Bates, WHAC champion Indiana Tech bound for NAIA Opening Round

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Indiana Tech has won its first Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference baseball title since 2019.

The Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Warriors, who swept a best-of-three WHAC championship series from Madonna Monday, May 6, find out today (May 9) where they will land for next week’s NAIA Opening Round. The draw show is scheduled for 4 p.m. Eastern Time.

Fifth-year senior Parker Bates has been key contributor for Indiana Tech (32-22) in 2024.

In 53 games (49 starts), the righty swinger is hitting .300 (54-of-180) with seven home runs, three triples, 10 doubles, 40 runs batted in, 35 runs scored and a .883 OPS (.377 on-base percentage plus .506 slugging average). 

“I’m a guy that likes to swing a bat,” says Bates. “I’m not going to say I look for the perfect pitch every single at-bat. My focus is finding the barrel and trying to put the ball in-play hard. Sometimes that gets me in trouble. I’m a guy who likes to swing early because a lot of times the pitcher is coming with a fastball (up in the zone). That’s the one I like to hunt.”

There are times a pitcher knows Bates’ tendencies and he has learned to adjust when they flip an off-speed pitch his way.

Batting in the No. 2 or No. 6 hole based on the match-up and playing a shortstop, third base or left field depending on the team’s need, Bates has 13 multi-hit games with three March 30 at Rochester, May 1 vs. Aquinas and May 2 at Concordia.

Bates has similar keys whether at short, third or in the outfield.

“I want to get a good first-step reaction and good read on the ball,” says Bates, a 6-foot-2, 190-pounder. “Sometimes I get caught flat-footed. But as long as I’m staying loose, fluid and working through things, that’s when I’m playing best defense. 

“I try to keep my hands out-front and keep moving and making the plays.”

Bates does much of his offensive work with Indiana Tech assistant Sean Herberger. Brent Alwine coaches Warrior hitters and infielders.

Kip McWilliams is in his 17th season as the program’s head coach.

“He’s an old-school guy,” says Bates of McWilliams. “He’s definitely going to hold you accountable. Nothing’s ever easy around here. If you’re slacking off or not working hard or performing, you’re going to know it. There’s no favorites around here. You have to earn every single bit of playing time, every at-bat, every chance on the mound.”

The Warriors has won 28 of its last 34 after a rough start to the 2024 season. 

What makes this Indiana Tech group so sturdy and resilient?

“I think what makes us as tough as we are is what we’ve all been through,” says Bates. “We actually played really good in the fall. I think we lost one or two games. We got our confidence way up. Heading into the winter we were thinking we’re going to be a good team. We got inside and it got tough. Our own pitchers started tearing us (hitters) up.”

Then the spring season started.

“We were dropping games on walk-offs and by one run. It came down to one play sometimes. It was us just sticking together, knowing we are a good team. We started putting some wins together and winning some big games.”

Bates graduated from Indiana Tech with a Mechanical Engineering degree and is a few more classes from finishing a Master’s in Project Management. He just accepted a job in that field with Fleming’s Excavating in Decatur, Ind.

He played for the Indiana Summer Collegiate Baseball League’s Kekiongas in Fort Wayne in 2020 and 2021, did an internship in 2022 and was with the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate Baseball League‘s Grand Lake Mariners (Celina, Ohio) in 2023.

With no more eligibility after 2024, Bates is heading into the last college games.

“This is it,” says Bates, who turns 24 in September. “It’s kind of surreal. It’s pretty bittersweet. I’ve enjoyed my career. I’ve been able to play on some great teams and play with some great guys. 

“I got blessed with one extra year. It’s the only good thing that came out of COVID. We’ve been trying to win the WHAC for five years and we finally did it.”

Born in Decatur, Ind., Parker got his baseball start playing around 10 in a Wilshire, Ohio, farm league for uncle Brendan Bates (who is now a softball assistant at Parkway in Rockford, Ohio).

After that came youth ball through Koufax League in Monroe, Ind. Travel ball included a team consisting of Adams, Jay and Wells counties including Grant Besser (who now pitches for Indiana Tech).

Adams Central Middle/High School in Monroe, Bates was a three-sport athlete (football, wrestling and baseball).

His head football coach was Michael Mosser.

“He’s just an awesome guy,” says Bates of the man who has led AC on the gridiron since the 2009 season. “He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to yet and scream at you. He’s going to get the best out of you.”

