Former two-way player Biven focusing on mound for U. of Louisville

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

When last seen on the mound for the University of Louisville, Tucker Biven was walking off after shutting the door on the Hurricanes to clinch an Atlantic Coast Conference series win and you could see it on his face.

“My emotions just came out in the end,” says Biven.

The Cardinals triumphed 6-5 in 10 innings Saturday, April 20 at the University of Miami’s Mark Light Field in Coral Gables, Fla.

Biven, a sophomore right-hander from New Albany, Ind., tossed a scoreless ninth and 10th inning with two strikeouts and moved to 3-0 on the 2024 season.

Two singles to open the Miami 10th was followed by a U of L double play then a game-clinching strikeout from Biven. He fired a first-pitch strike to a right-handed batter then came back from a 3-1 count to strike him out, with the the last pitch being a sinker in.

“In ACC play I’ve been throwing a lot of sinkers in and sliders away,” says Biven. “They mix well.”

The 6-foot-1, 210-pounder also uses a curveball, change-up and four-seam fastball from an arm slot just above three-quarter.

His four-seamer has gone as high as 96 mph. His sinker generally travels at 91 to 94.

Biven has made 15 mound appearances in 2024 (all in relief) and is 3-0 (with wins vs. Bellarmine, Wake Forest and Miami), four saves (against Florida State, North Carolina State twice and Miami), 1.96 earned run average, 29 strikeouts and six walks in 23 innings. 

Opponents are hitting .209 against him and his longest stint was 3 1/3 innings March 23 against Wake Forest when he recorded a season-best five strikeouts.

Biven has finished in more than half his games.

“We don’t really have roles at the beginning of the season,” says Biven. “We figure out who’s best in which situation.

“When everything’s on you and you need to get outs at the end of the game, I kind of like that role.”

A two-time Class 4A all-stater and rated as the No. 1 shortstop and No. 3 overall player in Indiana and the No. 18 shortstop in the nation by Perfect Game, Biven from went New Albany High School to Louisville as a two-way player.  He was in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Marion.

In 2023, he went 2-of-6 at the plate and pitched 20 times (16 out of the bullpen) and was 0-2 with a 4.81 ERA, 26 strikeouts and 21 walks in 33 2/3 innings.

In the summer, Biven got into two games (3 1/3 innings) with the Cape Cod League’s Falmouth Commodores and came home after a minor injury cropped up.

“Last fall I decided I just want to focus on pitching, get better at my craft, try to get as good as I can and help this team win,” says Biven. “I felt like that was the best option for me.”

Plans call for Biven to go back to Cape Cod this summer with the Orleans Firebirds.

But first there’s business to attend with the Louisville Cardinals (24-16, 9-9).

After a non-conference win Tuesday, April 23 against Western Kentucky at Jim Patterson Stadium in which Biven did not pitch, U of L hosts a three-game series Friday through Sunday, April 26-28 against ACC Atlantic Division leader Clemson.

Dan McDonnell is in his 18th season as Louisville’s head coach.

When describing what he wants from his athletes, including Biven, McDonnell uses words like tough, athletic, strong, durable and versatlie.

Biven says players need to buy into the team culture being built by the coach.

“That should all be routine for everyone — be in-touch with the process, go out and play as hard as you can,” says Biven.

Roger Williams is in his 18th season as the Cardinals pitching coach and 10th as associate head coach.

“He’s calmer with a lower tone of voice than Coach Mac,” says Biven of Williams. “He doesn’t just want to hear you say it, but wants to see results. He holds us accountable.”

While about 10 miles separate New Albany and the U of L, Biven lives on-campus with teammates.

A Sport Administration major, Biven sees himself serving someday as a college baseball coach and/or an athletic director or director of operations following his playing career. He becomes eligible for the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft in 2025.

Biven got his baseball start in New Albany Little League and was in travel ball with the Ironmen and Canes Midwest (15U to 17U).

Biven was a four-year varsity player in baseball and basketball at New Albany, where he graduated in 2022.

His head coaches — Chris McIntyre on the diamond and Jim Shannon on the hardwood — had long, successful careers. 

McIntyre is in the IHSBCA Hall of Fame with nearly 600 victories. 

“He’s a dude that’s going to hold you accountable,” says Biven of McIntyre. “You do stuff the right way. He’ll teach you the game and how to be a man in life.”

Shannon’s resume includes more than 600 wins and a state championship.

“It was a pleasure to play for him,” says Biven of Shannon. “He’s going to discipline you. He’s going to get on you. He wants the best from you.”

Josh and Jessica Biven are the parents of two sons — Cooper (22) and Tucker (20). 

Josh Biven, a retired Louisville firefighter, played college baseball at Louisville, Campbellsville and Indiana University Southeast.

Jessica Biven is co-owner of a financial advisors firm.

Cooper Biven (New Albany Class of 2020) played baseball briefly at Kentucky Wesleyan College and now owns a landscaping business.

In a family of St. Louis Cardinals fans, Tucker also pulls for that MLB team. His favorite athlete is Kobe Bryant.

“It’s because of his work ethic and his (Mamba) Mentality,” says Biven. “I also liked to wear his shoes growing up.”

