Jaksich helping pitchers reach their goals with PRP Baseball

BY STEVE KRAH 

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A daily improvement mindset.

That’s what Luke Jaksich wants to see from the players who train with PRP Baseball at Mojo Up Sports Complex in Noblesville, Ind.

“Our goal is to make sure that each day they’re progressing whether it’s mechanical or mindset,” says Jaksich, a former collegiate pitcher who is now helping others. “It’s not just looking at the end goal, it’s looking to the daily goal. What are you focusing on that day to get better?

“The guys that come in consistently get the best results.”

Jaksich, who graduated from Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., in 2016 and Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., in 2021, was hired nearly three years ago as a performance coach and is now Assistant Director of Pitching. 

Munster (Ind.) High School graduate Anthony Gomez, who is a bullpen coach for the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, is PRP’s Director of Pitching. Carmel (Ind.) High School alum Greg Vogt, who is rehab pitching coach for the Blue Jays organization, is PRP’s Founder/Director.

Jaksich, 26, and the staff work with 8-year-olds and big leaguers, including Cleveland Guardians left-hander Timmy Herrin and Miami Marlins right-hander Bryan Hoeing. There were upwards of 20 professional pitchers at PRP this winter. The place operates seven days a week November until early March with in-person and remote clients.

During the peak times, many weeks culminate with bullpens and pitchers going live against batters.

“Friday Compete Day is fun,” says Jaksich. “Those are always a good time.”

It’s slower now, but it will pick back up again at the end of May as college and high school seasons wind down.

“We’re attacking the little things with those older guys,” says Jaksich. “They might have one thing that needs to click from everything to get better.”

Jaksich notes that high schoolers and younger are still in the development stage.

“We do a couple of things at a time and make sure we’re really in-depth with what we’re working on,” says Jaksich. “We make sure they’re staying consistent with their work.

“Attention to detail is big. That is the biggest separator. Pro guys come in and get all their work done. High schoolers forget. We have to keep reminding them.”

Among those on the PRP staff working with pitchers besides Jaksich, Gomez and Vogt are Joey Romence, Nick Slone, Seth Story and Max McKee.

To ensure quality time with athletes, no more than about 25 come in during a block of time and they are helped by five or six coaches. Jacob Douglass leads the PRP hitting department.

“We have to balance it out to make sure we are very attentive on the floor when we’re coaching,” says Jaksich. “We try to find the factors that are going to benefit them. It’s not going to be the same thing for each guy. There’s no one way to do it. If there was, it would be a lot easier. 

“As coaches, we have to keep gaining knowledge.”

Communication is key.

“The more an athlete can communicate with us about certain things they’re doing it’s more beneficial for them,” says Jaksich. “That proves that they’re learning and trying to get the best out of everything instead of them looking for answers from us. We want to get answers from them.”

“We talk with each person each day. We create that relationship where they can trust us for their development.”

Jaksich was born on the south side of Chicago and lived there until the eighth grade then moved to northwest Indiana. 

He was with several travel ball teams including the Indiana Playmakers. He also played for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen of the Midwest Collegiate League (now Northern League).

Jaksich played for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur at Andrean. Pishkur led the 59ers to Class 3A state championships in 2014 and 2015.

His high school pitching coach was Joe Plesac.

“Joe’s an awesome guy,” says Jaksich. “I stay in-touch with him.”

A member of the program in 2014, left-hander Jaksich started on the mound for Andrean in the 2015 championship game and pitched into the fifth inning before moving to first base.

From Andrean, Jaksich went to Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind. As a freshman in 2017, he started in 11 games and won three. That turned out to be the NCAA Division II Pumas’ final season as the school shut down and long-time head coach Rick O’Dette headed to Florida to guide the program at Saint Leo University.

Jaksich transferred to Ball State and hurled for the Rich Maloney-coached Cardinals 2018-21. At BSU, he made 65 mound appearances (51 in relief) with nine victories and one save and also earned General Studies degree with a Psychology minor.

He then pitched in six games with the 2021 independent American Association’s Sioux City (Iowa) Explorers before joining the coaching staff at Alderson-Broaddus University in Philippi, W.Va., where 2011 Westview High School graduate and former Saint Joseph’s assistant Zac Mishler was Battlers head coach. ABU closed in 2023.

Jaksich reflects back on his career.