In football, there was also assistant defensive coordinator Tyler Roach.

“That guy helped me more than I can put into words,” says Bates. “He’s been a fantastic coach and role model in my life!”

Tony Currie led the Jets matmen aka the BAGUBAs (Brutally  Aggressive Guys Uninhibited By Adversity).

“I cannot give enough thanks to Tony Currie and the sport of wrestling,” says Bates, who helped the Jets to an Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association State Duals title and lost three times in the “ticket round” at the Fort Wayne Semi-State as an individual. “I don’t think I’d be the athlete or the competitor that I am without having wrestled. I love baseball, but wrestling in the hardest sport there is. If you can wrestle and be successful, there’s nothing you can’t do.

“Tony was a guy that was always helping me out and encouraging me. He was making me a better athlete and competitor. He’s a guy I very highly look up to.”

Dave Neuenschwander was head baseball coach.

“He and I would butt heads sometimes, but it was because we were both such tough competitors,” says Bates of Neunschwander. “He wanted to win.”

Bates roots for the New York Yankees. His all-time favorite player is Hall of Famer Derek Jeter. 

Among actives it’s Yankees outfielder Juan Soto.

“I just love the way that he swings the bat,” says Bates. “That dude’s just a hitter through and through.”

Bates took some cues from Soto while struggling last summer and has carried it forward.

“He gets so wide and low and is so quick through the zone,” says Bates of the lefty-swinging Dominican. “I widened out my stance and shortened up to be able to do little more at the plate this year.”

Harness racing driver/trainer Brandon Bates is Parker’s father and Berne, Ind.-based nurse practitioner Alicia Bates is his mother. 

Brother Hunter Bates (Adams Central Class of 2016) played the same three sports in high school as his younger brother then a little football and was a national qualifier in wrestling at Wabash College. He now works at a hospital in Fishers, Ind.

Half sister Halle Bougher is a teacher in Convoy, Ohio.

Parker Bates. (Indiana Tech Photo)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Parker Bates. (McKenzie Noble Photography)

Anderson U.’s Reed just keeps piling up hits

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Justin Reed has piled up plenty of hits in his time with the Anderson (Ind.) University baseball team.

On Monday, April 15 in an 11-1 win against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponent Defiance at Don Brandon Field, Reed went 3-of-5 with three runs batted in.

“I just go up there and try to see strikes,” says Reed of his batting approach. “When I see a strike that I can do damage with, I try to hit it as hard as I can.”

So far in 2024, the righty-swinging shortstop and graduate student sports an average of .368 (43-of-117) with no home runs, one triple, eight doubles, 23 RBIs, 28 runs scored and five stolen bases over 29 games (all starts). He bats No. 3 or No. 4 in the order depending on where head coach Matt Bair decides to use the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder.

“He’s a competitor,” says Reed of Bair. “He’ll do whatever it takes to put the best nine guys and pitching rotation on the field to win a game.”

While collecting 11 multi-hit games, Reed has helped NCAA Division III Anderson post an 18-11 overall record and 8-4 in HCAC contests. He produced four hits April 6 in the first game of a doubleheader against Transylvania.

Reed, 23, is in his fifth season with the Ravens. For his career-to-date he is hitting .358 (246-of-688) with 17 homers, nine triples, 66 doubles, 162 RBIs, 165 runs and 52 stolen bases in 166 games.

“I have the green light,” says Reed of his chances of swiping a bag. “It all depends on who is batting behind me.

“We’ve had a pretty good lineup the last two years. There’s no point in me trying to get the extra base when I have guys behind me that’s going to get me there anyways.”

As long as Reed has been around, he has spent quite a bit of time with some of his teammates. Tyler Smitherman (Westfield High School Class of 2019) and Walker Stull (Pendleton Heights Class of 2019) are also fifth-year AU players.

His career hit total has him ranked third all-time behind the 264 of Andrew MacLachlan (1985-88) and 249 by Brian Heigle (1987-90).

“I’m trying to chase that,” says Reed of the mark in the school record book.

In 2023, Reed was named first-team all-conference as well as first-team all-region and fourth-team All-American as selected by the American Baseball Coaches Association.

Reed was second-team all-HCAC and third-team all-region in 2022.

In 2021, he earned all-conference first team and second-team all-region.

