Confidence key for Benedictine U. right-hander Pizer

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

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

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

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

The Eagles use Rapsodo camera/radar technology.

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

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

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

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

Pizer delivers the baseball sidearm.

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

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

The slider has very little to no vertical break.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Bogner was Highland’s head coach. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s something I like to emulate.”

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Lake County CornDogs Image)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

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.

Willis draws eyes from Pelican State to Hoosier State

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Dawson Willis is spending his summer a long way from home.

About 900 miles.

The Louisiana teenager came to Indiana to play baseball and he has been shining with the Elkhart County Miracle in that team’s first year in the wood-bat Northern League — a six-team loop blending amateurs and professionals.

Willis, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound shortstop who turned 19 in April and finished his freshmen season at National Junior College Athletic Association member Louisiana State University-Eunice in May, has been among the NL leaders in many categories in 2023.

With his batting eye and athleticism, the 2022 graduate of Ruston (La.) High School has drawn the interest of Major League Baseball scouts. 

He earned the right to play in the league’s all-star game at Oil City in Whiting, Ind., on July 18 (joined by Elkhart County teammates Conor Gausselin, Bryce Lesher, Bryce Miller and Jaden Miller) and was announced as NL Player of the Week that same day.

Through 45 games, the righty-swinging Willis was hitting .324 (55-of-170) with one home run (July 16 at Indiana Panthers), six triples, 14 doubles, 27 runs batted in, 39 runs scored, a .926 OPS (.432 on-base percentage plus .494 slugging average) and 27 stolen bases (in 32 attempts).

Willis, who is usually in the No. 2 or No. 3 spot in the Miracle batting order, paces the circuit in hits, triples, runs, slugging percentage, stolen bases, total bases (83) and defensive assists (120) and is second in games, at-bats, doubles, plate appearances (206) and double plays (20). Elkhart County recently turned a 5-4-3 triple play with the bases loaded but Willis was not involved in that. 

“You get to see a lot of at-bats at the top of the order,” says Willis. “I get to see the pitcher and let my teammates know what he’s like.

“I’m just looking for a barrel on the fastball and adjust to the off-speed and shoot the ball from gap to gap.”

Patrick Gelwicks, who was a standout first baseman/outfielder at Butler University in Indianapolis 2010-13 and now an LSU-Eunice assistant coach, helped connect Business major Willis with Evan Sharpley who coordinates talent for Miracle owner/50-year broadcaster Craig Wallin. The led to the youngster’s opportunity to play for Elkhart County manager/baseball lifer Wilson Valera.

“He’s taught me how to hunt for a fastball,” says Willis of Valera. 

Why does Willis prefer to play shortstop?

“Most of the time you’re getting some action,” says Willis. “I like to beat the ball to the position and make a strong, accurate throw.”

Willis says his favorite MLB player is Bobby Witt Jr.

“I like the way he plays the game,” says Willis of the Kansas City Royals shortstop/third baseman.

The top four teams make the Northern League playoffs. At present, the Lake County CornDogs (29-12), Northwest Indiana Oilmen (26-20), Southland Vikings (25-20) and Indiana Panthers (22-25) are in and the Elkhart County Miracle (19-29) and Griffith Generals (15-30) are on the outside looking in. 

Elkhart County has three more away games scheduled before wrapping the regular season with three home contests Aug. 1-3 at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee. 

With no overnight stays, NL teams travel back and forth across the Eastern and Central time zones.

A typical gameday with the Miracle (the only Eastern team) sees Willis rise at the Elkhart home of host family Ron and Julia Sherck, go to the gym for a workout followed by batting practice at a local high school with a teammate.

He meets the team bus around 4 p.m., gets to the opposing field about 6, plays the game and gets back to Elkhart around 1 a.m.

As for his actual family, Dawson is the middle child of Chris and Mandy Willis. They have been working and unable to come to see their son play this summer though games have been available online. Christopher is Dawson’s older brother. Kennedy is his younger sister.

After his days with the Ruston Bearcats as a football and baseball player, Willis spent the summer of 2022 with the Dingoes of the Northern Louisiana Collegiate League in Shreveport, La., before heading going more than three hours to play for the Bengals of LSU-Eunice where Jeff Willis — no relation — is the head baseball coach and athletic director.

Ruston is the home of Louisiana Tech University.

Last August, Dawson showed off his speed when he was clocked in 6.6 seconds for the 60-yard dash.

In the spring of 2023, Willis played in 52 games (49 starts) and hit .341 (59-of-173) with six homers, one triple, 11 doubles, 42 RBIs, 65 runs, .985 OPS (.465/.520) and 29 steals (in 38 attempts).

Dawson Willis at the 2023 Northern League All-Star Game in Whiting, Ind. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)

Elkhart County Miracle players at the 2023 Northern League All-Star Game in Whiting, Ind., are (from left): Conor Gausselin, Dawson Willis, Bryce Lesher, Jaden Miller and Bryce Miller. (Northern League Photo)

East players in the 2023 Northern League All-Star Game in Whiting, Ind., including Elkhart County Miracles Conor Gausselin, Dawson Willis, Bryce Lesher, Jaden Miller and Bryce Miller in red. (Northern League Photo)

Dawson Willis. (LSU-Eunice Photo)

Two-way player Loden making way back after Tommy John surgery

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Doug Loden was on his way from junior college to NCAA Division I baseball when he had to push the pause button.

