Simplicity suits Indiana State’s Stinson just fine

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Focusing on quality at-bats, Parker Stinson has seen an improvement when he steps in to hit for the Indiana State University baseball team.

With the help of assistant coach Jason Hagerty, the lefty-swinging senior right fielder has untangled his thoughts in the box and it’s helped.

As the first-place Sycamores (29-8, 12-3) head into a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series Friday through Sunday, April 26-28 at Southern Illinois, Stinson has played in all 37 games (36 starts) and is hitting .295 (38-of-129) with 11 home runs, two triples, six doubles, 32 runs batted in, 33 runs scored and a 1.068 OPS (.440 on-base percentage plus .628 slugging average).

He has 11 multi-hit games with three-hit contests March 30 against Illinois-Chicago at Bob Warn Field and April 2 at Indiana. More often than not, he bats No. 4 in the ISU order.

“Hags has been a great addition for us,” says Stinson of Hagerty, who joined the staff in the summer of 2023. “He’s helped me simplify things.

“I’ve simplified it down to the bare minimum. Complicated never seems to work out for me. I’m up at the plate trying to put together a quality at-bat. Whether that’s a hard out or seeing six pitches, that’s a win for me.”

What about driving the baseball?

“I’ve always been able to hit for power,” says Stinson. “It’s been one of my strengths as a ballplayer.

“I really wanted to lean into that this year. I have to be OK with some swings-and-misses. Those are sacrifices you have to make to be a power hitter. I’m trying to get three of my best hacks off each at-bat.”

He has 45 strikeouts and 27 walks.

Stinson doesn’t mind standing on top of the plate, especially against left-handed pitchers.

“It’s makes them uncomfortable,” says Stinson. “If they can put three running fastballs on the inside part of the plate, I’ll just tip my cap to him.”

Led by lefty-swinging redshirt senior Dominic Listi’s 19, ISU batters have been hit by 86 pitches with nine having been plunked five times or more. For Stinson, it’s eight.

But the Sycamores bench does not ask hitters at the dish to “Wear It!”

“We say, ‘Don’t Skate!,’” says Stinson. “It’s about everyone taking one of the team. What it comes down to is taking the extra base for the team.”

Another newcomer to the staff — Kevin Bowers — oversees outfielders.

“He’s keeping us athletic, diving and making plays,” says Stinson of Bowers.

Mitch Hannahs is in his 11th season as head coach at Indiana State.

“He’s intense,” says Stinson of Hannahs. “He holds a high expectation for the team. 

“That’s the main reason we’re so successful here. He never let’s that drop.”

About halfway through his prep days, Stinson was 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. He’s now 6-foot and 210.

“When junior year (at Yorktown High School) rolled around I started getting in the weight room a little more,” says Stinson. “In college, lifting and nutrition became a part of your job.

“I’ve put on 20 pounds of muscle since I’ve been in college. I cleaned up my diet a little more, cooking more meals at the house as opposed to eating out.”

Stinson has played summer collegiate ball the past three years — 2021 for the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League’s Southampton (N.Y.) Breakers, 2022 for the Northwoods League’s Kenosha (Wis.) Kingfish and 2023 for the NWL’s Willmar (Minn.) Stingers.

He will not play this summer, instead doing an internship required to complete his Exercise Science degree. It will be with a sports performance facility.

Stinson, 22, has a year of eligibility remaining and he says he will likely use it in 2024-25.

He was redshirted for the 2021 Indiana State season.

“The jump from high school to college was a lot for me with COVID,” says Stinson. “I wasn’t ready for the speed of the game at this level.

“The coaches wanted to give me an extra year to get adjusted.”

In his first two seasons on the field in Terre Haute (2022 and 2023), Stinson got into 77 games (56 starts) and hit .219 (47-of-214) with eight homers, one triple, eight doubles, 40 RBIs and 40 runs.

Born in Nashville, Tenn., Stinson came to Indiana as a toddler and grew up in Yorktown, Ind.

He played rec ball in the Yorktown Junior Athletic Association then with the Yorktown Tigers travel team which became the Indiana Generals. He later represented the Indiana Prospects.

At Yorktown High School, his head coach was P.J. Fauqher. 

“That guy was a great coach,” says Stinson of Fauqher. “I enjoyed playing for me.”

The core of that early travel team were the starters for the 2019 team that made it to the IHSAA Class 3A Kokomo Semistate before losing 5-0 to eventual state champion Andrean.

“They were moving up and we were planning on taking state in 2020 (but the season was canceled  because of the pandemic),” says Stinson. “During COVID people were joking and had T-shirts made that said, ‘Yorktown Tigers State Champs 2020.’”

Stinson’s favorite MLB team is the New York Yankees. His favorite player in Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

“I always liked the way he led his team,” says Stinson of Jeter. “He was humble and he led by example. 

“The man knew how to win.”

Parker is the oldest of Matt and Tiffany Stinson’s three children.

Ellee Stinson (21) is a 2021 Yorktown graduate who played volleyball at Northwestern University and is transferring to Texas A&M University.

Joe Stinson (18) is a senior tennis and track athlete at Yorktown and is likely to go into the trades after graduation.

Parker Stinson. (Indiana State University Photo)

Parker Stinson. (Indiana State University Photo)

Parker Stinson. (Indiana State University Photo)

Parker Stinson. (Indiana State University Photo)

Parker Stinson. (Indiana State University Photo)

Fougerousse comes through in clutch for Evansville Purple Aces

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Kip Fougerousse did not shy away during crunch time in his first season in a University of Evansville baseball uniform in 2023.

“I came up with a lot of clutch moments,” says Fougerousse, who played his first two collegiate seasons at Indiana University.

The righty swinger socked a two-run home run in the eighth inning and a go-ahead grand slam in the ninth to a spark Evansville’s 7-6 comeback win April 22 at Murray State.