In the field, Reed values anticipation and proper technique. 

“I’m always thinking of where the ball should go before it’s put in-play. I’m always trying to use my footwork to make plays on defense.  If you don’t have the right footwork, you’re not going to be accurate and make the routine plays that you should make.”

It’s helpful that the Don Brandon Field infield is turf.

“It makes a big difference,” says Reed. “When you’re fielding the ball deep in the gap you don’t have to have to throw it all the way to (the first baseman), you can one- or two-hop it and get it there just as fast as a hard throw.”

Reed has already earned a Mechanical Engineering degree at AU and is working toward a Master of Business Administration. He needs to take a summer online class to finish it.

He technically has another year of eligibility past this spring, but does not intend to use it. Reed says is going to try to get a job in the Indianapolis area, most likely in the engineering field.

Why did reed choose Anderson?

“When I got on campus I realized there was a culture here I really liked,” says Reed. “Everyone was here for each other and not just for themselves.”

Once AU’s engineering program became accredited he knew it was the right place for him.

As an NCAA D-III school, the Ravens practice as a team for a month in the fall then have two months to do individual work and strength training on their own before coming back together in January.

Anderson plays most of its games on Saturdays and Sundays.

“We rarely miss class,” says Reed. Next up are two games Saturday, April 20 and one Sunday, April 21 at HCAC foe Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute.

The son of Tom and Kelly Reed and older brother of Kevin Reed (Martinsville Class of 2023 and a freshman left-handed pitcher at the University of Evansville), Justin was born and raised in Martinsville, Ind.

He played travel ball for the Indiana Bulls from 10U to 13U, the Midwest Astros 14U to 16U and the Tyler Ison-coached Indiana Astros in his 17U and 18U summers.

Growing up, Reed’s favorite player was Albert Pujols and he is still a fan of the Los Angeles Angels, a team he adopted when “The Machine” was traded there from St. Louis. 

Reed follows a lot of shortstops, but his all-time favorite player is Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

A four-year varsity player at Martinsville High School, where he graduated in 2019, Reed played three years for Jeff Scott and one for Jeremy Honaker.

“Coach Scott was hard-nosed and would get in your face,” says Reed. “He’d always put the best nine guys on the field.

“Coach Honaker was more of a laid-back coach. I like both coaching styles. Both transformed me into the player I am today.”

Justin Reed. (Anderson University Photo)

Justin Reed. (Anderson University Photo)

Justin Reed. (Anderson University Photo)

Justin Reed. (Anderson University Photo)

Justin Reed. (Anderson University Photo)

