By STEVE KRAH
Three weekends into the 2021 NCAA Division I baseball season there have already been plenty of surprising outcomes.
Brad Vanderglas, an assistant coach at Indiana State University, thinks he knows one of the reasons.
When the 2020 season and the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft were clipped because of the COVID-19 pandemic, players were given the option of extra years of illegibility.
That means more talent has stayed in D-I that normally would have moved on.
“It’s testament to so many early-season upsets,” says Vanderglas, whose seen the Terre Haute-based Sycamores get off to a 6-4 start with a couple wins at No. 16-ranked Tennessee. “The pitching staffs have a lot more depth.
“There’s no such thing as an easy match-up.”
Vanderglas joined ISU as a volunteer in 2017 and was elevated to assistant coach prior to the 2020 season.
His responsibilities include working with catchers and outfielders and helping with hitters. During games, he is the first base coach.
Vanderglas also assists associate head coach Brian Smiley with recruiting and scouting.
With D-I continuing to be in a “dead” period where it can’t see potential recruits in-person, Vanderglas says there has been a shift in recruiting focus.
“We go a lot more on coach’s recommendations and video,” says Vanderglas. “We’re a lot more virtual with everything. And we have to do a lot more due diligence.
“We like to evaluate a recruit several times so they fit our style. We can see a guy’s physical tools on video, but not the intangibles like how they respond to failure and the overall makeup of the kid. Is he trying to do his best for himself or is he worried about the team?”
The “dead” period is scheduled to end May 30.
“When we get back on the road it will be an action-packed summer,” says Vanderglas. “There are tournaments and showcases about every day of the week.
“We’ll host some prospects showcases on our campus as well.”
Using software called Synergy, a report is compiled with video and statistics. The Sycamores can see the tendencies of opposing pitcher and the trends of hitters so they can move their fielders accordingly.
“We do a decent amount (of defensive shifting) with the analytics,” says Vanderglas. “We try to take away the areas of strength (for opponents).
“In the outfielder, we are a little different that many teams. We’re aggressive. We want to take away bleeders, especially when we’re way ahead or way behind in the (ball-strike) count. The last few years, we’ve shifted a lot more.”
Mitch Hannahs is in his eighth grade leading ISU after returning to his alma mater in 2013.
“His leadership is outstanding,” says Vanderglas. “He’s extremely consistent with guys. There are no ‘off’ days with us. You’ve got to get better each and every day.
“He’s good at blending personalities and getting everyone to commit to a common goal.”
The Sycamores roster includes players from 14 different states plus the Bahamas, Canada, Puerto Rico and Venezuela.
Hannahs is demanding with his players and expects his assistants to be prepared.
“We don’t want to feel like we’re searching for answers,” says Vanderglas.
Before coming to Indiana State, Vanderglas was at Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill., where he was associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for Statesmen head coach Kevin Bowers.
“(Bowers) was great to me,” says Vandeglas. “He trusted me. He let me have lot of responsibility. I got to learn from learn from trial and error while he offered constant assistance.
“We got after it and opened our boundaries in recruiting. He introduced me to people and gave me free rein to go after the people we wanted.”
As an infielder, Vanderglas played at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Ky., for Norse head coach Todd Asalon.
“Todd is a great players’ coach,” says Vanderglas. “He was great with building relationships.
“He is also tough-nosed and we played with no excuses.”
Asalon, who has indicated he will retire at the end of the 2021 season, has the knack for getting former players to come back to support the program.
A 2009 graduate of Greenwood High School in Bowling Green, Ky., Vanderglas played for Gators head coach Chris Decker.
“He worked extremely hard and expected details to be sharp in practice,” says Vanderglas. “He was keen on the fundamentals of the game.
“He made sure we were prepared no matter who we played and he made sure everyone could contribute to the team.”
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