Crown Point alum Bosse earns CCAC Pitcher of the Week honor with St. Ambrose U.

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Jacob Bosse was honored as Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week on April 23.

The junior left-hander at NAIA member St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, threw an eight-inning complete game with a career high-tying 12 strikeouts and four walks in a 14-1 win against Judson University. He had a shutout going until the seventh inning.

In eight mound outings (all starts) for the 2024 Fighting Bees, Bosse is 2-1 with a 6.00 earned run average, 53 strikeouts and 36 walks in 36 innings. Opponents are hitting .218 against him.

In his first season at St. Ambrose in 2023, he pitched 11 times (six as a starter) and was 1-0 with a 3.82 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 38 walks in 30 2/3 innings.

SAU head coach Tony Huntley and pitching coach Hunter Keim could decide to send Bosse to the bump Sunday, April 28 against visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph (the school in Whiting, Ind., has players familiar to Bosse including Jorge Santos) or save him for next week’s CCAC Tournament in Joliet, Ill.

Pitching wasn’t always the thing for Bosse.

Growing up in Crown Point, Ind.,and playing Little League and Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth ball and travel ball with Top Tier, he was an outfielder.

At Crown Point High School, he only stepped on the mound once in awhile.

“I’d go in if we needed a guy,” says Bosse. “I had no real feel for how to be a pitcher.”

He went up the ladder for the Bulldogs, playing on the frosh team as a freshman, junior varsity squad as a sophomore and varsity as a junior. He could be found in left field or center field.

Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Steve Strayer leads the CPHS program.

“He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ll ever have,” says Bosse of Strayer. “He’s a great guy. He really gave me confidence. 

“He helped me become a better baseball player and a better person.”

While working out for a 2020 senior season that wound up canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bosse began to get serious about pitching.

After graduation, the left-hander stuck with it.

As fits his personality, he threw himself the task of getting better at the craft.

“I’m a very fierce competitor,” says Bosse, 22. “I care a lot about what and how I’m doing. If goes beyond the game for me. I’m planning my days out around what I’m going to do to get better. 

“My competitiveness and hunger to do better every day are my best qualities.”

Delivering from a high three-quarter arm slot, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bosse mixes a four-seam fastball, “circle” change-up, 12-to-6 curveball and a slider.

He has topped out at 92 mph and sits at 87 to 91 mph with his fastball. His change travels at 75 to 78, curve at 70 to 74 and slider at 76 to 79.

“I try to get more arm-side sink (with the change-up),” says Bosse. “I try to get a lot of fade to it to miss more barrels. It plays really well off my fastball.

“I do get a lot of natural run. When I pull it down, I get more back spin than side spin. I try to create a rise effect with it.”

Bosse attended a Prep Baseball Report showcase through Top Tier and was drawn to South Suburban College, a National Junior College Athletic Association member in South Holland, Ill. It was where he became a pitcher-only.

Toeing the slab for the Steve Ruzich-coached Bulldogs, Bosse pitched in 37 games (29 as a reliever) in 2021 and 2022 and went 5-3 with 5.72 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 70 walks in 74 innings.

Pitching for the NWI Rippers in a Babe Ruth district game in the summer of 2021, Bosse struck out a record 20 batters. He faced 24 batters and gave up one hit in 6 2/3 innings. Of 106 pitches, 69 were strikes.

“I do consider myself to be a pretty high-strikeout pitcher,” says Bosse. “I do take into account how many pitches I’m using. If I can strike out a guy as fast as I can, I try to do that and really challenge him.”

Through Twitter (now X), Bosse was recruited to St. Ambrose by assistant coach Joe Vaccaro.

“I came out here for a visit, loved it and decided it was the place for me,” says Bosse. “It is a really nice place.”

In the summer of 2022, Bosse played for the Crown Point-based Lake County CornDogs of the Northern League. In 2023, he was with the Northwoods League’s Rochester (Minn.) Honkers. This summer he’s due to play for the NWL’s Fond du Lac (Wis.) Dock Spiders.