Wager using baseball as vehicle to shoot for the stars

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

Zach Wager sees rockets and spacecraft in his future.
Right now he’s excelling on the baseball diamond.
As an 18-year-old (he turned 19 on May 28), Wager (pronounced Way-Jer) pitched well enough in his first season at NCAA Division I University of Tennessee at Martin to earned Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year and a place on the all-OVC second team.
“I came into the season with only one goal and that was to get on the all-conference team,” says Wager. “To get (Freshmen of the Year) was mind-blowing.”
A left-hander and 2022 Columbus (Ind.) North High School graduate made 22 mound appearances for the Skyhawks (17 in relief) and went 2-1 with four saves, a 2.44 earned run average, 40 strikeouts and 20 walks in 44 1/3 innings.
His major is Mechanical Engineering. He sees himself pursuing a masters in Aeronautical or Aerospace Engineering.
“Space exploration is the main key. That’s what drives all this,” says Wager. “I want to help us go into space. I’m not sure I want to go into space.”
His job wish list includes NASA, SpaceX, Boeing and Lockeed Martin.
He landed at UT-Martin after being recruited by the school, visiting the school and meeting coaches and faculty.
“They were going to honor my major (and not have me change it),” says Wager. “The classes are on the smaller side. It’s more one-on-one with the professor.
“We were on the road a lot this spring (for baseball). I missed a couple tests. Teachers didn’t hesitate to help me out.”
The Skyhawks baseball staff includes head coach Ryan Jenkins and pitching coach Bill White plus assistant Pat Cottrell and volunteer Alex Lozado (a graduate of Floyd Central High School in Floyds Knobs, Ind.).
The 6-foot-1, 170-pound Wager delivers four-seam fastball, curveball, slider and change-up from a three-quarter overhand arm slot.
His four-seamer runs and tops out at 87 mph. His curve moves on an 11-to-5 plane with vertical and a little horizontal movement. There’s move horizontal break to his slider. He uses a “circle” grip on his change-up.
There’s just something about lefty movement. Wager explains how it works with him.
“If you’re trying to throw a ball on the outside corner as a lefty you have to start the ball right down the middle so when it moves it’s going hit the outside corner,” says Wager. “If you start it there it’s just going to end up being a ball.”
In assessing his best athletic qualities, Wager considers himself a good leader on and off the field.
“I just try to create friendships,” says Wager. “If I see some struggling I pick them up. We all have those games.
“It’s also about giving back to the community.”
At UTM, Wager does community service. There is a daycare near the field and he donates to a food pantry.
In high school, he had a two-part project where he gave pitching lessons to kids and built a plyo-ball wall for the baseball team.
Born and raised in Columbus, Zach played at what is now Youth Baseball of Bartholomew County and for the traveling Indiana Vipers and Indiana Blazers — all coached by father Nathan Wager — then in high school for Canes Midwest.
Wager played at Columbus North for two head coaches — Ben McDaniel for the first three years and Patrick Antone as a senior.
“I loved Ben McDaniel as a coach,” says Wager of the man who got him to come to the Bull Dogs out of Northside Middle School.
With his workload this spring, Wager has opted not to play this summer. He plans to work out and give lessons at Hit Factory in Columbus, where Hunter McIntosh (a Columbus North graduate who pitched at Alabama State University) is partner and CEO, and do remote and on-site training with Pineville, N.C.-based Tread Athletics.
Nathan Wager is an engineering manager at Cummins. Mother Michelle Wager is a pharmacist. Older sister Caitlin Wager (who played softball at Columbus East High School) recently got into Purdue University’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Photo)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Image)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Image)

Zach Wager. (Ohio Valley Conference Photo)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Photo)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Photo)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Photo)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Photo)

Zach Wager. (UT-Martin Photo)

UIndy ‘late bloomer’ Rivas grows into D-II Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year

