Tag Archives: Pitcher

After years away, lefty Nemtuda gets back on mound in 2023

May 25, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

Tyler Nemtuda did not get to pitch in a competitive baseball game for three years.
He got the chance to get back in the game in 2023 and he made the most of it.
A left-hander and 2020 graduate of Portage (Ind.) High School, Nemtuda lost his senior season with the Indians to the COVID-19 pandemic.
While competing in a travel-ball PBR Future Games event at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., Nemtuda attracted the attention of coaches at Florence-Darlington Technical College — a junior college in Florence, S.C. He went for a visit and decided to become a Flo-Dar Stinger.
But a car accident about a year into school caused him to drop all his classes and miss out on the 2021 baseball season.
Just before the 2022 slate, Nemtuda dislocated his left knee cap. He had surgery and missed that campaign as well.
“I had a pretty rough two years,” says Nemtuda.
He began running and throwing last July. With his knee on the mend, he got to play for the first time since his junior year at Portage.
This spring, the southpaw played for head coach head coach Preston McDonald, pitching coach Jeremy McDonald (not relation to Preston) and assistant pitching coach Ryan Smith and made 18 mound appearances (16 in relief), going 3-1
with two saves, a 3.77 earned run average, 32 strikeouts and 15 walks in 28 2/3 innings.
“They told us to work hard, never give up and do your best every time you go out there,” says Nemtuda of his Flo-Dar coaches. “We learned a lot, made a lot of friends and had a good time.”
Throwing from an arm slot between three-quarter overhand and sidearm, the lefty uses a two-seam fastball, slider and change-up.
The two-seamer can move into or away a hitter on either side of the plate and sits at 87 to 89 mph and has topped out at 90.
“That’s like my best pitch right now,” says Nemtuda. “I have a lot of arm-side run and then it will sometimes cut into righties, too. I get a lot of ground balls.
He also gets plenty of swings and misses with the fastball when he puts it inside or up in the strike zone.
The slider moves to left to right, landing on the back foot of a right-handed hitter.
His change-up is a three-finger splitter with the ring and pointer fingers placed outside of his two-seam grip.
Nemtuda earned an associate degree in Arts at Florence-Darlington and is committed to join the Bearcats of NCAA Division II Lander University in Greenwood, S.C., in the fall while studying Business Administration.
Jason Burke is Lander’s head coach. Alex Moore is pitching coach. The Bearcats are Peach Belt Conference members.
Baseball and school keep him busy, but when he has time Nemtuda enjoys fishing. He tends to go for brown trout, steelhead and bass at home and bass in South Carolina.
Tyler was born in Chesterton, Ind., and and attended school there until moving to nearby Portage after his freshman year as his father went there for a basketball coaching job.
Father Bob Nemtuda is now a Physical Education teacher at Liberty Elementary School in Chesterton. Mother Tracy Nemtuda is nurse for Ambiomed. Older sister Taylor Nemtuda was involved in cross country, tennis and some basketball at Chesterton.
Tyler played baseball at what is now Liberty Rec Babe Ruth and State Park Little League — both in Chesterton — and then went into travel ball with the Chesterton-based Duneland Flyers, Illinois-based Elite Baseball and the Indiana Bulls.
He was on the Chesterton High School junior varsity as a freshman and the Portage varsity as a sophomore and junior. He played first base and right field when not pitching. His coaches were Bob Dixon and John Selman.
“They were just great coaches that would help you with anything,” says Nemtuda. “I lift a lot. They’d always open the gym and weight room for me, which was awesome.
“I still talk to them to this day.”
Former Portage head coach Doug Nelson has also given facilities access to Nemtuda.
This summer, Nemtuda is with the Northern League’s Northwest Indiana Oilmen. The Adam Enright-managed team is to open its season today (May 25) at Lake County (Crown Point, Ind.) with the home opener at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind., June 7.

