As the Cavaliers head into National Junior College Athletic Association baseball tournament play, they have combined to whiff a school-record 530 batters in 57 games. Punch-outs have come at a rate of 10.82 per nine innings.
A good many of those whiffs have come from pitchers who hail from Indiana high schools, including team leader freshman right-hander Cole Martz (Huntington North Class of 2023) 89 plus freshman Peyton Niksch (Andrean Class of 2022) 69, freshman Jackson Peeler (Hebron Class of 2023) 43, freshman J.J. Calmes (Warren Central Class of 2023) 18, freshman Kolton Floor (North Miami Class of 2023) 13, sophomore Hunter Niksch (Andrean Class of 2021) 11, freshman Brett Cook (Andrean Class of 2023) 5 and sophomore Leroy Lepper (Heritage Class of 2022) 2.
“That record is something that we don’t really set our sights on,” says Shafer. “I honestly didn’t know were were threatening it until a few days before we broke it.
“We are really deep on the mound and most of our guys have the ability to go and got a big strikeout when we need it and that takes some pressure off our defense. That record gets broken when you have aggressive pitchers that have good stuff and that is credit to our arms and how hared they have worked.”
Kankakee (35-21-1) plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region IV tournament slated for May 16-18 at Robin Roberts Field in Madison, Wis. The Cavs’ first game is 9 a.m. Central Time today (May 16) against Madison. Black Hawk and Rock Valley are the other two teams in the field for the double-elimination event.
The Brett Neffendorf-coached Grenadiers await their NAIA Opening Round assignment.
Three teams remain in the NAIA’s Crossroads League tournament in Winterholter Field in Upland, Ind. — regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Taylor (40-14) takes on the winner of the 3 p.m. Monday, May 6 game between No. 3 Saint Francis (36-16) vs. No. 6 Marian (25-26) at 6 for the title. A second championship game called will be played if necessary in the double-elimination format.
Indiana Tech (30-22) has made the best-of-three championship series in the NAIA’s Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament at Warrior Field in Fort Wayne, Ind. Those games against Madonna are slated for 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. today (May 6) and — if necessary — Tuesday (May 7).
Kip McWilliams’ Indiana Tech team has won nine games in a row. The Warriors began the 2024 season at 0-6 and 2-16.
Regular season champion Indianapolis (34-16) is the No. 1 seed in an eight-team field. The Al Ready-coached Greyhounds play Lewis at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time/7:30 p.m. Central Time on Wednesday, May 8.
Hanover (26-14) is the No. 1 seed, followed by No. 2 Transylvania, No. 3 Rose-Hulman (23-17), No. 4 Mount St. Joseph, No. 5 Anderson (23-17) and No. 6 Franklin (20-20).
Four teams made NCAA D-III’s North Coast Athletic Conference — No. 1 seed Wittenberg, No. 2 Denison, No. 3 DePauw (23-15) and No. 4 Kenyon. The event is May 9-11 in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Through the Week of April 29-May 5, the longest win streaks among the state’s NCAA Division I teams belong to Indiana State (34-10) and Southern Indiana (22-26) at three games apiece.
Mitch Hannahs’ ISU Sycamores are 17-4 in the Missouri Valley Conference and have MVC series left against Evansville and Valparaiso to wrap the regular season plus a mid-week game against Ball State.
Tracy Archuleta’s Screaming Eagles are 11-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference and have OVC series left with Arkansas-Little Rock and Western Illinois plus mid-weeks with Evansville and Middle Tennessee State.
The junior left-hander at NAIA member St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, threw an eight-inning complete game with a career high-tying 12 strikeouts and four walks in a 14-1 win against Judson University. He had a shutout going until the seventh inning.
In eight mound outings (all starts) for the 2024 Fighting Bees, Bosse is 2-1 with a 6.00 earned run average, 53 strikeouts and 36 walks in 36 innings. Opponents are hitting .218 against him.
In his first season at St. Ambrose in 2023, he pitched 11 times (six as a starter) and was 1-0 with a 3.82 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 38 walks in 30 2/3 innings.
SAU head coach Tony Huntley and pitching coach Hunter Keim could decide to send Bosse to the bump Sunday, April 28 against visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph (the school in Whiting, Ind., has players familiar to Bosse including Jorge Santos) or save him for next week’s CCAC Tournament in Joliet, Ill.
Pitching wasn’t always the thing for Bosse.
Growing up in Crown Point, Ind.,and playing Little League and Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth ball and travel ball with Top Tier, he was an outfielder.
“I’d go in if we needed a guy,” says Bosse. “I had no real feel for how to be a pitcher.”
