Confidence key for Benedictine U. right-hander Pizer

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

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

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

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

The Eagles use Rapsodo camera/radar technology.

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

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

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

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

Pizer delivers the baseball sidearm.

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

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

The slider has very little to no vertical break.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

John Bogner was Highland’s head coach. 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“That’s something I like to emulate.”

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Benedictine University Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Lake County CornDogs Image)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Austin Pizer. (Nick Shelton Photo)

Evans heeds call to help Gary West Side baseball

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

As a long-time member of the Gary (Ind.) Police Department, Donald Evans Sr., has made it a point to be beneficial and a positive influence.

“I try to lend a helping hand,” says Evans, a corporal who will mark 29 years with GPD in September 2024.

Evans, who has been a School Resource Officer all around the district, was asked to fill another community need and became head baseball coach at Gary West Side Leadership Academy — Gary Community School Corporation’s lone remaining public high school — for the 2022 season after the sport was on pause during the pandemic.

“I was just going to be a parent,” says Evans. “Coach Lee and Coach Hank said we don’t have a coach and I was hired.”

Robert Lee is athletic director for Gary Schools and handles grounds and finances.

Hank Kilander is Gary West Side’s athletic coordinator and attends to daily operations. 

“It’s good to have him,” says Kilander of Evans. “He’s invested in our kids.

“We’re getting a lot kids out that just want to participate and be a part of something.”

Kilander says the big picture is that a feeder system including junior high and younger players needs to be established for the long-term success at the high school.

“You drive around Gary and, unfortunately, there are abandoned baseball fields everywhere,” says Kilander. “It’s hard to be super-competitive with kids who are playing baseball for the first time in high school. The kids have a great  spirit and energy to them. Hopefully, we’ll make some strides each year.”

That’s where Evans and his assistants come in.

“The thing that is important for me is for them to learn a game they haven’t played,” says Evans. “A lot of these boys have never played baseball. Period. In the past three years I want to say six or seven boys have played baseball before. 

“Most of them are football and basketball players looking for another sport. If they’ll come in and put the work in, we’ll do something with it.”

Some baseball players also participate in track and field.

Attitude is key. 

Says Evans, “When everyone is positive, it makes it a little easier.”

A 1988 graduate of the former Gary Roosevelt High School, Evans played and coached baseball in town at Junedale Little League and then coached at Gary Metro Area Little League and Calumet Region Little League. He has coached many of the players now with him at West Side.

The former Roosevelt basketball manager has also guided young hoopsters at Daniel Hale Williams Elementary School in Gary.

“It’s been a blessing just to be around kids,” says Evans. “A lot of them are from foster homes or broken homes. Some kids don’t see their parents until late, late at night. 

“I’d like to bridge that gap. I get to give back to kids that never get a chance to experience things.”

Evans credits former Roosevelt baseball coach Benny Dorsey, former Gary Metro Area coach Milton Mathis and uncle, former track star and University of Illinois Hall of Famer Willie Williams as mentors. 

Mathis taught an adult Evans how to develop a kid into a baseball player.

“I knew how to play the game,” says Evans. “I did not know how to teach game.”

West Side (enrollment just under 1,000) is a member of the Great Lakes Athletic Conference (with East Chicago Central, Hammond Central and Hammond Morton).

The Cougars are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with East Chicago Central, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Hobart, Lake Central, Merrillville and Munster (host). West Side’s lone sectional title came in 1986.

Other teams on the schedule include 21st Century Charter, Bowman Academy, Calumet New Tech, Hammond Academy of Science & Technology, Hammond Baptist, Indianapolis Washington, Lake Station Edison, Marquette Catholic, South Bend Clay and Thornton Township (Ill.).

The Cougars have 22 rostered players. Five are captains — Class of 2024’s Jordan Harris and Emmanuel Smith and Class of 2025’s Donald Evans Jr., Ladarrion Newell and Kaleb Parker.

The coach sees college baseball potential in all his captains plus Class of 2027’s King Cloma.