“The minute I stopped caring about the result is when I started getting better,” says Jaksich. “That’s the way to go about this game. You’re going to fail. I stopped caring about being perfect out there.

“I wish I had more training like this when I played,” says Jaksich. “The private sector training has really taken off.”

Luke Jaksich. (PRP Baseball Photo)

Luke Jaksich. (Ball State University 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.

Persistency pays for Indianapolis-raised left-hander Wynja

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Hayden Wynja’s career as a baseball pitcher has not gone in a straight line.

In fact, the lanky left-hander looked to be at the end of the line on more than one occasion. 

But Wynja persisted through rough patches and finds himself preparing for his third year in the pros with the San Francisco Giants organization.

“All I ever wanted to do was play professional baseball,” says Wynja, 25. “It’s been a crazy, crazy, crazy journey. But it’s been a lot of fun.

“I’m very blessed. That’s for sure.”

A 2017 graduate of Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis who helped the Dan Ambrose-coached Eagles win three IHSAA sectional titles was selected in the 30th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Atlanta Braves but did not sign.

Wynja (pronounced Win-Yuh) red-shirted in his first year at Purdue University (2018) then hurled 11 2/3 innings over eight outings for the Boilermakers in 2019.

“I essentially got cut,” says Wynja.

During the COVID-19-shortened season of 2020, Wynja got into five games and logged 13 1/3 innings at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill.

At the University of South Florida in Tampa in 2021, the lefty pitched in just two games and two innings. 

“I kind of got cut again.” says Wynja.

One of his USF teammates was catcher Jake Sullivan, son of Florida Baseball ARMory founder Randy Sullivan in Lakeland.

“I gave everything to the ARMory,” says Wynja who landed at Murray (Ky.) State University. “Murray State and the Florida Baseball ARMory are why I’m still playing baseball.”

With the Dan Skirka-coached MSU Racers, Wynja earned the Friday night starter job in 2022. He took the mound 15 times (14 starts) and went 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA, 86 strikeouts and 24 walks in 73 2/3 innings

Last off-season, Wynja wrote the 70-page paper he needed to complete a Communications degree from Murray State.

Signed by the Giants as a minor league free agent July 28, 2022, Wynja pitched in three contests and 3 1/3 innings for the the Orange team in the Arizona Complex League that season.

In 2023 with the Low Class-A San Jose (Calif.) Giants and Advanced-A Eugene (Ore.) Emeralds, Wynja made 29 mound appearances (16 starts) and went 7-6 with two saves, a 4.16 earned run average, 115 strikeouts and 38 walks in 97 1/3 innings. He fanned batters at a rate of 10.6 per nine innings.

He then chosen to take part in the Arizona Fall League.

“It was a super honor,” says Wynja, who worked in five games and went 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA, 16 strikeouts and nine walks in 10 innings. His K-per-9 rate with the Scottsdale Scorpions was 14.4.

Throwing from a high three-quarter arm angle, Wynja delivers a four-seam fastball that traveled at 90 to 94 mph and a hard slider that went 81 to 84 mph.

“That’s my swing-and-miss pitch,” says Wynja. “I’ve had a couple of hitters call it the ‘ghost ball.’ — you can’t quite see the spin.

“I execute my slider really well. I haven’t developed nearly what I will be. I’m not a polished product. I don’t go into outings trying to strike out guys ever. But I try to attack and get ahead in the count. My thought process is when it gets to 1-2 or 0-2, they’re mine every time. I have that much trust in my slider.

“I put people away quick.”

In 2023, he threw his change-up 4 percent of the time and is now working toward 15-percent usage.

It was also in the AFL that Wynja began diving into his release point.

At 8 feet, 2 inches his extension is one of the longest in baseball.

Wynja joined an exclusive club on May 13, 2023 when he threw an immaculate inning (nine pitches and nine strikes) against Lake Elsinore.

“That was crazy,” says Wynja. “That’s one of those things you never think about having.”

Beginning the season as San Jose’s closer, Wynja was moved to the starting rotation and it was in the final inning of one of his first starts that he went immaculate.

San Jose pitching coach Dan Runzler told Wynja to empty the tank and that’s what he did.

The goal-oriented Wynja only held one job before joining the Giants and that was as grocery store bagger for a few months in his early teens. As a minor leaguer he does not make lots of cash, but he manages and uses Airbnb while traveling to train.

“I’m getting paid for pitching,” says Wynja. “It’s hard to complain.”