A Sport Management major, Bosse expects to finish his undergraduate degree in the fall then begin masters classes. He says he plans to play 2025 might come back in 2026 as a graduate student. The pandemic plus his time in junior college has added to his eligibility clock.

Bosse’s favorite MLB team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. A recreational basketball player growing up, his favorite athlete is former Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

“I got to see him play a couple of times when I was a kid,” says Bosse. “That’s how I grew to love Chicago.”

Jacob is the oldest of Brad and Diana Bosse’s two children. Allyson Bosse is studying Business at Indiana University South Bend.

Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Jacob Bosse. (South Suburban College Photo)

Jacob Bosse.

Jacob Bosse with sister Allyson, father Brad and mother Diana.

What’s in a name?: Andrean’s Tyler Nelson and Chesterton’s Tyler Nelson continue to cross baseball paths

BY JIM PETERS

For http://www.IndianaRBI.com

One was playing for the Duneland Flyers, the other for the Indiana Bulldogs, when they first discovered an interesting coincidence.

“It was kind of funny that there was another Tyler Nelson on a team,” Tyler Nelson of the Bulldogs said.

It was just the beginning for the 10-year olds, Tyler J. Nelson of Chesterton and Andrean’s Tyler D. Nelson of Crown Point. Their baseball paths have continued to cross in the years since, the boys with the same name and talent for the same game building a friendship as they began to climb the ranks in local and state baseball.

“It just really developed the more we played together,” Tyler J. said. “We’d be with each other all the time over the summer.”

At the age of 11, the Nelsons found themselves on the same roster as members of Team Indiana, the first of several seasons they would occupy a dugout together.

“We hit first and second,” said Tyler J., an outfielder most of his career. “I never played shortstop in my life, I look at the card before the game and I was playing shortstop. I was like, OK, whatever. So then the first inning, I get a ball, I make a play, I didn’t say anything. (Tyler D.’s) dad (Bill) was the coach, he made out the lineup, and he’s like, that’s not (my) Tyler. They flipped us.”

Meanwhile, Tyler D., a shortstop, was standing in the outfield, also wondering what was going on.

“I remember thinking, why am I out here?” Tyler D. said. “I just went out there and didn’t think about it. I might’ve had one play or two.”

The confusion has only accelerated over the years, becoming a source of humor for the boys.

“It keeps happening,” Tyler J. said. “We had shirts for all-state, someone went up to someone and said your shirts have a mistake, there’s the same name twice. The coach will say Tyler, we’ll both look and the coach will be looking at one of us, so you’ll just turn away. We just kind of figured it out eventually.”

It didn’t help matters that the boys had similar offensive skill sets, top-of-the-order-type hitters with plus speed, meaning they often batted in succession. Tyler J. has long worn No. 1 and for years, Tyler D. sported No. 2. Heck, they even have an identical nickname, T-Nelly, on their high school teams.

“Sometimes, I batted last and he batted first,” Tyler D. said. “When I’d come up, they’d say, ‘oh, the leadoff guy’s up now.’ We were on a team one time, we had another Tyler. They’d say Tyler and we’d all look.”

In addition to three seasons with Team Indiana, the Nelsons were also teammates on the Indiana Bulldogs as 14-year olds, Elite Baseball as 15s and on a Futures squad before their junior years.

“People get these guys confused all the time,” Shane Nelson, Tyler J.’s dad, said. “I’d have adults text me, they’d see something in the paper and say, ‘hey, did Tyler switch schools? Is he going to Andrean now?’ I’d say, ‘no, no, that’s the other one.’ One time, we had the lineup card before the game, someone said, ‘you’ve got Tyler Nelson on here twice.’ We said, ‘well, there’s two of ‘em.’”

Tyler D.’s mom Kristina recalled over 10 times that parents from other teams asked if they were brothers.

“Because we would name two children the same,” she said. “Then opposing coaches thinking the line-up was wrong, (Prep Baseball Report) and Perfect Game trying to figure out which one since they played on the same team.”