He went up the ladder for the Bulldogs, playing on the frosh team as a freshman, junior varsity squad as a sophomore and varsity as a junior. He could be found in left field or center field.
Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Steve Strayer leads the CPHS program.
“He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ll ever have,” says Bosse of Strayer. “He’s a great guy. He really gave me confidence.
“He helped me become a better baseball player and a better person.”
While working out for a 2020 senior season that wound up canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bosse began to get serious about pitching.
After graduation, the left-hander stuck with it.
As fits his personality, he threw himself the task of getting better at the craft.
“I’m a very fierce competitor,” says Bosse, 22. “I care a lot about what and how I’m doing. If goes beyond the game for me. I’m planning my days out around what I’m going to do to get better.
“My competitiveness and hunger to do better every day are my best qualities.”
Delivering from a high three-quarter arm slot, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bosse mixes a four-seam fastball, “circle” change-up, 12-to-6 curveball and a slider.
He has topped out at 92 mph and sits at 87 to 91 mph with his fastball. His change travels at 75 to 78, curve at 70 to 74 and slider at 76 to 79.
“I try to get more arm-side sink (with the change-up),” says Bosse. “I try to get a lot of fade to it to miss more barrels. It plays really well off my fastball.
“I do get a lot of natural run. When I pull it down, I get more back spin than side spin. I try to create a rise effect with it.”
Toeing the slab for the Steve Ruzich-coached Bulldogs, Bosse pitched in 37 games (29 as a reliever) in 2021 and 2022 and went 5-3 with 5.72 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 70 walks in 74 innings.
Pitching for the NWI Rippers in a Babe Ruth district game in the summer of 2021, Bosse struck out a record 20 batters. He faced 24 batters and gave up one hit in 6 2/3 innings. Of 106 pitches, 69 were strikes.
“I do consider myself to be a pretty high-strikeout pitcher,” says Bosse. “I do take into account how many pitches I’m using. If I can strike out a guy as fast as I can, I try to do that and really challenge him.”
Through Twitter (now X), Bosse was recruited to St. Ambrose by assistant coach Joe Vaccaro.
“I came out here for a visit, loved it and decided it was the place for me,” says Bosse. “It is a really nice place.”
A Sport Management major, Bosse expects to finish his undergraduate degree in the fall then begin masters classes. He says he plans to play 2025 might come back in 2026 as a graduate student. The pandemic plus his time in junior college has added to his eligibility clock.
Bosse’s favorite MLB team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. A recreational basketball player growing up, his favorite athlete is former Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.
“I got to see him play a couple of times when I was a kid,” says Bosse. “That’s how I grew to love Chicago.”
Jacob is the oldest of Brad and Diana Bosse’s two children. Allyson Bosse is studying Business at Indiana University South Bend.
Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (South Suburban College Photo)
Jacob Bosse.
Jacob Bosse with sister Allyson, father Brad and mother Diana.
Kyle Iwinski has been pitching a baseball since about the time he started school.
The youngest son of former Mount Carmel High School (Chicago) and South Suburban College (South Holland, Ill.) player Kevin Iwinski was on a mound at 5 or 6.
“He had some professional tryouts,” says Iwinski of his father, who has a shortstop and pitcher. “He knows what it takes for you to successful in a game and mentally how to approach the game.”
“It’s just a winning mentality,” says Iwinski of Jennings’ approach. “We won all those sectional championships in a row and he was always striving for his players to be great and doing what it takes to get to the next level.”
Like older siblings Chris Iwinski (who played football at Griffith) and Samantha Iwinski (who played volleyball at Crete-Monee High School in Illinois, Prairie State College and Brown Mackie College), Kyle was born in Blue Island, Ill. His father is from Dolton, Ill., and mother Gail Albrecht is from Riverdale, Ill.
Chris Iwinski, who is familiar with the rigors of the gridiron and also studies nutrition and performance, is another mentor for his brother.
“If I ever have a question about that I’ll go straight to him,” says Iwinski.
Now 23, Kyle Iwinski relishes the role of starting pitcher.
“It means coaches have faith in me,” says Iwinski, who is on a team with Greg Goff as head coach and Kyle Newman as pitching coach. “They trust me to start the game and get the win for the team.”
His goals?
“Getting easy outs, rollovers, fly balls,” says Iwinski. “I’m not worried about the strikeouts.
“I’m just trying to put my team in a position to win.”
The 2024 season is the last as a collegian for the 6-foot-2, 220-pound right-hander. In three mound starts (vs. Stony Brook, George Mason and Cal State Fullerton), he is 1-0 with a 6.75 earned run average, six strikeouts and two walks in 13 1/3 innings. He is expected to start again Saturday, March 9 against Albany at Purdue.
