Schrock helps out as Indiana American Legion Baseball chairman; Junior, Senior State Finals in Kokomo

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

American Legion Baseball in Indiana has reached the championship stage for 2023.

State tournaments are to begin this week for Junior (17U) and Senior (19U) divisions in Kokomo. 

To be age-eligible Junior players must not turn 18 and Senior players must not turn 20 in 2023.

CFD Investments Stadium in Highland Park will be the locale for the six-team Indiana Junior American Legion State Finals on Day 1 then switches to Northwestern High School for the remainder of the July 20-24 event.

Highland Park will be site of the entire eight-team Indiana Senior American Legion State Finals July 21-25. 

Both tournaments are double-elimination.

Teams qualified through regionals — three for Juniors (hosted by Valparaiso Post 94, Plymouth Post 27 and Newburgh Post 44) and four for Seniors (hosted by South Bend Post 151, Lafayette Post 11, Crawfordsville Post 72 and Rockport Post 254).

The Junior State Finals features regional champions South Haven Post 502, Plymouth Post 27 and Newburgh Post 44 plus Valparaiso Post 94, Kokomo Post 6 and Lake Station Post 100.

Vying in the Senior State Finals are regional winners South Haven Post 502, Lafayette Post 11, Terre Haute Post 346 and Rockport Post 254 as well as Valparaiso Post 94, Kokomo Post 6, Madison Post 9 and South Bend Post 151.

The Region 5 tournament for Seniors (Great Lakes Region) features teams from Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin and is Aug. 2-6 at Midland, Mich. Midland Post 165 won the region crown in 2022.

Juniors do not advance past the State Finals.

The 2023 American Legion World Series is Aug. 10-15 in Shelby, N.C. Troy (Ala.) Post 70 won the 2022 championship.

According to the American Legion website, Indiana had 21 Senior teams and nine Junior squads in 2023. There were nearly 3,000 Legion teams — Senior and Junior — nationwide.

The enrollment limit for Legion teams has increased over the years. It is currently 7,500 for grades 10-12.

Jerry Schrock, a 60-year-old U.S. Marines veteran and Indiana American Legion Baseball board member the past few years, has been Indiana ALB Chairman of the Board since January, taking over for Owen Wells.

“Owen needed or wanted to step down,” says Schrock. “I saw a need and an opportunity.”

Schrock is kept busy conducting meetings and answering calls and texts about various Legion baseball matters from around the state.

Elkhart resident Schrock was involved with Bristol Post 143 for the past decade and has been a high school assistant coach at Elkhart Central and — more recently — Concord. Jerry and son Luke Schrock (who played Legion ball and at Concord and Cornerstone University and is now sports information director at Bethel University in Mishawaka, Ind.). have coached in the Jim Reinebold Fall Baseball Camp in South Bend.

Drawing on his own life experiences, Schrock wants to be a positive example to athletes.

“I know I can be a positive influence to young men,” says Schrock, who was a 1981 graduate of Elkhart Central High School and standout distance runner for Blue Blazers coach Marshall Sellers.

It was Sellers who pointed out that Schrock’s peer group was holding him back and helped him set high goals.

Schrock and his siblings grew up poor. Their parents were injured in a motorcycle accident and on disability. This made going to college financially unrealistic. 

But there was the armed services.

“I wanted to join the toughest branch of the service possible,” says Schrock of why he chose the Marines, which had him running and hiking with 68 pounds of gear strapped to him. It seemed natural to him since he ran 3 miles while delivering the Chicago Tribune as a kid.

As an eighth grader, Jerry was in a motorcycle accident that paralyzed his left arm. To strengthen his arm muscles, he did many push-ups. He took a deck of cards and what he drew would be the number of reps for push-ups and sit-ups etc. and continued this kind of training.

That’s why he whizzed through physical fitness tests in the Marines. While in high school, his personal bests were 12:34 for 2.5 miles and 15:47.20 for 5,000 meters and he went on to run in several marathons (26.2 miles).

“I tell player to do something baseball every single day,” says Schrock.

The founder and director of Paavo Running Camps, Paavo Coaching Clinics and PPLI Teaching Workshops, Sellers always mentions the Jerry Schrock Rule — “Make ‘em pay for 50 steps.”

“This young man ran with his heart first followerd by his legs — 50 steps at a time,” wrote Sellers in a newsletter back in 2012. As a racer, Schrock could get usually get a pursuer to back down with half hundred strong steps.

