lashure finished eighth grade. He plays baseball and basketball.
Veronica Lashure, 6, is just getting started in school.

Grant Lashure. (Eastern Illinois University Photo)

Eastern Illinois University’s 2023 Ohio Valley Conference baseball tournament champions and NCAA Regional qualifiers. (EIU Photo)

College

Kahre’s baseball journey takes him to Southern Indiana

May 18, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Evan Kahre is coming to the close of a college baseball journey that has led to hundreds of relationships.
A senior outfielder at the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville, Kahre has graduated with a Finance degree and is exploring his future options.
“I don’t have anything set in stone yet,” says Kahre, who turned 24 in April. “But I have a lot of things I want to try to do. I know I have a lot of different opportunities. The great thing about playing baseball and going to three different (colleges) and playing summer ball I know I have 300-500 guys that could call me at anytime to offer me a job or an opportunity to work anywhere or do anything.”
Kahre (pronounced Car-EE) was born in Evansville, grew up on the north side of town and graduated from Evansville Central High School in 2017. He has spent two years each at Olney (Ill.) Central College, the University of Evansville and USI.
He played in 65 games and hit .356 (67-of-188) with three home runs, three triples, 13 doubles, 31 runs batted in, 56 runs scored and 18 stolen bases for the OCC Blue Knights in 2018.
Kahre committed to Evansville in the fall of his sophomore year at Olney then had hand surgery after winter break. He got into just two games in 2019 and took a medical redshirt.
He appeared in 12 games at Evansville in 2020 — the season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and got that year of eligibility back.
Kahre played in 19 games for the Purple Aces in 2021 and went 0-of-7 at the plate and opted to move on.
“I was very fortunate,” says Kahre. “Growing up in Evansville I knew a lot of guys around USI’s baseball team. Coach (Tracy) Archuleta was one of the first people to call me after I entered the Transfer Portal.
“I just love him as a person and as a coach as well. He’s very personable and easy to talk to.”
Archuleta, who has led the Screaming Eagles program since the 2007 season, has shown the ability to get the most out of players.
“When it comes down to it, if you mess up in a game he’s going to hold you accountable, which is good,” says Kahre. “He expects more out of every individual than they think they’re capable of and that’s how he’s created great teams and great players in the past.”
Southern Indiana went from NCAA Division II in 2022 to NCAA D-I in 2023.
“I already knew what we were getting into,” says Kahre, having been with a D-I program at Evansville. “I really wish a lot of other guys could have seen that.
“Baseball is so mental. It’s about the mindset and what you think of it. If we think we’re going to lose we probably don’t have a good chance to win. If we think we’re just as good as any team we have a really good chance to win.”
Many of the players on the 2022 USI roster made the transition in 2023.
“The guys we’re playing now aren’t any different than the ones we played in Division II,” says Kahre. “They put their shoes on the same way in the morning as we do.”
Kahre sees no skill gap between D-I and D-II position players. There might be a little with hitters and there tends to be more velocity coming from DI weekend starting pitchers.
USI is in the nine-team Ohio Valley Conference. The top eight makes the OVC tournament. The Screaming Eagles (15-36, 6-14) are currently in eighth ahead of Lindenwood.
A regular season-closing series at Tennessee Tech is May 18-20.
“We really need to get some wins this weekend,” says Kahre.
As an outfielder, Kahre works with assistant Seth LaRue as well as Archuleta.
Kahre, who is 6-foot-3 and 195 pounds and throws and hits right-handed, goes into the Tennessee Tech series hitting .304 (49-of-161) with two home runs, three triples, seven doubles, 21 runs batted in, 36 runs scored, 22 walks and 12 stolen bases. He has started in all 40 games in which he has played.
In 2022, he played in 43 contests (all starts) and hit .290 (40-of-138) with no homers, five triples, six doubles, 22 RBIs, 34 runs, 29 walks and eight stolen bases.
“I’ve always been able to run a little bit,” says Kahre. “The goal is to get into scoring position.”
Kahre is aware of pitchers throwing off-speed pitches. He studies his pick-off move and reads balls in the dirt.
During the season, Kahre was moved to the lead-off spot in the Southern Indiana batting order.
“I see it as a leadership role,” says Kahre. “I’m trying put together a good at-bat and get on-base to start us in a positive direction.”
The past two years, Kahre played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.
“I had a great host family,” says Kahre, who stayed both years with Trevor and Abbey Hash.
He did not play summer ball in 2020 and was with the Dubois County Bombers in Huntingburg, Ind., in 2018 and 2019. Andy Lasher (who is now head coach at Oakland City University) was the manager the first year and Travis LaMar the second.
Kahre’s formal baseball start was in Cal Ripken. He played travel ball for Boonville/Indiana Gold and in his 17U summer the Indiana Outlaws (now known as the Canes Midwest) and the 18U Evansville Leathernecks (based out of the training facility then now as Extra Innings and now Complete Game).
Mike Goedde, a former USI head coach and two-time UE pitching coach, was Kahre’s head coach at Evansville Central.
“Playing in high school is where I learned a good amount more about how the game should be played,” says Kahre. “(Goedde) taught us how to do the little things right.”
Brett and Stacey Kahre have three sons — Evan, Dax and Ashton. Brett Kahre played football at Evansville Central and now works in engineering for Brake Supply in Evansville. Stacey Kahre played softball at Evansville Reitz and UE and owns Midwest Skin Institute, a dermatology business in Evansville.
Dax Kahre (Evansville Central Class of 2021) played baseball in high school and is now a USI student. Ashton Kahre played baseball and soccer and picked up lacrosse in high school. He is an Evansville Central senior.