At a school with many multi-sport athletes, Harris, Evans, Newell and Parker are all football players. Newell is also a wrestler. Cloma plays basketball. An ROTC member, Smith is preparing to enter the military after graduation.

“Many of them might have the opportunity to participate (in college baseball),” says Evans. “We just have to find the right fit for them.”

The West Side coaching staff features Ivy Evans, Lyndell Strickland, Ovell Yanders and Dr. Roland Walker.

A 2023 West Side graduate, Ivy Evans has signed play baseball at Columbia-Greene Community College in Hudson, N.Y., in 2024-25. Strickland is in IT at the school. Yanders is a steel mill supervisor. Former Roosevelt runner Walker is a pediatrician.

Located in the southeast corner of the campus, West Side’s baseball diamond can be viewed from the parking lot.

“The only draw-back for that field is the backstop,” says Evans of the fence that is a great distance from home plate. “It’s a monster.”

A low fence and a woods right behind the field makes for many lost baseballs. A recent search turned up 25 from last year that were water-logged and moldy.

Many youth games were played on the diamond last summer.

“Every year they do something to improve this facility and make it better,” says Kilander.

Donald and first wife Kimberly Evans raised more than a dozen foster children. A long-time police officer, Kimberly died in 2019.

Oldest son — Oscar Chatman — was an athlete in school. He has been a part of “American Idol” in Season 12 and is now a professional musician. An R&B indy artist, he goes by the stage name Soulo.

Donald is now married to Tiffany. The couple has four children at home. Besides Ivy and Donald Jr., there’s Bowman Academy athletes Jovan Love (14) and Jordyn Evans (12). Eighth grader Jovan is a left-handed pitcher and seventh grader Jordyn a softball player.

Over the years, West Side has produced many college and professional athletes. Class of 1991’s LaTroy Hawkins pitched 21 seasons in the major leagues. 

Hawkins is an inductee in the Gary Sports and Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association halls of fame and currently works for the Minnesota Twins.

The Cougars can be found on GameChanger and MaxPreps.

There is a Gary Community School Corporation Facebook page. 

The Evans (from left): Ivy, Donald Sr. and Donald Jr.

Gary West Side Leadership Academy.

Mahar back in Region coaching with Lowell Red Devils

By STEVE KRAH

IndianaRBI.com

Ben Mahar is back and coaching baseball in northwest Indiana.

After four years at Barry Goldwater High School in Phoenix, Ariz., and taking 2023 off, Mahar is going into his first season as Lowell High School head coach in 2024.

The 2011 Mundelein (Ill.) High School alum and 2015 Valparaiso (Ind.) University graduate and former Crusaders (now Beacons) pitcher was head coach at Lake Station (Ind.) Edison Junior/Senior High School 2016-18 and has returned to teach History there.

Mahar was named head coach at Lowell in October 2023 and led the Red Devils of the Calumet Region through the end of fall IHSAA Limited Contact Period events as well as the entirety of winter activities leading up to the official start of practice on March 11.

“We’re emphasizing accountability and all the standards like playing the game the right way and doing your job on a daily basis,” says Mahar, who leads a program with 43 players varsity, junior varsity and freshmen/sophomore teams. “We lifted twice a week and did conditioning during non-limited contact. In December, we built arms and introduce concepts.

“With the help of my coaches it was pretty easy transition back into high school coaching.”

Mahar’s Lowell staff features former Wabash College player and Griffith (Ind.) High School assistant Jared Wolfe (Terre Haute South Vigo Class of 2015) as hitting coach and former Ancilla College player and Boone Grove High School assistant Diante Kincaid (LaPorte Class of 2011) as JV head coach with Shannon Umfleet at the lower levels and volunteers Jim Brooker with the varsity and Jim Galvin with the JV and freshmen/sophomores.

Lowell (enrollment around 1,000) is a member of the Northwest Crossroads Conference (with Andrean, Hanover Central, Highland, Hobart, Kankakee Valley and Munster).