Tyler Nemtuda. (Florence-Darlington Tech Photo)

College

Competition continues to drive right-hander Dillon

May 17, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Michael Dillon thrives on the big moment.
He is the one that wants the baseball in his hand while standing in the middle of the diamond with the game on the line.
A right-handed pitcher, Dillon has fed his fire the past two springs as the closer at Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“They put me in that role mainly because I like to compete,” says Dillon. “I can’t slip up and I have to be in-control.
“They saw that in me when I stepped on-campus.”
A 2019 graduate of Hamilton Southeastern High School in Fishers, Ind., Dillon hurled the first four innings of the championship game as the Royals won the Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title his senior season.
The Hamilton County Player of the Year and first-team all-Hoosier Crossroads Conference performer went 9-1 with 79 strikeouts in 63 1/3 innings and was chosen for the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in Madison.
A varsity player from sophomore year on, Dillon was on team’s led by Scott Henson and Jeremy Sassanella (as a senior).
Dillon got to compete with and against older HSE Henson-coached talent, including Class of 2018’s Sam Bachman (now in the Los Angeles Angels system) and Carter Lohman (who pitched at the University of Louisville) and 2016’s Matt Gorski (now in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization) and Andrew Bohm (who pitched at Purdue University).
“Coach Sassanella had a style of coaching where we knew he loved us and he was going to battle for us,” says Dillon. “He was able to push us but also let us (as seniors) take the ship as far as we wanted to go.”
Among Dillon’s classmates was Tyler Schweitzer (now in the minors with the Chicago White Sox) and Jack Dewolf.
“We just loved to compete,” says Dillon. “We had that teammate-brotherhood rivalry.”
Dillon began his college career at Xavier University in Cincinnati, playing for Musketeers head coach Billy O’Conner.
“I really enjoyed it there,” says Dillon. “Xavier plays one of the toughest schedules in the country. I wanted to compete against the best.”
The pitcher did not get into action in 2020 — a season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. He was going to play in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., but got COVID and never got back into it.
He has trained at PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind., every winter in high school and some beyond.
In 2021, he made 14 mound appearances (all in relief) and was 0-0 with one save, a 3.10 earned run average, 21 strikeouts and 18 walks in 20 1/3 innings.
After the season, Dillon began exploring other opportunities and went into the Transfer Portal.
That summer he was going to play in the CSL, but decided to focus on his next stop while working at Pro-X Athlete Development in Westfield with Jay Lehr.
Lehr played baseball and football at Carmel (Ind.) High School with John Dillon — Michael’s father — and is a close family friend.
“He helped me a ton with mechanics and just getting my arm back on-time,” says Michael Dillon of Lehr.
After viewing Dillon’s video on Twitter, the Nova Southeastern coaching staff — led by Laz Gutierrez — reached out and he wound up with the NCAA Division II Sharks.
“The Sunshine State Conference is no joke,” says Dillon, who turned 22 in February. “There’s a ton of stars in this league to play with and against and the location is hard to beat.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time here and that’s why I’m coming back for that fifth year.”
In his first campaign at NSU (2022), Dillon made 21 trips to the bump (all in relief) and was 1-1 with 14 saves, a 1.73 ERA, 22 strikeouts and six walks in 26 innings for a team that went 36-17 overall, 17-13 in the SSC and competed in the NCAA D-II South Regional.
In the summer of 2022, Dillon joined the California Collegiate League’s Orange County Riptide (Irvine, Calif.).
This spring, Dillon — fighting through elbow fatigue — made 15 appearances (14 in relief with one mid-week start) and was 2-2 with five saves, 4.95 ERA, 18 strikeouts and 12 walks and 20 innings.
The Sharks went 26-23 overall and 15-15 in the conference.
“Last year started out hot,” says Dillon of a squad that began 17-0 and ranked No. 1 in the country. “This year we were hit by injuries and other things.
“Every returning guy is hungrier now.”
His summer of 2023 plans as of now do not call for playing in games. “This summer I’ll be lifting and getting my body right,” says Dillon. “I’m going to perfect my change-up.”
He plans to stay in Fort Lauderdale and is taking summer classes to complete his Entrepreneurship degree.
“I’d like to be my own boss someday,” says Dillon.
In the fall, he begins work on a graduate certificate program while getting ready for the 2024 season.
Will he close or start?
“It depends on what our team needs,” says Dillon. “I’m into filling any role.”
Dillon, who is 6-foot and 180 pounds, keeps hitters off-balance with his breaking ball command. He employs a four-seam fastball, two-seam fastball, slider, curveball and change-up. The former middle infielder delivers from a high three-quarter arm slot.
His four-seamer has been clocked at Nova Southeastern at 88 to 91 mph.
He “grew to love” his two-seamer this spring — a pitch that usually travels 87 to 89 mph.
Since about third grade, Dillon’s put-away pitch has been his slider.
“I can throw it in any count,” says Dillon. “It’s more of slurve. When mine’s on it has really late, sharp break (at 79 to 82 mph). I like to land it and throw a sharper one later in the count. I usually get my swing-and-misses on those.
“I use the curve to change the eyes of the hitters.”
Born in Carmel, Dillon spent his younger years between Carmel, Fishers and Louisville before landing back in Fishers.
He was in rec ball with the Fisher HSE Cats and was coached by his father from third grade until high school. He then played for the Indiana Prospects and the last two summers of travel ball for the Midwest Astros.
John and Kelly Dillon have three children — Michael, Hannah and Brooke. John Dillon is in medical sale. Kelly Dillon is a project manager. Hannah Dillon is in medical school at Indiana University. Brooke Dillon (Hamilton Southeastern Class of 2023) is headed to Florida Atlantic University in the fall. Both girls played volleyball at HSE.