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Tucker Biven. (University of Louisville Photo)

Former Southridge standout Gasser spending summer in New England

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

Southern Indiana native Camden Gasser is spending his summer with the North Adams (Mass.) SteepleCats of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
In his first five games, starting shortstop Gasser has walked nine times, scored five runs and stolen three bases.
Gasser, a 5-foot-10, 165-pounder who swings from the left side, explains his offensive approach.
“I make sure I’m balanced and into my legs and not swinging all upper body,” says Gasser. “The main part is just being on-time (with the pitch). If you’re not on-time for a fastball you’re going to get beat 90 percent of the time.
“Stealing bags is one of my favorite things to do. Stealing a free 90 in awesome. It helps the team.
“Speed in general in baseball gets undermined. It’s nice when you have speed all around the field. When you have guys who can run you can create so much pressure for the other defense. It makes them play a completely different game.”
While he has moved around the infield, his preferred defensive position is short.
“My internal clock at shortstop is pretty good,” says Gasser. “I like being the leader and being the voice.”
Gasser, who turns 21 in December, is coming off his first collegiate season at the University of Michigan in 2023. In 15 games (two starts), Gasser hit .273 (3-of-11) with one run batted in and one steal for the Tracy Smith-coached Wolverines.
Graduate student and Carmel (Ind.) High School graduate Jack Van Remortel was Michigan’s everyday first baseman.
Gasser, who was recruited to school by Erik Bakich (now head coach at Clemson) and committed early in his sophomore year of high school, has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal but does not rule out going back to U-M to play baseball and continue to study Communication.
“I love the university,” says Gasser.
A three-sport standout at Southridge High School in Huntingburg, Ind., Gasser earned 11 letters (four each in football and basketball and three in baseball when the 2020 season was lost to the COVID-19 pandemic).
On the football field, Gasser was a wide receiver, running back, defensive back, punt/kick returner and holder for extra points and field goals. He was the Pocket Athletic Conference and team MVP as a senior.
“I would have loved to play college baseball but I don’t think my body would’ve appreciated that,” says Gasser.
On the basketball court, point guard Gasser earned all-conference and all-Southwest Indiana honors after setting school’s single season record for assists.
As a baseball senior, he batted .546 with 53 hits, 25 RBIs, 39 runs and 46 stolen bases. He also went 3-0 with the 1.09 earned run average on the mound and was named first team all-state by Prep Baseball Report Indiana and was selected for the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series.
Gasser played for two state championship teams at Southridge — 2A football in 2017 and 3A baseball in 2021.
Gene Mattingly is the Raiders head baseball coach.
“He’s a very good dude,” says Gasser of Mattingly. “I have a lot of respect for that guy. He ran the organizational very well.
“I probably got under his skin a couple of times. I definitely pushed his buttons. He pushed mine. They were all good buttons to push.
“He’s a great leader. I couldn’t have asked for a better high school coach.”
In the state championship game, Gasser started at third base and led off.
Classmate Colson Montgomery played shortstop and hit in the 3-hole. That summer he was selected 22nd overall in the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Chicago White Sox.
Gasser and Montgomery played three high school sports together.
In the middle of senior year, Gasser tore the labrum in his left shoulder while swinging the bat. He spent the summer of 2021 rehabbing, but it popped out in the first live fall scrimmage at Michigan.
“I had to bite the bullet and get surgery,” says Gasser. “It was a lot of pain.”
He took a regular redshirt season in 2022, played for the Ohio Valley League’s Dubois County Bombers in Huntingburg that summer.
Born in Jasper, Ind., Gasser grew up in Huntingburg.
He was in T-ball and Rookie leagues before playing travel ball for the J-Cards, Indiana Bulls, Mark Peters-coached Ironmen and Canes Midwest. He and Montgomery were in Team Indiana in the fall of 2020.
Ryan Gasser, a plant manager, and Jamie Gasser, who works in human resources, have two sons — Colton and Camden.
Colton Gasser (Southridge Class of 2017) played football, basketball and baseball in high school and now works for Amazon.

Camden Gasser. (University of Michigan Photo)

Camden Gasser. (University of Michigan Photo)

After four years at Butler, Bosecker bound for Western Kentucky

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

Cory Bosecker spent the past four college baseball seasons at Butler University in Indianapolis.
A 6-foot-3, 215-pound left-handed pitcher, the Evansville, Ind., native took the mound for the Bulldogs 39 times (30 starts) and posted a 5.93 earned run average while amassing 165 strikeouts and 71 walks in 162 1/3 innings.
In 2023, Bosecker made a team-high 14 mound appearances (all starts) with 5.20 earned run average, club-leading 72 K’s and 33 walks in 72 2/3 innings.
He played for two head coaches — Dave Schrage and Blake Beemer — and was also a Sports Media major.
Now — with an extra year of eligibility because of the COVID-19 pandemic that shortened the 2020 season — Bosecker has found a new diamond home.
As a lefty, he drew plenty of interest when he entered the Transfer Portal and has landed at Western Kentucky University and will be with the Hilltoppers for his final year in 2023-24.
“I almost forgot what the recruiting process was the first time around,” says Bosecker, who signed at Butler out of Evansville Central High School where he graduated in 2019. “This has been a little more intense. It’s been fun and stressful week.”
Marc Rardin is WKU’s head coach.
Bosecker, 22, says his best qualities as a pitcher include his experience and his ability to give his team a chance to win each time he takes the mound.
“Sometimes I go out there and don’t have my best stuff, but I battle through that,” says Bosecker. “This year it helped to solidify that by adding a third pitch.”
Throwing from a three-quarter overhand arm slot, Bosecker adopted a slider to go with his four-seam fastball that sits from 90-92 mph and “circle” change-up.
“This year it went through a couple of different stages,” says Bosecker of his slider. “At the beginning of the season it was tighter. Throughout the season I got some more depth on it.”
Bosecker grew up on the north side of Evansville.
He played at Highland Little League until 12U.
Travel ball teams included East Baseball at 13U (coached by Houston Dillman), Golfmoor Baseball at 14U (Mike Fetcher and Andy Cook), Southern Illinois Bullets at 15U (Tyler Choate), Indiana Spikes (Choate) at 16U and Ironmen at 17U (Ryan Wheeler). He took his 18U summer off before heading to Butler.
Bosecker’s high school head coach was Mike Goedde.
“Coach Goedde was one of the favorite coaches I’ve had,” says Bosecker. “He was willing to help anybody and everybody.
“He’s definitely that old school coach. He wasn’t scared to tear into somebody. He was also right there to build you back up. Overall, he was a really positive guy.
“He was always dedicating his time to helping us and helping the program.”
Considering his spring workload and looking for a new college team, Bosecker opted not to play this summer.
He was with the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s North Adams (Mass.) SteepleCats in 2021 and 2022.
Cory is the son of Kevin and Jean Bosecker and older brother of Sydney Bosecker.
His father is a warehouse manager, mother a computer consultant and sister a Butler student majoring in Criminology and minoring in Psychology. The former Evansville Central tennis player just finished her freshman year.