As the boys’ careers continued to intersect, their growing circles of friends also began to overlap more and more, creating some even more humorous moments.

“One time, a girl meant to (direct message) him something on Twitter and sent it to me,” Tyler J. said. “He texted me, like, I think she meant to send that to me.”

“I’ve had other friends text me and say, ‘oh, sorry, I meant that to go to the other Tyler,’” Tyler D. said.

Tyler D. ascended to the Andrean lineup as a freshman after a brief stint on the JV, starting at shortstop on the 59ers’ Class 3A state championship teams the last two seasons. Tyler J. came up to Chesterton’s varsity as a sophomore, becoming an outfield mainstay.

They have never squared off in high school though their teams did meet in a memorable Class 4A Chesterton Sectional final in 2017, a game Andrean won 4-3 with three runs in the top of the seventh inning after the Trojans broke a 1-1, scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth. Tyler J. was on the Chesterton roster but didn’t play, while Tyler D. left the game following an early injury.

The rivalry intensified with the transfer of Tommy Benson from Andrean to Chesterton, reaching the point that the schools stopped playing during the regular season.

“(Benson) was actually my neighbor growing up for 10 years,” Tyler D. said.

With the 59ers back in 4A this season as a result of the success factor, the teams were slated to be in the same sectional again until the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out spring sports and prematurely ended the Nelsons’ prep careers.

Fortunately for both, the cancelled senior season won’t hamper their college plans. Tyler D. drew an early offer from Indiana University and committed to the Hoosiers going into his junior year.

“I liked IU, being the home state, it’s not real far,” he said. “They’re doing a lot of positive things, they have a new coaching staff. They’re really good at developing players. They had like 10 guys drafted last year.”

Tyler J. will play about 60 miles up State Road 46 at Indiana State.

“The recruiting process, I over-stressed it, getting it done,” Tyler J. said. “I felt like it was a good fit, all the coaches are super cool. The biggest thing for me, my goal is to play professionally, and they’re really good at developing guys for pro ball, turning three-star guys into four and five-star guys for the next level.”

In the interim, both are doing what they can to stay on top of their games, given the social constraints.

“I’ve got a batting cage in my basement,” Tyler D. said. “We’ve got a small weight room next to it. My friends text me, can I come over and hit?”

Shane Nelson is the strength and conditioning coach at Chesterton, so Tyler J. has always gone there to work out. Now he’s got to improvise at home.

“I’ll go to the local parks to run and throw,” Tyler J. said. “I have a friend who has a hangar at the Porter County Airport with a batting cage in it.”

Tyler D. was slated to start summer school June 22 and Tyler J. was scheduled to head to Terre Haute on July 5, but neither expects to be heading to campus before August.

“We don’t know anything for sure yet except that all classes are online for the summer,” Tyler J. said.

Before taking the next step in their baseball careers, the two hope to play together one more time this summer with the Whiting-based Northwest Indiana Oilmen.

“I am very excited to be playing with the other Tyler again this summer,” Tyler J. said. “It will be a fun end to our high school baseball careers.”

Tyler J. latched on with the Midwest Collegiate League team in March, while Tyler D. joined the roster recently.

“I think it’s icing on the cake because I was never supposed to be playing summer ball this year and I was supposed to be at Indiana,” Tyler D. said. “I never thought I would have played with Tyler (J.) again after the fall and it is just crazy how we ended up back on the same team again. I think it is very funny that we will have to hear our name called from the dugout and we both look at the same time or teams thinking what’s going on with the lineup. This just gives Tyler (J.) and me another laugh at the fact we have two Tyler Nelsons on the same team.”

Follow Jim Peters on Twitter — @JP8185

Tyler D. Nelson (left) and Tyler J. Nelson have been linked by more than a name for years. They are both standout baseball players in northwest Indiana — Tyler D. at Andrean High School and Tyler J, at Chesterton High School. Tyler D. is bound for Indiana University and Tyler J for Indiana State University. (Jim Peters Photo)

 

Family life brings Neal closer to home with Attica Ramblers

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Baseball has taken Kyle Neal away from his home and it’s brought him back.