Evan Kahre. (University of Southern Indiana Photo)

College

‘Golden Retriever’ Boynton doing his part for NCAA D-II powerhouse Quincy

May 16, 2023 stvkrh905 2 Comments

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

Brock Boynton came from a very successful prep baseball program and he’s experienced more of the same in college.
The 2019 graduate of Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., where the Kingsmen have won five state titles and numerous conference, sectional, regional and semistate crowns, landed at NCAA Division II dynamo Quincy (Ill.) University.
The Hawks (44-9 overall, 27-5 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2023) are on a 14-game win streak after winning the GLVC tournament and host a D-II Midwest Region tournament Thursday to Saturday, May 18-20. The winner of the event that also includes Wayne State and Northwood moves on to a best-of-three super regional for a chance to compete in the D-II World Series June 3-10 in Cary, N.C.
Quincy, which calls QU Stadium (built in 1938 under the Works Project Administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt), is No. 4 in the Collegiate Baseball D-II poll and No. 1 in the NCAA Midwest D-II rankings.
A lefty batting and throwing senior center fielder, Boyton has played in 51 games (50 starts) and is hitting .294 (52-of-177) with eight home runs, eight doubles, 41 runs batted in, 42 runs scored and an .849 OPS (.374 on-base percentage plus .475 slugging average).
Quincy opened the 2023 season in Florida and went 4-3 against traditional D-II powers Tampa, Saint Leo and Rollins. Boynton hit .387 (12-of-31) on the trip.
“I felt pretty good,” says Boynton of that start. “I came back up (north) and struggled a little bit.
“I’m just trying to ride the wave — not get too high or get too low — and just take one pitch at a time. It know there are times coming up where the team is going to need you. This is playoff baseball. Every pitch counts. It doesn’t matter if you’re hitting or on defense, you’ve got to put everything aside. It’s a new season. I’m going up the plate every single time to do a job for my team.
“Our inside joke for our hitters is “The Union: We do jobs.”
During his four-year QU career, Boynton has been in 161 games (157 starts) and is hitting .304 (164-of-539) with 16 homers, 22 doubles, 104 RBIs, 122 runs and an .847 OPS (.398/.449).
With Boynton on the team, Quincy is 120-55.
Boynton really takes satisfaction from his impact on defense.
“It’s everything,” says Boynton. “Because baseball is a very hard sport and you’ve got guys being paid millions of dollars to fail 7 out of 10 times. A buddy always told me, ‘Your offense will always come and go, but your defense can always stay.’ That has always sat with me.
“I take so much pride in the outfield and being that leader in center field. To take runs away (from the other team) and be there for your pitcher. My nickname on the team is ‘Golden Retriever.’ I’m going to chase down that ball for you.”
Among his favorite MLB players are Mike Trout and Bryce Harper.
“You look at photos of me back in rec ball and I had the eye black nearly down to my chin,” says Boynton. “Those are two guys I model my game on.”
Quincy’s head coach for Boynton’s first two seasons was Josh Rabe (who played 38 games in the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 2006 and 2007). Matt Schissel has guided the program the past two.
“The knowledge that (Rabe) has is unbelievable,” says Boynton of the man who is now Quincy’s athletic director. “That dude has seen a lot of baseball. I tried to be a sponge around him.
“(Hitting coach/recruiting coordinator) Chandler Purcell played for Josh. He has done an excellent job.”
The 2023 Hawks are led by junior catcher and GLVC Player of the Year Luke Napleton (.359, 27 homers, 83 RBIs).