Cory Bosecker. (Butler University Photo)

Cory Bosecker. (Butler University Photo)

Cory Bosecker. (Butler University Photo)

Evansville’s Scherry recognized as one of nation’s best shortstops

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

College Baseball Foundation gives its Brooks Wallace Award for both defensive play and offensive production by an NCAA Division I shortstop.
University of Evansville junior Simon Scherry is on the initial watch list for the 2023 award.
Scherry talks about his mindset as a shortstop.
“We get a lot of ground balls in practice,” says Scherry, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder. “I’m making sure I can get to every ball and having the thought of making every play.”
Purple Aces head coach Wes Carroll works with Scherry and the other infielders.
Scherry and company also get to work with Jamey Carroll when the brother of Wes and a former UE player and 12-league big leaguer is in town.
Quickness is one of Scherry’s best athletic qualities. It served him well on the basketball court where 2020 Evansville Courier & Press Southwestern Indiana Basketball Player of the Year scored 1,119 points for his career and averaged 17.1 points, 7.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 3.6 steals per game as a senior at Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Ind., and it certainly helps on the diamond.
The shortstop gets to balls that make his teammates marvel.
“I just trust myself,” says Scherry. “Having a quick first step is best for me.”
Scherry did consider pursuing college basketball. But he decided his long-term path is baseball.
“The end goal is to play baseball past college,” says Scherry. “If I had played basketball I wouldn’t have been able to put in as much work in baseball.
“At the end of the day, I decided to focus on that and try to get to the next level.”
Scherry notes an improvement in his offensive approach this season.
“I’ve worked a lot with Coach (Matt Wollenzin) this year on getting pitches I want to hit,” says Scherry. “My freshman and sophomore years I had the ability to hit pitches but they weren’t necessarily pitches I could drive early in counts.
“I’ve worked with (Wollenzin) on not swinging at pitcher’s pitches or even balls. I worked on pitches I wanted to hit.
“A lot of it for me is being on time for the fastball and trust myself on anything else. These guys throw hard. If you’re sitting on anything besides the fastball you have no chance.”
Heading into a Missouri Valley Conference home series Friday through Sunday against Indiana State, Scherry is hitting .278 (44-of-158) with two home runs, two triples, seven doubles, 19 runs batted in, 30 runs scored and 28 walks. He is 8-of-8 in stolen base attempts.
Scherry has been in the No. 3 hole in Carroll’s batting order.
In his first two collegiate seasons, Scherry combined to hit .290 with eight homers, one triple, 32 doubles, 83 RBIs, 77 runs and 31 walks while going 12-of-14 in stolen bases. He was all the MVC all-freshman team and all-conference honorable mention in 2021 and second-team all-MVC in 2022.
Scherry has started in all 151 UE games in which he has appeared.
Last summer, Scherry spent a week with the Cape Cod League‘s Falmouth Commodores and then with the Northwoods League’s Mankato (Minn.) MoonDogs. He was with the Ohio Valley League’s Dubois County Bombers in 2021.
Junior second baseman Kip Fougerousse transferred from Indiana to Evansville after the 2022 season and has started in 36 of 40 games in 2023 while transitioning from a corner infielder.
“He was up for anything,” says Scherry of Fougerousse, a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder and 2020 Linton-Stockton High School graduate. “He absorbed all the information that we gave him.
“(Moving to second) was a shock to him at first but he’s been great.”
Born in Jasper, Ind., Scherry grew up in Santa Claus, Ind. He played in a youth league there and then travel ball with the J Cards, Ironmen and in his 18U post-high school summer the Evansville Razorbacks.
At Heritage Hills, Scherry competed for two head coaches — Greg Gogel as a freshman and Andy Fischer as a sophomore and junior. As a 2020 graduate, Scherry had his senior season taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scherry was a middle schooler when he began working with Gogel and that continued into high school.
“That’s where I really learned how to use my feet and field a ground ball,” says Scherry. “You feet starts everything. Your hands follow your feet.”
Fischer taught Scherry to “come to the yard with the same energy everyday.”
“He brought a lot of energy and that translated to us players,” says Scherry. “I realized if I can bring that same energy I can make an impact.”
Simon, a Business Management major, is the youngest of Dan and Jill Scherry’s three children. Brother Samuel and sister Sydney are both Heritage Hills graduate. Dan Scherry was a baseball standout at Southridge. Jill Scherry is a Jasper graduate.