On May 20 at the University of Illinois-Chicago, Fougerousse belted a two-run blast in the ninth inning to propel the Purple Aces to a 2-1 victory.

Playing for a Wes Carroll-coached team that went 37-24 and lost to Indiana State University in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament final, Fougerousse played in 58 games (57 starts) and hit .288 (65-of-226) with 13 homers, eight doubles, 47 runs batted in, 37 runs scored and .872 OPS (.376 on-base percentage plus .496 slugging average). 

Power is part of the equation for the 2023 all-MVC first-teamer.

“I can put the ball over the field almost anywhere on the field,” says the 6-foot-3, 225-pound Fougerousse. 

His focus in the batter’s box is straightforward.

“Hit the fastball,” says Fougerousse. “If you’re on-time for the fastball you can be on-time for the off-speed.

“I like to work counts, but if that first pitch is in there I’m not afraid to take a hack at it.”

While he was at the top of the lineup at the beginning of the season, a few of Fougerousse’s homers came on the first pitch of the game. By the end of the campaign he hitting No. 3 or No. 4.

Wherever he plays on defense, Kip has keys and that starts with not getting too keyed up.

“Just breathe,” says Fougerousse. “A lot of people get nervous.

“Expect the ball to be hit to you. Be an athlete. Make the play. Don’t get in your head too much. You’ve done the work in practice.”

As Aces field boss, Carroll has seen to it that Fougerousse and his teammates have enjoyed their UE baseball experience.

“It’s fun all the time,” says Fougerousse of Carroll. “He cracks jokes. He makes it light. He makes it fun.

“There’s still work to be done. He can be intense at time and he can be silly at times. It’s the best of both worlds.”

The versatlie Fougerousse has played a lot of first base and second base but as he gets ready for his final season of eligibility in 2024 he says he could be at first base, second base, third base or even in the outfield on a given day.

“I don’t really consider myself a position,” says Fougerousse. “It’s wherever I’m needed.

“I’d say I’m utility more than a specific place (on the field).”

Fougerousse, who turned 22 in April, began the summer by taking a summer class while competing with the Northwoods League’s Mankato (Minn.) MoonDogs, managed by Danny Kneeland.

In 50 games, he hit .314 (66-of-210) with eight homers, one triple, 15 doubles, 37 RBIs, 49 runs and a .913 OPS (.403/.510).

“It was fun up there,” says Fougerousse. “They have nice facilities. Danny was always there early to get in whatever kind of work we had to do. If the game started at 6:30, we’d be there at 2 o’clock doing extra hitting or taking ground balls. It was cool to be around him.

“The Northwoods was a grind. It was everyday playing games. It was important to have a manager like Danny who will put in the extra time and keep light and fun.”

Fougerousse took a class at the start of the summer then could focus on getting better as a player.

“I got a chance to work on some things and just invest myself into baseball,” says Fougerousse.

The first day of fall classes at Evansville was Aug. 23 with individuals practices starting Aug. 28. Team practice begins this week.

Fougerousse was born in Greene County General Hospital in Linton, Ind., and grew up in that town. 

Kip played four or five years with the Sandlot Spartans, a travel team made up of area players and coached by Matt Fougerousse and other fathers.

From junior high through high school, Kip was with the traveling Indiana Prospects.

At Linton-Stockton High School, he shined on the diamond and hardwood.

Playing for his father, Kip was a two-time all-stater in baseball and left the Miners program as the record record-holder for both batting average and walks. He missed his senior season — 2020 — because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“He knows some baseball,” says Kip of Matt Fougerousse. “He got to teach me a lot from an early age on into high school.

“People think it’s tough playing for your dad because they might get on your a little more. But that’s part of it. Being a coach’s son you know what you need to do to get yourself prepared.”

The elder Fougerousse stepped away from the Linton-Stockton program after the 2021 season and continues to teach elementary and junior high Physical Education and high school Health at Shakamak.

In basketball, Kip Fougerousse scored 1,142 points and sank a school-record 168 3-pointers with a record nine in one game and helped Linton-Stockton to 91 victories in four seasons. The 2018-19 Miners went 27-4 and were Class 2A state runners-up.

Fougerousse’s favorite athlete is LeBron James.

The power forward has been in the NBA since 2003-04.

“He’s had the longevity and he’s never been in trouble with the spotlight being on him,” says Fougerousse. “He’s dominated the league for so long.

“I’ve enjoyed watching him since I was a kid.”

Did Fougerousse, whose uncle is Jeff Oliphant (member of the Indiana University’s 1987 NCAA basketball champions) and grandfather is Tom Oliphant (who coached Jeff at tiny L&M) consider pursuing college basketball?

“I committed to Indiana (for baseball) the summer after my freshman year,” says Fougerousse. “I didn’t know how good I was going to be at basketball. 

“I love basketball. It was always fun. But I never really saw myself playing in college. I just did it to compete.”

Before heading to IU, Fougerousse was part of the first season of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. He performed well enough for the Snapping Turtles to earn an invitation to the CSL All-Star Game at Victory Field in Indianapolis.

It was in that league that Fougerousse met future Evansville teammate Brendan Hord, a former Kentucky prepster who also played for Mankato in 2022 and 2023.

Fougerousse spent the summers of 2021 and 2022 with the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s Saugerties (N.Y.) Stallions, playing in 51 games and hitting .299 (53-of-177) with five homers, 12 doubles, 42 RBIs and 33 runs. The team won the league title in 2021.

In two baseball seasons at Indiana (2021 and 2022), Fougerousse got into 45 games (33 starts) and hit .190 (27-of-142) with three homers, one triple, three doubles, 22 RBIs, 27 runs and a .524 OPS (.235/.289).

He transferred to Evansville, where he was a Sociology major before changing his degree path to Marketing.