In 2023, Iwinski made 15 appearances (11 starts) for the Boilermakers and went 3-5 with a 4.54 earned run average, 39 strikeouts and 19 walks in 69 1/3 innings. He induced seven ground ball double plays — second on the team.
On March 6, Iwinski was named both the Collegiate Baseball National Pitcher of the Week and Big Ten Conference Pitcher of the Week after tossing a seven-inning one-hitter with eight strikeouts and no walks March 4 against Akron in Holly Springs, N.C.
He was Purdue’s most effective weekend starter at home since 2016, posting a 2.06 ERA and .215 batting average against in 35 innings at Alexander Field.
Prior to Purdue, Iwinski spent three seasons at Kankakee (Ill.) Community College — the 2020 COVID-19 season plus 2021 and 2022. In 22 starts, he went 13-4 with a 3.45 ERA, 152 strikeouts and 40 walks in 138 1/3 innings. His pitching coach with the Cavaliers was Bryce Shafer (who is now KCC head coach).
Iwinski was second-team National Junior College Athletic Association all-region in 2022 as the staff ace averaging 10.48 strikeouts per nine innings.
It’s the unity of baseball that appeals to Iwinski.
“It’s the camaraderie with teammates, building a family and sticking together even when times go bad,” says Iwinski. “The team we have here at Purdue I believe is a true family. No matter what goes on we’re going to stick together and fight through it.”
In summer collegiate ball, Iwinski pitched for the Northwest Indiana Oilmen in Whiting in 2019, the Beecher (Ill.) Muskies in 2020 and 2021. He was bound for the Northwoods League’s Traverse City (Mich.) Pit Spitters in 2022, but with such a large work load at Kankakee in the spring he spent the summer working out and focusing on strength and mobility. He did the same in the summer of 2023 after his first season at Purdue.
Delivering the ball from a three-quarter arm slot, Iwinski uses a four-seam fastball, sinker, change-up and slider. The four-seamer and sinker both travel around 91 to 93 mph. The sinker runs into right-handed batters. A “circle” change goes 84 to 86 mph. A slider, which is more horizontal than vertical, is generally clocked at 82 to 84 mph.
Iwinski lists endurance, physical frame and the ability to go deep into games as his best athletic qualities.
He has a routine between starts. The day after, he is running to get out the lactic acid and does a heavy lift with strength coach Tony “Ty” Webb.
“I just stay with whatever he has to say just try to push through it.”
The next day, there’s no throwing and some tempo runs to flush out more fluids.
The third day after a start typically features a moderate lift and lateral squats to activate the legs and hips.
The fourth day is a bullpen to tune up for the next start.
The fifth day features a light lift to get the nerves working.
“I was not a big weight lifter in high school or junior college,” says Iwinski, who was around 175 pounds at Griffith. He credits his genetics for the size he is now.
Interested in knowing “why people think they way they think,” Iwinski is a Sociology major. One his courses this semester is Criminology.
I’m big into Criminal Minds, The First 48 and those kinds of shows,” says Iwinski. “Maybe one day I’ll be a detective myself.”
At 24, Daylan Nanny just might be the youngest recruiting coordinator in college baseball.
Nanny, a 2017 graduate of Plainfield (Ind.) High School who hit .313 (197-of-629) in 161 games as lefty-swinging outfielder with National Junior College Athletic Association member Arizona Western College (2018) and NCAA Division I Western Carolina University (2019-21), was put in charge of talent procurement when he became a full-time assistant on the staff of Brad Neffendorf at LSU Shreveport in July.
“My paid title is recruiting coordinator,” says Nanny of his position at the institution on northwest Louisiana. “It’s one of the 392 hats I wear.
“I’m blessed. I really am. They took a chance on a young guy for a big role. The bloodline of your program is recruiting. I’ve been able to take it and run with it and be aggressive.”
Right-handed pitcher and Lawrence North High School graduate Calvin Shepherd (who pitched at the University of Illinois in 2022 and Black Hawk College in Moline, Ill., in 2023) is part of the NAIA’s No. 1 junior college recruiting class according to college baseball influencer Noah Sharp.
LSUS is 167-38 in Brad Neffendorf’s four seasons in Shreveport and went to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, in 2021 and 2022 and earned Red River Athletic Conference regular-season titles in 2022 and 2023. The RRAC has schools from Louisiana, Texas and New Mexico.
The 2023 Pilots finished 47-10 overall and 27-3 in RRAC and were ranked No. 2 in the final poll after finishing one win short of Lewiston as an Opening Round host under the brother of new Indiana University Southeast head coach Brett Neffendorf.
LSUS is ranked No. 5 in the 2024 NAIA preseason poll. One of the toughest schedules in the country awaits the Pilots with 17 of 26 opponents ranked or receiving votes.