“Our lineup is very scary because 1 through 9 can change the game in one swing,” says Boynton. “That’s what sets us apart from any other team we play.”
Boynton, who turns 23 in July, received his diploma Monday, May 15 and graduated with a Sport Management degree. Though he is entitled to a fifth season, his plan is to play this summer for the Northwoods League’s Kokomo (Ind.) Jackrabbits and try to make his way into independent pro baseball.
“I’m putting all my chips out on the table and betting on myself this season and this summer,” says Hobbs. “I know I have the tools to play at the next level.”
Johnston Hobbs, who earned a Master of Kinesiology degree from Indiana University, has been named as Kokomo head coach/manager for 2023.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pounder spent the summer of 2022 honing his game at PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind. He was briefly with the 2021 Quincy Gems of the Prospect League and spent 2020 with the Northwoods League’s Kalamazoo (Mich.) Mac Daddies.
Boynton was born in South Bend, Ind., and grew up on the south side of Osceola, Ind.
He started organized baseball at what is now Penn Park in Osceola through 12U and moved on to Harris Township Black, the Granger Irish (coached by father Brad Boynton and Rick Berg) and then in high school the South Bend Cubs Elite.
“There were all the same faces in high school and travel ball which is awesome,” says Boynton.
A stint with the Illinois-based 29ers (now Midwest Hitmen) for a tournament in Georgia is how he got connected to Quincy.
At Penn, Boynton played for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Greg Dikos.
“Coach Dikos will go down as one of the best baseball coaches I’ve ever had in my life,” says Boynton. “That man means the world to me.
“He’s a Founding Father of 574 Baseball in my opinion. There’s no other coach in (north central) Indiana that has the accolades that man has.”
Besides all the rings, Dikos has amassed more than 800 career victories.
A memory for Boynton is Dikos bringing out a training device when he wanted the Kingsmen — on the way to a school record number of home runs — to level out their upper-cut swings.
“We were hitting too many pop flies,” says Boynton. “With this flat red tee if you didn’t have a flat swing you were busting your bat or you were busting this tee. You either hit the ball on the ground or it became a line drive.”
Guess what Quincy, a team that has D-II-leading 118 home runs, uses?
“Every single day here we use that flat red tee,” says Boynton. “I thought I’d never see it again since leaving high school.”
Boynton also shined for Penn on the gridiron. He caught a game-winning touchdown at Elkhart Central and was featured on ESPN and saluted by Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss during his “You Got Mossed!” segment in October 2018. The same fall, Boynton committed to Quincy for baseball.
He was invited to play football at QU as a receiver/kick returner but decided to focus on the diamond.
“I love football,” says Boynton. “That is a different side of me. I had a lot more offers for baseball. The fact that my parents don’t have to pay a single cent for me to go to school here is the cherry on top.”
Even though it’s a 770-mile roundtrip from Osceola to Quincy and back and closest GLVC school (Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill.) is 117 miles one-way, Brad and Stephanie Boynton are able to get to all of Brock’s games.
Brad Boynton was a sophomore starting center fielder on the Kingsmen’s first state championship team in 1994. He now works at Hoosier Spring Company in South Bend. Stephanie Boynton owns Artistic Hair in South Bend.
Younger brother Hunter Boynton (Penn Class of 2021) was a high school wrestler and is now an electrician for Weaver Electric & Heating Corp., in Mishawaka.