One of Wynja’s goal this off-season is to put on some pounds.

The 6-foot-9 southpaw is currently tips the scales at 218 (up from 205 at season’s end). 

“The idea is to get to up to 220 to 225,” says Wynja. “I heard that’s where (6-foot-10 Hall of Famer and lefty) Randy Johnson sat at.

“Putting on weight does a couple of things for me. It’ll provide me a lot of consistency with my delivery. I’ll stay strong and it’ll help my velo increase. As my weight goes up I’ll become a better pitcher.”

Wynja returned to Indianapolis in mid-November. After a couple weeks of rest, he trained at PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind., during the week with some weekend workouts at RoundTripper Sports Academy in Westfield, Ind. He started his throwing progression a couple of weeks ago.

“It’s great to be from Indiana and play baseball,” says Wynja. “We have a lot of resources.”

At PRP, Wynja got to observe and talk with big leaguers Tim Herrin and Bryan Hoeing. Both 6-foot-6, lefty Herrin is a Terre Haute (Ind.) South Vigo High School graduate and former Indiana University hurler now with the Cleveland Guardians and righty Hoeing is a Batesville (Ind.) High School alum who shined at the University of Louisville and is now with the Miami Marlins.

The day after Christmas, Wynja hit the road. The plan was to see his girlfriend in Atlanta and fly to New York to spend time with family while celebrating father Brad Wynja’s birthday (Hayden is the oldest sibling of two blended families and has a sister — Bella Wynja — who plays volleyball at Mercer University in Macon, Ga.). 

After vacation, Wynja goes back to Atlanta and then heads to the Florida Baseball ARMory — something he did last winter — to ramp up for spring training in Scottsdale.

“I’ll be around a whole new set of big leaguers,” says Wynja. Among those is Seattle Mariners 6-foot-6 right-hander Logan Gilbert. “When I’m a big leaguer I hope to look like (Gilbert). We have similar builds. We move similar. We think about pitching in similar ways. I could pick his brain for hours and hours and hours.

“(FBA gives me a) great environment for me to buy in and really improve. I want to learn how big leaguers train in the off-season — how they eat, sleep, recover. I know I have one shot at this. I’m going to emulate these guys who are super-successful.

“You want to surround yourself with who you want to be or where you’re trying to go.”

Hayden Wynja’s immaculate inning. (San Jose Giants Video)

Hayden Wynja. (San Jose Giants Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (San Jose Giants Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (San Jose Giants Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (San Jose Giants Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (Eugene Emeralds Image)

Hayden Wynja. (Eugene Emeralds Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (Eugene Emeralds Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (Scottsdale Scorpions Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (Scottsdale Scorpions Photo)

Hayden Wynja. (Scottsdale Scorpions Photo)

’23 such a memorable season for southpaw Saalfrank

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Several players have been in the big leagues for decades and never experienced the playoffs.

Andrew Saalfrank, a left-handed pitcher, made his Major League Baseball debut Sept. 5, 2023 with 1 2/3 of hitless relief for the Arizona Diamondbacks against the Colorado Rockies at Chase Field in Phoenix.

“I think the most distinct moment in the debut was the fans booing (Diamondbacks manager) Torey (Lovullo) when he came to take me out of the game,” says Saalfrank. “The fans were awesome from beginning to end for me this season, so to be welcomed into that city with such open arms was such an awesome feeling.”

Saalfrank, a former standout at Heritage Junior/Senior High School in Monroeville, Ind. (Class of 2016) and Indiana University (2017-19), got into 10 regular-season games and went 0-0 with a 0.00 earned run average. He struck out six and walked four in 10 1/3 innings

The 6-foot-3, 205-pound southpaw then went on to hurl in 11 games and 5 2/3 innings in the postseason between Oct. 4-31 including three appearances against the Texas Rangers in the World Series. He was 0-0 with a 3.18 ERA, two strikeouts and eight walks.

“Pitching in the World Series is something every boy dreams of as a kid,” says Saalfrank. “The same thing goes for being able to say that you played in the big leagues for even a single day. The fact that both of those happened this year is such an insane idea to think about. 

“I am very blessed to have experienced both of those feats and they have definitely brought some of the coolest moments that I’ve had in life so far.”

Saalfrank, who was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB First-Year Player Draft by the Diamondbacks, averaged 12.8 strikeouts per nine innings in the minors. 