NCC games are played as home-and-home series on Mondays and Tuesdays.

The Red Devils are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2024 with Chesterton, Crown Point, Kankakee Valley, Portage and Valparaiso. Lowell has won nine sectional titles — the last in 1994.

The 2024 season/home opener is slated for Monday, April 1 against Highland. The Red Devils take to the road in May when construction begins on a new on-campus home diamond that will feature turf.

Other teams on the schedule include Boone Grove, Griffith, Hammond Morton, Hebron, Illiana Christian, LaPorte, Merrillville, Morgan Township, Rensselaer Central and Wheeler.

A pair of recent Lowell graduates graduates that moved on to collegiate baseball include Joey Paternostro at Goshen College and Chris Vinson at Lake Michigan College.

Mahar and others in the community are working to build up the Red Devils feeder system. There are a few age groups represented in the Lowell Devils.

“It’s a matter of going with all levels,” says Mahar. “It’s a work-in-progress.”

The high school staff was involved with recent evaluations for Lowell Baseball League (Babe Ruth).

Ben and wife Jenessa have four children (three girls and a boy) — Ava (7), Layla (6), Dani (3) and Eddie (six months).

Follow the Red Devils on X (formerly Twitter) at @rdpathletics.

Ben Mahar.

Lowell High School.

Munster-raised moundsman Moell making the most of his summer

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Will Moell’s last mound start was special.

The 19-year-old right-hander for the Northern League’s Southland Vikings took a no-hitter into the seventh inning.

Moell (pronounced Mail) surrendered the only hit two out into the last frame of his seven-inning outing against the Elkhart County Miracle Friday, July 14 at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee, Ind. He finished with eight strikeouts, four walks and one hit batsmen over 113 pitches.

The 2023 Northern League All-Star Game is at 7 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Eastern Tuesday, July 18 at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind., and Moell (announced today as NL Pitcher of the Week) is on the West roster.

A 2022 Munster (Ind.) High School graduate coming off his first season at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., Moell has made eight appearances (all starts; a league high) for Southland and is 4-1 with a 3.92 earned run average, circuit-pacing 45 strikeouts and 37 walks and 41 1/3 innings.

“It means a lot to me when I go out there and pitch because you only get so many opportunities to pitch compared to the amount of work you put in,” says Moell. “I love it.”

He enjoys giving other players a boost.

“I do a good job of knowing what the team needs,” says Moell. “Sometimes we need a strikeout to get the team going. 

“Even though I haven’t swung the bat in awhile I think I still have an impact on that side coming off the field and going right into hitting.”

Moell subbed in a few games with the Northern League’s Crestwood Panthers in 2022.

Sullivan Stickann, a 2017 Highland (Ind.) High School graduate, is 2023 Southland manager. He was freshman coach at Munster when Moell was a senior and was an assistant at Olive-Harvey College in 2023.

“He’s really big into player development,” says Moell of Stickann. “He loves baseball than about anybody.

“That’s who I want to play for as a coach. 

“He gave me the opportunity without even seeing me play.

“I’m just really thankful for this team that summer. We players who have the ability to pick each other up. It’s a long season and everybody has bad days.

Northern League all-star catcher Matt Merk has been there as a steadying force as has shortstop Jack Fitzharris.

“There are guys who have shown confidence in me when I haven’t had confidence in myself,” says Moell, who plays home games with the Vikings at Dowling Park in Hammond, Ind.

Johns Hopkins went 48-8 and finished as the NCAA Division III national runner-up in 2023.

Moell pitched two innings and had two strikeouts and one walk over two games.

“This summer I was able to figure it out a little more,” says Moell. “I got a little more confidence and I’m ready to go back and hopefully grab a spot.”

Centennial Conference member Johns Hopkins had many graduate students and seniors in pitching roles in 2023. Moell’s class is full of arms.

“We’re going to have a serious impact on the pitching staff (in 2024),” says Moell, who turns 20 in October.