Brock Boynton. (Quincy University Photo)

College

Purdue right-hander Stephen excels in return to starting role

May 9, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Khal Stephen was accustomed to being a baseball starting pitcher prior to arriving at Purdue University.
The 2021 graduate of Seeger Memorial Junior-Senior High School in West Lebanon, Ind., was used exclusively out of the Boilermakers bullpen in 2022 with a team-leading 23 mound appearances.
As a Purdue freshman, the right-hander went 3-4 with two saves, an 8.34 earned run average, 38 strikeouts and 18 walks in 33 2/3 innings. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning) was 1.69 and opponents hit .287 against him.
In the summer of 2022, Khal (pronounced Cal) was with the Prospect League’s Danville (Ill.) Dans and earned the circuit’s Roland Hemond Pro Prospect of the Year Award after going 4-0 with a 2.02 ERA and 36 strikeouts vs. 19 hits in 26 2/3 innings. He started in three of five mound appearances.
“It is crazy with your mental ability to approach a week with the knowledge that this is my day,” says Stephen. “Without a doubt a starting role is what I wanted to be in last year and where I always wanted to be.
“I’m very blessed and happy with my situation now.”
In 12 appearances (12 starts) in 2023, he is 7-2 with 3.93 ERA, 58 strikeouts and 24 walks in 66 1/3 innings. His WHIP is 1.19 and foes are hitting .224.
His last outing came May 5 and he tied tied career- and season-high marks with eight strikeouts and went a career-best eight innings.
“If starters go deep, especially on Fridays, it’ll set up your bullpen throughout the weekend so you’re not using three or four guys a game.”
Stephen’s next start is scheduled for Friday, May 12 against Indiana University in Bloomington. The Boilers go into the three-game series at 23-23 overall and 10-8 in the Big Ten.
“It’ll be a fired-up for sure,” says Stephen.
The 6-foot-4, 225 pound athlete throws a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, slider and change-up. The four-seamer tends to sit at 92 to 94 mph and touches 96. The two-seamer has more sink and is clocked at 91 to 93 mph.
The slider has more downward than sweeping movement.
Stephen’s “circle” change possesses arm-side action with depth.
The former high school quarterback delivers these pitches from a high three-quarter arm slot.
“That gives me more ride on my fastball and more deception to the hitter,” says Stephen. “Being at the stature I am I’m able to get that downward plane on a fastball and throw a slider off of it. It just plays really well.”
Greg Goff is Purdue’s head coach.
What Stephen values most about the Boilers’ field boss is his energy and enthusiasm.
“He’s a voice you keep hearing that’s encouraging for everybody,” says Stephen. “That’s really nice.
“He’s a coach that cares about every player as well as the whole team.”
After Chris Marx leading hurlers in 2022, Boilers pitching coach duties this season are handled by Terry Rooney.
“I love working with Coach Rooney,” says Stephen. “The way he carries himself and says things, he’s very professional.
“He’s just a very ‘real’ coach. He’s not going to say your pitch is good when it’s not. I appreciate how true everything he says is.”
Rooney is the one who builds the pitchers’ schedule so they will be ready to fulfill their respective roles.
The summer before coming to Purdue, Stephen played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. This summer plans call for him to join the Cape Cod League’s Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox.
Born in Danville, Ill., Stephen grew up on a farm near Williamsport, Ind., and close to Seeger.
He took part in rec ball until he was about 12 and played travel ball for the Illinois-based Illiana Chiefs, Lafayette-based Northern Stars and Indiana Nitro. Tim Burns was his Nitro head coach.
Like older brothers Kohle Stephen (Class of 2012) and Khayne Stephen (Class of 2019), Khal was on the football (QB, receiver and safety), basketball (power forward and post) and baseball (pitcher and shortstop) teams at Seeger.
While he earned 11 varsity letters, his head coaches were Herb King on the gridiron, John Collins on the hardwood and Reed Foxworthy on the diamond.
“He did not have a whole lot of words, but when he had something to say everyone had all eyes on him,” says Stephen of Foxworthy. “He led the team like manager should. Everyone had respect for him.”
In the spring of 2021, Stephen posted a 1.35 ERA and collected 100 strikeouts and just seven walks in 51 2/3 innings and holding opponents to a .165 batting average.
With a bat in his hands, Stephen hit .541 with 26 extra-base hits and 40 runs batted in.
The 2021 Lafayette Journal & Courier Small School Area Player of the Year was named to the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Evansville.
The 2020 Journal & Courier’s Area Defensive Player of the Year was also picked for the 2021 Indiana Football Coaches Association North/South All-Star Game but was unable to play because of a schedule conflict.
The COVID-19 pandemic took away the 2020 high school baseball season. In 2019, Stephen fanned 99 varsity batters.
On the academic side, Stephen is a Finance major.
Khal is the young of Mark and Kris Stephen’s three sons.
“My parents are crazy supportive in a great way,” says Stephen. “I don’t think my mom’s missed any game — not just when I’m pitching. This dates back to when I’m 10.
“My dad’s a farmer and this is a super-busy time. But every (start) my dad’s there.”