Schrock, who is a long-time maintenance manager for Thor Motor Coach, has been married to Wilma for 38 years. Jerry got into baseball because of Luke.

While watching a practice one day Jerry noticed that Jim Treadway was dragging the field when he could have been taking that time to talk with his players so he volunteered to hop on the tractor.

“I see a need and I fill it,” says Schrock. “I see myself as a helper or servant and not a leader.”

Treadway, who managed Bristol Post 143 for many years and coached at Elkhart Central and Concord, became a mentor to Schrock and he returned advice or was just a good listener.

“Sometimes Tread calls me up and say, “Jerry, I need to talk to my conscience,” says Schrock. “He uses me as a sounding board.”

As Indiana ALB chairman of the board, it’s part of Schrock’s responsibility (as he says “I have the ability. How will I respond?”) is to make sure deadlines are met and rules are followed.

“The rules have been established for many, many years,” says Schrock. “Rules can’t be circumvented year after year.

“It’s time to pull the reins back and remind people of the rules.”

Schrock notes that a player’s original birth certificate — not a copy — must be presented when filling out the “book” — or official team roster.

There is also the matter of recruiting players. In some cases, teams are very close together and draw from the same high schools.

Each team denotes a “base” school from which other teams may not draw players getting the proper transfer documentation (Form 76).

As a reminder, Schrock proposes a “rule of the week” or “rule of the month” be emailed to those in the Indiana ALB community in the off-season. American Legion is largely a volunteer organization.

“There are a lot of things I want to do,” says Schrock. “There are changes I want to make if I’m still around.

“How long is my season? I’ll pray about it. I’ll ask God where I need to be.”

Jerry Schrock. (Steve Krah Photo)

American Legion Baseball in Indiana experiences more boom than doom

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

In a state teaming with travel teams, Indiana is keeping American Legion Baseball alive.

“It’s getting better,” says Indiana American Legion Baseball chairman and longtime Rockport Post 254 manager Owen Wells of the 19-U program. “We were in a slump for awhile.”

A decade ago, Legion ball fielded around 65 teams. When the money started moving away from American Legion Baseball and toward travel ball, the number of teams was cut in two.

“It used to be that it seemed the parents thought the more they spent, the better their kids were going to be,” says Wells. “Now, it seems they’re seeing that maybe that’s not true.

“They see a lot better competition than they do in high school or travel ball … You have to go by the rules or you don’t play American Legion ball. It’s as simple as that. We protect our kids, coaches, the program.”

With almost a half century in American Legion Baseball, Wells is quick to sing it’s praises.

“We have a structured program,” says Wells. “We have an eight-team state tournament. The best of that goes to the national regional tournament. The winner of that goes on the Shelby, N.C. for the World Series.

“Once you win your state tournament, national picks up all your fees — your travel, meals, hotel rooms. You get on a travel team and you can go to 10 World Series and each one of them costs parents X amount of dollars.”

Wells is proud of the organization of American Legion Baseball in Indiana. At the end of each season, officials meet to discuss things that went right and things that need to be changed.

“We don’t let things linger on,” says Wells.

American Legion Baseball has a code of sportsmanship: “I will keep the rules; Keep faith with my teammates; keep my temper; Keep myself fit; Keep a stout heart in defeat; Keep my pride under in victory; Keep a sound soul; A clean mind; and and healthy body.”

The 2016 ALB World Series drew well over 100,000 for five days and the last two games were broadcast live by ESPN. This year’s event is scheduled for Aug. 10-15. As is tradition, the ALB World Series winner will be the guest of Major League Baseball for the second game of its World Series.

Wells notes that ALB also provides full-coverage insurance and requires background checks for its coaches. There is also now a pitch count rule — similar to the one now used by the IHSAA.

Players are also eligible to apply for a statewide scholarship.

There are on boundaries or restrictions when recruiting travel ball players. By rule, all ALB teams have to draw their players from high schools that do not exceed a total of 5,000 enrollment. Rockport tends to get its players from South Spencer and a number of other small schools in southern Indiana and the Owensboro, Ky., area.

The first Indiana ALB state champion (Indianapolis) was crowned in 1926. Branford Post 140 reigned as the second kings of Indiana Legion ball in 1928.

Ever since, a state champion has emerged. The 2016 state winner (Rockport Post 254) advanced to the 90th ALB World Series.

There was some coming and going in between seasons. Notably, there is no Muncie Post 19 Chiefs or Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders squads this summer. Both are past state champions.