Kip’s mother — Jill Fougerousse — in a dental hygienist in Bloomington, Ind. Sister Libbi Fougerousse (Linton-Stockton Class of 2016) was a standout volleyball player coached my her mother in high school, graduated from Indiana State University and is now a teacher in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.

Kip Fougerousse. (University of Evansville Photo)

Kip Fougerousse. (Mankato MoonDogs Photo)

Kip Fougerousse. (University of Evansville Photo)

Kip Fougerousse. (University of Evansville Photo)

Hall of Fame president Rawitch, inductee Rolen share Indiana U. bond

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Josh Rawitch wore something special at Cooperstown on July 23 — the day for the 2023 enshrinement class went into the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum.

Hall of Fame president since September 2021, Rawitch had something in-common with one of the honorees.

Scott Rolen, who was born in Evansville and shined on the diamond and hardwood at Jasper (Ind.) High School, is the director of player development for baseball at Indiana University. Rawitch earned a bachelor’s degree in Sport Marketing & Management and a minor in Business at Indiana in 1998.

“On the day of the induction I wore an IU tie,” says Rawitch. “Most of the world just thought it was a red tie. It had a small IU logo at the bottom and I took a picture with Scott and I was showing it off at the end of the day.”

Through Sport Management professor Paul Pedersen, who had brought Rawitch to speak to his classes and devoted a chapter to him in his text book, a relationship was formed with Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Rolen.

“It was very cool to be part of the group to call him in Bloomington to let him know that he had gotten in (to Cooperstown),” says Rawitch. “(Pedersen) actually stayed at my place during the induction. With (Anderson, Ind., native) Carl Erskine (who received the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award) there were a lot of Hoosier people in Cooperstown in July and it was pretty  cool to see all those people and feel a kinship with them.”

Josh grew up in Los Angeles, the son of Bob and Cynthia Rawitch. They were were journalism veterans. His mother was a career professor and later a provost and his father was a reporter and editor at the LA Times and an adjunct professor for years. Both worked at Cal State-Northridge.

A cousin from Massachusetts — Ken Roth — attended Indiana about a decade before Josh and moved out to LA and lived from Josh and his family. 

“He always talked about how great Indiana, Bob Knight and the Big Ten,” says Rawitch, who played second base and third baseball for Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles and got to visit when his father had a Midwest conference. “When I saw the campus I just fell in love with it and realized that’s where I wanted to go.”

IU is where Rawitch met the women he would marry. Josh and Erin have two children. Emily (15) works in the Hall of Fame gift shop. Braden (13) is a shortstop and pitcher who played at Cooperstown All Star Village this week.

As Hall of Fame president, Rawitch has had the chance to experience many special moments, including being on stage at the induction ceremony or attending the dinner the night before that is just for living Hall of Famers plus the commissioner and the museum president.

“Those are the most surreal things that have happened since I’ve been here,” says Rawitch. “But for me it’s really been it’s just seeing this community, the people that work here and being part of a really, really incredible institution. Almost everyday something happens where I pinch myself and say I can’t believe I get to be a part of it.”

Rawitch, who turned 47 in July, oversees the daily operation of the Hall of Fame which employs nearly 100 full-time staff members a welcomes more than 300,000 annual visitors.

He estimates that about 400 artifacts are brought into the collection and many others are considered. 

“It is a living, breathing museum every single day,” says Rawitch, who says the Hall of Fame’s library contains 3 million documents and many books, documents, photos, audio tapes etc. are regularly considered for acquisition. “It’s not as well known to the public, but it’s pretty cool.”

Fundraising or helping in the building of an exhibit is another part of Rawitch’s job.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to promote the game,” says Rawitch.

About a week a month, Rawitch is traveling. He spends the rest of the time in Cooperstown.

Trips might include taking a plaque to a park or visit to the World Series, All-Star Game or spring training. 

In 2023, Rawitch has been at the London Series with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals and Mexico City Series featuring the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.

Before taking his current position, Rawitch was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, serving as senior vice president of communications then senior vice president of contest & communications.

While with the D-backs, he was also an adjunct professor of Strategic Sports Communications in Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

Beginning in 1995, Rawitch spent two stints with Los Angeles Dodgers, holding the titles of vice president of communications, director of public relations and broadcasting, assistant director of public relations, baseball information coordinator, advertising & special events coordinator and intern.

In 2001-02, he was a beat reporter for Major league Baseball Advance Media then went back to the Dodgers.

He has also served as an adjunct professor in the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

“The class that I taught was basically everything I did for the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers — everything from media relations and how you pitch a story to how you find statistics to the point you’re making for a broadcaster. Social media grew dramatically over the time I taught the class. 

“We debated on how things were handled from a communications standpoint and how we might have handled it differently,” says Rawitch.

In 2018, Rawitch received the prestigious Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence.

“Probably 15 years ago or so I had a boss that told me he thought I could be a club president some day,” says Rawitch. “The seed was planted that somewhere during my career down the road the opportunity would come up.”

It was not until previous Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was getting ready for his retirement that he reached out to Rawitch about applying for the position.

“It’s certainly not something I ever thought about,” says Rawitch. “I dreamed about being in Cooperstown with a plaque when I was a kid, but I certainly never dreamed of working and living in Cooperstown. 

“I’ve done it for a couple of years and it’s better than I could have ever imagined. It’s such a special place. It’s a great community and great place to raise a family.”

Josh Rawitch. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Photo)

Coil blending enthusiasm, knowledge as Memphis Redbirds broadcaster

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Alex Coil was a baseball player for as long as possible.

The day before he headed to Arizona State University the Valparaiso, Ind., native competed for the Crown Point-based Northwest Indiana Rippers in the 2018 Babe Ruth World Series in Jamestown, N.Y. 

Once in Arizona, Coil immersed himself in sports journalism, radio, television and digital communication. 