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

University of Indianapolis sophomore left-hander Xavier Rivas was named 2022 American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings NCAA Division II Midwest Region Pitcher of the Year.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pounder in his second year in the Greyhounds starting rotation went 7-0 with a 2.24 earned run average, 128 strikeouts and 31 walks in 80 1/3 innings over 12 games. His WHIP (walks and hits allowed by innings pitched) was 0.98. Opponents hit .170 off the southpaw.
All this from someone who refers to himself as a “late bloomer.”
“The winter before my senior year I was throwing 78 to 82 mph, but I wanted to play (in college),” says Rivas, a 2020 Portage (Ind.) High School graduate. “I didn’t want to go and sit.
“I was a big kid but I hadn’t grown into my body.”
Rivas made a visit to UIndy, threw a bullpen for the coaches and was offered a spot on the team.
“The rest is history,” says Rivas, who credits several people for his ascension.
The winter before his junior year at Portage, Rivas began training with Joe Plesac (who was the pitching coach at Andrean High School Merrillville, Ind.).
“My dad go word of him through my strength coach in Valparaiso (Bub Pullins, whose son Gunnar Pullins was a senior first baseman on the Olivet Nazarene University team in 2022),” says Rivas.
At UIndy, Rivas has learned from head coach Al Ready and two pitching coaches — first Landon Hutchison and then Adam Cornwell. Trevor Forde is another Greyhounds assistant.
“He’s big on trust,” says Rivas of Ready. “He’s do anything for the players.
“It’s nice hearing his opinion. He was a real good hitter.”
Hutchison assisted the lefty with his mechanics and Cornwell with the mental side of things.
“When I came I had a real robotic back-side arm action,” says Rivas. “(Hutchison) was a big numbers guy. We used Rapsodo (cameras) and he taught me my slider.
“(Cornwell) played some pro ball and at UIndy. He’s taught me a lot. He’s helped me with some mechanical cues that added on a few miles per hour.”
Throwing from a three-quarter arm angle, Rivas employs a four-seam fastball, curve, slider and change-up.
During the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament with warm temperatures that the Greyhounds rarely saw in 2022 (he only pitched two times with the game-time thermometer reaching 60 and one start it was 17 with the wind chill), Rivas was above to get a sweat going on the mound and get his four-seamer up to 92 mph.
“We would have themes for bus rides,” says Rivas. “One time it a beach theme and we wore shorts and flip-flops. When we left Indianapolis it was in the 60s or 70s. It was in the 40s when we got there.
“That’s the nature of the beast in the Midwest. It’s bipolar weather.”
Rivas delivers his curve over the top close to 12-to-6 on the clock face.
In an attempt to “tunnel” his pitches, he wants them to look the same coming out of his hand and as they near the plate then they move in different ways.
Throwing his slider and change-up around the same speed — 80 to 84 mph — he tries to get the slider to dive down and to the right back foot of right-handed hitters. The change-up goes away from righties.
Rivas played one varsity season for Portage head coach Bob Dixon in 2019 (the 2020 season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic).
“He was an older school guy and a nice guy,” says Rivas of Dixon.
The pitcher underwent knee surgery from a wrestling injury and played junior varsity ball as a Portage sophomore.
Wrestling is a big deal in Xavier’s family. His father Jeremy Rivas went to the IHSAA State Finals three times and was a state runner-up at 125 pounds as a Portage senior in 1993.
Jeremy coached at Hobart (Ind.) High School and helped Alex Ramos to a pair of state titles (1999 at 119 and 2000 at 125) and a fifth-place finish (1998 at 119).
Xavier Rivas wrestled from sixth through ninth grade for Portage (Leroy Vega was his high school coach). A torn meniscus as a sophomore put an end to his mat career.
“I knew baseball was my future,” says Rivas, who was coaxed by friends to play football as a senior. He was a wide receiver and tight end for the Indians in the fall of 2018.
Rivas did some powerlifting as early as high school freshman, but nothing was organized.
“When I got to college I saw how strong everyone was,” says Rivas. “I’m very competitive. I wanted to be the strongest one on the team.”
He got serious about lifting and began getting workouts from friend and competitive lifter Aaron Blake and went heavy with all his lifts when there was a two-month break at UIndy during the winter of 2020-21.
“I got up to 230 pounds,” says Rivas.
A Mechanical Engineering major, Rivas expects to graduate in five years. He is heading into his true junior year. He did not get an extra year of eligibility since he was not in college during the pandemic.
He took a heavy course load during his freshman season — 18 hours — and struggled while doing all online courses and being on the road frequently with the baseball team.
“I tried to study on the bus but that didn’t work,” says Rivas.
This year has been better with in-person classes and 17 hours in the fall and 15 in the spring.
“That was much better,” says Rivas, who mentors freshmen teammates so they don’t suffer the same as he did.
This summer, Rivas is with the Northwoods League’s Wisconsin Rapids Rafters.
Looking for innings, he spent part of the summer of 2021 playing American Legion ball for the South Haven Post 502 Blaze. He spent part of the previous summer with the Midwest Irish.
Born in Hobart, Rivas grew up in South Haven and moved to Portage in the middle of his sixth grad year.
He started at South Haven Little League at 4. He was playing there and in travel ball at 9. The Portage Tribe and Morris Chiefs were two of his other travel ball teams.
Xavier’s mother is Nina Rivas. Sister Mya Rivas (18) is a 2022 Portage graduate who is headed to Purdue University.

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Xavier Rivas (University of Indianapolis Photo)

Baseball part of mix for new McClellan-led Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus athletic department