College

IUSB’s Berger tries to stay away from free passes

April 25, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Robbie Berger will be working with numbers when he graduates.
Right now the senior right-handed pitcher is putting up some impressive digits for the Indiana University South Bend baseball team.
A fifth-year senior playing for head coach Doug Buysse and associate head coach/pitching coach Zane Gonzalez, Berger is scheduled to graduate this spring with an Accounting. He already has a job lined up in that field.
As a pitcher, the 23-year-old has 11 mound appearances (10 in relief) in 2023 heading into a home game today (April 25) against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Saint Francis (Ill.) at Rex Weade Stadium in Granger and is 1-2 with three saves and a 2.63 earned run average.
In 51 1/3 innings, he has 42 strikeouts and just three walks, three hit batsmen and one wild pitch.
“I’ve never been a hard thrower in my life,” says Berger. “I’ve always kind of relied on making batters get themselves out.
“I’m always going to give up hits and that’s part of the game. But if I can eliminate walks and hit-by-pitches it makes it that much harder to score runs.”
Berger averages 7.4 K’s per nine innings.
“I never really try to strike out guys,” says Berger. “I just try to be around the (strike) zone.”
The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder throws from a high three-quarter arm slot and uses a four-seam fastball that sits at 83 to 85 mph, a straight change-up, cutter (thrown as hard as possible with slider-like movement) and a “1-to-7” curveball.
The way Berger is used reflects his team’s new approach to pitching.
“At IUSB — for the most part — we changed around the way we attack games,” says Berger. “We’re trying to steal outs essentially.
“In the past, our back-end bullpen guys had trouble getting outs. So we put those guys at the front of the game and see if they can get through three innings and have our normal starters from past years come in an close out the game.
“We flip the script a little bit (closer, middle relief then starter).”
It’s the NAIA Titans’ take on the “opener” thing that the Tampa Bay Rays have done successfully in the majors.
“The mindset of the pitching staff is to constantly get to the next guy,” says Berger. “There’s 27 outs and we want to get them as fast as possible.”
In Berger’s 2023 relief outings, he has been used for 4, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4 and 5 innings.
Born and raised in South Bend, Berger played travel ball for the Indiana Land Sharks 10U until his junior year at John Glenn High School in Walkerton, Ind.
He credits Land Sharks coaches John Kehoe, Tom Washburn and Dennis Ryans for guiding his early baseball path.
John Nadolny was his head coach at Glenn.
“He’s a great guy and was fun to play baseball for,” says Berger of “Nud.” “He wants the best out of his players and was good at pushing and motivating us.”
Berger was selected for the 2018 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in South Bend. He did not play and underwent Tommy John surgery that summer.
He was invited by head coach Kevin Bowers to Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill., where he was part of the team while rehabbing from his procedure.
To be closer to home, he transferred to IUSB.
While still recovering, he played some with Buysse’s summer team in 2019. He played for Buysse’s summer team in 2021 and took last summer off to concentrate of weight training and arm care.
What are Berger’s top qualities as an athlete?
“Consistent and hard-working,” says Berger. “Day in and day out, you’re going to get the same from me.”
The righty made three starts with a complete game and went 2-1 and 19 strikeouts and no walks in 18 innings in 2020 — the season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Berger made 10 mound appearances (all starts) with two complete games and was 5-4 with 53 strikeouts and 14 walks in 53 1/3 innings.
In 2022, he started seven times in 14 outings with two complete games and was 2-2 with 52 K’s and 12 walks in 42 2/3 innings.
Robbie is the son of educator and boys basketball Robb Berger, who has 387 wins in 25 seasons and is in his second stint at Mishawaka Marian High School. He teaches at South Bend Washington High School.
Robbie says his father has always been able to pick up on body language.
“If I had a bad day and he noticed it, he said, ‘you better change that right now,’” says Robbie Berger of Robb. “The stuff you can control the most is attitude and body language.”
Grandfather Bob Berger, an Elkhart County Sports Hall of Fame inductee and Nappanee (Ind.) High School graduate, coached basketball in South Bend for 32 years, including 20 as head coach at Riley High School.
“He tells me to try to stay positive,” says Robbie Berger of Bob. “He tells me I have stuff to work on if I had a bad day — stuff like that.”
Robbie is two years older than sister Cassee, who is an IUSB junior.