In 23 games (all in relief) with the 2023 Triple-A Reno Aces, he went 4-2 with one save, a 2.35 ERA, 48 strikeouts and 15 walks in 30 2/3 innings.

Does the lefty think of yourself as a “strikeout” pitcher?

“Pitching in general is such a difficult feat, that trying to deem oneself as a certain type of pitcher is tough to do,” says Saalfrank. “For me personally, it’s just about getting as many outs as you can for the team. Some days that may be one, some days that may be six. Just trying to have a competitive mindset in each outing and trying to do your job to the best of your ability. 

“If those outs come via strikeout — awesome — but the ones from ground balls count as outs, too.”

Doug Drabek and Jeff Bajenaru were the pitching coaches at Triple-A with Brent Strom and Dan Carlson in those roles at the big league level.

“I think the coaching staff throughout the D-backs organization is awesome,” says Saalfrank. “There are so many great minds, great people and great coaches that you get to meet throughout the organization. Just trying to listen and soak all of the information in, was more so the goal of being around such intelligent baseball minds. 

“Each person I’ve encountered has played a role in one way or the other, but certainly all meaningful in their own respective way.”

Saalfrank, who turned 26 in August, has been spending the early part of the off-season in the Fort Wayne, Ind., area spending time with friends and family and plans to move back to Arizona after the holidays. 

While recuperating and recovering from a long season, he gave his body a rest for a few days then got back into the gym.

“Off-season is where —  in my opinion — you can separate yourself for the good or the bad, and I’d really prefer not to be on the bad end of things,” says Saalfrank. “I’m looking forward to spring training (in Scottsdale, Ariz.) and big league camp for my first time, just to be back around the guys, and to continue to learn and improve as a player.”

Saalfrank expects to report around Feb. 13 or 14.

Dean Lehrman — Saalfrank’s head coach at Heritage — goes into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January. 

Saalfrank has long appreciated the way the coach talked about respecting the game and playing for the name on the front of the shirt.

“It was such an honor to be able to text Coach Lehrman to congratulate him for the Hall of Fame induction,” says Lehrman. “Such a well-deserved honor, and such a deserving man that was able to impact me in my baseball career. 

“I can’t say enough good things about Dean and I can’t say more on how great of a human that man is to every single person he meets.”

Andrew Saalfrank. (Arizona Diamondbacks Photo)

Kessler has Morristown Yellow Jackets ‘heading in the right direction’

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Brandon Kessler took over as head baseball coach at Morristown (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School leading into the 2020 season.

The COVID-19 pandemic took those games and practices way, but four years later Kessler can say the Yellow Jackets met several of the goals he start from the start.

“We wanted to build the program back up,” says Kessler, noting Morristown won one game in 2019 and four in 2018 and participation numbers were low and that the Yellow Jackets went 12-12 in both 2022 and 2023. “We had to build the trust of the kids and challenge on a daily basis whether its through their academics or on the field.

“The last two years we’ve had enough kids to have a varsity and junior varsity and have had a steady stream of kids that believe in the program. Last year we hit our mark of having almost the same amount of kids in each grade. Getting the athletes to come back to (baseball) was a major goal. I think we’ve accomplished that.

“It’s heading in the right direction.”

Kessler coached travel ball for the Indiana Sliders (formerly Shelby County Sliders) through this past summer as players reached 17U. A few year ago, he helped start junior high baseball at Morristown.

A 1992 Shelbyville High School graduate, Kessler played baseball for then-Golden Bears coach Dave Hunton and went on to earn an undergraduate at Purdue University and an advanced degree at the University of Illinois. He is a research agronomist based on the family farm in Manilla, Ind. (Rush County). 

Another goal reached is that there are four to six players in each grade.

Morristown (enrollment around 170) is a member of the Mid-Hoosier Conference (with Edinburgh, Hauser, North Decatur, South Decatur, Southwestern of Shelbyville and Waldron).

The Yellow Jackets are part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping in 2024 with Edinburgh, Eminence, Greenwood Christian Academy, Indianapolis Lutheran and Indianapolis Metropolitan. Morristown has won two sectional titles — 1998 and 2008.

As a small school, multi-sport athletes are essential to the programs at Morristown. In the fall, the Yellow Jackets are involved in cross country, soccer and tennis. 

Kessler is also planning to conduct workouts during the IHSAA Limited Contact Period Aug. 28-Oct. 14 for five or six weeks. When the winter contact period comes, players will also hit the weight room.