Neal is in his first season as head baseball coach at Attica Junior/Senior High School in Fountain County. He also teaches physical education and strength training.

The Neal family — Kyle, Christie, Carson (7) and Krew (9 months) — live in Veedersburg. That’s about 10 miles from the school.

When Royce Carlton left for Shelbyville, leaving an opening at Attica for a coach and teacher, Neal decided to apply for be closer to his wife and sons

The past four years, Neal has been making a commute of more than a hour each way to teach and to be head baseball coach — first at North Newton Junior/Senior High School in Morocco and then Frontier Junior/Senior High School in Chalmers.

Neal coached North Newton to 20- and 18-win seasons in his two seasons leading the program (2014 and 2015). The Spartans were put out of the IHSAA sectional both years by Lafayette Central Catholic.

In two seasons of guiding the Frontier Falcons, Neal saw the team win 15 and eight games.

As the Attica Ramblers get ready for the Class 1A Rockville Sectional, they look back on a 7-14 regular season. Attica and Rockville are paired in the first game of the sectional Wednesday, May 23. Other teams in the field are Covington, North Vermillion, Riverton Parke and Turkey Run.

Attica is in the Wabash River Conference (along with Covington, Fountain Central, North Vermillion, Riverton Parke, Seeger, South Vermillion and Turkey Run).

Neal grew up in Ladoga in Mongomery County. His earliest baseball experiences came at Ladoga Little League.

Between his eighth grade and freshmen year, he played for the traveling Montgomery County All-Stars and also for the Southmont High School summer team.

Neal learned fundamentals from Mounties coach Jerry Long and logged a few innings on the mound as a freshman, gleaning much from a senior catcher.

In 1998, Neal was part of a Southmont team that lost to eventual 2A state runner-up Evansville Mater Dei in the semifinals of the Richmond Semistate.

His last two high school years, Neal attended Bethesda Christian in Brownsburg. At the time, the school was not affiliated with the IHSAA.

But Neal picked up plenty of know-how from coach Bill Sampen, a former major league pitcher.

“He was a huge part of my growth in baseball,” says Neal of Sampen, who runs the Indiana Expos travel organization and Samp’s Hack Shack training facility. “He was real big on thinking the game of baseball. He’s just a smart guy.

“We still talk today and share ideas.”

In the summer between his freshmen and sophomore years, Neal played more for Southmont plus the Indiana Vipers and Crawfordsville American Legion Post 72.

The next summer, he switched to the Indiana Bulldogs and also played for the other two squads.

Leading into his junior year at Bethesda Christian, he again played for the Bulldogs.

He attended many camps before his senior year and wound up with a baseball scholarship to NCAA Division I Southeast Missouri State University. He was primarily a reserve second baseman in his one season in Cape Girardeau.

Mark Hogan was the Redhawks head coach. Neal credits SEMO assistant Scott Southard for teaching him the finer points of infield play.

“The coaches there were real supportive of a freshman in Division I baseball, where the speed of the game excelerates tenfold,” says Neal. “I learned to play at a higher pace and saw different kinds of pitching.”

Neal spent his last year college playing seasons at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, with Mark DeMichael as head coach.

“I learned perseverance and more on the spiritual side of things,” says Neal. “I learned how to handle myself on the field. It was a great experience.”

After his playing days, Neal spent a year gaining knowledge about the coaching profession as an IWU graduate assistant.

He then went into the work world for about seven or eight years, all the while teaching private lessons to stay involved in baseball.

Along the way, he got his teaching degree from Indiana Wesleyan, served three seasons as a Southmont assistant and then took his first head coaching gig at North Newton.

Kyle Neal, the head baseball coach at Attica Junior/Senior High School, shares a moment with sons Krew (9 months) and Carson (7).

The Neal family: Kyle and Christy with sons Carson (7) and Krew (9 months). Kyle Neal is in his first season as head baseball coach, physical eduction and strength training teacher at Attica Junior/Senior High School in Fountain County, Ind.