Six of the team’s first 10 games are against Top 25 foes including an Opening Day doubleheader with No. 12 Webber International on Jan. 26.
In early February, the Pilots play preseason No. 23 Rheinhardt (Ga.) and No. 18 Mobile (Ala.).
LSUS will get what they hope is an early look at Harris Field in Lewiston with a four-game series at No. 3 Lewis-Clark State April 12-14.
Pilot Field features a turf infield and an indoor training facility.
“We’ve got a chance to do something special,” says Nanny. “Neff does a good job of making sure we’re all organized.”
The Pilots staff, which also includes two other newcomers in Robert Pickett and Zach Sanders, was to convene today (Dec. 28) after a holiday break and welcome players back Jan. 2.
Former IU Southeast head coach Ben Reel was among those who has given advice to the young coach.
“I was lucky to have so many people in my corner,” says Nanny.
“I’m excited to get down there and build relationships,” says Nanny, who has already built wide network in the baseball community. “I turn 25 in February. This is my window. I’m going to dive into this and try to make it a lifelong profession.”
Two Indiana schools and members of the Crossroads League — Taylor University and Indiana Wesleyan University — are preseason No. 9 and No. 14, respectively.
Two players from central Indiana — 2018 Ben Davis High School graduate Zyon Avery (2022 and 2023) and 2017 Indianapolis North Central High School alum Allbry Major (2022) — played at LSUS.
Nanny played against Avery at Ben Davis Little League and against Major during travel ball and then in the Cape Cod League (2019).
Prior to joining the LSUS Pilots, Nanny was a volunteer assistant specializing in recruiting and offensive player development for head coach Marc Rardin in his first season at NCAA D-I Western Kentucky University (2023).
During Nanny’s season in Bowling Green, the Hilltoppers won 33 games — a 15-win improvement from he previous season. WKU also got better in 18 different offensive categories.
Before Western Kentucky, Nanny was recruiting coordinator/hitting coach for Rob Fournier at perennial juco powerhouse Wabash Valley College in Mount Carmel, Ill.
Nanny followed Fournier to WKU when the veteran coach became a Hilltoppers assistant. Rardin and Fournier are both the the NJCAA Hall of Fame.
“I’m lucky to now have recruited at three levels,” says Nanny.
For a short time before becoming a college coach, Nanny joined buddies Kalib Clark (a 2016 Plainfield grad who played at Indiana University Kokomo and MidAmerica Nazarene University) and Cooper Trinkle (a 2017 Columbus North High School alum who played the University of Evansville, John A. Logan College, Indiana University and Saint Leo University) to form and briefly run HitClub Player Development Services.
One of Nanny’s other duties at LSUS is guiding hitters.
“Our mentality is to change the score and win pitches,” says Nanny. “We want to play the game pitch-to-pitch.
“Playing the scoreboard and the opponent is almost like a lost art.”
Nanny expects batters to produce no matter than ball-strike count.
“Our goal is to have hitters that are so comfortable within what they’re doing they don’t panic when they get to two strikes,” says Nanny. “You’ve got to take what the other team and the game is giving you.”
To do this, hitters will see many situations in practice so they are at ease in games.
It’s not always a home run or bust.
“Sometimes you hit it the other way and take your single,” says Nanny. “You don’t have to be a hero.”
Daylan Nanny (left) and Brayden Johnson at Western Kentucky University. (WKU Photo)
Daylan Nanny at Western Kentucky University. (WKU Photo)
Daylan Nanny at Western Kentucky University. (WKU Photo)
From the Summit City to the Valley of the Sun, Nolan Lebamoff enjoyed his baseball playing career.
As a right-handed pitcher he competed at what is now Wallen Complex, took to the travel ball circuit with the Summit City Sluggers at 14 and spent his prep diamond days at Carroll High School — all in Fort Wayne, Ind.
He was a varsity player for Chargers head coach Dave Ginder as a sophomore and junior.
After breaking his arm while on the mound in the summer of 2017 playing for the Todd Armstrong-coached Sluggers, the son of Andy and Deb Lebamoff went to live with uncle Tommy and aunt Alexia Lebamoff, rehabbed with Mark Sheehan (who has trained with Dr. Tom House, founder of the National Pitching Association) and graduated from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Ill., in 2018. He did not play for the Wildcats.
After a few games with the Todd Farr-coached 18U Summit City Sluggers that summer, Nolan launched into five collegiate springs and four summers.
Lebamoff credits words from Post for taking him through his college pitching career: “You don’t have to be great, you just can’t be bad. You just need to be level.”
Says Lebamoff, “You’ve rather be the guy who stays steady and consistent. I learned the mental part of baseball my freshman year and that carried me all the way through.”