A 2020 graduate of Lake Central High School in St. John, Ind., who lost his senior prep season to the COVID-19 pandemic, Loden put up some head-turning numbers as a Joliet (Ill.) Junior College freshman in 2021.

The lefty batter/righty thrower played in 56 games (51 starts) for the Wolves and hit .297 (51-of-172) with (a single-season school record) 16 home runs, 13 doubles, 63 runs batted in, 41 runs scored, a 1.079 OPS (.428 on-base percentage plus .651 slugging average) and four stolen bases and also made 13 mound appearances (12 starts) and went 5-5 with a 5.53 earned run average, 76 strikeouts and 36 walks in 71 2/3 innings.

Loden was selected for National Junior College Athletic Association all-region honors.

In the summer of 2021, he was a Midwest Collegiate League all-star pitcher while playing for the MCL Minutemen. 

In the first game of the 2022 Joliet JC season, Loden was pitching and humming along when something happened.

“It was going to be my last inning in the fifth and everything started getting tight and I couldn’t (get the ball to) home plate,” says Loden. “There was no pain, but I was super-tight.”

Loden saw limited action the rest of the spring. He pitched in three games (that one start) and went 0-0 with 1.50 ERA, seven strikeouts and one walk in six innings. 

In 11 contests (seven starts) as a hitter, he posted an average of .300 (6-of-20) with one double, five RBIs and five runs.

Playing with a partially-torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament, Loden played in the summer for the Lake County CornDogs of the Northern League (rebranded from the Midwest Collegiate League) and represented the first-year franchise and league champions as an all-star hitter.

But on Aug. 4, 2022, he underwent Tommy John elbow surgery.

By this time, Loden had committed to Oakland University in Rochester, Mich., and played for Horizon League‘s Golden Grizzlies head coach Jordan Banfield. 

Loden took a medical redshirt in 2022-23, stayed home, took online classes at Joliet JC, served as a Lake Central assistant coach and went through his rehab.

When the summer of 2023 rolled around, Loden, who turned 22 in late May, had a choice to make. Would he sit it out as a player or get back on the field and getting ready for Oakland in the fall?

“I decided I need to start playing again,” says Loden, who has been at first base and batting clean-up for the Justin Huisman-managed CornDogs.

In 12 games, he is hitting .214 (9-of-42) with four homers (tied for the Northern League lead), three doubles, 11 RBIs, 10 runs and a .936 OPS (.365/.571). He has not pitched for Lake County this summer. He was named the Player of the Week for the wood-bat circuit on July 10 after a stretch where he hit .333 with two homers and six RBIs.

Loden, who has at least two years of remaining eligibility and maybe three, says he will get the opportunity to be a two-way player (likely first base or DH and pitcher) at Oakland, where he will also plans to be a Interdisciplinary Studies major with an Operations Management minor with an eye on getting his Master of Business Administration degree after completing his undergraduate work.

Born in Munster, Ind., Loden grew up in St. John.

He was on the Lake Central junior varsity as a freshman and played varsity ball for the Indians as a sophomore and junior.

Loden is thankful for what his coaches brought out in him as a high schooler and junior college athlete.

“I absolutely loved playing for Mike Swartzentruber,” says Loden of the Lake Central field boss. “He was a big influence on me. He pushed me to my limits. 

“I give him credit to this day for my baseball abilities and pushing me to become a better man. He taught me a lot about the game of baseball.”

Loden’s grand slam in the semifinals of the 2019 LaPorte Regional helped the Indians beat Crown Point.

Gregg Braun is JCC head coach and director of athletics.

“I loved that man to death. He pushed me to extraordinary limits. He made me find my true potential as a baseball player. 

“(Joliet assistant/Athletic Performance Psychology coach Scott Halicky) helped me find the mental side of baseball. 

“He made me really focus on that and I saw my game really increase to a different level.”

Loden, a 6-foot-1, 215-pounder, explains his offensive approach.

“My thought in the batter’s box is to be on-time,” says Loden. “Timing is literally the ultimate cheat code of hitting a baseball. If your timing is on-point you will hit that baseball no matter what pitch it is.

“I am a big believer in positive self talk. You need to go into that box with all the confidence you have. My main goal to make the pitcher look bad in front of his mom.”

The pitch clock is finding its way to D-I baseball. On the mound, Loden tends to be up-tempo.

“I’m a fairly quick pitcher,” says Loden. “I like to move at a fast pace. I like my defense in the game. I’m not a fan of moving at a slow pace. It gets your defense in flat-footed position.

“I like making hitters guess instead of anticipate which pitches I’m going to throw.”

Mother Joan Loden is a Lake Central math teacher. She has taught for more than four decades and been a long-time cheerleading coach. Father Keith Loden has been in the Lake Central School Corporation transportation department for about 15 years.

Sister Haley Loden (Lake Central Class of 2013) was in cheerleading, softball and track at LC and is now a physical therapy specialist.