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

The state has added another college baseball program.
Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus is launching an athletic department and baseball is a part of it.
Zach McClellan is the Crimson Pride’s first athletic director and baseball head coach.
The school has applied for membership in the NAIA and hopes to be participating in the River States Conference. IUPUC is awaiting decisions on both.
The 43-year-old McClellan says the NAIA is to visit the campus to look at academics and athletics Feb. 28-March 1.
McClellan, a Toledo, Ohio, native who pitched three seasons at Indiana University (1998-2000) and 10 years in professional baseball including a stint with the Colorado Rockies (2007), says that regardless of NAIA status in the coming year, Crimson Pride teams will participate in cross country, softball and baseball during the 2022-23 academic year.
The AD/coach says there are no immediate plans to build a baseball field on the small satellite campus, but IUPUC is in conversations with local high schools — Columbus East, Columbus North and Hauser among them — as well as CERALand Park (a host to many travel ball events) about a place to play home games.
Athletes have already been announcing their commitment to the NAIA-applicant school.
“I’m giving (recruits) very transparent answers about what could and couldn’t happen,” says McClellan. “For me, it’s more important for the players to commit to IUPUC and the process.”
As a first-time college administrator and head coach, McClellan has welcomed help from those with experience.
“One of the guys that I have a lot of respect for is Kyle Gould at Taylor University (in Upland, Ind.),” says McClellan. “He’s the AD at Taylor and he’s the baseball coach and great at both.”
To help build the team and culture, McClellan will be hiring assistant coaches.
“I want to win,” says McClellan, who had more than 150 players from around the world show interest when word got out about the formation of the start-up program. “To win I’ve got to build a great developmental plan for those kids.
“The plan specifically for baseball is to bring in 50 players by the fall to have a varsity and (junior varsity) team and IUPUC. I took the job to help people. I took it to give them an opportunity to go to a great institution and get a degree from Indiana or Purdue with very affordable tuition.”
Giving advice to players and their families looking at college baseball, McClellan implores them to do their research to find the right fit.
“I don’t think anybody truly wants to transfer four times in four years,” says McClellan. “The transfer portal stuff is a necessary evil. I’m glad it empowers players to become happy. But you really should be looking for that spot you can call home for four to five years. Get your degree, play at a high level and enjoy it.
“Pick the right opportunity for yourself and don’t short change any opportunity.”
McClellan moved to Columbus, Ind., in 2010 after taking a job with LHP Engineering Solutions. He has established two businesses including Demand Command (a travel sports organization with teams in Indiana, Ohio and Arizona) and CG Velocity (an entity created to develop baseball pitching expertise for players ages 7 to 25). He holds a B.S. degree from Indiana University and an Masters of Business Administration from University of Phoenix and is currently an adjunct faculty member in the Division of Business at IUPUC.
“I’m a big advocate for education and teaching,” says McClellan, who enjoyed guiding a Personal Brand class for MBA students.
Besides Business, Nursing and Mechanical Engineerina (Purdue) are among the major offered at the school.
“There’s a lot of knowledge at IUPUC,” says McClellan. “There’s a lot of knowledgable people with smaller classes. That’s value-added.
“Hopefully academics can shine the light on how good academics really is.”
“So far everyone has expressed interest in working with us,” says McClellan. “There are a lot of options here in Columbus.”
There are just over 900 undergraduate students at IUPUC. Many are commuters. Student-athletes looking for housing are being referred to The Annex of Columbus — apartments within walking distance of the campus.
McClellan sees being close rather than having a long commute as ideal.
“You have to understand that you are a student-athlete and not an athlete-student,” says McClellan. “You have to be committed to your books. That’s tough because — let’s face it — baseball at the collegiate level is like a second job. It’s hard to commute from more than 30 or 40 minutes away and do what we’re trying to do. You’re going to be working out early in the morning and late at night. You’re going to be studying and finding something to eat. And you have to get your sleep.
“We’re looking for elite-level players — on and off the field — that’s what college baseball is.”
McClellan notes that there is a reason sports is a pyramid and not a square.
“Sometimes it weeds you out when you’re not fully-committed to what you’re doing,” says McClellan. “That’s why The Annex of Columbus is a pivotal piece.”
Zach and wife Sarah live in Columbus with three daughters — Mia, Miley and Emery.

Zach McClellan (Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus Photo)

Indiana’s Sagerman gets competitive fix in operations, pitch development

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Denton Sagerman no longer stares down batters or tries to get the baseball past them with his pitches.

But he still has a competitive spirit and he uses it in his roles as Director of Operations/Pitching Development for Indiana University baseball.

“I love competing,” says Sagerman, who started working in Bloomington in August 2018. .”It’s very hard to replicate that once you’re done playing.”

As a right-handed pitcher at the University of Dayton, Sagerman had the ball and could dictate to his opponent.

Now he finds a competitive outlet in the weight room, where he can measure his progress, and in his job.

“In my professional development, I compete,” says Sagerman, 27. “I read about what everybody else is doing. I try to replicate that here and be the best at what I do in the country.

“That’s the goal that motivates me every single day.”

Sagerman’s favorite part of playing was development.

“What are the tools I can use to get better?,” says Sagerman. “I could measure where I was at and show quantitatively where I was going.

“I always wanted to be in a baseball development role.”

What does Sagerman do as a baseball operations man?