Simon Scherry. (University of Evansville Image)

Simon Scherry. (University of Evansville Photo)

Simon Scherry. (University of Evansville Photo)

Before joining Marines, Miller helping Indiana State on mound

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

Lane Miller’s final college baseball season is ending with him performing a different function than when he began.
Before the 2023 campaign at Indiana State University, Miller announced he would join the U.S. Marines after the season and apply for Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Quantico, Va. He has completed a Sport Management degree and Master of Business Administration (MBA) certification at ISU and is now working on a Sports Leadership minor.
“I talked to the coaches and my priority was going to be to get ready for that,” says Miller. “I was just going to be a leader on the team and help where I needed to help.”
He coached up his teammates, gathered statistics and contributed to scouting reports.”
Then came a need for him to pitch. He made starts March 28 against Purdue, April 2 against Illinois-Chicago, April 9 against Illinois State, April 16 against Belmont and — in an adjusted schedule — is slated to start again Monday, April 24 against Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute.
6-foot-4, 211-pound right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.95 earned run average. He has 16 strikeouts and eight walks in 27 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .196 against him.
With a 10-2 victory at No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Indiana State ran its win streak to 11 (Illinois-Chicago two games, Indiana, Illinois State three games, Purdue, Belmont three games and Vandy).
It’s the second double-digit streak since Mitch Hannahs has been head coach. The Sycamores previously won 12 in a row in 2014.
Through April 19, Indiana State was No. 12 in the NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings.
“Everybody is taking it game-by-game,” says Miler. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Coach Hannahs says, ‘anywhere anytime.’ That’s how it is in college baseball right now. Any team can beat anybody at anytime.”
Miller says the Sycamores are out to prove that they deserve the recognition.
“We just pick each other up on good days and bad days and keep moving forward,” says Miller.
Consistency is what Miller sees when he looks at Hannahs.
“It’s knowing that we’re going to get the same thing every day when we show up at the field. I know he has a high expectation not only for himself, but for his coaches and the team as a whole.
“His loyalty to us is second to none.”
Miller, who made 15 mound appearances (18 innings) 2020-22, works closest with Sycamores pitching coach Justin Hancock.
“He’s very determined,” says Miller of Hancock. “He knows what he wants out of the pitching staff and each player. He holds them to a high standard.
“His standard never falters on a daily basis.”
Miller throws a two-seam fastball, change-up and slider and has been working in a pitch that is a mix of slider and curve. Depending on the count or situation, he also change arm slots — over-the-top or sidearm.
Throwing from the side, his two-seamer moves left to right and slider right to left.
“I’ve done a good job of not doing one or the other (arm slot) too much,” says Miller. “I’m a very quick pitcher. I tend to work fast. With the 20-second pitch clock rule the faster I work the less time the hitter gets to think.
“It’s really worked to my benefit.”
Born in Evansville, Ind., to a military family, Miller spent early years in South Carolina and Idaho, and settled in Boonville, Ind., in his seventh grade year. He played most of his travel ball in middle school and high school with the Ironmen.
Lane is the son of Todd Miller and Summer (Hart) Williams. His father was in the military for more than 20 years, serving in the U.S. Navy and with the Special Forces. His mother played basketball at the University of Evansville. Sister Daleigh Miller is an Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis senior. Brother Caiden Miller is a Marine.
A 2017 graduate of Boonville High School, Miller was an all-Pocket Athletic Conference performer in football, basketball and baseball. On the diamond, his head coach was Cory Julian.
“He held me to a higher standard than he did anybody else,” says Miller of Julian. “He counted on me to be the leader of the team.”
Miller played multiple positions for the Pioneers in all three sports — wide receiver, quarterback, cornerback, punter and kicker in football, forward and center in basketball and first base, third base, shortstop outfield and pitcher in baseball.
Miller played with the Terre Haute Rex at the end of the summer of 2022. He was with the Local Legends of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021. He did not play summer ball in 2020 — the year of limited opportunities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The righty was Pitcher of the Year with the Saugerties (N.Y.) Stallions of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in 2019. He was with the Rex in 2018. He went to summer school at Indiana University in 2017.
Recruited by Chris Lemonis (who departed IU for Mississippi State), Miller left after the fall and transferred to ISU. He sat out the first year with the Sycamores and also underwent foot surgery as a freshman and had surgery on both hips in 2020.

Lane Miller. (Indiana State University)

Lane Miller. (Indiana State University)