“I knew I wanted to be around sports as much as I could,” says Coil, who also played at Valpo Americans Baseball and for Valparaiso American Legion Post 94, Valparaiso High School and other travel teams. “It’s the way my brain comprehends things. My brain has always looked through the lens of sports. Playing was the No. 1. When it got to the tail end of that it was always (broadcasting).”

For two semesters, former baseball commissioner Bud Selig was one of Coil’s professors at ASU. Starting as a freshman, he did play-by-play for many sports and also wrote for the school paper.

He was director of broadcasting and media relations for the Joliet (Ill.) Generals in the summer of 2020. 

He also partnered with Crown Point High School graduate Andrew Mild, who is now a broadcaster with the Atlantic League South Maryland Blue Crabs.

After graduating ASU in 2022, Coil was hired by the Memphis (Tenn.) Redbirds and as the play-by-play voice for the International League team and Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and is now in his second season. He is the lone on-air talent for games on the Bally Live app, also serving as pregame and postgame host.

“We have a tremendous production crew,” says Coil. “We pride ourselves on the product. It’s really elevated since the beginning of the season. We go all-in for all 75 of our home games. 

“We’re seeing progress in getting as close as we can to a major-league quality TV broadcast.”

When the Redbirds are on the road, Coil is involved with public relations and communications, putting out press releases and game recaps and feeding social media. In 2022, he went on three road trips, including Indianapolis where he got to meet longtime Indians play-by-play broadcaster Howard Kellman.

Cincinnati Reds color analyst Chris Welsh — who pitched in parts of five MLB and seasons became a mentor for collegian Coil — pitched for Indianapolis in 1984 with Kellman calling the action.

Coil, who turned 24 earlier this month, goes into every broadcast looking to bring the energy of a fan with the knowledge of how baseball is supposed to be played.

“That doesn’t come from me,” says Coil. “It comes from everybody I’ve surrounded myself with growing up in baseball.”

Alex, the son of Wayne and Traci Coil and older brother of Nolan Coil, comes from a baseball family. Wayne Coil coaches at Valparaiso High School and for Post 94. Nolan Coil is a pitcher at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich.

While his friends were watching cartoons growing up, Alex was taking in SportsCenter on ESPN and now constantly consumes the MLB Network.

“I try to take pieces of everybody I’ve watch and try to apply that to what happens in the game,” says Coil.

Not wishing to force it, Coil does not yet have a signature call.

“I want it to happen organically,” says Coil. “Where I’m at now if I just came up with something it would fall flat.

“With a home run call there is a rhythm to it I’ve got consistently down. But when that home run is hit I’m not automatically going to something.”

In 2021 while calling games for the Frontier League’s Florence (Ky.) Y’Alls, Coil had a phrase he’d used after victories.

Years before, the words on the town’s water tower on I-75/I-71 went from “Florence Mall” to “Florence Y’All” since advertising was not allowed on a public utility. When the Florence Freedom went through a name change the team became the Y’Alls and its mascot is a costumed representation of the striped water tower.

“When we won I’d say, ‘Paint the W on the water tower,’” says Coil. “That’s as closest to a signature call as I’ve ever gotten.”

Coil quickly adapted to the pitch clock, which was enacted to take out the down time in baseball.

“We played with pitch count last year,” says Coil. “For the first couple of series it was about trying to find the rhythm. Once you get used to that, it’s really just part of the game. 

“I don’t even notice it any more.”

While his father and brother pulled for the Reds, Alex came up as a “massive Chicago Cubs fan.”

His other rooting interests are with Notre Dame and Arizona State in college sports as well as the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks and NBA’s Phoenix Suns.

For a long time his Cubs favorite player was Darwin Barney.

“Partially because he wore the No. 15 (one of Coil’s travel ball numbers) and because he was so good defensively,” says Coil. “He was a really good person.”

His appreciation went with Anthony Rizzo when he played for the North Siders.

Growing up, Coil’s Cubs broadcasters were Len Kasper on TV and Pat Hughes on the radio.

“With Len Kasper it’s more of that fan,” says Coil. “It’s the energy. His voice will crack sometimes because he gets really, really excited about things. He also has a very analytical approach.

“With Pat Hughes it’s how polished and the command of a broadcast he has. When he says his first word you know who’s talking.”

Coil also took any plenty of Reds games with Marty Brennaman at the mic.

“He was the perfect mix of professional broadcaster and having that hometown fan approach,” says Coil. “He wouldn’t back away from criticizing things. If you do it in the right way, it raises your credibility.”

During spring training and Reds’ regular-season visits to play the Arizona Diamondbacks, Coil got to work with Welsh and Thom Brennaman (Marty’s son) as a statistician.

He plans to broadcast Arizona Fall League games for the second straight year and return in February with college baseball’s MLB Desert Invitational. Both are on MLB.com. He also worked the 2022 home run derby during AFL Fall Stars festivities.

The 2023-24 season will be Coil’s second on the Arizona State hockey broadcast. He serves as a color analyst to play-by-play man Tyler Paley and occasionally fills in as play-to-play for ASU baseball on the Sun Devil Radio Network.

As far as players he’s worked with, Coil points to two faves — one in baseball and one in hockey.

Luken Baker, who made his MLB debut with the Cardinals in June, has 31 home runs this season for Memphis.

“It’s how approachable and how open he was to me last year,” says Baker. “He went through his struggles, but no matter what he was the same person. 

“He would start the conversation with me early on.”

T.J. Semptimphelter is an Arizona State goaltender.

“He was my first interview last year for our pregame show,” says Coil. “He transferred in (from Northeastern University) and didn’t know too many people around Phoenix. He was such an easy guy to talk to.

“After the recorded interview was over he would carry on the conversation and be a normal person.”

Coil gets to weave history into his broadcasts when he talks about Memphis teams of the past. Every Thursday home game the Redbirds — in their 25th season — take on the alternate identity of the Memphis Chicks. In his time with the team, the franchise has also given nods to the Memphis Turtles and Memphis Red Sox of the Negro American League, Negro National League and Negro Southern League during contests at AutoZone Park.