Morristown’s home diamond is located on south end of campus next to the school’s soccer/track and softball facilities.

“We are extremely proud of this field,” says Kessler. “In my opinion it’s one of the best in the state.”

The spacious grass layout has a center field fence 395 feet from home plate. 

The Yellow Jackets hosted IHSAA sectional and regional (1A and 3A) tournaments in 2023. This summer the field received a significant amount of drainage.

Kessler’s 2024 assistants are Robbie Rogers, Brandon Kleine and Chance Collingwood. 

Besides the junior high program, players come to Morristown via Shelby County Babe Ruth and leagues in Greenfield and New Palestine.

Brandon and Leigh Kessler have been married 26 years. The couple have two sons — Wyatt (20) and Grant (18). 

A 2023 Morristown graduate, Grant Kessler played tennis and baseball (he struck out a state-leading 142 batters based on MaxPreps and was an Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Class 1A first-team all-state selection last spring) for the Yellow Jackets and is now student and left-handed pitcher at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati.

Grant and Brandon Kessler.

Morristown Junior/Senior High School.

Brebeuf graduate Reed transfers to Illinois for 2023-24

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A recent high school all-star in Indiana has transferred to play baseball at the University of Illinois.

Sam Reed, who represented Indianapolis-based Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis along with teammate and Indiana Player of the Year Andrew Dutkaynych IV in the 2022 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, spent his college freshman year in 2022-23 at Eastern Michigan University.

The left-handed pitcher made 14 mound appearances (nine starts) for the Eagles and went 3-3 with a 4.80 earned run average, 51 strikeouts and 28 walks in 60 innings.

He progressed from bullpen to weekday to weekend starter roles at EMU. He says he prefers starting so he can plan his week with times for throwing and lifting weights etc. 

Illinois — a member of the Big Ten Conference — counts Dan Hartleb as head coach and Mark Allen as pitching coach. The Illini went 25-27 overall and 12-12 in the B1G in 2023.

As a Brebeuf senior, Reed posted a 5-0 record with a 1.17 ERA and 89 strikeouts in 54 innings and helped the Jeff Scott-coached Braves to an IHSAA Class 3A state-runner-up finish.

“I love Coach Scott,” says Reed, an all-Marion County player in 2022. “I couldn’t have asked for a better high school coach.

“He was hard on us for the right reasons — prepare us to play at the next level, prepare us for life and build us up as young men.”

A basketball player as a Brebeuf freshman, Reed concentrated on baseball after that.

Reed, who turned 19 in April, employs four pitches from a three-quarter arm slot — four-seam fastball, change-up, slider and sinker.

“I’ve been told that I have natural movement,” says 6-foot-2, 215-pound lefty Reed.

His four-seamer has been up to 89 mph in a game but was recently clocked at 91 in a bullpen session.

Reed throws what he describes as a “box” change-up.

“My thumb and pinky are on the bottom (of the ball),” says Reed. “My other three fingers are on the top.

“It’s got a lot of negative vertical movement (the pitch drops as it gets closer to the plate) and a little arm-side run.”

Though he doesn’t used it as often as his other pitches, it’s a traditional slider that Reed uses.

He uses three fingers on his sinker grip.

“My middle finger’s on the top,” says Reed. “My pointer finger’s on the right side of the ball with thumb under it. I push and keep my wrist relatively stiff.”

Born and raised in Carmel, Ind., Reed attended Smoky Row Elementary and Carmel Middle School.

He played for the Carmel Pups from ages 9 to 12. His travel ball teams included Indiana Primetime (coached by Lance Hamner, Quentin Brown and Pat Gelwicks) at 13U and 14U, the Indiana Bulls (coached by Zach Foley, Ryan Berryman and Troy Drosche) at 15U to 17U and PRP Mambas at 18U. He took this summer off to train at PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind.

A Cincinnati Reds rooter since childhood, Reed’s favorite player is Joey Votto. 

“He shares the same (September) birth date as a my dad,” says Sam, the son of Scott and Lisa Reed and older brother of Sophie Reed (a swimmer in the Brebeuf Class of 2025). 

Votto is also a first baseman — a position Reed played while not pitching in high school. He became a pitcher-only in college.

A Business Administration major at EMU, Reed says he is undecided about changing or staying on that path at Illinois.