Bob Babb, an American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer, has been JHU head coach since 1980. He has amassed 1,266 career victories with five D-III World Series berths.

“He just knows baseball all the way around,” says Moell of Babb. “He’s kind of a wizard with the stuff he knows.”

Babb works with pitchers. But Ryan Graves and Andrew Furman share Blue Jays pitching coach duties.

“Graves is big on pitch calling and how to work hitters,” says Moell. “Furman (who has a Master of Psychological and Brain Sciences and teaches at the University of Maryland) is really good with the mechanical stuff. He knows a lot. He’s a really smart guy.”

Furman is able to find other pitchers to compare to his Johns Hopkins hurlers for instruction purposes.

“He helped me out a ton this past year,” says Moell.

He’s also been in Baltimore long enough to appreciate Maryland Crab Cakes.

“With Old Bay seasoning,” says Moell. “I’ve got a feel for it.”

Born and and raised in Munster, Moell played at Munster Little League until he was 12. He was with the Larry Crisler-coached Indiana Playmakers for his 13U through 17U travel ball seasons (2017-21).

Crisler, a 2014 graduate of Hammond Bishop Noll Institute, hit .541 with 12 home runs, 45 runs batted in, 38 runs scored and six triples as a senior and was drafted by the Atlanta Braves. He played at Purdue Northwest.

“He was a really good hitter,” says Moell of Crisler. “That was something I never had as a pitcher. He could tell you how things looked from the plate. 

“Another thing was that he was really big into competition. To that point I hadn’t been much of a competitor. By the time I was done with him I was really wanting to go out there and win.”

Moell got into a few junior varsity games as a Munster freshman in 2019, lost his sophomore season to the COVID-19 pandemic then played on the varsity as a corner infielder, outfielder and pitcher for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Bob Shinkan as a junior and senior in 2021 and Mike Mikolajczyk in 2022. 

The hurler was 5-1 with four saves and a 3.00 ERA on the bump while earning IHSBCA Academic All-State and all-Northwest Crossroads Conference honors his final prep campaign.

“Everything was Munster Baseball to that guy,” says Moell of Shinkan, who passed away Feb. 24, 2022. “It was definitely an honor to have him in his last year as a coach and to make that semistate run.”

The 2021 Mustangs won Merrillville Sectional and LaPorte Regional titles.

Prior to his senior year, Moell looked into many high-academic colleges and universities.

“I had really good grades,” said Moell. “I didn’t want it to go to waste and I still wanted to play baseball.”

After sending multiple emails to Johns Hopkins, he got an invitation to a camp there, performed really well and received an offer Oct. 24, 2021 to join the Blue Jays the following fall.

“I had to get all papers in by Nov. 1,” says Moell, who did meet that deadline and is now a Public Health Studies on the Pre-Med track. With his athletic background and interests, he is considering specializing in orthopedics or sports medicine.

Two Major League Baseball players that Moell enjoys watching are Chicago Cubs right-handed starter Marcus Stroman and Cleveland Guardians righty reliever James Karinchak.

“I love how (Stroman) plays,” says Moell. “He’s athletic and shows anybody can pitch. He’s not the biggest guy. But he’s a big pitchability guy.

“(Karinchak) and I throw similar pitches. He’s a big high fastball and 12-6 curveball guy. He throws with just a ton of emotion.”

The 6-foot, 190-pound Moell’s arm angle is way over the top.

Some have said it looks like he’s trying to launch the ball into orbit.

He throws a four-seam fastball, curveball and splitter.

The four-seamer tends to be clocked in the mid-80’s with the 12-to-6 curve in the low 70’s.

Moll tries to get lift on the four-seamer with batters swinging under a pitch that travel around 2000 rpm and over a curve that goes 2100 to 2200.

So it’s fastball up and curveball down.

“Where a lot of people like to see inside-outside, I think it’s easier to go up-and-down,” says Moell. “I think that’s why I’ve been successful.”

The splitter, which is similar to a change-up, is thrown with about 1100 to 1200 rpm.