Alex Coil and Bud Selig.

Tyler Paley and Alex Coil.

Alex Coil with Northwest Indiana Rippers.

Alex Coil’s broadcast view at AutoZone Park in Memphis, Tenn.

Kokomo Jackrabbits field boss Hobbs values experience, development

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Johnston Hobbs splits his time in the baseball off-season between Raleigh, N.C., and Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

This summer he is back in Indiana — a state where he has studied, coached and established a business.

Hobbs, who earned a Master of Kinesiology degree from Indiana University and a served as a graduate assistant under former Hoosiers head baseball coach Bob Morgan, is the head coach/manager summer collegiate wood bat Northwoods League’s Kokomo (Ind.) Jackrabbits. 

The former college and independent player has been a manager for the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s Glen Falls (N.Y.) Dragons, South Florida Collegiate Baseball League’s West Palm Beach (Fla.) Sharks, New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Vermont Mountaineers, Puerto Rico’s Aguadilla Nevegantes and Corn Belt Baseball League’s Omaha Filthballers (winning three regular-season titles and three champions in four seasons 2019-22). He has also coached the Hungarian National Team and assisted at Flanagan High School in Pembroke Pines, Fla.

Hobbs, who also earned a degree in English, Political Science and Exercise Sports Science from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a Master of Education in Psychology and Communication from the University of South Carolina, and created a commercial swimming pool business in Indianapolis in 1999. He was a competitive swimmer and has coached the sport at South Carolina and the North Carolina State University.

He is now CEO/President of 224 Performance — a company Hobbs founded in 2017 — that “provides customized training for individual athletes and teams to maximize performance and health, Athlete and Talent Management, Player Evaluations, and Practice/Business structure.”

He has been a frequent clinic speaker.

Hired in Kokomo in late summer of 2022, Hobbs recruited talent from all over the country to showcase their skills and be developed in the City of Firsts.

“I don’t necessarily measure everything in wins or losses. I measure it in experience and development,” says Hobbs. “There’s no part of this game that we don’t have some influence or input on. I can’t sit and watch somebody do anything wrong and not give them some feedback.

“You have to be a well-rounded, completely-developed player to be one of 750 guys on the planet that make Major League Baseball. You can’t have a weakness in your game. If you come out here and don’t listen to your coach in college and you don’t listen to us you have 0 percent chance of making it.”

Hobbs says the players who set and achieve the highest goals are those who don’t give up or make excuses. They are willing to go through the process.

“How can you go wrong in the development of anything?,” says Hobbs. “If you’re a business person, you’re developing business and it helps your business. 

“In baseball it’s even more so because you have to manage failure so often. If you were 30 percent successful in business the doors close. If you’re in college and you make 30s on your exams, you get kicked out of school.”

But hitters with a .300 average are considered special.

“You’ve got to try to make a difference in every little aspect of the game,” says Hobbs. “Sometimes I know it gets tiring for kids to hear because it seems like we’re giving them feedback on everything they do, but that’s our job. If we don’t do that, then we’re cheating.

“It’s not hard to communicate (with players). I’m a firm believer if kids aren’t learning what you’re trying to teach them you’ve got to change the way you teach it.

“I would like to see players evolve mentally at the same pace as the game. Baseball I.Q. is in high demand.”

Hobbs calls the Northwoods League the “the highest level developmental league in the world.”

“This is a developmental league for elite talent,” says Hobbs. “This is to fine-tune the best of the best.”

Clubs in the 24-team league play 72 games between late May and mid-August with a handful of days off.

“We have a lot of higher-end (NCAA) Division II guys that started 50 of 55 games (in the spring) and come here and play 70,” says Hobbs. “We’ve tried to keep the pitching staff on first-half and second-half contracts and then double up on the position guys.

“It’s tough to make an arm last the whole (summer) season when you’ve got 72 games.”

In the past decade, the coach says he has seen shift in attention span and diminished problem-solving and structure.

“These are good kids,” says Hobbs. “They want to do the right thing. They just don’t know how to do it when it doesn’t go the way it’s supposed to go or how they’d like it to go.”

A bad attitude, poor body language and jawing at opponents are things Hobbs will not tolerate.

“You won’t hear us chirp at the other bench,” says Hobbs. “You won’t hear us making fun of other players. You don’t do that because it’s solely against rules.

“They’ve been getting away with that forever and they think it’s acceptable and they see it at the highest levels.”

Taking responsibility for your actions is also a non-negotiable with Hobbs.

“As a human being in anything you do take accountability for your actions and your maturity,” says Hobbs. 

Jackrabbits assistant Steven Sunagel, who hails from northeast Ohio, has four decades of coaching experience and has been with Hobbs for many of his baseball stops.

“Sonny” Sunagel sees a problem at the game’s lower levels.

“My kids aren’t starting so I going to start my own travel team,” says Sunagel. “What they’re doing back home where I’m from the Little League has been decimated. A travel ball team is formed and pulls the good kids out of the organization that used to be strong. 

“The Little League says we need these kids so they’ll play during the week for us and play weekend travel (perhaps pitching for both teams). But the two coaches don’t talk.

“They’re not coordinating and it’s starting to show up in the injuries.”

The Jackrabbits, which play home games at Kokomo Municipal Stadium, are coming down the stretch for 2023. The team played its 61st contest Monday, July 31 against visiting Traverse City and has three remaining home dates — Aug. 2, 5 and 8.

Hobbs has been told by Kokomo general manager Nathan Martin that he is welcome back in 2024.

“A lot of the people in the community like Coach,” says Martin of Hobbs.

Johnston Hobbs. (Steve Krah Photo)

Pawlik to spend graduate year at Indiana Wesleyan

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Jeff Pawlik has enjoyed competing with friends throughout his athletic life.