“I wasn’t throwing very hard, maybe touching 83 (mph),” says Lebamoff. “But I had a really good year.”
Many conversations with Schmack involved making a mark.
“What do you want your legacy to be?,” says Lebamoff. “What do you want to be known for in life?”
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder made 81 of 82 mound appearances in relief and went 9-3 with 12 saves (including 11 in 2019), a 4.03 earned run average, 127 strikeouts and 64 walks in 116 innings.
Those are the numbers, but they are not what stick out most to Lebamoff.
“I got a lot of friendships, a lot of good experiences, a lot of good memories and incredible stories,” says Lebamoff. “I took a lot of life lessons like how to deal with adversity.”
He is to be in the wedding of former Kankakee teammate Owen Behrens in November.
“That’s what I live for — meeting people, making friends and seeing where they go in life,” says Lebamoff.
Lebamoff follows the careers of many of his summer teammates and coaches.
“It’s fun to root for them and hope they chase their dreams just as much as I did,” says Lebamoff.
That final season of summer ball with Duluth, Lebamoff made 22 bullpen appearances and went 5-1 with three saves, a 1.38 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 12 walks in 32 2/3 innings.
He finished his year at Arizona State with 25 games, a 3-0 record, 4.50 ERA, 21 strikeouts and 18 walks in 26 innings for a squad that went 32-23 overall and 16-13 in the Pac-12 Conference.
Lebamoff, who turned 24 in April, earned a Political Science degree from Valpo U. and exhausted his playing eligibility at ASU in the spring.
“I wanted to be the best college baseball player I could,” says Lebamoff. “I think I achieved that.
“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do (next). I said I’ll figure it out and something will come my way.”
After the season, Bloomquist asked Lebamoff about his plans and the former pitcher is a graduate assistant coach for Sun Devils baseball while studying at the school in Tempe, Ariz., to be a Master of Organizational Leadership.
This past summer, he combed through the Transfer Portal and watched their Synergy Sports reels while doing research on players.
He also called donors and helped get Name Image Likeness (NIL) deals for ASU players and helping them grow their brand on social media.
“When I was playing NIL money didn’t entice me,” says Lebamoff. “I just wanted to play.”
Shirts with his name and Arizona State number (37) were produced and family members purchased them.
Lebamoff is in charge of 14 ASU student managers, serving as their line of contact with the coaching staff and organizing their schedules and practice duties.
During the season, Lebamoff will help out on the field. Right now, the team is in the individual skills phase of fall practice.
“I enjoy it,” says Lebamoff. “They’re good kids. A lot of them were here last year. I already know a lot of them.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
Lebamoff has become very close with Bloomquist, who played 14 years in the big leagues and became head coach his alma mater in June of 2021.
“I love him,” says Lebamoff. “In a way, he’s like a second father to me. “As soon as I got here I fell in love with the culture he brings. He’s a fun guy to play for. He expects a lot out of you.
“He works his butt off every single day. He loves this program more than anybody else. He takes great pride in it and expects that out of every player and every coach.”
Lebamoff says Bloomquist is always willing to learn.
“He’ll always listen to you,” says Lebamoff. “I’ve never been disrespected by him as a coach, staff member or player.
“He’ll shoot you straight. I have nothing but good things to say about him. He gave me two unbelievable great opportunities. I cannot thank him enough.”
Andy Lebamoff is retired from Cap n’ Cork in Fort Wayne. Deb Lebamoff was a stay-at-home mother since Nolan was young.
Nolan has two older sisters. Olivia (Lebamoff) Miller is married and lives in Park City, Utah. Natalie Lebamoff played soccer at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger High School and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earned her Master of Business Administration and Master Sports Administration at Ohio University and now works in corporate partnerships with the Chicago Bulls.
As a starting pitcher, the right-hander has helped Evansville to a 40-31 mark heading into play Aug. 7.
The Otters are four games behind West Division leader Gateway and two behind second-place Schaumburg. The top three teams in each division make the postseason. The regular season ends Sept. 3.
Evansville last won the Frontier League championship in 2016.
So far in 2023, Gossmann has pitched in 12 games (11 starts) and is 4-2 with a 5.46 ERA, 47 strikeouts and 24 walks in 56 innings. His last appearance was Wednesday, Aug. 2.
Since turning pro in 2021, Gossmann has been in 46 games (26 starts) and is 14-15 with a 4.33 earned run average, 249 strikeouts and 92 walks in 251 1/3 innings.
Gossmann was a Frontier League all-star in 2022. In 18 starts, he went 8-6 with one complete game a 4.85 ERA, 101 strikeouts and 40 walks in 105 2/3 innings.