“I try to kill the spin on that and the speed difference helps a lot,” says Moell. “I move my fingers away from the ball and that’s how I get it to drop.

“It helps especially late in the game when (the opponent) has been seeing fastballs all day.”

On a good day, Moell’s four-seamer gets 19 inches of vertical break and the splitter gets eight.

Will is the youngest son of Stephen and Ginger Moell and younger brother of Noah Moell (23).

Stephen Moell works in the finance department for speciality subcontractor Crown Corr Inc. in Crown Point, Ind. Ginger Moell is a music teacher at Aux Sable Middle School in Joliet, Ill. Noah Moell (Munster Class of 2018) is a former prep soccer player who went on to marketing and event operations with the Chicago Bears.

Will Moell. (Johns Hopkins University Photo)

Will Moell. (Johns Hopkins University Photo)

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

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Gregg Braun is JCC head coach and director of athletics.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Doug Loden. (Steve Krah Photo)

Doug Loden. (Lake County CornDogs Image).

Doug Loden. (Joliet Junior College Photo)

Doug Loden. (Joliet Junior College Photo)

Plate discipline important to Portage alum Puplava

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Danny Puplava strives to put the bat on the baseball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“I really enjoyed it.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

Danny Puplava. (Kankakee Community College Photo)

Danny Puplava. (Kankakee Community College Photo)

Danny Puplava. (Kankakee Community College Photo)

Danny Puplava. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)

Merrillville grad Coty seeking next college opportunity

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

Dylan Coty spent the summer of 2022 with a baseball team in Swift Current, Saskatchewan — the 57’s of the Western Canadian Baseball League.
Fitting for a player who counts swiftness as one of his best qualities.
“I know how to use my speed very well,” says Coty, who is in the Transfer Portal seeking four-year college baseball opportunities while playing this summer for the Northwoods League’s Rockford (Ill.) Rivets. “I have a lot of energy.
“I want to let coaches and recruiting coordinators know I can play with these guys.”
To market himself, Coty is also planning to expand his Twitter profile. His handle is @DylanCoty4.
Coty describes his approaches at the plate and in the field.
“I try to drive the ball in the gap,” says Coty, a righty swinger. “If I have to put the ball in the ground and beat it out, I’ll do that, too. There’s nothing wrong with bunting.
“(The defensive key is to) stay down on the ball (and use good footwork). Get the ball first and then worry about throwing the ball.”
Coty, who turns 20 in July, is a shortstop and second baseman and occasional outfielder who graduated from Merrillville (Ind.) High School in 2021 then went to Post Grad Sports in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a gap year experience before college.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder was at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill., in the fall of 2022 then transferred to Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, Calif.
Coty has studied Physical Therapy but says be is considering switching his major to Sports Management.
Born in Munster, Ind., Coty grew up in Hammond, Ind., and played Little League at Hessville and Merrillville and one year of travel ball with the Indiana Playmakers.
Also a basketball player (he was on the varsity at Merrillville High), Coty began to see his potential in baseball.
“I got way more serious my junior year when I began playing travel ball,” says Coty. “I knew I could do something with it.”
His high school baseball coach was Paul Wirtz.
“I’m not going to lie. He was very tough on me,” says Coty of Wirtz. “He was one of those guys who wanted me to be great. He always pushed me.”
The son of Donya Coty, Dylan has two older brothers — Darius Coty and Daveon Coty — and cousin Michael Coles.
Darius and Daveon played football and basketball at Hammond Morton High School. Coles played baseball at Hammond High, Parkland College, Purdue University and in independent pro ball (2006-13).