Move to Oakland City U. proves productive for Pinckert

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

Sam Pinckert was productive in his first baseball season at Oakland (Ind.) City University in 2022.
Playing mostly left field with a few of his 46 games at right field and second base, Pinckert hit .269 (42-of-156) with six home runs, one triple, 10 doubles, 38 runs batted in and 43 runs scored plus eight stolen bases with the 31-23 Mighty Oaks. He amassed 14 assists (mostly from the outfield).
After three seasons at Muskingum University in New Concord, Ohio (2019-21), the 2018 graduate of Heritage Hills High School in Lincoln City, Ind., transferred to Taylor University in Upland, Ind., for the fall of 2021 and wound up at NAIA member Oakland City for spring semester. He plans to return in the fall while changing his primary position.
OCU head coach Andy Lasher wants to put him back in the infield in 2023 so Pinckert has been playing there this summer with the Ohio Valley League’s Muhlenburg (Ky.) County Stallions — recently at third base for a Mark Silva-managed team. He went to the outfield in the spring of 2022 since the Mighty Oaks had three fifth-year seniors in the infield.
Sam, who turns 22 on June 20, is the only child of Dennis and Mona Pinckert of Santa Claus, Ind. Dennis Pinckert works for a cabinet manufacturer. Mona Pinckert is heading into an accounting job with a trucking company. It’s about 40 miles from Santa Claus Oakland City, making it easier for them to attend Sam’s games.
Besides his parents, Sam Pinckert considers two men named Andy — Heritage Hills coach Andy Fischer and Oakland City coach Andy Lasher — as mentors.
“Coach Fischer is probably the most personable head coach I’ve ever had,” says Pinckert. “He had personality and a relationship with the players. As a teacher, he would have them in class and see them throughout the day.
“(Lasher) keeps me level-headed big time. He slows me down and works me through everything.”
His college coach also keeps tabs on Pinckert the person, calling him once or twice a week to check up on him.
“I can talk with him about anything,” says Pinckert of Lasher.
Speed and strength are two qualities that have served Sam well on the diamond.
“I’m just a compact athlete,” says the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Pinckert. “I just use my strength in certain ways. I have power though I’m a smaller guy.”
Another plus for Pinckert is the mental side.
“I just know the game very well,” says Pinckert, who is pursuing a Sport Management degree with a minor in Coaching.
Righty-swinging Pinckert describes his approach to hitting.
“I’m looking for a ball on the outer half and I’m trying to take it out to in,” says Pinckert. “I want to take the ball to right or right-center.”
Pinckert was born in Evansville and grew up in Santa Claus.
“Travel ball is really what got me going in baseball and got me a step ahead,” says Pinckert, who has donned the jerseys of the Spikes, Ironmen, Kentuckiana Elite, Avon Hurricanes and Outlaws. Kentuckiana Elite featured many future college players, including Castle High School graduate Brodey Heaton at Belmont University and Paducah Tilghman High School alum Jackson Fristoe at Mississippi State University.
Pinckert’s last travel ball stop was with the A.J. Curtis-coached Outlaws.
He was with the Avon Hurricanes the summer after high school graduation and Rockport American Legion Post 254 in the summer of 2019. He broke his hand during the regional final against Floyds Knobs Post 44 and and still went on a designated hitter wearing a cast on his right hand.
In high school, Pinckert was on the cross country and swim teams and played four years of varsity baseball — three for Greg Gogel and one for Fischer.
“He was a very competitive guy,” says Pinckert of Gogel. “We always kind of piggybacked off of that.
“He knew what he was talking about.”
Pincer was mostly a pitcher for the Patriots as a sophomore and junior and was a utility player as a senior, earning the Cy Young Award for pitching and also playing third base and second base.
Through National Scouting Report (NSR), Pinckert went to a camp and was offered a roster spot by then-Muskies assistant and recruiting coordinator Mike Mulvey at NCAA Division III Muskingum. He started every game at shortstop for head coach Gregg Thompson as a freshman in 2019, hitting .282 (33-of-117). A torn labrum and the COVID-19 pandemic limited him to five games in 2020. Still recovering from injury, he saw action in just 12 contests in 2021.
Pinckert took batting practice and did not play for a team in the summer of 2020. In 2021, he was with the OVL’s Vic Evans-managed Owensboro (Ky.) RiverDawgs.

Sam Pinckert (Oakland City University Photo)

Sam Pinckert (Muhlenburg County Stallions Photo)

Sam Pinckert (S&S Photos)

Sam Pinckert (S&S Photos)

Jeffersonville, Louisville grad Campbell makes most of year away from baseball games