In his rookie campaign of 2021, he made 16 appearances (15 starts) and was 2-7 with one complete game a 4.92 ERA, 101 strikeouts and 28 walks in 89 2/3 innings.
“The thing I like about starting is the constant competitiveness,” says Gossmann, who turned 27 in April. “It’s your responsibility to bridge to the bullpen and give your team a chance to win.
“It’s a bigger role.”
Pitching every five days also allows Gossmann to develop a standard routine with bullpen, weightlifting and running sessions between starts.
All the time, Andy McCauley has been Evansville’s manager and Max Peterson the pitching coach. The Otters play in historic Bosse Field (opened in 1915).
In three seasons at Southern Indiana (2019-21), Gossmann hurled in 30 games (24 starts) and was 9-8 with one save, a 5.12 ERA, 134 strikeouts and 50 walks in 142 1/3 innings. He made Great Lakes Valley Conference all-academic teams in 2019 and 2020.
“I learned what it means to be a ballplayer and a good person from those two,” says Gossmann. “While I was at USI I grew up a lot and he was instrumental. I came in with a lot of cockiness and arrogance.
“I didn’t fully appreciate the lessons and what (Archuleta) was trying to communicate to me until after my senior year.”
With Kuester, it was back to the basics.
“I was hard-headed and I thought I knew what I was talking about,” says Gossmann. “Kuester let me do my own thing for that first year. When I came back for my next year he was a little bit more on my back about doing things the USI way.”
Gossmann, who earned a History degree with a Secondary Education minor, was a Screaming Eagles volunteer assistant pitching coach in the fall and spring of 2021-22. At the same time, he served as a pitching instructor at Next Level Academy Evansville.
Gossmann delivers his pitches from variations on a three-quarter arm slot.
His mix has included a four-seam fastball, sinker, cutter and change-up as sometimes a two-seamer and slider.
When he has had access to measurements, his four-seamer has been clocked at 89-91 mph while touching 92. With multiple 14-hour road trips that has come down to 87-89 and 91.
The sinker has run and more depth than the fastball and goes 88-90 mph.
The cutter looks like a four-seamer then breaks to the glove side.
“Sometimes it will sweep a decent amount,” says Gossmann. “My slider has evaded me this year.”
While his bullpens are not always the same, they often call for 15 pitches at 75 percent effort.
“I’m throwing all my different pitches where I want to and have a feel,” says Gossmann. (This year) every week tends to be a little bit different in terms of focus. Sometimes I’m just working on fastballs. Other times after I throw a couple fastballs I really want do dial in on the cutter.
“What has been trending negatively the last couple of weeks?”
Gossmann picked up a slider as a high school freshman and that was pretty much his best pitch for years before he added complimentary pitches to the repertoire.
“When I was a (pro) rookie I was pretty much a two-pitch pitcher,” says Gossmann. “I went to the drawing board in the off-season.”
The 5-10 and 195 Gray (now with the Minnesota Twins) and 5-11, 170 Lincecum (now retired) are similar in build to Gossmann, who has been a social media follower of Bauer (now in Japan) on the Research and Development side of pitching.
In one season at South Alabama (2018) with Mark Calvi as head coach and Bob Keller as pitching coach, Gossmann relieved in eight contests and went 0-0 with an 8.18 ERA, nine strikeouts and four walks in 11 innings.
When Keller was let go, Gossmann was cut from the squad.
“Looking back it probably was for the best,” says Gossmann. “At the time it was crushing.
“I was faced with the decision. I could hang them up or continue playing.”
USA teammates included future pros Travis Swaggerty (drafted 10th overall by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018), Brendan Donovan (now with the St. Louis Cardinals) and Dylan Hardy (who played in the Boston Red Sox system and was in the Frontier League in 2021), Zach Greene (now in the New York Yankees organization) and Michael Sandle (now in the Houston Astros system).
“Being at that level really set me up for where I’m at now,” says Gossmann. “It showed me where I needed to be if I wanted to continue playing past college.”
Gossmann was at National Junior College Athletic Association member Vincennes parts of three seasons (2015-17) with the first and last seeing him receiving a medical redshirt.
Playing for Trailblazers head coach Chris Barney, he competed in six games (five in relief) and went 0-0 with a 5.06 ERA, 14 strikeouts and 12 walks in 16 innings as a freshman in 2015.
Gossmann achieved a 4-2 record with one complete game, one save, 46 strikeouts and 18 walks in 42 1/3 innings pitched as a redshirt freshman in 2016.
He posted a 2.19 ERA with 16 strikeouts and five walks in 12 1/3 innings as a sophomore in 2017. It turns out he had a shoulder impingement and a labrum tear. He left VU with two associate degrees — History and Secondary Educuation/Teaching.