Brother Brad Loden (Lake Central Class of 2017) played baseball in high school and is now a law student at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Doug Loden. (Steve Krah Photo)

Doug Loden. (Lake County CornDogs Image).

Doug Loden. (Joliet Junior College Photo)

Doug Loden. (Joliet Junior College Photo)

Plate discipline important to Portage alum Puplava

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Danny Puplava strives to put the bat on the baseball.

In two seasons at Kankakee (Ill.) Community College, the righty swinger and 2021 Portage (Ind.) High School graduate produced 90 runs batted in while striking out 68 times in 370 at-bats and 446 plate appearances. He walked 46 times.

This summer with the wood-bat Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs, Puplava had 13 RBIs, seven strikeouts and 10 walks while hitting .294 (20-of-68) through 19 games.

“Having good plate discipline is what makes a good hitter,” says Puplava, who committed last week to continue his baseball and academic career at NCAA Division II Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Ind., where Dave Griffin is the Pride head coach.

Puplava‘’s favorite big league player is Juan Soto.

“I like Soto because of the presence he brings in the (batter’s) box,” says Puplava. “He has power and does not strike out much.”

Through 87 games in 2023, Soto had 81 walks, 77 strikeouts, 15 home runs, 20 doubles and 47 RBIs.

Puplava, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound first baseman, played in 111 games at Kankakee and hit .295 (109-of-370) with 12 homers, seven triples, 22 doubles, 78 runs scored, a .895 OPS (.341 on-base percentage plus .430 slugging average) and 11 stolen bases.

Using Trackman to gauge exit velocity, Puplava hit the ball hard on a consistent basis.

“I try to put the ball in-play,” says Puplava. “I’m a right-center gap kind of guy.”

At Kankakee, where Todd Post is Cavaliers head coach, New Palestine, Ind., native Nick Ulery is hitting coach and former Northfield High School (Wabash, Ind.) and Valparaiso University hurler Bryce Shafer is pitching coach, Puplava, who turns 21 on Thanksgiving (Nov. 23), enjoyed being a “JUCO Bandit.”

“Junior college is different,” says Puplava. “It’s a grind. It was a cool (bonding) experience with guys who have the same dreams. 

“I really enjoyed it.”

He earned an associate degree in General Studies but explored classes in Exercise Science and posted a 3.53 grade-point average as a freshman. He is undecided on his major at PNW.

Born in Munster, Ind., Puplava grew up in Portage. His first few years of organized baseball came in Lake of Four Seasons Little League and Portage Little League. Travel teams included the Portage Tribe, Indiana Breakers and Shane Prance-coached Region Playmakers. 

That was followed by American Legion baseball stints with Wayne Coil-managed Valparaiso Post 94 and Bobby Wineland-managed South Haven Post 502 Blaze.

He was on the Portage High varsity for three years, earning all-Duneland Athletic Conference honors in 2021, losing his junior season of 2020 to the COVID-19 pandemic. Bob Dixon was the Indians head coach and Prance an assistant.

Puplava, the son of Sue Puplava and the late Kenny Puplava and older brother of gymnast Katie Puplava (Portage Class of 2024), played for the CornDogs in the summer of 2022. Lake County won the Northern League title in its first season of existence. In 15 regular-season games, he hit .302 (16-of-53) with one homer, two doubles, seven RBIs, 13 runs, two stolen bases, five strikeouts and seven walks.

The 2023 CornDogs’ next game is today (July 7) against the Elkhart County Miracle at the NorthWood High School Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee, Ind. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m. Central Time/7 Eastern Time.

Danny Puplava. (Kankakee Community College Photo)

Danny Puplava. (Kankakee Community College Photo)

Danny Puplava. (Kankakee Community College Photo)

Danny Puplava. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Hilbrich fills PNW record books, leaves CornDogs for pro ball

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Perseverance has paid for Ray Hilbrich.

Cut from the varsity his junior year in Lake Central High School in St. John, Ind., he put in the work to succeed on the baseball field.

Hilbrich (pronounced Hill-Brick) played parts of five seasons at Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Ind., where he was decorated while starting 170 games for the Pride (2019-23).

As a graduate student in 2023, Hilbrich was on the all-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Conference first team and the NCAA Division II GLIAC Player of the Week in Week 11. He was also named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Midwest Region team. He also earned the GLIAC Spring Commissioners Award in 2023.

Swinging from the left side of the plate, Hilbrich hit .381 (61-of-160) with seven home runs, one triple, 14 doubles, 29 runs batted in and 35 runs scored in 45 games (all starts).

In five seasons (2020 was shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic and an extra year of eligibility was granted), he hit .358 (221-of-617) with 12 homers, seven triples, 39 doubles, 91 RBIs, 126 runs, 90 walks (five intentional), 17 hit by pitches and a .449 OBP in 171 games — all PNW career school records.

Hilbrich, who turned 23 in January, has the top three single-season batting averages (381 in 2023, .373 in 2022 and .362 in 2019), top three hit totals (61 in 2023, 59 in 2019 and 57 in 2022) and top two on-base averages at .482 (2023) and .479 (2022).