Michael Dillon pitches for Xavier U. in 2021.

Michael Dillon. (Nova Southeastern University Photo)

Michael Dillon. (Xavier University Photo)

Michael Dillon. (Orange County Riptide Photo)

2019 IHSAA Class 4A state champions — Hamilton Southeastern.

College

Shirk enjoys success in Wright State starting rotation

May 12, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Jake Shirk has performed well enough on the mound to earn Horizon League Pitcher of the Week honors three times.
Two of those came during the 2023 season and the other occasion was in 2022.
Shirk, a junior right-hander for Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, has made 11 appearances this spring (all starts) and is 4-4 with a 4.52 earned run average, 59 strikeouts and 13 walks in 69 2/3 innings. His WHIP (walks and hits per inning) is 1.21 and opponents are hitting .254 against him.
Fort Wayne, Ind., native Shirk is scheduled to start in Game 2 of a three-game Horizon League home series Saturday, May 13 against Milwaukee.
In his previous start for the “Raider Gang” on May 6, he worked seven innings and gave up five hits with five strikeouts and no walks in a no-decision against Northern Kentucky.
The start before that, Shirk fanned 14 batters with no walks in an April 29 win at Oakland. He whiffed nine in an April 22 outing at Purdue Fort Wayne.
For his college career, Shirk hurled in 39 games (27 as a starter) and is 17-9 with a 4.66 ERA, 135 strikeouts and 39 walks in 172 innings.
He prefers the starting role.
“The best thing is to just get a good routine going,” says Shirk. “You have your start day and you can plan the rest of the week for your recovery and what days you want to get in heavy lifts.
“It’s just easier getting your body feeling better week-to-week getting ready for the next start.”
Shirk, who is 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds and turns 21 on June 5, throws a four-seam fastball, sinker, slider and change-up from a three-quarter overhand arm angle.
His sinker has arm-side run and drop and is clocked around 90 mph.
The four-seamer sits at 92 to 93 mph and has hit 94. He describes his slider as a “slurve” — a slider and curve mix — that tends to travel 82 to 84 mph.
Shirk considers his change-up — with its horizontal run, drop and spin — to be his best pitch. He admires the “Airbender” thrown by Milwaukee Brewers closer Devin Williams.
The best qualities of Shirk the athlete?
“I’m a pretty good teammate,” says Shirk. “I just like to have fun at the field and try to get better every day.”
“At the college level it’s good to get close with the freshmen and the newer guys in the program because if you get them more involved the program is going to be stronger as a whole.”
Going into the weekend, Wright State is 31-18 overall and 18-6 in the HL. The Raiders are No. 70 in the current NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings.
“You just pick your teammates up,” says Shirk. “Not everybody’s going to have their best day. Help them bounce back for the next opportunity.”
Alex Sogard, 35, is in his fifth season as Wright State’s head coach.
“Sogard’s a great coach,” says Shirk. “He’s a big reason why I came to this program. He and (assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Nate) Metzger do a great job of keeping us close-knit.
“The atmosphere’s pretty good here.”
Shirk sees a straight shooter in Sogard.
“He’ll be honest with you and he’ll pick you up if you don’t have your best day,” says Shirk. “He’ll tell you like it is and that’s what I like about him.”
Metzger infuses his knowledge and keeps things loose by cracking jokes.
“He’s a great guy to have around,” says Shirk.
Volunteer assistant Derek Hendrixson and Director of Pitching Development Keegan Burney work together to help the mound staff.
“It’s mostly with the mental side of the game,” says Shirk. “They help me stay locked-in week to week.
“Trusting and believing in yourself in over half the battle.”
Diamyn Hall was the first full-time mental skills coach at the D-I level and served at Wright State 2017-19. He is now a Leadership Coach in the Athletic & Personal Development Department at IMG Academy Bradenton, Fla.
“I think they still incorporate some of the things he liked in the program today,” says Shirk.
While he has not yet received his contract, Shirk is supposed to pitch for the Cape Cod League’s Orleans Firebirds this summer. He took off the summer of 2022 to give his arm a break after logging 86 innings in the spring. Shirk was in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in both 2020 and 2021.
“That was very beneficial for me,” says Shirk of facing college hitters in 2020 even before he went to Wright State.
Born in Fort Wayne, Shirk was at what is now Wallen Baseball and Softball and played travel ball for the Greg Shirk-coached Wallen Wolfpack, Fort Wayne Diamondbacks and P.J. Fauquher-coached Indiana Prospects.
A 2020 graduate of Carroll High School in Fort Wayne, where the Chargers were led by Dave Ginder.
“It’s been a pretty successful program,” says Shirk, who was on the junior varsity squad as a freshman, played varsity as a sophomore and junior and had his senior season canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Shirk is a Finance major at Wright State.
He is the son of Greg Shirk and Shaun Hart.
“My dad has been a big mentor to me,” says Jake. “He gives me a couple of phone calls a week getting me ready for each start. He’s been a big help to my success so far in career.
“My mom is very supportive. She helps me with school and makes sure I’m comfortable and happy.”
Older brother Jared Shirk (Carroll Class of 2018) played high school baseball. Sister Reagan Hart is an eighth grader.