He worked in 11 games (nine in relief) for Richmond and went 1-1 with a 10.80 ERA, 29 strikeouts and 15 walks in 28 1/3 innings. All 14 of his games with Alexandria were out of the bullpen as he went 1-2 with a 2.61 ERA, 31 strikeouts and eight walks in 20 2/3 innings.
Gossmann was rehabbing from injuries in the summers of 2015 and 2017. In 2019, he was concentrating on paperwork to get more eligibility and 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic summer.
At Avon High School, Gossmann was a two-year letterwinner. He was on the freshman team throughout his freshman season of 2011. He was on the junior varsity and dressed for a few varsity games as a sophomore in 2012. He split time between varsity and JV as a junior in 2013. He was a full-time varsity player as a senior in 2014. That spring, the Orioles won the Hendricks County title.
He pitched for Sinclair College in Dayton, Ohio in 2020 — a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic. That summer he was with the Park Rangers in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind.
When the Sinclair Tartans program guided by Steve Dintaman shut down Parenteau transferred to National Junior College Athletic Association member Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., and pitched for the Jon Goebel-coached Cobras in 2021 (posting a 1.94 ERA with 74 K’s in 46 1/3 innings and landing on the all-Mid-West Athletic Conference and NJCAA all-academic first teams) then took the mound for Ole Miss in 2022 and 2023.
Parenteau pitched eight times out of the bullpen through April 14 and the Mike Bianco-coached Rebels went on to win the 2022 College World Series.
The tall righty threw 49 in-game pitches for Ole Miss this past season. He got into games twice in February and twice in March. His last appearance for the Rebels was March 12, 2023 against Purdue. He underwent Tommy John reconstructive elbow surgery shortly after that and is now about two weeks away from being able to throw again.
In 26 collegiate games — 14 at the NJCAA level (11 starts) and 12 at NCAA Division I (all in relief) — he is 7-2 with one save, 94 strikeouts and 33 walks in 62 innings.
Parenteau says his role at ISU will be up to his coaches and his progress in building back up after surgery.
Indiana State — with Mitch Hannahs as head coach and Justin Hancock as pitching coach — is coming off a 2023 season in which the Terre Haute-based Sycamores went 45-17 overall, 24-3 in the Missouri Valley Conference and advanced to the Fort Worth Super Regional.
Parenteau is 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds and delivers his pitches from a high three-quarter arm slot.
He throws a four-seam fastball, curveball and slider and hopes to add a change-up to his arsenal.
Pre-surgery, his four-seamer was clocked at 91 to 94 mph. His curve is of the “11 to 7” variety. It’s a traditional slider than Parenteau uses — not a sweeper.
“I’ve always had a strong arm growing up,” says Parenteau. “I worked hard and was a good teammate.
“I’ve always been tall. That’s always helped.”
One of his favorite big leaguers is 6-foot-8 Tampa Bay Rays right-hander Tyler Glasnow.
“He’s similar guy to me,” says Parenteau.
Born in Indianapolis, Parenteau grew up in Carmel, Ind. He played rec and travel ball through Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church and School until high school then for the Circle City Hoosiers and Indiana Lumber Kings — the last summer being 2019.
He was a baseball and basketball player at Guerin Catholic.
On the diamond, his varsity head coach was Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Rich Andriole.
“He was awesome,” says Parenteau. “He was fun to play for. He was a really good coach.
On the hardwood, Parenteau had two head coaches — Pete Smith (who brought state championships to the Golden Eagles in 2012 and 2015) then Bobby Allen.
“Playing basketball adds another aspect of athleticism that colleges coaches like to see,” says Parenteau. “Coach Smith taught the game really well.
“Bobby Allen is a lot younger and brought a different style to the program. I really enjoyed playing for both of them.”
As a baseball senior, Parenteau posted a 1.90 earned run average with 73 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings and was named all-Circle City Conference and all-Hamilton County.
Parenteau earned a General Business degree at Mississippi in the spring. He is unsure what is academic pursuit will be at Indiana State.
Matt is the oldest child of Bob and Andrea Parenteau. He is in ticket sales with the Indianapolis Colts. She is a nurse. Both were swimmers at Ball State University. Uncles Jon and Dan Parenteau swam at Ohio University and the University of Connecticut, respectively.
Siblings of Matt include brothers Jack and Will and sisters Ally and Anna. Former prep basketballer Jack Parenteau (Guerin Catholic Class of 2021) nows attends Purdue University. Will Parenteau (Guerin Catholic Class of 2025) is a basketball player and golfer.
Dawson Willis is spending his summer a long way from home.
About 900 miles.