He also holds single-season marks for doubles (14 in 2023), slugging percentage (.613 in 2023), total bases (98 in 2023) and at-bats (163 in 2019) and is tied in homers (7 in 2023) and sacrifice flies (4 in 2019).

In the single-game records, he is first in at-bats (6 in 2023) and tied for first in homers (2 in 2023), hit by pitch (2 in 2023) and doubles (3 in 2023).

Hilbrich, a 6-foot, 190-pounder, has overcome to make himself a productive hitter.

“One of the major things I sort of struggled with in high school and the early years in college was the fear of getting out,” says Hilbrich. “I mastered mental capacity in the box to keep it simple — see-the-ball, hit-the-ball. 

“I try to be on-time with the fastball. In pro ball the guys throw a little harder and they have way better off-speed (pitches).”

His defensive keys include getting a good read off the bat — something that’s easier when it’s coming off wood because of the sound — and staying in-position.

Dave Griffin is head coach at Purdue Northwest. Hilbrich first met him when he was very young and older brother Richard (who is now a lawyer in Cleveland) was taking lessons from Griffin. 

Hilbrich uses terms like “old school” and “players’ coach” to describe the longtime coach/instructor.

“He leaves it up to you to know how to get better,” says Hilbrich. “It’s up to you to put in the work and the effort.

“I can’t thank him enough. I was walk-on at PNW. He gave me a shot my freshman year.”

When another player was off to a slow start, Hillbrich was inserted into the lineup a few games into the season and never left after that. The righty thrower has played in all three outfield spots, but mostly right field.

Born in Crown Point, Ind., Hilbrich grew up in Schererville, Ind., and attended St. John the Evangelist School in St. John, Ind., pre-K through Grade 8.

He played Little League and Babe Ruth at what is now St. John Youth Baseball before going to the traveling Hammond Chiefs with Jim Tucker then Dave Sutkowski as head coaches.

At Lake Central, Jeff Sandor (who was a disciplinarian) and Mike Swartzentruber (who was a combination disciplinarian and players’ coach who focused on the mental aspects of the game) were head coaching during Hilbrich’s time in the program.

“They had different coaching styles,” says Hilbrich. “Both of them are great coaches.

“I had to prove myself a little bit,” says Hilbrich, who played mostly right or left field for the Indians. “I have a lot to be thankful for. (Being cut from varsity) sort of lit a fire under me and made me work harder. The results pay off in the end.”

Hilbrich holds degrees in Politcal Science and History. Before signing in the United Shore Professional Baseball League, Hilbrich was accepted to Ave Maria University in Florida where he was offered a graduate assistant coaching job on a Gyrenes baseball staff that has Michael McCormick as head coach and Nicholas McCormick as assistant coach/recruiting director. 

The McCormick brothers are graduates of Speedway (Ind.) High School. 

Hilbrich, who went 5-for-8 in a March 12 doubleheader at Ave Maria, has considered pursuing a masters degree then a doctorate and become a Theology professor.

Throughout college, Hilbrich played in summer leagues. He was with the Isaac Valdez-managed Crestwood Panthers of the Midwest Collegiate League (rebranded to the Northern League in 2022) in 2019 and 2020 and finished with the Northwoods League’s Fond du Lac Dock (Wis.) Dock Spiders as a late-inning defensive replacement during the pennant push. Fon du Lac won its NWL pod championship.

He started the summer of 2021 with the NWL’s Kokomo (Ind.) Jackrabbits and finished it with the NWL’s Battle Creek (Mich.) Bombers.

In 2022, he was clubhouse manager for the High Class-A Midwest League’s Beloit (Wis.) Sky Carp and played some with the NWL’s Battle Creek Battle Jacks.

Hilbrich began this summer with the Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs (managed by Justin Huisman). He belted two home runs and drove in five in his season debut for the Crown Point-based team on May 27 and was NL League Player of the Week for game played through June 4. He was hitting .333 with four homers, 15 RBIs and 15 runs through 12 contests.

Last week, Hilbrich became the first CornDogs player to sign a professional baseball contract, joining the USPBL’s Birmingham-Bloomfield Beavers. He went 3-for-8 with two doubles in his first two games.

The USPBL — based in the Detroit suburb of Utica, Mich. — has four teams (besides Birmingham-Bloomfield, there’s the Eastside Hoppers, Utica Unicorns and Westside Woolly Mammoths) sharing one stadium and training facilities. 

Some midweek games are played with no fans. 

Ray, Richard and sister Christine (who lives in Jacksonville, Fla.) are the offspring of pilot Richard Hilbrich and doctor’s office worker Barbara Hilbrich.

Ray Hilbrich. (United Shore Professional Baseball League Photo)

Ray Hilbrich. (Purdue Northwest Image)

Ray Hilbrich. (Purdue Northwest Photo)

‘Quirky’ Lengfelder already making mark for Elkhart County Miracle

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Ethan Lengfelder is scheduled to make his sixth appearance and fourth start for the Elkhart County County Miracle today (June 21 at 7:10 p.m. CDT) against the Northwest Indiana Oilmen at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind.

The last time the 22-year-old right-hander pitched he threw a nine-inning no-hitter — the first in the Northern League since 2014, fifth in league history and only the third one that was not combined.