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Image)

Jake Shirk. (Wright State University Photo)

Pro

Ernst begins pro baseball experience with Tri-City ValleyCats

May 11, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Aaron Ernst is experiencing professional baseball for the first time.
The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher from Carmel, Ind., reported two weeks ago to the Tri-City ValleyCats — a Frontier League team in Troy, N.Y. The MLB partner league club is to begin the 2023 regular season Friday, May 12 at home against Trois-Rivieres.
Ernst also received an invitation from the Evansville (Ind.) Otters in the same league, but decided to go to New York on the recommendation of friends who had played in Tri-City for manager Pete Incaviglia.
“Pete’s a good guy,” says Ernst of the former big league slugger. “He’s a players’ coach.”
Ernst, who is classified as Rookie-1 by Frontier League eligibility rules, also works with ValleyCats pitching coach Brooks Carey, a former pro pitcher with plenty of managing and coaching on his resume.’ He was pitching coach at Evansville in 2012.
“He’s a great guy, too,” sats Ernst. “I enjoy the coaches, the team and everything about it.”
So how did Ernst get to this point?
After two seasons of not playing while recuperating from Tommy John surgery (Ulnar Lateral Ligament reconstruction), Ernst pitched in 2022 at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.
“I started off the year well and got banged up a little bit,” says Ernst.
The righty was the Opening Day starter for the Alex Sogard-coached Raiders and made 10 mound appearances (five starts) and went 1-1 with an 8.41 earned run average, 30 strikeouts and 19 walks in 20 1/3 innings while also making the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll.
Ernst graduated with a Business degree concentrating on Marketing and is well on his way toward getting a Masters of Business Administration.
His first two college seasons (2018 and 2019) were spent at the University of Dayton, where he made 23 appearances (15 starts) and was 4-11 with a 5.48 ERA, 70 strikeouts and 41 walks in 88 2/3 innings. He was named to the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Freshman Team in 2018.
In the summers after those two seasons at Dayton, Ernst went with the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s Richmond (Ind.) Jazz in 2018 and New England Collegiate League’s Upper Valley (Vt.) Nighthawks in 2019. He did not play in the summer of 2022.
Ernst transferred to Wright State in 2020 and was required to sit out what turned out to be a season shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While working out at home during quarantine, he tore his UCL and was soon on the operating table and unable to pitch in 2021.
His pro career looks to begin with Ernst as a bullpen arm.
“I’m definitely a reliever right now,” says Ernst. “But I’m open to whatever I’m asked to do.”
Throwing from an over-the-top arm slot, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Ernst employs a four-seam fastball, change-up, slider and curveball.
In recent weeks, his four-seamer has been regular-clocked between 92 to 95 mph and sometimes touching 96.
Not quite a “circle” change, that pitch drops.
When it’s right the slider is in the low to mid-80s and has late and sharp break.
The curve is at 80 mph or below with late 12-to-6 movement.
When Ernst is Indiana during the off-season, he works out at Pro-X Athlete Development in Westfield and gets pointers from Jay Lehr.
When in Dayton, Ernst gives lessons and trains at Pauer Sports Performance.
Growing up in Carmel, Ernst was with the Carmel Dads Club, Carmel Pups and Indiana Bulls in his early years. He then went with the Indiana Aces (Lehr’s organization) and played on a team coached by Brad Pearson.
Ernst went back to the Indiana Bulls for his 17U summer and played for Sean Laird. He was with the Jay Hundley-coached 18U Indiana Blue Jays before heading to the Jayson King-coached Dayton Flyers.
A 2017 graduate of Carmel High School, Ernst’s head coach as a senior was Matt Buczkowski. Before that is was Dan Roman.
Aaron is the second of two boys born to Allen and Carmen Ernst. Allen is a salesman. Carmen is in health care. Older brother Addison Ernst is a Purdue University graduate and an engineer in the Grand Rapids, Mich., area.