The Louisiana teenager came to Indiana to play baseball and he has been shining with the Elkhart County Miracle in that team’s first year in the wood-bat Northern League — a six-team loop blending amateurs and professionals.
Willis, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound shortstop who turned 19 in April and finished his freshmen season at National Junior College Athletic Association member Louisiana State University-Eunice in May, has been among the NL leaders in many categories in 2023.
With his batting eye and athleticism, the 2022 graduate of Ruston (La.) High School has drawn the interest of Major League Baseball scouts.
He earned the right to play in the league’s all-star game at Oil City in Whiting, Ind., on July 18 (joined by Elkhart County teammates Conor Gausselin, Bryce Lesher, Bryce Miller and Jaden Miller) and was announced as NL Player of the Week that same day.
Through 45 games, the righty-swinging Willis was hitting .324 (55-of-170) with one home run (July 16 at Indiana Panthers), six triples, 14 doubles, 27 runs batted in, 39 runs scored, a .926 OPS (.432 on-base percentage plus .494 slugging average) and 27 stolen bases (in 32 attempts).
Willis, who is usually in the No. 2 or No. 3 spot in the Miracle batting order, paces the circuit in hits, triples, runs, slugging percentage, stolen bases, total bases (83) and defensive assists (120) and is second in games, at-bats, doubles, plate appearances (206) and double plays (20). Elkhart County recently turned a 5-4-3 triple play with the bases loaded but Willis was not involved in that.
“You get to see a lot of at-bats at the top of the order,” says Willis. “I get to see the pitcher and let my teammates know what he’s like.
“I’m just looking for a barrel on the fastball and adjust to the off-speed and shoot the ball from gap to gap.”
Patrick Gelwicks, who was a standout first baseman/outfielder at Butler University in Indianapolis 2010-13 and now an LSU-Eunice assistant coach, helped connect Business major Willis with Evan Sharpley who coordinates talent for Miracle owner/50-year broadcaster Craig Wallin. The led to the youngster’s opportunity to play for Elkhart County manager/baseball lifer Wilson Valera.
“He’s taught me how to hunt for a fastball,” says Willis of Valera.
Why does Willis prefer to play shortstop?
“Most of the time you’re getting some action,” says Willis. “I like to beat the ball to the position and make a strong, accurate throw.”
“I like the way he plays the game,” says Willis of the Kansas City Royals shortstop/third baseman.
The top four teams make the Northern League playoffs. At present, the Lake County CornDogs (29-12), Northwest Indiana Oilmen (26-20), Southland Vikings (25-20) and Indiana Panthers (22-25) are in and the Elkhart County Miracle (19-29) and Griffith Generals (15-30) are on the outside looking in.
Elkhart County has three more away games scheduled before wrapping the regular season with three home contests Aug. 1-3 at NorthWood High School’s Field of Dreams Complex in Nappanee.
With no overnight stays, NL teams travel back and forth across the Eastern and Central time zones.
A typical gameday with the Miracle (the only Eastern team) sees Willis rise at the Elkhart home of host family Ron and Julia Sherck, go to the gym for a workout followed by batting practice at a local high school with a teammate.
He meets the team bus around 4 p.m., gets to the opposing field about 6, plays the game and gets back to Elkhart around 1 a.m.
As for his actual family, Dawson is the middle child of Chris and Mandy Willis. They have been working and unable to come to see their son play this summer though games have been available online. Christopher is Dawson’s older brother. Kennedy is his younger sister.
After his days with the Ruston Bearcats as a football and baseball player, Willis spent the summer of 2022 with the Dingoes of the Northern Louisiana Collegiate League in Shreveport, La., before heading going more than three hours to play for the Bengals of LSU-Eunice where Jeff Willis — no relation — is the head baseball coach and athletic director.
Ruston is the home of Louisiana Tech University.
Last August, Dawson showed off his speed when he was clocked in 6.6 seconds for the 60-yard dash.
In the spring of 2023, Willis played in 52 games (49 starts) and hit .341 (59-of-173) with six homers, one triple, 11 doubles, 42 RBIs, 65 runs, .985 OPS (.465/.520) and 29 steals (in 38 attempts).
Dawson Willis at the 2023 Northern League All-Star Game in Whiting, Ind. (Elkhart County Miracle Photo)
Elkhart County Miracle players at the 2023 Northern League All-Star Game in Whiting, Ind., are (from left): Conor Gausselin, Dawson Willis, Bryce Lesher, Jaden Miller and Bryce Miller. (Northern League Photo)
East players in the 2023 Northern League All-Star Game in Whiting, Ind., including Elkhart County Miracles Conor Gausselin, Dawson Willis, Bryce Lesher, Jaden Miller and Bryce Miller in red. (Northern League Photo)
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.
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.
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.
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