Dylan Coty. (Merrillville High School Photo)

Dylan Coty. (Post Grad Sports Photo)

Dylan City in orange. (Swift Current 57’s Photo)

Dylan City in orange. (Swift Current 57’s Photo)

Dylan Coty. (Rockford Rivets Photo)

Dylan Coty. (Rockford Rivets Photo)

Bednarek in first year guiding Hammond Morton Governors

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

Adam Bednarek is taking lessons he learned in high school, college and on the travel ball circuit and applying them in his first season as head baseball coach at Hammond (Ind.) Morton High School.
Bednarek was hired to head the Governors program at the end of the summer of 2022 and began his first year of teaching (U.S. History) and Morton in the fall.
Morton (enrollment around 1,675) is a member of the Great Lakes Athletic Conference (with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side and Hammond Central).
The Governors are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2023 with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Hammond Central, Hobart, Lake Central, Merrillville and Munster. Morton has won 10 sectional titles — the last in 2015.
Born in Illinois and raised in Dyer, Ind., Bednarek went to Andrean High School in nearby Merrillville, and played for Indiana High School Baseball Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur, who has eight state titles and more than 1,000 victories to his credit.
Bednarek was in the program from 2014 to 2017. He was rostered as a sophomore but did not dress for the 2015 IHSAA Class 3A State Finals. He was a second baseman on the varsity in 2016 and moved to third base in 2017 after tearing a meniscus.
What does Bednarek, who wore No. 16 in Red and Gold, remember most about time spent with the veteran 59ers skipper?
“Coach Pishkur is unbelievable at teaching all sorts of baserunning things — especially stealing third base,” says Bednarek. “I became a much better baserunner during my time at Andrean.”
Three of Bednarek’s four Morton assistants — Danny Murray, Eric Mularski and Sawyer Allen — played with him in high school. Only longtime Governors assistant and Babe Ruth League coach Vern Jefferson did not.
Bednarek and company led Morton players who were able to attend fall IHSAA Limited Contact Period sessions with an emphasis on fundamentals and defensive situations.
A drill he learned from Pishkur — The Runs Game — was part of the twice-a-week workouts.
It’s essentially living batting practice on the clock. The offensive team might get 10 minutes to score as many runs in that time.
The catch is there are four live balls and the hitting team has to track down the foul balls and get them back into the game before the next pitch can be thrown.
“We create fun chaos,” says Bednarek. “It’s a really fast pace and there’s a lot of conditioning.”
Winter has been dedicated mostly arm conditioning and strength training with players in the weight room about three times a week.
Bednarek has had 26 players sign up for baseball and he might gain a few once the varsity boys basketball season ends.
The plan calls for Morton to field varsity and junior varsity teams in the spring, playing home games on Georgas Field (named for former coach Jack Georgas).
After high school, Bednarek spent one fall with the baseball team at Quincy (Ill.) University then transferred to Indiana University-Bloomington and earned a degree in Secondary Education focused on Social Studies. That’s when he began coaching in the summer — two with Bobby Morris and 5 Star National Great Lakes and one with the Indiana Playmakers.

Hammond Morton Governors Baseball.

Adam Bednarek.