Sam Reed. (Eastern Michigan University Photo)

Sam Reed. (Eastern Michigan University Photo)

Sam Reed. (Eastern Michigan University Photo)

Sam Reed. (Eastern Michigan University Photo)

After four years at Wabash, lefty Bishop heading to Milligan

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

Jacob Bishop made made memories and learned much the past four years at NCAA Division III Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind.
A 2019 graduate of Mishawaka (Ind.) Marian High School, where he played for Joe Turnock, Bishop pitched for the Jake Martin-coached Wabash Little Giants for four years (2020-23).
“I really enjoyed my time there,” says Bishop. “I enjoyed the classes, my studies, my teammates, my coaches. All that COVID stuff was a struggle, but we got through it.”
Bishop, who turns 23 in October, was one of 18 freshmen on the Wabash online roster in 2020 and was one of six seniors — along with Derek Haslett, Michael Hoppel, Brayden Lentz, Liam Patton and Sam Phillips — who helped the Little Giants go 24-18 in 2023
The 6-foot-4, 215-pound left-hander made 37 mound appearances (24 starts) and went 12-9 with a 5.09 earned run average, 139 strikeouts and 97 walks in 129 innings for the Little Giants. He was 5-4 the past two seasons.
Bishop has two more years of eligibility thanks in part to 2020 season being shortened by COVID-19 pandemic.
He earned a Political Science degree with a Religion minor at Wabash. Since the school only has undergraduates, Bishop will pursue a Master of Coaching and Sport Management and play baseball at NAIA-member Milligan (Tenn.) University.
Buffaloes head coach Skyler Barnett and assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Ryan Mossman found Bishop through the Transfer Portal and reached out to him via Twitter. The player committed to Milligan in December 2022.
Jordan Niespodziany, who is a 2009 Marian graduate, is pitching coach at Wabash.
Bishop credits him for being steadying force.
“The mental aspect of pitching is something I struggled with coming in as a freshman,” says Bishop. “Highs were really high and lows were really low.”
Niespodziany taught him how to control his emotions on the mound.
While most of Bishop’s pitches are delivered from an over-the-top arm angle, he did go sidearm for a few sinkers and sweeping sliders.
His sinker is his fastball and is thrown with a two-seam grip and moves downward and to the arm-side at 85-87 mph.
“It’s heavy,” says Bishop. “It gets on you quick. It has late break and is hard to barrel up.
“I’m not throwing hard. I have to mix well.
“I lean on my fastball a lot”
The slider falls off the table at the end and pairs with Bishop’s curveball that he can throw at 12-to-6 or 10-to-4 on the clock.
He mixes in a straight change.
Bishop was about 180 pounds before bulking up at the end of high school and beginning of college.
He was also a basketball player at Marian, scoring 204 career points for the Robb Berger-coached Knights.
“It’s hard to keep on weight when you’re running that much,” says Bishop.
Born in South Bend, Ind., Bishop grew up on the city’s south side. He played at South East Little League until about 9 then entered the travel ball realm.
He was with the Michiana Lightning at 10U and Michiana Scrappers from 11U to 17U. Mike Logan was head coach and father Brian Bishop an assistant during Jacob’s entire Scrappers run. Chad Sherwood was on the staff the final three summers.
“Coach Logan was one of the most influential coaches I’ve ever had,” says Jacob. “He taught me a lot about baseball but also about how to be a man.”
Many Michiana Scrappers teammates wound up in college baseball, including MidAmerica Nazarene’s Brycen Sherwood (Chad’s son) and Taylor’s Matt Dutkowski and Alec Holcomb were in the 2023 NAIA World Series.
There’s also Nick Logan (Mike’s son) at Wabash, Reece Lueking at Rose-Hulman, Brady Perez at Manchester, Hunter Schumacher at Grace, Jake Shreiner at Trine and Mason Troyer at Ohio Northern.
Bishop played for a Michiana Scrappers 18U team in the summer of 2019. He was with Jim Treadway-coached Bristol American Legion Post 143 in 2020 and in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021 and 2022. He also worked for Bullpen Tournaments.
This summer, Bishop is on the pitching staff of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s Richmond (Ind.) Jazz.
Patton, a catcher at Wabash also headed to Milligan, is on the 2023 Jazz.
Jacob is the oldest of Brian and Lynne Bishop’s three children. Joci Bishop (20) just finished her sophomore year at Purdue University and is going into the Disney college program. High School sophomore-to-be A.J. Bishop (15) plays lacrosse at Marian and hockey for South Bend Riley.
Brian Bishop is a salesman. Lynne Bishop teaches at Marian.