Robbie Berger. (Indiana University South Bend Photo)

College

Nowak pitching with conviction for Valpo U. Beacons

April 20, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Whenever Bobby Nowak delivers the baseball it’s done with certainty.
“I want to throw with conviction,” says Nowak, a Valparaiso (Ind.) University senior right-hander. “I throw my fastball until they beat me with my fastball then I go to my off-speed.”
Nowak did this well enough to be the latest Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week. The news came Monday, April 17 on Nowak’s 23rd birthday.
Under the guidance of Beacons head coach/pitching coach Brian Schmack, Nowak moved to 4-0 with one save and a 2.10 earned run average to 2.10 by throwing a three-hit shutout in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday. April 15 at Bradley. He threw 56 of 95 pitches for strikes and struck out six and walked three in a seven-inning complete game.
Going into this week, his conference-leading ERA of 2.10 ranks 20th in the country. His rate of allowing 5.10 hits per nine innings was the best in the MVC and eighth best nationally.
For the 2023 season, the 6-foot-2, 200-pounder has fanned 42 and walked 13 in 30 innings over 11 appearances (three starts). He led the MVC and was 36th nationally with 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings. He also led the league and was 35th nationally with a 1.00 WHIP (walks and hits per inning).
“I’ve always liked to strike guys out but when I do that I found myself in a lot of three-ball counts,” says Nowak. “Recently, I’ve just been throwing it with conviction and just competing.”
Throwing from an over-the-top arm slot, Nowak tosses a four-seam fastball, a “bullet” change-up and 12-to-6 curve.
He is scheduled to start Sunday, April 23 in the final game of a three-game MVC series against Illinois-Chicago at Valpo’s Emory G. Bauer Field. Until his last three outings, he had been used exclusively out of the Beacons bullpen.
Nowak was Valpo’s closer in 2022. He went 0-2 with eight saves and a 5.09 ERA. He whiffed 28 and walked seven in 17 2/3 innings. His strikeout rate was 14.26 per nine innings and he was named honorable mention all-conference while touching 96 mph.
Born in Dyer, Ind., Nowak grew up in nearby Cedar Lake. He played in youth leagues there then travel ball for Morris Baseball and what is now known as the 5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs.
Now is a 2018 graduate of Hanover Central High School in Cedar Lake.
He began his prep career as a shortstop with a few mound outings. Catcher Jesse Wilkening, who went on to play at the University of Nebraska and pro ball, was a senior when Nowak was a freshman.
As Nowak’s senior year with Hanover Central approached, there was a need for him to pitch more for then-Wildcats head coach Ryan Bridges. To save on his arm, he was moved from shortstop to first base when not pitching.
Nowak was supposed to be a two-way player when he went to Kankakee (Ill.) Community College. But when he arrived he told assistant Bryce Shafer he wanted to be a pitcher-only.
In 2019, Nowak started 11 games and went 6-3 with a 3.98 ERA, 66 strikeouts and 20 walks in 52 innings. He also wound up having Tommy John elbow surgery in May.
His next competitive season was 2021. He made 16 mound appearances (five starts) for KCC and went 4-4 with a 5.29 ERA, 55 K’s and 31 walks in 32 1/3 innings.
Nowak played for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen in the summer of 2018, took 2019 off and played parts of 2020, 2021 and 2022 with the Chicago Suburban Baseball League’s Beecher Muskies.
Bobby is the youngest of Dan and Michelle Nowak’s three children, coming after sister Danielle and brother Daniel. He is also close with a cousin, Jason.
Nowak is scheduled to graduate this spring with a Criminology degree.

Bobby Nowak. (Valparaiso University Photo)