Lengfelder held the Lake County CornDogs hitless in a 6-1 win for a first-year franchise at the NorthWood High School Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee, Ind. — the Elkhart County Miracle’s home diamond. He faced 31 batters, striking out three, walking three and hitting one. The last out was a strike out of clean-up hitter Ray Hilbrich, who socked three home runs in Week 1, after falling behind 3-0 in the count.

For the second time in the first three weeks of the season, Lengfelder was selected Pitcher of the Week — this time unanimously.

Self-described as “too quirky,” Lengfelder showed up late the day of his no-no after his daytime construction job with Doug Walls (Walls by Walls in Niles, Mich.) and was scolded by Elkhart County manager Wilson Valera.

Then Lengfelder took off his Crocs and began chasing fly balls barefoot on the NorthWood turf.

“Closer to game time I zone in a little bit,” says Lengfelder. 

Once the game started — even though he had a no-hitter going — Lengfelter was on the steps of the dugout and yelling at everyone.

While others won’t talk to anyone on their start day, that’s not Lengfelder’s way.

“As Wilson says: I’m loco,” says Lengfelder. “I’m crazy.”

He also noticed how his Miracle teammates backed him up.

“My defense played behind me amazingly,” says Lengfelter, noting that shortstop Dawson Willis was especially good and catcher Javier Guevara called a fine game.

After almost surrendering an early home run, Lengfelder settled in. When he walked a couple batters in the fourth inning, he came back to the dugout, walked into a storage closet known as the “Rage Room,” got his frustration out and was fine again.

Lengfelder, who is 6-foot-1 1/2 and 204 pounds and pitched at Bethel University in Mishawaka, Ind., in the spring of 2023, began the season at the back of the Miracle’s bullpen. He used 20 pitches to record six outings in his first two outings of the summer and is now 2-1 with a 2.45 earned run average, 12 strikeouts and 11 walks in 22 innings.

Last summer, Lengfelder was with the Omaha, Neb.-based Corn Belt League’s Royal Blue Dogs. Eli MacDonald, an infielder going into his third year at Bethel, was a teammate. 

By November, they were reunited with the Pilots when Lengfelder who had moved from Iowa Western to Williston (N.D.) State Community College.

Head coach Seth Zartman and pitching coach Kiel Boynton welcomed Lengfelder to Bethel and began helping with his development.

“Both of them have been very big in the process of getting me where I am today,” says Lengfelder. “When I got to Bethel I was very raw. I had no pitching coach for two years. I had a lot of potential. I was very robotic and not fluid.

“I can’t thank them enough.”

He pitched in nine games (eight in relief) for Bethel in the spring, going 0-1 with eight strikeouts and six walks in 11 2/3 innings.

This summer, Lengfelder is living with Bethel volunteer assistant Rob Bjorkland.

By reaching out to recruiting coordinator Evan Sharpley, Lengfelder found his way to the Miracle, where he gets to work with pitching coach Pedro Valera.

“He doesn’t know very much English, but he knows the game very well,” says Lengfelder. 

So how do you do better after a no-hitter? Lengfelder says the goal is to throw a maximum of 12 pitches an inning.

Once a high-velocity hurler, the right-hander had to become a different kind of hurler after a shoulder injury.

“I dropped all the way down from 87 (mph) to 75,” says Lengfelder. “I recovered all the way back up to 84.

“Mentally, I changed how I pitch. I knew couldn’t blow it past people anymore.”

Instead, he pitches to contact as a command/ground ball pitcher — something that works well for big leaguer Kyle Hendricks.

“I make guys pound it into the ground or pop up,” says Lengfelder. “I’ve been told since I was 12 that I throw a very heavy ball.”

Throwing from a “2 o’clock” arm slot, Lengfelder mixes five pitches — a two-seamer, knuckle curve, splitter, ghost fork and Vulcan change-up.

He learned some of those grips on Twitter from the Pitching Ninja (Rob Friedman).

When not pitching, Lengfelder has also developed the habit of heading for the press box in the second inning to chat on-air with the Miracle play-by-play man — especially when it’s Preston Andrews (NorthWood Class of 2024). Team founder Craig Wallin is a veteran broadcaster.

“I love talking and I like bringing guys up,” says Lengfelder. “Our broadcast/booth team is amazing.”

When Lengfelder began college he wanted to be a sports writer.

“I figured out I hate writing,” says Lengfelder, who is now a Criminal Justice major with minors in Psychology and Forensic Science and has the goal of police chief or detective.

He has two years of remaining college eligibility and plans to use at least one to complete his undergraduate degree and may go a second year for a masters.

Born Omaha and raised in Missouri City, Iowa, Lengfelder played baseball and hockey — he was a goaltender and roots for the Boston Bruins — around the area. 

He pitched in a few varsity games as an eighth grader in 2015 and then logged four full varsity seasons — two at Logan (Iowa)-Magnolia High School, one for Treynor (Iowa) High School (while attending Heartland Christian which did have a team) and the last one at Missouri Valley High School.

High school baseball is mostly a summer sport in Iowa with the regular season generally beginning around May 15.

