By STEVE KRAH
Community and legacy are important to Mitch Gibson and those are among the things he wants to convey to his players in his position as the new head baseball coach at Greenfield (Ind.)-Central High School.
Gibson recently became Chief Technology Officer and an agent for The Insurance Alliance is host of The MVP Podcast (which is focused on insurance and is baseball-driven) and Inside Hancock County Podcast.
“I love being involved in the community,” says Gibson. “It’s been a pillar of my success and I’m going to carry it over with me as a coach at Greenfield and get players to understand how impactful a community can be in sports and business.
“Baseball has taught me so many life skills,” says Gibson, a former athlete and current father (his daughters are Brooklynn, 8, and Hadley, 5), employee and coach.
“There’s not something that a coach taught me that hasn’t impacted me in my day-to-day schedule.
“They call it the Game of Life for a reason.”
The 2014 G-C graduate was hired to lead the Cougars program in August.
Gibson was a relief pitcher and second baseman at Ball State University in 2015 and 2016. He was a Telecommunications major with a concentration Sales and Promotions.
While still in college, Gibson helped Travis Keesling at Pendleton Heights High School and spent the past four years coaching in the Indiana Nitro travel organization — the 2023 season being with those in the Class of 2024.
Gibson said he intends to stay on with the Nitro as a board member while helping train younger players in the off-season.
Mitch’s G-C coaching staff includes father Mike Gibson (a Greenfield-Central alum and former head coach at Mt. Vernon of Fortville where Mitch attended before transferring to G-C) and brothers Austin Gibson (Mt Vernon Class of 2006) and Taylor Gibson (Mt. Vernon Class of 2010).
Guiding the junior varsity Cougars will be Noah Ramsey (Greenfield-Central Class of 2018) who has been an assistant at Benton Central and — more recently — Shelbyville.
Mike and Darla Gibson have six children. All of them have played college sports — Austin (35) baseball at Marian University in Indianapolis, Taylor (31) baseball at Earlham College in Richmond, Ind., and Marian, Mitch (28) baseball at Ball State University, Lucas (23) baseball at Marian and Midway (Ky.) University, Carson (21) baseball at Indiana Wesleyan University and Caroline (21) golf at IWU. Carson and Caroline — both 2021 G-C graduates — are twins.
Another recent Greenfield-Central graduate who moved on to college baseball is Ashton Dickmann (Class of 2021) at Hanover College.
Mitch is the nephew of Harold Gibson and first cousin of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Kyle Gibson (Greenfield-Central Class of 2006), who went into the G-C Alumni Hall of Fame and earned his third Roberto Clemente Award nomination this year for his community impact.
Greenfield-Central (enrollment around 1,450) is a member of the Hoosier Heritage Conference (with Delta, Mt. Vernon of Fortville, New Castle, New Palestine, Pendleton Heights, Shelbyville and Yorktown).
The Cougars are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Anderson, Mt Vernon (Fortville), Muncie Central, New Palestine, Pendleton Heights and Richmond. Greenfield-Central has won 14 sectional championships — the last in 2019.
An IHSAA Limited Contact Period goes from Aug. 28-Oct. 14.
There have been 25 to 35 participants at these twice-a-week workouts.
“We’re just building our foundation,” says Gibson. “Greenfield-Central has a big baseball culture. Culture is only as good as the leadership we have behind it.
“We have to have the right foundational pieces. How disciplined are we when we’re stretching, playing catch or doing, ground ball fundamental drills or outfield breakdown drills? Our first 30-45 minutes of practice will be the same every single day we have baseball activity. Our routine and foundation is a huge pillar of our success.”
Attention to detail includes field maintenance.
“I don’t eat, sleep or work in a messy place,” says Gibson. “We’re not going to practice in a messy place.
“We’re getting consistent buy-in and the guys are excited.”
G-C home games are on-campus at Molinder Field, a facility with dirt cut-outs for the home plate and base areas.
Walter Molinder is a former baseball and football coach in Greenfield. He and son Christopher were killed in an two-car crash in 1971.
Gibson says there has been talk by Greenfield-Central Community School Corporation leadership of building a new athletic complex across North Franklin Street that will include a turf baseball field.
Many players in the community get their start at Greenfield Youth Baseball Association. Gibson notes that one way of giving back for current high schoolers is to help out with the GYBA.
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