College

Simmons has many duties as Indiana U. assistant

April 14, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Derek Simmons has spent more than a third of his life as an assistant college baseball coach.
Simmons, who turns 37 on May 31, is in his fourth season on the staff at Indiana University.
He wears multiple hats for the Hoosiers. He is the program’s recruiting coordinator and helps with hitters and infielders. On game days, he coaches third base.
As recruiting coordinator, Simmons travels to high school games in the spring.
“I try to get out and see our commits,” says Simmons of a group that ranges from the current senior class (2023) to freshmen (2026). He missed one IU game while traveling to watch a commit in California. “Then I see our top-priority guys who are uncommitted or we are trying to recruit.”
Indiana hitters have an approach that centers on velocity.
“You’ve always got to stay on fastball timing,” says Simmons. “For us it’s the fastball and then we try to adjust to anything else.”
Each day in practice, the Hoosiers are seeing 92 to 95 mph off pitching machines.
Simmons, who played mostly shortstop and second base in college and pro ball, preaches the fundamentals with his infielders.
“But I give our guys a lot of freedom with one hand and outside of the funnel because 80 percent of the balls aren’t going to be hit right at you,” says Simmons. “They’re going to be hit either to your left or your right. It forces our guys to use their forward and their backhand.”
Indiana plays many games on turf, where the ball tends to move faster.
To get acclimated to a dirt infield, infielders will sometimes will go to IU’s softball diamond — Andy Mohr Field. It’s located next to Bart Kaufman Field.
As third base coach, Simmons has a routine.
“Before each and every game I always watch the other teams take infield-outfield,” says Simmons. “I get to know how the outfielders’ and infielders’ arms are and how they move in space.
“I like to be very aggressive. I like going first to third and and first to home.”
Simmons considers several factors when deciding to send a runner or hold them up at third base.
There’s the number of outs, the strength of the outfielders’ arms and who’s the on-deck hitter.
“Is it a guy who’s swinging the bat really well to where I can hold the (runner) up at third or is it a guy hitting lower in our lineup and I’m going to gamble and send this (runner),” says Simmons.
Jeff Mercer is head coach of a Hoosiers staff that also features pitching coach Dustin Glant and volunteer Zach Weatherford plus director of player development Scott Rolen and director of baseball operations Denton Sagerman.
Simmons describes Mercer as “very passionate.”
“He’s a very humble guy,” says Simmons. “He is very workman-like in everything that he does. You always know what you’re gonna get. He’s very even-keel and doesn’t get too high and doesn’t get too low.
“I’ve known him for over 12 or 13 years now. I love coming to work for guy like him. He is incredible.”
Before landing in Bloomington, Simmons served two seasons at Kent (Ohio) State (2018-19), one at Alabama (2017), four at Kennesaw (Ga.) State (2013-16) and two at Central Michigan (2011-12) after the 2004 graduate of Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek, Ga. (near Duluth) played two seasons as an infielder at NCAA Division II University of Montevallo (Ala.), including a D-II World Series appearance in 2006, and two at Georgia State plus a stint with the independent professional Gateway Grizzlies (Sauget, Ill.).
Simmons was an assistant to Jeff Duncan at Kent State, Greg Goff at Alabama, Mike Sansing at Kennesaw State and Steve Jaska at Central Michigan and played for Goff at Montevallo and Greg Frady at Georgia State. Duncan is a former Purdue assistant. Goff is now Purdue’s head coach.
In his career, Simmons has coached or recruited 53 all-conference honorees, a pair of conference “of the year” award winners, nine All-Americans and four Freshmen All-Americans. He was also named to Baseball America’s Coaches to Watch list in 2018 and 2019.
He is also a part of the USA Baseball program, which includes stints with the 18U National Team and the 14U National Training Development Program.
“Once I got done playing, you know, I just enjoyed the college game so much that I wanted to get into college coaching,” says Simmons. “I never wanted to leave college.
“I’ve just been really fortunate enough to have a great support group. My wife (Erin, the mother of daughter Bella and son Braxton) has been incredible and I just love the college game. Absolutely love it.”
Simmons and the Hoosiers (23-10, 7-2) go to Illinois April 14-16 for a three-game Big Ten series. IU sits atop the conference standings, just ahead Michigan State (20-10, 6-3) and Michigan (18-14, 6-3).

Derek Simmons. (Indiana University Photo)