Traina building team chemistry with Merrillville Pirates

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

Joe Traina has three main points of emphasis as the new head baseball coach at alma mater Merrillville (Ind.) High School — commitment, playing together and team chemistry.
“We’re making sure we’re there everyday,” says Traina, who was born in Merrillville, graduated from MHS in 2013 and has been teaching and coaching in the school system since 2017-18. “We were not weightlifting and conditioning very much. We have a strength and conditioning coach at Merrillville now (Brady Willard) so they can lift even when I’m not around.”
There is a text group chat that keeps the team communicating and Traina emphasizes staying in constant touch with parents.
Team chemistry is built through activities that require athletes coordinating to accomplish a goal.
Paul Wirtz was Pirates head coach when Traina joined the staff. Wirtz instituted “Animal Kingdom” workouts where there were stations for throwing, baserunning, conditioning etc., and teamwork was necessary.
Traina has had his athletes doing the same.
“They have to work step by step together to accomplish the goal,” says Traina. “That’s going make us a much stronger team.”
Merrillville (enrollment around 2,100) is a member of the Duneland Athletic Conference (with Chesterton, Crown Point, Lake Central, LaPorte, Michigan City, Portage and Valparaiso).
The Pirates are part of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2023 with East Chicago Central, Gary West Side, Hammond Central, Hammond Morton, Hobart, Lake Central and Munster. Merrillville has won 13 sectional crowns — the last in 2001. The Pirates were state runner-up in 1996.
Traina, who has taught at Merrillville Intermediate, Clifford Pierce Middle School and now Biology for freshmen at Merrillville High, was a junior varsity assistant to Connor Buxton then a varsity assistant when Buxton became head coach at Merrillville.
When Buxton stepped away Traina became head coach over the summer.
“It’s been a career goal to be the head of a program,” says Traina, 28. “I want to turn things around.”
The Pirates went 8-15 overall and 3-9 in the DAC in 2022.
Traina’s coaching staff counts Jose Carbajol as varsity assistant, Terrance Grayson as JV head coach and Juan Maldonado as JV assistant.
Merrillville started middle school baseball workouts at Bill Metcalf Field in July and games were played in the fall with Traina as head coach. High school players helped out.
“They were like bench coaches,” says Traina.
The first game was at Hanover Central, where Wirtz was serving as middle school coach.
Traina says the plan is for middle school baseball to continue as a fall sport.
Noting that Merrillville Little League no longer exists, Traina wants to work his way down the youth baseball ladder while building a feeder system for his program.
“We want to make sure kids have the opportunity to be exposed to the sport and get better,” says Traina. “We want to put a stop to getting pushed further behind (in development).”
Traina expects to have a young squad in 2023 with freshmen on the varsity.
Among the older players with college baseball aspirations are seniors Colin Early and Robert Richardson, who played both play varsity as freshmen, and junior Josh Magallon.
Pirates moving on to the college diamond since Traina has been coaching include Class of 2018’s Max Govert (Indiana University South Bend), Class of 2019’s Maldonado (Indiana Tech), Brandon Lucero (Earlham College) and Sven Strom (Saint Xavier University) and Class of 2021’s Dylan Coty (junior college).
Traina’s summer maintenance job includes taking care of the baseball field, where recent projects have included fixing the bullpens, adding dirt to mounds, turf to plate areas and dugout racks.
Traina played at Merrillville for Mark Schellinger.
“He’s one of the my favorite teachers and coaches,” says Traina of Schellinger. “When I got this job he reached out to offer any help I need. That meant a lot coming from a guy who had my back for four years here.”
He played at Merrillville Little League then travel ball for the Dave Griffin-led Indiana Playmakers then an Indianapolis-based team called the Indiana Irish. His parents — Frank Sr., and Michele — saw that he was shuttled two hours to Indy every week so he could have a new baseball experience and meet new people.
“I can’t thank them enough,” says Joe, the youngest of three children.
Frank Traina Sr., is retired from Siemens as an electronic engineer. Michele Traina is a school nurse secretary.
Ashley (Traina) Kendera (Merrillville Class of 2006) played softball for the Pirates, graduated from Ball State and now works as a page designer for The Times of Northwest Indiana. Her husband, Jason Kendera, is a former Merrillville girls soccer coach.
Frank Traina Jr., (Merrillville Class of 2010) played soccer and was a baseball manager for the Pirates during the Schellinger era. He now works as a bank teller.
After high school, Joe Traina went to Ball State University where he was a Sport Administration major and Coaching minor.
“I always wanted to go down the athletic director route,” says Traina, who got transition to teaching credentials through Calumet College of Saint Joseph. “Once I was in the classroom I decided to stick with teaching.”
He is also the head eighth grade boys basketball coach at Clifford Pierce.