After high school, Lengfelder first went to Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs — a school that is now closed — before transferring to Williston State.

He suffered a slight labrum and rotator cuff tear and took year off baseball. 

“I wasn’t good mentally,” says Lengfelder. “I wasn’t good physically.”

Instead of surgery, he went back to workout coach William Roden.

“He’s been a very big part of my life,” says Lengfelder. “He taught me it’s OK to not be your best. He’s been a person in my life since I was 18.”

The youngest of a blended brood, Ethan has four siblings — sisters Heather, Carlye and Cara and brother Chase.

Chris Lengfelder — Ethan’s father — taught him to always keep working until a job is complete.

His no-hitter came just a few days before Father’s Day.

“Everything stems back to my father — my hard work,” says Ethan. “He’s always that cornerstone.

“It gets me a little emotional.”

Dad also gets the credit for helping Ethan choose his walk-up song — “Detroit Rock City” by KISS.

Ethan’s mother — Jolene Weinrich Lengfelder — teaches special education in Omaha.

“I gained a lot of my caring personality from her,” says Ethan. “I try to help as many people as I can. The best way to help people is to just be there for them.

“It’s super hard for people to understand that, which is weird because it takes nothing to care. It takes nothing to smile and be nice.”

Lengfelder makes sure to great the little kids at the field and has even been stopped for autographs at the gas station.

“It’s awesome. The whole community has been good to us.”

Ethan Lengfelder. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)

Ethan Lengfelder. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)

Ethan Lengfelder. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)

Ethan Lengfelder (left), Wilson Valera, Craig Wallin and Pedro Valera. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)

Ethan Lengfelder’s two-seamer grip.

Ethan Lengfelder’s knuckle curve grip.

Ethan Lengfelder’s splitter grip.

Ethan Lengfelder’s ghost fork grip.

Ethan Lengfelder’s Vulcan change grip.

Ethan Lengfelder. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)

Elkhart County Miracle’s night of firsts includes victory

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

It was a night of firsts.
The summer wood-bat Northern League’s Elkhart (Ind.) County Miracle played its inaugural contest Wednesday, May 31 on the turf at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee and earned the first victory in franchise history.
Elkhart County bested the visiting Crown Point-based Lake County CornDogs 6-3 to make Wilson Valera a winner in his first game as Miracle manager.
“It makes me feel very good and to play the best team in the league,” said Valera after the Miracle topped the NL champions from 2022 and gave them their first loss of the young 2023 season. “Now we know we can do it. Hopefully we can continue to play this way.”
Elkhart County led 3-0. Lake County (4-1) tied it at 3-3 with three runs in the sixth inning. The Miracle responded with two in the bottom of the sixth and added one in the seventh.

On-field firsts …
Starting lineup: lf Rickey Nye (1-3), 2b Cole Mason (0-3), 1b Bryce Lesher (1-5), c Javier Guevara (2-2), 3b Angel Perez (0-3), cf Jaden Miller (1-3), ss Evan Laws (2-4), dh Dylan Rost (0-3), rf Hunter Christunus (1-3), p Conor Gausselin (6 IP, 6 K’S, 3 BB).
Strikeout: Gausselin fanned Lake County lead-off batter Zach Zychowski in the first inning.
Hit: Lead-off man Nye’s single to center field to lead off the bottom of the first inning.
Home run: Guevara’s three-run blast to left field in the first inning.
Stolen base: Miller swiped second base after being hit by a pitch in the first inning.
Double play: Third baseman Perez to second baseman Mason to first baseman Lesher in the fourth inning.
Relievers: Right-hander Ethan Lengfelder in the seventh inning and righty Robino Vazquez Vallejo in the eighth and ninth.
Umpires: Corey Stewart behind the plate and Steve Kajzer on the bases.

Off-the-field firsts …
Ceremonial first pitch: William Lee (Vendor Bill’s Bar-B-Que).
National anthem singer: Les Eads (member of Hideous Business, a band who entertained prior to the game).
Mascot: Scooter made his gameday debut.

The homestand continues with games at 7 p.m. Thursday vs. the Indiana Panthers, Friday vs. the Southland Vikings and Saturday vs. Northwest Indiana Oilmen and 2 p.m. Sunday vs. the Indiana Panthers. Former Chicago Cubs player Ben Zobrist is slated to throw out the ceremonial first pitch and sign autographs Saturday.