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

Drew Campbell took a negative and turned it into a positive.
The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine of 2020 took away the ability to play baseball.
The Jeffersonville (Ind.) High School graduate and former Olney (Ill.) Central and University of Louisville outfielder was heading into his second season in the Atlanta Braves organization when things came to a standstill. Major League Baseball eventually started up. Minor League Baseball did not.
“It was the longest time without baseball since I was born,” says Campbell, who turns 24 on Oct. 10. “It was definitely hard on me. But I did not lose my passion for the game.”
Eventually, Campbell was able to give lessons at Ellis Baseball Academy in Jeffersonville and that put things into perspective.
“Young kids just wanted to play baseball,” says Campbell. “They’re not worried about contracts or who they’re going to play for.
“So (the time away) was a good re-set for everybody. It’s definitely a kids’ game and sometimes we get away from that.”
Another benefit from teaching hitting is that it helped him with his own offensive game by figuring out a way to explain the concepts.
“It’s easy to stay sharp when I’m teaching someone to hit,” says Campbell. “The mental side means a lot more now that I’m older.”
To Campbell, that means taking care of himself — mentally and physically. He’s doing more reading and journaling and getting a handle on his nutrition and workout routine.
“I’m staying positive,” says Campbell, who doesn’t want to take negative thoughts onto the field.
At 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds, he has put 10 to 15 pounds on his frame in the last year and plans to add about 15 more in the off-season whether working out in Jeffersonville or Louisville. He eats six meals a day, lifts weights thee times a week and gets in hitting when he can.
“My nutrition is where I’ve really got to step up my game,” says Campbell. “I’m on the path to being the guy (the Braves) want me to be.
“That’s someone who hits for more power with more doubles and triples.”
While he missed two months while dealing with a pulled hamstring, Campbell played at three levels in 2021 — rookie-level (Florida Complex League Braves), Low Class-A (Augusta, Ga., GreenJackets) and High Class-A (Rome, Ga., Braves) — and hit .308 (32-of-104) with five home runs, three triples, seven doubles, 20 runs batted in and 32 runs scored in 27 games.
“I finished strong for the year,” says Campbell, who concluded the year with Rome. “I put myself in a good position for next year.”
Campbell, a lefty batter and thrower, played mostly in right field.
“That’s where I feel the most comfortable,” says Campbell. “But I’m an outfielder.
“I can go get the ball no matter where I’m at.”
Selected in the 23rd round of the 2019 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves, Campbell hit .224 (24-of-107) with one homer, one triple, four doubles, seven RBIs and eight runs in 28 games that summer for Rome — then a Low Class-A club.
After that first pro season, he completed his course work at Louisville as a Sport Administration major and Criminal Justice minor.
Campbell logged three collegiate seasons — one at National Junior College Athletic Association Division I Olney Central (2017) and two at NCAA Division I Louisville (2018 and 2019).
He batted .294 (53-of-180) with seven homers, three triples, six doubles, 31 RBIs and 35 runs in 50 games at Olney Central for Blue Knights head coach Dennis Conley.
“It was an awesome experience,” says Campbell. “(Conley) is an all-time great coach. That’s Dennis Conley’s town. Everybody knows Dennis Conley. He parks where he wants.
“He really pushed me. Helped me through everything. He definitely cares about his players.”
At U of L, playing for Cardinals head coach Dan McDonnell, Campbell hit .310 (108-of-348) with four homers, three triples, 23 doubles, 70 RBIs and 52 runs in 121 games (97 as a starter).
“To have the chance to play for (McDonnell) was awesome,” says Campbell. “I’m excited to see what he does with the Cardinals (in 2022).”
Louisville went 51-18 and played in 2019 College World Series. Campbell became the first U of L player to be named to the all-CWS team, hitting .462 (6-for-13) with three RBIs. Batting seventh and playing right field, he went 3-for-4 including a walk-off base hit in an elimination game against Mississippi State.
At Jim Patterson Stadium, there is a locker room dedicated to professionals that have played at Louisville. There Campbell is likely to run into people like Jeffersonville’s Drew Ellis (Arizona Diamondbacks), New Albany’s Josh Rogers (Washington Nationals), 2021 No. 1 overall draft pick Henry Davis (Pittsburgh Pirates system) and San Francisco Giants minor leaguers Tyler Fitzgerald and Logan Wyatt.
Born in Jeffersonville, Campbell played T-ball at the YMCA in Clarksville and attended grade school and middle school there. He was at Jeff/GRC Little League, where he first played for Derek Ellis (who was later his head coach at Jeffersonville High and runs Ellis Baseball Academy) and then with the Louisville Longhorns and Ironmen travel teams as well as the Ricky Romans-managed Floyds Knobs American Legion Post 42 team.
Drew is the second of Tony and Keri Campbell’s four children. Nick Campbell was a senior at Our Lady of Providence High School in Clarksville when Drew was a freshman.
“It was only time I got to play with my older brother,” says Drew of Nick, who is now 27. Kyle Campbell (16) is a sophomore and Andrea Campbell (15) a freshman — both at Jeffersonville.
Drew played his last three prep seasons at Jeffersonville and graduated in 2016. With the Red Devils, he was reunited with Derek Ellis.
“He teaches baseball the right way,” says Campbell, who counts Derek’s son, Drew Ellis, as one of his buddies.
Campbell was an all-state selection at Jeffersonville. In 2016, he slugged eight home runs, drove in 27 and scored 30 in 25 games and was named Southern Indiana Player of the Year in by the Louisville Courier-Journal.

Drew Campbell (Atlanta Braves Photo)

Drew Campbell (Mills Fitzner Photo)

Drew Campbell (Mills Fitzner Photo)

Drew Campbell (Mills Fitzner Photo)

Drew Campbell (Mills Fitzner Photo)