Jacob Bishop. (Wabash College Photo)

Jacob Bishop. (Wabash College Photo)

Jacob Bishop. (Wabash College Photo)

Jacob Bishop. (Wabash College Photo)

Jacob Bishop. (Wabash College Photo)

Toledo southpaw Walker tries to stay even-keel on the mound

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

Something Jack Walker likes best about himself is the mindset he maintains on the pitching mound.
Walker, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound left-hander who recently completed his first season at the University of Toledo in 2023 after three years at Indiana University (2020-22), tries not to get too high or too low with the situation at-hand.
“I don’t necessarily get discouraged or down when something I can’t control doesn’t go my way,” says Walker. “The only thing I can control is throwing the ball. Once the ball leaves my hand I have no control over what happens.
“I’ve seen it effect guys real badly. I try to keep an even-keel even in success because I know baseball is a humbling game.
“I just take it pitch by pitch.”
Over time, he has learned to make each delivery its own thing and put the previous pitches behind.
Walker, who turns 23 in December, also likes to show the way for his teammates.
“I think I’m a good leader by example in terms of getting all my work done and extra work and bringing up all those young guys.
Walker, who has one remaining year of college eligibility, delivers his pitches from a high arm slot.
“It’s very over-the-top — almost to an extreme,” says Walker. “I come straight down to the catcher.”
He has been using a four-seam fastball, curveball and change-up and has introduced a cutter to the mix while striking out 61 and walking 44 over 54 1/3 innings and 15 outings (12 starts) in 2023.
The four-seamer touched 96 mph in 2022 but has sat at 89 to 92 and sometimes gotten to 93 in 2023.
“My control got a lot better (this year),” says Walker.
His curve is of the 12-to-6 or 11-to-5 variety.
He employs a “circle” grip on his change-up.
“I split two seams between the ring finger and middle finger and it goes between running away from a (right-handed) hitter and dropping off the table,” says Walker. “It has some run and some depth.”
Walker’s cutter has the closed end of the seam on his index finger with his fingers closer together.
Rob Reinstetle is the Toledo head coach and John Sheehan is the Rockets pitching coach.
“He is honest with everyone,” says Walker of Reinstetle. “He will be hard on us when we make those mistakes but it definitely makes us better.
“He lets us know he still know that he has confidence in us. There’s an open relationship. We can go to him about anything.”
Walker notes that Sheehan is not that far-removed from being a minor league player and has a feel for the present state of pitching.
“He definitely knows what he’s talking about,” says Walker of Sheehan.
A 2019 graduate of New Palestine (Ind.) High School, Walker played for Dragons head coach Shawn Lyons.
“He did a great job of holding everyone accountable,” says Walker of Lyons. “He treated everyone with the same amount of respect.
“I still have a good connection with him today.”
Walker has earned a Marketing degree and says its likely that he will begin work on his Master of Business Administration in 2023-24.
The big southpaw is weighing his summer ball options. He says he will likely join the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Vermont Mountaineers then train at 108 Performance in Knoxville, Tenn.
In the summers of 2021 and 2022, he was with the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s Saugerties (N.Y.) Stallions. The 2021 team won the league title.
Walker did not play in the summers of 2019 (going to IU early for summer classes) and 2020.
Born in Indianapolis, Walker grew up in New Palestine. His early diamond days were spent in the New Palestine Youth League. He then played with a local travel organization called the Diamond Cutters.
In junior high, Walker went with USAthletic followed by the Pony Express. In high school, he played for the Indiana Prospects.
Jack is the only child of Donald and Laurie Walker. His father is a service manager and his mother is both a massage therapist and school bus driver.

Jack Walker. (University of Toledo Photo)

Jack Walker. (University of Toledo Photo)

Jack Walker. (University of Toledo Photo)

Lefty Cortner part of Indiana State’s special 2023 season

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

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

Kyle Cortner. (Indiana State University Photo)

Kyle Cortner. (Lincoln Trail College Photo)

Kyle Cortner. (Indiana State University Photo)

Kyle Cortner. (Indiana State University Photo)

Kyle Cortner. (Indiana State University Photo)

Kyle Cortner. (Indiana State University 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)