College

Coaching call leads Christman to D-III North Central

April 4, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

It wasn’t a direct route. But Connor Christman’s path has led him to coaching.
Christman, who is in the second year as a graduate assistant coach at North Central College in Naperville, Ill., grew up with a father as a baseball scout/agent and a skilled older brother.
The youngest son of Kevin and Linda Christman developed into a good player at Noblesville (Ind.) High School and followed Garrett Christman to Butler University in Indianapolis.
Connor earned four varsity letters at Noblesville (2013-16) and was a .319 career hitter under coach Justin Keever. He was a sophomore starting third baseman on the Millers’ 2014 IHSAA Class 4A state champions.
“Coach Keever taught us like a summer coach would which is great,” says Christman, 25. “When I look back on our state run, we definitely put the work in. A lot of our practices at Noblesville were structured and ran similar to college practices.
“I’m making practice plans now and it’s pretty similar.”
Christman was recruited by Steve Farley but played at Butler for Dave Schrage.
“He was a really good coach and a really nice guy,” says Christman. “It was fun. Everyone came in open-minded and it was competitive off the bat.”
An injury suffered his junior year at Butler led to surgery and Christman redshirted in 2020 while earning a Marketing degree. He had more eligibility remaining with his injury plus the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It was kind of a big mess so I decided to get into the real world and get a job,” says Christman. “I did sales for a little less than a year (in Louisville and Philadelphia).
“I enjoyed sales, but I was away from everybody and everything I knew. With everything closed down, I decided I didn’t want to do that anymore and moved home. I wanted to get back into baseball.”
In March 2021, Christman began giving lessons at Roundtripper Sports Academy in Westfield and coached a 16U Indiana Mustangs team that summer.
He also assisted his father with a team in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield.
“I learned everything about the game from my dad,” says Connor. “I know it might sound cheesy.
“Being around him definitely helped with the (Baseball) I.Q. and all that.”
Kevin Christman was a professional player and scouted in the Milwaukee Brewers and San Francisco Giants systems and has served as a player agent. He is a senior advisor to the Indiana Mustangs and Roundtripper.
Garrett Christman graduated from Noblesville in 2014, played four seasons at Butler (2015-18) as a shortstop/pitcher and pitched briefly in the Giants organization before going into independent pro ball. He was the with the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts in 2022 and is on the current roster.
“My brother always put his nose down and got to work,” says Connor. “He’d always go above and beyond with his craft and his training.
“That’s probably why he’s still playing.”
Connor was college teammates not only with Garrett but former travel ball mate Ryan Pepiot (who is now with the Los Angeles Dodgers) and Harrison Freed (who was in the Giants system).
Connor says Garrett tends to be more serious with baseball while he is more on the laid-back side.
“We both put the work in but there’s two different ways to do it,” says Connor.
Right before the summer of 2021 Connor learned about the position at North Central, where he could coach and pursue a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. He is on schedule to complete it this spring.
“It’s too early to say where I will be because you never know,” says Christman of his immediate future. “I know I’m going to stay in the game of baseball.
“I can see myself staying in college baseball coaching.”
American Baseball Coaches Association member Christman is part of a North Central staff led by Ed Mathey that also features former big league pitcher and East Chicago Washington High School graduate Tim Stoddard plus Joe Heller, Todd Trunk, Tim Peraino, Alex Khoury, Joe Keenan, Tom Errico, Brian White and Mike Duckhorn as assistants and Tim Davoren as a student assistant.
Gameday sees Christman coaching first base. He helps at practice with hitters, catchers and corner infielders while hitting balls to outfielders. He also develops scouting reports, coordinates on-campus events and goes out to look at potential North Central recruits.
The majority of the roster comes from the Chicagoland area.
“Recruiting never stops,” says Christman. “Even during the season.”
During Mathey’s two stints, North Central has gone to the NCAA D-III World Series (2017) and won numerous conference and regional titles while developing eight College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Players of the Year.
“On the baseball field he definitely lets the players play,” says Christman of Mathey. “He gives guys opportunities.
“We have fun here, too. It’s not just baseball 24/7. We have a good time and do very well on the field as well.”
The 2023 Cardinals went into play April 4 at 11-7 overall and 0-3 in the CCIW.
Christman appreciates the amount of baseball that Stoddard knows from his years in the game.
“He comes with a lot of knowledge besides pitching,” says Christman. “It’s fun to be with him on the golf course.”
As a D-I athlete, Christman played and practiced in an atmosphere where it seemed like coaches and players were constantly in-contact from the fall to the spring.
“Here we’re allowed four days for four weeks or 16 days in the fall,” says Christman. “That’s pretty much just the month of September. “After that there’s no hands-on coaching. The coach can’t be there. Captains ran some stuff.
“It’s definitely different. After the first month there’s no baseball until the end of January.”
In the off-season, there were things to plan like the golf outing and lead-off banquet as well as prepping for February through May.
North Central has enjoyed success in many sports. The Cardinals went 15-0 and won the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl and D-III national championship in football in 2022.

Contact Steve Krah at stvkrh905@gmail.com