Joe Traina. (Merrillville High School Photo)

New head coach Aguilar sets sights high for Hanover Central Wildcats

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

Sal Aguilar has been a part of baseball success as a player and an assistant coach.
He was the starting third baseman for the Hammond (Ind.) Chiefs that went to the Babe Ruth Baseball World Series.
The 1998 graduate of Griffith (Ind.) High School was on the coaching staff at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., as the 59ers won IHSAA Class 3A state championships in 2018 and 2019 — two of eight state titles on Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Dave Pishkur’s watch.
Aguilar’s first year as an assistant at Hanover Central High School in Cedar Lake, Ind., was 2021 and the Wildcats finished as Class 3A state runners-up.
Ryan Bridges let his team know that the 2022 season would be his last as Hanover Central head coach since he was taking a job at the school as assistant athletic director to Kelly Bermes.
In June, Aguilar was hired to head the Wildcats baseball program.
“We have great kids and great community support,” says Aguilar. “We’re excited to embark on this new chapter of Hanover Central baseball. We have a very bright future
“We’re not going to shy away from the ultimate goal which is to win a state championship.”
Hanover Central (enrollment around 775) is a member of the Greater South Shore Conference (with Hammond Bishop Noll, Boone Grove, Calumet New Tech, Griffith, Illiana Christian, Lake Station Edison, River Forest, South Central of Union Mills, Wheeler and Whiting).
The Wildcats were part of an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping in 2022 with Culver Military Academy, John Glenn, Kankakee Valley, Knox and River Forest. Hanover Central has won two sectional crowns — 2011 (2A) and 2021 (3A).
Players from the Class of 2021 included outfielder Jared Comia (now at the University of Illinois), 6-foot-9 right-handed pitcher Peyton Olejnik (who went to Triton College in River Grove, Ill., and is heading to the University of Oklahoma in 2022-23), left-hander/infielder Bret Matthys (Purdue Northwest) and infielder Blaze Cano (who is transferring from PNW to Calumet of St. Joseph in Whiting).
Three athletes in the Class of 2023 expected to play at the next level include shortstop/pitcher Zach Zykowski, pitcher Luka Zakman and two-sport standout Gannan Howes (who is getting attention in baseball and football).
Aguilar came to Hanover Central as a teacher in 2020-2 and is entering his 16th year in the classroom. He taught seven years in Texas, three in Illinois and this will be his sixth in Indiana.
He instructs HCHS freshmen in Integrated Chemistry and Physics (ICP).
Born in Munster, Ind., Aguilar spent his first nine years in East Chicago, Ind. After fourth grade, he moved to Griffith and attended St. Mary School then went to Griffith High School for four years.
He earned three baseball letters for the Todd Iwema-coached Panthers.
Aguilar played for the Hammond Seminoles in 1997 then for Dave Sutkowski’s Hammond Chiefs in 1998 and 1999.
“The kids call him Bush,” says Aguilar of Sutkowski. “I learned a lot from Dave as a young kid about building relationships with players.”
One way to do that at Hanover Central is through junior high baseball program.
Thirty players in grades 6-8 play and practice in the fall.
“That’s a huge asset for our program,” says Aguilar. “It’s all hands on deck here so varsity coaches are going to run that team. We’re going to be able install and implement our brands of offense and defense.
“We get to cultivate those lifelong relationships with those kids at a very young age.”
Aguilar’s coaching staff includes four Hanover Central graduates — Nic Sampognaro (Class of 2011) with the varsity, twins Sam Momcilovic (Class of 2019) and Evan Momcilovic (2019) with the junior varsity and Mike Biegel (Class of 2018) as freshman head coach.
Former Hammond Bishop Noll and Merrillville head coach Paul Wirtz lends his experience to the varsity staff. Jesse Forrester (Lowell Class of 2019) is a freshman assistant.
Aguilar finished his college degree at the University of Houston-Clear Lake in 2006. His teaching and coaching career began shortly after that.
He came back to Indiana and married Griffith alum Brittany Clark in 2016. Sal and Brittany Aguilar have two children — Luis (5) and Gianna (2).
“(Brittany) knows it’s not easy being a coach’s wife,” says Sal. “We’re lucky to have family around to help us out.”

Sal Aguilar

Sal and Brittany Aquilar with son with Luis and daughter Gianna.