Craig provides punch for Evansville Purple Aces

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

Tanner Craig has provided a productive bat for the University of Evansville baseball team since the 2018 season.
The righty swinger sports a batting average of .294 (128-of-435) with 18 home runs, 28 doubles, 76 runs batted in, 60 runs scored and an .859 OPS (.372 on-base percentage plus 487 slugging average) in 116 games.
In 2021, the 6-foot, 220-pound first baseman played in 54 contests (all starts) and hit .299 (60-of-201) with 12 homers, 14 doubles, 47 RBIs, 31 runs and a .929 OPS (.382/.547).
Thanks to the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility when the COVID-19 pandemic shortened the 2020 season — one in which he was named Collegiate Baseball’s National Player of the Week and Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week after slugging four homers in a season-openojvng series at Tennessee Tech — Craig is back for a fifth season with the Purple Aces in 2022.
What title best fits Craig as an offensive player?
“I would say I’m a power hitter,” says Craig, 22. “It’s role I’ve played at Evansville and other teams I’ve been on.”
Aces head coach Wes Carroll tabbed Craig as his regular No. 3 hole hitter in 2021.
“I just try to hit the ball hard every time,” says Craig. “I look for a pitch in the part of the (strike) zone I know I can hit it well and swing hard.”
While Craig has seen some exit velocity data, it’s not how he and other UE players often gauge their swings.
“With turf we can get on the field anytime we want,” says Craig of German American Bank Field at Charles H. Braun Stadium. “Ball flight — that tells you a lot about your swing.
“We played one game on (home) turf in the COVID year (then 34 in 2021). We’re very lucky to have it. That’s for sure.”
Craig appreciates Carroll for the way he tailors his approach to each player.
“He really cares for all of us as individuals,” says Craig. “He takes the time to learn how to coach us individually. He knows the best way to get to people.”
Carroll can be firmer with Craig because he knows he can hand it. Another player may need to be cajoled.”
Fall practice began Aug. 30, about a week after the first day of class. Individual work is about to wrap up. That will be followed by team practices and scrimmages. While there has been nothing formal, players have been keeping track of which color teams wins most.
The Aces are also slated to play exhibition games Oct, 9 against Western Kentucky University and Oct. 23 against Wabash Valley College — both at Evansville.
Last spring, Craig earned an Accounting degree and is now working toward a Masters of Leadership. He expects to finish the 18-month course in December 2022.
This summer, Craig played for the Prospect League’s Lafayette (Ind.) Aviators. In 26 games, he hit .386 (34-of-88) with 10 homers, seven doubles, 36 RBIs and 19 runs for a team managed by Michael Keeran. The team went a league-best 41-18 during the regular season and lost to the Cape Catfish in the best-of-three championship series.
“It was a great experience,” says Craig. “It’s a beautiful stadium (the new-look Loeb Stadium).
“It was really fun, my time up there.”
Craig was born in Florence, Ky., and grew up in Scottsburg, Ind., where he played Coach Pitch at what is now Scott County Youth League. He played travel ball for the Smithville (Ind.) Gators, Mark Peters-coached Ironmen (13U to 17U) and Jeremy Johnson-coached Evansville Razorbacks (18U).
He began attending schools in Austin, Ind., in sixth grade and graduate from Austin High School in 2017. Craig was a shortstop, third baseman and pitcher for Eagles coach Matt Bayes.
“He’s just a good coach,” says Craig of Bayes. “He’s really good at teaching a lot of aspects of the game.”
One of Craig’s teammates was right-handed pitcher Drew Buhr (Austin Class of 2019), who went to Saint Louis University then transferred to Bellarmine University.
Tanner, who turns 23 in December, is the youngest of Samtec production supervisor Todd and Morgan Foods senior buyer Jennifer Craig.
“They’ve been a huge support for me since I’ve started,” says Tanner of his parents. “They’ve always found ways to get me whatever I need. I can count on one hand the number of games my dad has missed in my college career.
“It’s always nice to see a familiar face in the stands.”
Morgan Dillard, Tanner’s older sister lives in Indianapolis and is in management with CVS Health. She is married with a daughter.
Quintin Craig, Tanner’s older brother, is a project manager of Crown Castle and lives in Louisville with his wife and daughter.
Peyton Craig, Tanner’s younger brother, is a Scottsburg freshman involved in Future Farmers of America.

Tanner Craig (University of Evansville Photo)

Tanner Craig (University of Evansville Photo)

Tanner Craig (University of Evansville Photo)

Tanner Craig (University of Evansville Photo)

Pepmeier, Salem Lions looking to raise baseball profile

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Salem (Ind.) High School is located on the northwest side of the county seat in Washington County. The city is about 40 miles northwest of Louisville, Ky.

On the boys side, Salem’s sports identity revolves around the gridiron.

“Salem has always been a football town,” says first-year Lions head baseball coach Jason Pepmeier. “Baseball’s never been a real important sport in our school.

“We’d like to put ourselves on the map.”

Pepmeier, a 1992 Salem graduate and former baseball assistant, wants the Lions to roar on the diamond.

“We put in a lot of work in the off-season and hope to reap the rewards down the road,” says Pepmeier. “We hope to get this thing rolling.

“There’s some good baseball in this area. I’d put our conference in (IHSAA Class) 3A up against anybody in the state. We hope to be competitive.”

Pepmeier says there are usually between 24 and 30 players for varsity and junior varsity teams. He and assistants Jerry Hickey, Gregg Oppel and Jeffrey Burch have been working with 29 this spring as the Lions prepare for the 2019 season.

While Xavier Haendiges graduated early and is now on the baseball roster at Ohio University, returnees include senior Brandon Pepmeier and sophomore Brody Pepmeier — the coach’s sons.

Salem (enrollment around 575) is a member of the Mid-Southern Conference (with Austin, Brownstown Central, Charlestown, Clarksville, Corydon Central, Eastern of Pekin, North Harrison, Scottsburg and Silver Creek).

Non-conference opponents include Crawford County, Madison, Mitchell, New Washington, Orleans, Paoli, Providence, South Central, Southwestern (Hanover), Springs Valley and West Washington

The Lions are part of a 3A sectional grouping with Brownstown Central, Charlestown, Corydon Central, North Harrison, Providence, Scottsburg and Silver Creek. Salem has won three sectional titles — the last in 1996.

Besides Providence, which moved up from 2A because of the IHSAA tournament success factor, Salem and Brownstown Central (enrollment around 575) are the smallest schools in the sectional field. Silver Creek is around 880, Scottsburg 780, Corydon Central 700 and North Harrison 680.

“I’d like to see (the IHSAA) go to five or six classes,” says Pepmeier. “There are quite a few discrepancies (in school sizes with the current classes).

“I’m not sure if it will ever happen.”

Besides Salem Little League, there is a junior high club program with about a dozen players on both the seventh and eighth grade squads which compete in the spring on the high school diamond.

Travel ball options include the Smash, Southern Indiana Heat, Ironmen and Rawlings Tigers.