Rost part of first Elkhart County Miracle team; season opens May 31

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

Dylan Rost was born in Elkhart, Ind., and will be an infielder on the first Elkhart County Miracle summer baseball team.
“It’s very close to home and I knew they were going to create a team that’s competitive of his decision to join the club — which is a hybrid of college and professional players — and opens the 2023 Northern League season at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 31 on the turf at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex, 2101 N. Main St., Nappanee (accessible off S.R. 19 via C.R. 150). “The goal in the summer is to get reps, play competitive baseball and get better.
“I think everybody’s excited to play and it’s cool to meet guys from all over.”
Miracle founder Craig Wallin says a roster that will reach 25 and be led by manager Wilson Valera will represent six states and four nations — the United States, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Evan Sharpley, who helped put together the Miracle roster, reached out to Rost and the player accepted the invitation right away.
“Being able to play with some buddies that I know was also going to be a big thing, too.”
Rost, a 2021 Elkhart High School graduate, just completed his second season at the NCAA Division III University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.
In 2022-23, the 5-foot-9 Rost has played in 20 games for Warhawks teams that went 36-11 and 30-13.
When looking for a college program, Rost was impressed the the school’s track record and facilities and contacted the UWW staff which includes head coach John Vodnelich, who has won 683 games and coached two NCAA D-III national championship teams (2005 and 2014).
Last summer, the Whitewater team went to Europe with Vodenlich as its guide.
“He had a ton of connections,” says Rost of Vodenlich, who played for the Warhawks then in Europe, including Slovenia. “We would be able to go to restaurants and they would be open just for us.
“If I were to go by myself I wouldn’t have near the experience that I had.”
The 2023 season opened March 15 with nine games in Pensacola, Fla.
As a D-III school, the team practices for 16 days in the fall culminated with a five-game intrasquad series.
“In November and December is no baseball at all, pretty much all weight room,” says Rost. “Once we get back from winter break in January we’re full go.”
Rost, who turned 21 in February, is a General Management major.
“I’ve had thoughts of going into teaching, working in an athletic office and coaching,” says Dylan, who is the oldest son of teacher/Elkhart head baseball coach Scott Rost and head volleyball coach/athletic director Jacquie Rost. Younger brother Quinn Rost (Elkhart Class of 2025) also plays baseball and football.
Dylan began organized baseball at Cleveland Little League in Elkhart then went with the Michiana Scrappers travel organization through high school.
Last summer he played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., and expected to go back this summer by the CSL was dissolved.
The Elkhart County Miracle has regular-season games slated until Aug. 3. Northern League (rebranded from the Midwest Collegiate League) opponents include the Northwest Indiana Oilmen, Lake County CornDogs, Indiana Panthers, Griffith Generals and Southland Vikings.
Valera spent four days leading Miracle players through workouts at Elkhart High.
“I can see a lot of potential in each one of them,” says Valera. “If we spend more time together we’re going to be stronger.
“We are very young. Hopefully by the end of the season they are going home better than the way they came.
“Our purpose is to work hard and be good human beings.”
Josh Gleason, former Goshen College athletic director and current Area Director for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is the team chaplain.
With Preston Andrews (NorthWood Class of 2024) as play-by-play announcer, Miracle games will be broadcast by Michiana Promotions on Federated Media stations (mostly on 101.9 FM or 1340 AM with Saturday night games will air on 95.3 MNC according to News/Talk 95.3 Michiana’s News Channel.

Dylan Rost. (Steve Krah Photo)

The 2023 Elkhart (Ind.) County Miracle baseball team. (Steve Krah Photo)

Elkhart (Ind.) Miracle batting helmets. (Steve Krah Photo)

Elkhart (Ind.) County Miracle parking signs. (Steve Krah Photo)