He will get to do that with a new set of pals as a baseball graduate transfer at Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind.

Pawlik, a 2019 graduate of Penn High School in Mishawaka, Ind., spent the past four seasons (2020-23) at Grace College in Winona Lake, Ind., with 2020 being curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic leading to an extra year of eligibility which he will use at IWU. 

The Lancers and Wildcats are both members of the NAIA and the Crossroads League.

“I’m thankful to Grace baseball for the four years I was able to play there,” says Pawlik, who turned 23 in June. “It was a big part of my life and where I found a true passion for the game.

“I’m thankful for everyone who helped me there and all the relationships I was able to build.”

Pawlik’s head coach with the Lancers was Ryan Roth.

“I really enjoyed it,” says Pawlik of his time playing for Roth. “He treated me with care and gave me an opportunity to play which is something I’m really thankful for in my life.”

Pawlik developed a special bond with Grace assistant Justin Love.

“The coach that has impacted me the most is Coach Love,” says Pawlik. “He developed a work ethic and a mindset in me that helped me be successful in baseball. I don’t think I’d be in the place I am now without him coaching me and being there for me on and off the field. 

“He’s definitely a big part of my life and my baseball career.”

Deciding not to play in the summer of 2021, Pawlik stayed at Grace, lifted weights and worked with Love on his swing.

“It’s probably one of the best things I’ve done,” says Pawlik.

In 153 games at Grace, the lefty swinger hit .267 (136-of-509) with 11 home runs, two triples, 35 doubles, 94 runs batted in, 102 runs scored, a .788 OPS (.379 on-base percentage plus .409 slugging average) and 16 stolen bases.

In 2023, Pawlik batted at a .293 (43-of-147) clip with seven homers, one triple, 10 doubles, 35 RBIs, 40 runs, .962 OPS (.445/.517) and 11 steals in 46 games.

Pawlik, a 6-foot-3, 205-pounder, knocked in five runs in a Feb. 19 against Aquinas at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.

He tied a program record with three doubles in a game vs. Aquinas in 2022.

After producing 12 multi-hit games in 2022, he posted 11 in 2023 as Grace tied the single-season school record for victories with 21.

In his first 11 games with the 2023 Xenia (Ohio) Scouts of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League, Pawlik was hitting .250 (8-of-32) with nine RBIs and six runs.

The Colby Watilo-managed Scouts are affiliated with Athletes In Action. 

Pawlik played for AIA’s Rochester (N.Y.) Ridgemen (managed by former Richmond (Ind.) Roosters infielder Taylor Hargrove) during the 2022 New York Collegiate Baseball League summer slate and had such a good experience that he jumped at the chance to play in Xenia.

A lefty-throwing first baseman, Pawlik prides himself on his D.

“At a young age I learned defensive play wins the game so I’ve always had a big drive to the best at that,” says Pawlik, who counts reading the hitter and making the necessary plays as keys at first base. 

While Penn now his turf, that was not the case when Pawlik was there. Grace has also had grass and dirt. IWU has a turf field.

“The natural field has helped me become the fielder I am because you don’t get the luxury of turf hops and you learn to deal with bad hops,” says Pawlik.

After Pawlik announced he would transfer for his grad year, he talked to Ian MacDonald — who is now head coach at Indiana Wesleyan.

“There was super high interest from both sides,” says Pawlik. “I just really like how they carry themselves and what they’re about at (Indiana) Wesleyan.”

He visited the campus a couple of weeks into the summer.

“I loved everything about it —  the coaches, the facilities. A couple of days after that I decided to make it official and make it my home for my fifth year.”

IWU went 41-20-1 overall and 26-10 in the Crossroads League and made its first NAIA World Series appearance in 2023.

Born in South Bend, Ind., Jeff Pawlik grew up in nearby Granger with parents Rod and Lisa and sister Lexie.

Rod Pawlik is a longtime Penn football assistant coach.

Lisa Pawlik is a Health/Physical Education teacher and former head volleyball coach. She guided Penn to state championships in 2010 and 2011 — the first one with the help of Lexie Pawlik (Class of 2011), who went on to play at the University of South Carolina and Western Michigan University and was a coach as Lexie Banks.

“(My parents) instilled in me the hard work ethic growing up,” says Pawlik. “I was always in the gym with them or on the field. I got to see them go about their business. 

“They also taught me to have short-term memory if things aren’t going well and just move on to the next.”

Jeff played at what is now Harris Township Baseball Softball and was in travel ball with the Granger Irish, Michiana Scrappers, Mark Haley-coached South Bend Cubs and Mike Marks-coached Hitters Edge (Sturgis, Mich.).

Pawlik was on the Penn varsity as a junior and senior, playing for Greg Dikos (who is Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer and recently became a six-time state champion coach).

“It was a good experience,” says Pawlik of his time with the Kingsmen. “I had a lot of fun. Those were my buddies growing up. 

“We just got along really well and it was a super-competitive atmosphere.”

Rod and Lisa also played videos of Michael Jordan for their son.

“I could see how competitive he was and how intensely he played the game,” says Pawlik. “Watching how successful that made him made me want to play the same way.

“Obviously I don’t have the same talent he does, but I can carry myself in the same way.”

Pawlik, who has been honored as CSC Academic All-District and Academic all-conference during his career, earned a Sport Management degree with a Business Administration minor and began working on his Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Grace and says he will look to finish it at IWU.

Jeff Pawlik. (Grace College Photo)

Jeff Pawlik. (Grace College Photo)

Jeff Pawlik. (Grace College Photo)

Jeff Pawlik. (Grace College Photo)

Jeff Pawlik. (Grace College Photo)

Bloomington North alum Deliyannis learning many lessons on, off baseball field

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Harilaos “Harry” Deliyannis comes from a family that values education.