Pepmeier moved from Vincennes to Salem in 1986 and played four years of high school baseball for head coach Derek Smith.

“He still teaches at the school and is good friend of mine,” says Pepmeier of Smith. “He was a great players’ coach. He had good baseball mind and was very supportive of all of us when when went through school.”

When Pepmeier played right field for the Lions, he had to contend with a hill inside the ballpark. That problem was fixed about a decade ago.

“It’s in pretty good shape compete to what it used to be,” says Pepmeier, who indicates that he would like to see lights installed at the on-campus facility.

Pepmeier earned a business management degree from the University of Southern Indiana in 1996 and is married to 1994 Salem graduate Kandi. He is an agent with Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance in Salem.

The Pepmeiers (clockwise from bottom left): Jason, Kandi, Brandon and Brody. Jason Pepmeier is the head baseball coach at Salem (Ind.) High School. Brandon and Brody are two of his players. Jason and Kandi are both Salem graduates.

 

 

Bye getting small pack of Orleans Bulldogs ready for 2019

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Numbers might be low, but baseball spirit is high at Orleans (Ind.) High School.

The Bulldogs won an IHSAA Class 1A West Washington Sectional championship in 2018 and senior Duncan Gerkin was honored as an all-state catcher.

In 2015, Orleans went 26-6 and produced three all-state players — senior second baseman Burton Gerkin, senior first baseman Cale Hall and senior outfielder Jason Mosson. Other recent first-team all-staters include junior outfielder Steven Phillips in 2014 and junior shortstop Terry Bradley in 2012.

Jeremy Bye was an assistant to Mark Wheeler for 10 years then took over the Bulldogs program for the 2016 season.

“I had no intention of ever coaching high school baseball,” says Bye. “But as the cards were dealt, I came to love it.

“I’m very fortunate to spend 10 years under a tremendous coach and motivator and learn from him.”

Bye heads into 2019 with 13 players in the program. For the for the first time since he has been in the program, Orleans does not plan to field a junior varsity team.

Off-season workouts have drawn five boys. These twice-a-week sessions include 45 minutes of throwing and 45 minutes of running or weightlifting.

The other baseball players are busy with basketball.

“In southern Indiana, basketball is king,” says Bye.

Basketball the winter sport for boys at Orleans. Cross country is offered in the fall with baseball, track and golf in the spring. There is no football and some potential students go to nearby schools that do have football.

With an enrollment around 225, Orleans is the member in the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference, which also feature Crawford County, Mitchell, Paoli, Perry Central, Spring Valley and West Washington.

PLAC teams play each other twice during the season in home-and-home series. Only the first meeting counts in the standings.

The Bulldogs are part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping with Crothersville (enrollment around 100), Medora (50), Trinity Lutheran (150) and West Washington (280).

Orleans has won nine sectional titles, including four since 2006 (2006, 2014, 2015 and 2018). The Bulldogs won regional crowns in 2006 and 2015. The 2006 team bowed out to Hauser in the semifinals of the Avon Semistate. Eventual 1A state runner-up Shakamak bested Orleans 3-2 int he 2015 Plainfield Semistate.

Graduate Adam Poole was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 32nd round of the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, but did not sign. The left-handed pitcher played at Lincoln Trail College and Indiana University.

Platted in 1815, Orleans stands as the oldest town in Orange County. Founded two months after Andrew Jackson’s famous victory over the British at New Orleans, the settlers named their new town to honor this event.

For the third season, IHSAA teams will abide by a pitch count rule (1 to 35 pitches requires 0 days rest; 36 to 60 requires 1 day; 61 to 80 requires 2 days; 81 to 100 requires 3 days; and 101 to 120 requires 4 days).

“We have always used a pitch count,” says Bye. “Our issues is having enough pitchers to play a 28-game schedule and be effective. It’s always been like that.

“Our better athletes are our pitchers and they are also shortstops, center fielders and third basemen. It’s harder to manage the other positions the kids have to play.”

While its not a school-sponsored sport, Orleans does have junior high baseball. Bye says 22 boys have signed up to play from April through early June. There will be 11 on the eighth grade squad with nine seventh graders and two sixth graders on the seventh grade team.

“The boys have to play,” says Bye. “It’s the only (baseball) avenue they have (from age 13 to high school).

The Orleans Baseball League is a recreation organization that starts with T-ball and goes through sixth grade.

Jeremy and Kristin Bye’s sons play both rec league and travel baseball — Breckin (10) with the Louisville-based Ironmen and Brayson (7) with the Southern Indiana Strikers of New Albany.

Orleans plays its home games on a lighted on-campus diamond. In recent years, the outfield fence has been raised and pushed back and dugouts have been replaced.

Bye mows the field himself and his players help line it and rake it.

“We’re our own field maintenance crew,” says Bye. “Everybody does their own spot. We take pride in it.”

Bye is a 1996 Paoli (Ind.) High School graduate. He played four years of baseball for the Rams — two for Tom Stuckwich and two for John Hahn. He earned a electronics technology degree at Indiana State University and works for Jasper Group in Orleans.

Orleans (Ind.) High School won an IHSAA Class 1A sectional baseball title in 2018. It was the third season as head coach for Jeremy Bye. He joined the program as an assistant in 2006.

The Byes (clockwise from left) — Jeremy, Kristin, Breckin and Brayson — celebrate a 2018 IHSAA Class 1A sectional baseball championship. Jeremy Bye has been a coach in the program since 2006 and head coach since 2016.