“All of the administrative tasks,” says Sagerman. “Everything outside coaching and recruiting.”

He is there to support head coach Jeff Mercer, associate head coach/pitching Justin Parker, assistant coach/recruiting director Dan Held, volunteer assistant Derek Simmons, director of player development Scott Rolen and the rest of the Hoosiers.

Sagerman is responsible for budgeting, scheduling, travel coordination, video breakdown and managing the role of analytics within the program; amongst other general program operations.

Some tools at his disposal include TrackMan, Rapsodo Pitching, HitTrax and WIN Reality (virtual reality).

There plenty of challenges. One example is with budgeting.

“It’s hard knowing what the landscape is going to look like one, two, three years out and the costs that can add up and the things that are unforeseen,” says Sagerman. “There are minute details and you make sure all of those are accounted for in your planning process.”

When IU goes on the road, Sagerman works with a travel agent and sets up a bus company. The driver is given a full itinerary. Staying at the team hotel, the driver is available whenever team members need the bus. When possible, drivers who are familiar with the Hoosiers are requested.

Sagerman assists Parker with pitch design.

“I enjoy working with all the different tools and making the data applicable to players and coaches,” says Sagerman. “As each class comes in they know more about technology. The coaches do a good job of explaining what the data means.

“It’s not just overwhelming them with an Excel sheet of data.”

IU’s Bart Kaufman Field is equipped with a TrackMan video system which allows Sagerman to present postgame reports to pitchers on every single pitch. They can learn many things about the quality of those pitches, including location and effectiveness, and apply that in the future.

“They can see that their slider in the game was 1 mph slower with an inch less horizontal break than they’ve seen in practice or other games,” says Sagerman.

Another way to make pitches better is by finding comparable data from professional pitchers.

On the hitting side, a heat map of the strike zone can be created to show exit velocity and launch angle and a profile is built.

Sagerman says since this information is available to the opponent, they can use it to attack a hitter’s weaknesses.

“As a hitter, I need to train myself to not swing or hit that pitch better,” says Sagerman.

A virtual reality system helps hitters with pitch recognition. They see how quickly they can pick up pitch type and location.

“We do a good job of using utilizing all the different pieces of technology to paint a picture for that specific athlete,” says Sagerman. “I didn’t access to any of this stuff in college. The boom of tech/analytics has come about in the last two or three years.

“It would have helped my career immensely.”

Sagerman has that there is a misconception that with technology comes an infinite outcome. It must be applied correctly to help the user.

Also, limited resources can bring about results. Sagerman was a coach and administrator with the Dayton Classics travel baseball organization. The Classics used a radar gun. Launch angle was measured with strings in the batting cage.

Before coming to IU, Sagerman was Director of Baseball Operations at Wright State University, under head coach Mercer, while focusing on analytics and its use in player development. Before that the graduate of Olmsted Falls (Ohio) High School was employed as an aerospace engineer at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base specializing in Computational Fluid Dynamics as well as a varsity coach at Centerville (Ohio) High School.

Sagerman has a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Dayton and a master’s in Sport and Athletic Administration from Gonzaga University.

“My education taught me problem-solving and organizational skills,” says Sagerman. “The engineering, I use on analytics and the pitching side.”

A typical day for Sagerman when the Hoosiers are at home begins with him arriving at the stadium around 7 a.m. for a workout. He then splits his time between operations and pitching tasks.

He answers general emails and communicates with the opposing director of operations.

Sagerman works with IU’s game management staff and he also makes sure the team has the day’s schedule and knows which uniforms to wear. He sees that the pregame meal is set up. He assists the staff in preparing lineup cards.

During the game, he keeps his own scorecard and makes notes. He is also there to make sure everything goes smoothly and is there to get anything needed by the coaches. Monitoring the weather is also part of his job.

After the game, Sagerman runs pitching and hitting reports and gets those to the coaching staff. He also makes sure the team has the schedule for the next day.

“They’re definitely some long days for sure,” says Sagerman.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indiana played its last game of the 2020 season March 11 (the Hoosiers finished 9-6).

During quarantine time, Sagerman has been working on long-term projects.

“I’m looking for the most efficient processes and to be more organized, efficient and effective,” says Sagerman. “I’m also doing some prep for next year like ordering equipment.”

Denton Sagerman is the Director of Operations/Pitching Development for Indiana University baseball. (Indiana University Photo)