His parents — Dr. Constantine Deliyannis (Astrophysics) and Dr. Deborah Deliyannis (History) — are both professors at Indiana University in Bloomington.

Older brother Plato Deliyannis is PhD. student at Duke University. 

Younger brother Simon Deliyannis graduated Bloomington High School North in 2023 and is going to study at IU.

Both brothers played golf in high school — Plato at Bloomington South and Simon at Bloomington North. Plato has played Ultimate at Duke.

The middle Deliyannis (pronounced Dell-E-Yah-ness) boy, Harry goes to Pomona College in Claremont, Calif., as an Economics major and Religious Studies minor.

This summer, Deliyannis (who is of Greek descent) is learning on the diamond as a starting pitcher for the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Martha’s Vineyard Sharks.

A 6-foot, 175-pound right-hander has made two mound appearances and is 1-0 with a 0.00 earned run average, six strikeouts and five walks in 10 innings.

Pitching in the spring for the Frank Pericolosi-coached Pomona Pitzer Sagehens, Deliyannis was in 13 games (12 starts) with 3-5 record, 4.50 ERA, 77 strikeouts and 28 walks in 76 innings. 

The 2023 season marked his second full college slate, meaning he has two remaining years of eligibility. The COVID-19 pandemic curtailed 2020 and Pomona Pizer did not field a team in 2021. 

Not enrolled in school, Deliyannis came back to Indiana and was the pitching coach at his prep alma mater — Bloomington North — just two years after his senior year with Richard Hurt as Cougars head coach and Erik Pearson as an assistant. It’s an experience that makes Harry want to coach after his collegiate days.

“A lot of high schoolers think they know more than their coaches,” says Deliyannis. “From coaching alongside Coach Hurt I can say that high schoolers don’t.”

Deliyannis credits the coach/educator for having a big impact on him.

“Coach Hurt is by far the most-organized person I’ve ever met,” says Deliyannis. “The work ethic, organization and attention to details that (he) coaches with and his even-keel demeanor I appreciate more than I can express now. I really look up to Coach Hurt.

“I feel lucky that I had him as my high school coach. He prepared me for college and I think for life better than anybody else.”

Deliyannis fell in love with Pomona — located east of Los Angeles — after his first visit.

Pomona Pitzer — an athletic co-op between private schools Pomona College and Pitzer College — is part of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The former second baseman and designated from both sides of the plate, who turned 22 in March and will be a senior in 2023-24, prefers starting over relieving.

“I get to see hitters three or four times,” says Deliyannis. “I like the interesting game that comes up after I’ve gone through a lineup once. I have to re-figure out how to pitch to them again.

“I like going deep into games and give my team a chance (to win). That’s my responsibility as a starter.”

Throwing over-the-top, Deliyannis uses a four-seam fastball, curveball, slider, change-up and cutter.

“I use them all at least 10 percent of the time,” says Deliyannis. “There’s no pitch I won’t throw.”

The four-seamer sits at 88-89 mph and has hit 90 several times the past two springs.

His 12-to-6 curve has a high spin rate (3200 rpm).

His slider is sometimes horizontal and sometimes has gyro movement.

The “circle” change-up, which has overtaken his curve as his best pitch, is really a screwball.

“When I throw it hard it has a dot and moves like a lefty slider,” says Deliyannis. “I throw from the high arm slot and let it naturally pronate. I don’t think of turning it over. I let the grip do what it does.”

He throws the cutter often to right-handed batters. 

“I think it looks like a fastball and they get out in front of it,” says Deliyannis.

A lifelong Bloomington resident, Deliyannis was in what is now the Bloomington Junior Baseball Association before playing travel ball for the Indiana Chiefs and then Indiana Prospects, where Mark Taylor was one of his early head coaches.

The summer after high school (2019), Deliyannis was supposed to play for the Cortland (N.Y.) Crush but was bedridden for a month with mononucleosis then competed in a few non-league games in Indiana.

He played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2020 on a team managed by Mark Walther. He was with the Northwoods League’s Kenosha (Wis.) Kingfish in the summer of 2021 and West Coast League’s Victoria (British Columbia) HarbourCats in the summer of 2022.

Harry Deliyannis. (Pomona Pitzer Sagehens Photo)

Harry Deliyannis. (Victoria HarbourCats Photo)

Harry Deliyannis. (Pomona Pitzer Sagehens Photo)

Harry Deliyannis. (AMXL Photography Photo)

Schmack coming back for fifth year for Valpo U. Beacons

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Kyle Schmack will continue playing college baseball for his father while he furthers his education.

With a Finance degree in-hand and one year of remaining eligibility, Kyle is coming back to Valparaiso (Ind.) University — where father Brian Schmack just completed his 10th season as head coach — and will enter graduate school, going for a Master of Analytics and Modeling with an eye on being a financial analyst after college. 

“It’s fun,” says Kyle of playing for his dad. “I never got to do it growing up.

“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life.”

Kyle enjoyed a memorable 2023 season.

In 47 games (47 starts), the righty swinger hit .322 (55-of-171) with nine home runs, one triple, 15 doubles, 38 runs batted in, 47 runs scored and 11 stolen bases.

In four seasons (2020-23), Schmack is hitting .283 (165-of-583) with 18 homers, three triples, 37 doubles, 93 RBIs, 100 runs and 22 stolen bases. The 2020 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic and several players — including Schmack — were granted an extra year of eligibility.

Schmack, who turned 22 in May, has an approach in the batter’s box.

“I just try to see the ball deep,” says Schmack. “It gives me a better bat path.

“If I don’t see the ball deep I won’t recognize a curveball or a slider and I’ll just swing through it.”

While he has clubbed circuit clouts at Valpo and during his days at South Central Junior/Senior High School in Union Mills, Ind., Schmack does not consider himself a home run hitter.

“I try to go for doubles more than anything else,” says Schmack. “Home runs happen as an accident almost. 