South Bend Post 50 was Indiana’s only American Legion World Series champion in 1977 and 40-year anniversary festivities are planned in July. But there will be no Post 50 unit on the field this season.

But there are new teams, including Region Legion Expos squads in northwest Indiana. Legion baseball is filling the gap left by the elimination of Little League’s Big League division (18-and-under) in Indiana.

The 2017 slated opened with 44 approved registrants (30 senior, 14 junior).

According to state commander Joe Kusiak, senior teams i(19-and-under) include Attica Post 52, Boonville Post 200, Brazil Clay County Post 2, Bristol Post 143, Cicero Post 341, Clinton Post 140, Crawfordsville Post 72, Evansville Funkhouser Post 8, Evansville Eugene Pate Post 265, Greene County Eagles, Highland Post 180, Jasper Post 147, Kokomo Post 6, Lafayette Post 11, Lake Village Post 375 Spartans, Liberty Post 122 Patriots, Madison Post 9, Mike Miller Post 94/37, Newburgh Kapperman Post 44, Princeton Post 25, Region Legion Expos 1, Region Legion Exposure Expos, Region Legion Expos 3, Rockport Post 254, Rockville Post 48, Seymour Post 89, South Bend Post 357, Sullivan Post 139, Terre Haute Wayne Newton Post 346 and Valparaiso Post 94.

Junior clubs (age 17-and-under) are Boonville Post 200 Juniors, Crawfordsville Post 72, Evansville Funkhouser Post 8, Greene County Eagles, Jasonville Post 172, Kokomo Post 6, Newburgh Kapperman Post 44, Michigan City Post 37 Wolves, Region Legion Expos 4, Richmond Post 65, Rockport Post 254, Rockport Post 254 Cubs, Terre Haute Wayne Newton Post 346 and Valparaiso Post 94 Junior Vikings.

There will be no sectionals, but eight regionals leading to the eight-team state tournament in Terre Haute July 21-25 (Terre Haute North Vigo and Terre Haute South Vigo will serve as host sites). The state tournament rotates north and south above and below I-70. The 2016 event was staged in Kokomo.

Tim Hayes is in his second season of leading Terre Haute Post 346 after taking over for his brother John. In 31 seasons, John Hayes amassed a record of 930-390 with 28 sectionals, 12 regionals, seven state championships, one Great Lakes Regional title and three regional runner-up finishes. The 2006 team placed second at the ALB World Series.

The local aspect of Legion ball is attractive to Tim Hayes.

“You can still have competitive teams that are community-based in my opinion,” says Hayes, who draws his 2017 roster from Terre Haute North, Terre Haute South, West Vigo and Marshall, Ill. (one player) and plans to play 35-40 games with trips to Missouri and Tennessee. “There are still kids and parents out there that are believers. We’ve been fortunate here that we’ve been able to keep the largest percent of our A and B level players (Post 346 alums include big leaguers like Josh Phegley and A.J. Reed). Our program is rich in tradition. (Players) want to represent our community and our veterans. How long it will last is hard to say.”

A 501 (c) 3 organization raises money for the Post 346 program.

Dave Shinn is in his second year as manager of Mike Miller Post 34-97, a Michigan City-based team. His father, Al Shinn, was involved with ALB, Michiana Amateur Baseball League and Connie Mack Baseball League teams for decades and had played and managed in the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers organizations. Al Shinn died in 2016.

The younger Shinn expects his team to play about 25 regular-season games (with no overnight trips) plus the postseason. He likes the quality of baseball and the pace.

“Once I got into it, I really enjoyed the competition,” says Dave Shinn. “Five or six games in a weekend is too much baseball. You can’t learn that much when you’re playing that much.”

Post 34/97 draws its players from Michigan City, Marquette Catholic, LaPorte, Chesterton, Westville and South Central (Union Mills), plays home games at Marquette with about a dozen players active for each contest.

“We try to keep all the kids active,” says Shinn.

To raise money for Valparaiso Post 94, general manager Kusiak has sold commemorative Chicago Cubs World Series bats made by Valpo-based Hoosier Bat Co.

Bristol Post 143 manager Jim Treadway has brought his team back to Elkhart Central for home games after moving around Elkhart County for home fields. Like many Indiana ALB teams, Bristol has produced many players who went on to play college or pro baseball. Ryan Strausborger made his MLB debut in 2015.

Owen Wells is a longtime manager of Rockpost American Legion Post 254’s baseball team and is the Indiana baseball chairman. (Steve Krah Photo)