Mild brings enthusiasm as baseball broadcaster

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

“Let’s go on a cowhide joyride!”
It’s become the home run call for young baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.
Bringing his love of the game and excitement to his job, the northwest Indiana native is in his first season as the play-by-play voice of the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Waldorf, Md.).
“Every game is a big game — it’s a baseball game,” says Mild. “I’ve listened to too many boring broadcasters.”
Mild, who was born in Hammond, Ind. the son of Mark and Becky Mild and the older brother of Breeann, grew up in nearby Crown Point as a Chicago Cubs fan.
Mom’s favorite from the 1980’s was Rick Sutcliffe. Breeann Mild (Crown Point, Ind., High School Class of 2020) is now a pre-med student at Purdue University.
Andrew bonded with his father with Len Kasper as Cubs TV play-by-play man. Pat Hughes and Ron Santo formed the radio tandem. Hall of Famer Harry Caray died before Andrew was born, but he appreciates his passion.
“He brought the excitement and was kind of like the No. 1 fan,” says Mild. “I grew up a baseball fan. My baby pictures were taken in a giant glove.
“I just want to bring that excitement and for people to be interested, laugh and have a great time. I want to build a connection. I don’t want to be the next Harry Caray. I want to be the first Andrew Mild.”
The young broadcaster has noticed that Hughes talks slow and gets excited when necessary.
“You listen to these guys over 100 times a year and you start to develop your own relationship with them,” says Mild. “Ron Santo was so invested.”
As an eighth grader at Col. John Wheeler Middle School, Mild went as Hall of Fame slugger Ted Williams for “Wax Museum” day.
“I love hitting,” says Mild. “It’s the hardest thing to do in sports. You can fail 7 out of 10 times and still be the best hitter in the league. Ted had a passion for it and I have a passion for it.”
Andrew grew up playing baseball and Wiffle@Ball with cousin Riley Clark.
“He supposedly taught me how to hit left-handed,” says Mild. “I do everything righty except for golf and bat.”
Mild, who turns 24 in July, learned about the gig with the Blue Crabs through TeamworkOnline.com. He sent in an application and his reel developed during his seasons with the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts and Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs and went through a few interviews. He was offered the job and moved to Maryland in mid-February.
Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own for road games.
“You just have to be prepared,” says Mild. “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that.
“Fans just love the stories.”
Field staff for the Blue Crabs is manager Stan Cliburn, pitching coach Daryl Thompson, bench coach Ray Ortega and hitting coach Brandon Lee.
Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard.
FloSports.tv is the live streaming partner of the Atlantic League. The Blue Crabs use streamlabs.com software to produce their scoreboard and other video elements.
Mild typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scorebook next to the mixer.
“It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.”
A 2018 honors diploma graduate of Crown Point High, where he played baseball through his junior year, Mild got to broadcast for a league champion in his hometown in 2022.
“The CornDogs’ first season was so instrumental to the rest of the league,” says Mild. “The other cities can see just how well it did in Crown Point. I give all credit (CornDogs majority owner) Ralph (Flores). He built a really strong team in a really strong place.
“The nice thing about Legacy Fields in Crown Point is that it’s right on the border of Crown Point and Merrillville and Schererville is right there. We got a mixture of guys on that team. We had a packed house every night. I had a great time being the first voice of the team and getting my feet wet being the No. 1 (broadcaster) for a collegiate team. Winning the whole thing, that was great.”
Mild was an intern at Windy City in 2021 while making a transition from being a Sport Management/Communications double major at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., — where he was an outfielder on the baseball team — to a Sports Media major with a Marketing minor at Butler University in Indianapolis.
He partnered in the ThunderBolts booth with No. 1 broadcaster Connor Onion.
“I always came in ready,” says Mild. “I was always asking Connor and my boss — Terry Bonadonna — what I could do better. “They were always willing to talk to me about broadcasting. That’s why I was there — to learn and get better.
“They understood my passion. They knew whatever they told me wasn’t just going to be wasted air. What can I keep? What do I get rid of? Trying to slow down my talking was a big thing.
“Now I tell myself if you feel like you’re talking too slow you’ve got the right pace. I’m a natural introvert and I became a broadcaster. Good for me.”
Mild also got many practice reps on his friend’s MLB: The Show video game or by muting a contest on TV or online.
Lecturer/head of Butler+ Media Nick White presented many on-air opportunities while Mild finished up his degree in December 2022 — about two months before landing his current position.
“Life comes at you fast as Ferris Bueller once said,” says Mild. “I try to look around every once in awhile.”
Another way Mild sharpened his skills was to call games for Crown Point Babe Ruth. Andrew’s grandfather — John Pearson — is president of the league and was an umpire in the first Cal Ripken World Series. Grandmother Gale Pearson is always around the park. His parents are also board members.
“It was great, especially during COVID when fans couldn’t really attend the games,” says Mild of broadcasting games on Facebook Live. “They could see and hear everything.
“Helping them out during a time of crisis was my way of giving back to the game and the people who love the sport.”
His first partner was Alex Coil, who is a graduate of Valparaiso (Ind.) High School and Arizona State University and now a play-by-play announcer for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.
Onion introduced Mild to Bob Carpenter’s Baseball Scorebook.
“I like it because it gives you lots of space to write down notes,” says Mild. “It allows you to put the defense on top of the opposing lineup. If I forget the guys’ name I can look down and look back up and I know I have time to put together a sentence and call the play.
“The good part is that you spend so much time with your guys that you can just look at them and know immediately who it is. It might take you the first game of a series to learn the other guys. But after a few games you get into a rhythm and know who that is.”
Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own at the road.
“You just have to be prepared,” says Mild “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that.
“Fans just love the stories.”
Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard.
He typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scoreboard next to the mixer.
“It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.”
Rule experiments in the Atlantic League in 2023 include the designated pinch-runner, single disengagement limit and “Double Hook” designated hitter.
Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch-runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch-runner, may then return to the game without penalty.
South Maryland’s designated runner is switch-hitting outfielder and former collegiate track and field champion sprinter J.T. Reed.
The disengagement rule relates to the pitch clock and keeps pitchers from abusing the system while also leading runners to take more daring leads.
If the starting pitcher fails to make it through fifth inning, the club loses the DH for the remainder of the game and must either have its pitcher hit or use pinch-hitters when that spot comes up in the batting order.
Like Major League Baseball, the Atlantic League has a pitch clock, 3-batter minimum, wider bases, banned the shift and “ghost runner” or extra-inning free runner.
The broadcaster disagrees with a scoring decision that sometimes comes with the latter rule. He also understands why things like this have been implemented.
“If the ghost runner scores it should not be a blown save,” says Mild. “We’re getting to the point where there are so many things you can turn to that are streaming and at your finger tips, you need something that is going to interest them and keep their attention. That is scoring more runs at a higher volume even if it means changing the rules of the game.
“This pitch clock, I love it. We had a 14-2 game last night and it only went 2 1/2 hours. You could add a few seconds, but otherwise it’s a great rule.
“After awhile hitters and pitchers get used to it. Hitters are not stepping out of the box and pitchers are working a little faster.”
Mild is living his dream.
“I’d like to thank the game of baseball and my friends for supporting me throughout the whole process,” says Mild. “They challenged me to be better.”

Andrew Mild.

Andrew Mild (left) and Alex Coil.

Andrew Mild. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.