“I’m not trying to be a contact hitter and put everything in play. I’m still trying to get my ‘A’ swing off. But I’m not trying to hit the ball and launch it over the wall.”

He has defensive keys, too.

“(Coaches) tell us to make sure you catch the ball, stay behind it, block ground balls and make sure guys don’t take extra bases,” says Schmack. “That’s a key for us.”

A 6-foot-1, 240-pound first baseman when he started at Valpo, Schmack turned himself into a 6-1, 215-pound outfielder.

“I shed weight and improved my speed,” says Schmack.

The Missouri Valley Conference member Valpo Beacons play home games at Emory G. Bauer Field, which has a turf infield and grass outfield.

A Chicago White Sox fan, one of the big league players Schmack admires is Andrew Vaughn.

After playing for the Park Rangers in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2020, the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League’s Utica (N.Y.) Blue Sox in 2021 and Coastal Plain League’s Peninsula Pilots (Hampton, Va.) in 2022, Schmack is working for Bullpen Tournaments this summer.

Born in Round Lake, Ill., Schmack grew up in Wanatah, Ind.

He played his first few years of travel ball with the Chesterton Vipers then went to the Dyer Jayhawks. In high school, he played for the Indiana Chargers. Justin Barber was his head coach much of the time.

At 18U, Schmack played for the Chicago Heights, Ill.- based Midwest Rangers.

A 2019 South Central graduate, Schmack played for Satellites coaches Ryan Kruszka and former Valpo U. pitcher Jarad Miller.

“I love them to death,” says Schmack. “They really had a great impact on me.

“They were able to teach me how to play baseball and play it right and how to be a better man.”

Schmack was the MVP of the 2019 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Madison.

Kyle is the oldest of Brian and Cari Schmack’s three children. Twins Ella and Riley Schmack (South Central Class of 2023) played volleyball in high school and are bound for Valpo U.

Cari Schmack is a receptionist in a dermatologist’s office.

Kyle Schmack. (Valparaiso University Photo)

Kyle Schmack. (Valparaiso University Photo)

Brian, Kyle (MVP) and Cari Schmack and Jeff McKeon at 2019 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Madison, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)

Kyle Schmack. (Valparaiso University Photo)

Determined moundsman Coil seeks consistent improvement

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

Nolan Coil grew up in Valparaiso, Ind., with his father and brother teaching him about baseball.
Now a right-handed pitcher with two years of eligibility left at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Mich., Nolan leans on what he’s learned from father Wayne Coil (who coached him on the traveling Valpo Crusaders and Valparaiso American Legion Post 94 and is junior varsity coach at Valparaiso High School) and brother Alex Coil (who played at Valparaiso High School and is now doing play-by-play for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds) plus other lessons along the way.
“I use my knowledge to make up for other aspects that may lack in my game,” says Nolan, who recently turned 20. “My dad and brother have been huge in teaching me.
“I’m very determined. I want to get better consistently.”
Valparaiso-born Coil also played Valpo Americans Baseball (experiencing three years of all-stars in the state tournament) as well as for the Valpo Crusaders (coached by his father and Eric Jones), Indiana Breakers (coached by Scott Ellrich) and Todd Evans-led Valparaiso High School program. Nolan is a 2021 VHS graduate.
In two seasons at Calvin, Coil has pitched in 23 contests (14 out of the bullpen) with two wins, 37 strikeouts and 18 walks in 51 innings.
In 2023, he made 13 mound appearances (10 in relief) and went 1-2 with 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 23 innings while dealing with a hamstring issue.
“I definitely prefer to be a starter, but I’m definitely willing to go out there whenever the coach tells me to go out there,” says Coil. “I’m versatile in that way.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pounder launches his pitches from a three-quarter overhand arm slot.
“I definitely get extended,” says Coil, who employs a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, cutter, knuckle curveball and change-up.
By the end of the spring season, Coil was sitting at 84-87 mph with his four-seamer.
Thrown in the low 80s, his cutter looks like a fastball then has late-breaking movement.
Coil watched video of big leaguers including Phil Hughes and Dylan Cease and studied their grips and arm actions and came up with the knuckle curve which travels in the low 70s.
It’s a “circle” change that Coil throws.
“The four-seam and cutter are the best pitches,” says Coil.
The Kevin Van Duyn-coached Calvin Knights are part of the NCAA Division III Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association, which also counts Trine University in Angola, Ind., as a member.
At the D-III level, teams practice for about a month in the fall then do not work with coaches again on a daily basis until the spring season gets closer.
“We’ll all work out together,” says Coil. “We make sure we’re bigger, faster and stronger than we were in the fall.”
In the classroom, Coil is a Sport Management major and Spanish/Data Analytics minor.
Coil’s last summer with Post 94 was 2021. He played for the New York Collegiate Baseball League’s Rochester (N.Y.) Ridgemen in 2022 and is with the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s Royal Oak (Mich.) Leprechauns in 2023.
“It’s a good experience,” says Coil of the squad based in the Detroit suburbs. “In this league there aren’t a lot of Division III kids.
“It’s an opportunity to show that my talents are here to stay and deserve to be here.”
Wayne Coil and his wife and mother to Nolan and Alex — Traci Coil — are both Valparaiso Community Schools teachers. Wayne is band director at Benjamin Franklin Middle School. Traci Coil is at Heavlin Elementary.

Nolan Coil. (Calvin College Photo)

Nolan Coil. (Mike Penn Photo)

Nolan Coil. (Mike Penn Photo)

Nolan Coil at center. (Joe Territo Photo)

Nolan Coil. (Kyle Griffin Photo)

Nolan Coil. (Kyle Griffin Photo)

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

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

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

Jack Walker. (University of Toledo Photo)

Jack Walker. (University of Toledo Photo)

Jack Walker. (University of Toledo Photo)