Aaron Ernst. (Tri-City ValleyCats Photo)

Aaron Ernst. (Wright State University Photo)

Pro

Stutsman makes his way back to mound with Schaumburg Boomers

May 9, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Dylan Stutsman worked with those who stand on the mound the past two baseball seasons.
This season, he’ll do the same while also taking his turn toeing the rubber.
A graduate of Bloomington (Ind.) High School North (2014) and the University of Indianapolis (2018 with a Business Management degree), Stutsman (pronounced Stoots-Man) pitched for the Schaumburg (Ill.) Boomers in 2018 and 2019, getting into 69 games (68 in relief) and going 7-5 with a 3.93 earned run average. In 100 2/3 innings, he struck out 111 and walked 32.
“I go into at-bats trying to strike guys out,” says Stutsman. “Some guys don’t do that. The way I see it if I’m trying to strike someone out and I don’t put the ball in the exact place that I want it for a strikeout, the odds of getting weak contact is very high.
“I used to be a strikeout pitcher. Who knows now? I guess we’ll see this year.”
The 2020 season was suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stutsman hurt himself in spring training of 2021 and underwent Tommy John surgery that year. After that came a procedure to clean up scar tissue in his right elbow.
While he went through rehabilitation, Schaumburg manager Jamie Bennett, who pitched in Indiana for the DuBois County Dragons and Gary SouthShore RailCats and became Schaumburg skipper in 2011, offered Stutsman a role as bullpen coach.
“He’s the best manager I’ve seen and I’ve seen quite a few in my days,” says Stutsman of Bennett. “He’s incredibly smart about the game and how he manages his team.
“He doesn’t take the game too seriously. He keeps a great clubhouse environment. He knows its a long season. The camaraderie rubs off on the players.”
In 2022 came an opening at pitching coach and Stutsman was offered the job with the team in the Frontier League (an MLB partner league) and he will be that again in 2023.
All the while he’s kept working at getting back to pitching himself.
“Here I am now,” says Stutsman, 27. “It’s been a long journey.”
Schaumburg’s season opener is Thursday, May 11 at the Windy City ThunderBolts. The Boomers’ home opener is slated for Friday, May 19.
In four seasons at UIndy (2015-18), Stutsman made 85 mound appearances (81 in relief) and went 13-5 with 32 saves, a 3.13 ERA, 134 strikeouts and 34 walks in 141 innings.
The difference between NCAA D-II and pro ball?
“A lot of it has to do with hitters,” says Stutsman. “You’re facing the best of the best (at the pro level). It’s the discipline of the hitters. You’re not getting swings and misses on certain pitches that you would at the college level.”
With the Boomers, Stutsman has faced former big leaguers and Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft first-rounders.
“You can’t make a lot of mistakes with these guys,” says Stutsman.
“Jamie wants you to give 100 percent every pitch. Once you’re tired and it looks like your pitches are starting to fall off a little bit he’s has good timing taking guys out and getting someone else in there.”
Throwing from a three-quarter overhand arm slot, Stutsman employs a four-seam fastball (which was clocked at 91 to 93 mph pre-surgery and has been 90 to 92 during 2023 spring training), slider (which moves side-to-side) and change-up (which drops).
Frontier League eligibility rules dictate that so many players are allowed per team classified as rookies, experienced or veterans. Stutsman is Experienced-1.
Born and raised in Bloomington, Stutsman participated in rec ball until high school and then played for a travel team made up mostly of classmates.
Stutsman’s head coach with the Bloomington North Cougars was Richard Hurt.
“I love the guy,” says Stutsman. “He was a great coach. He was hard on you when he needed to be.
“I was very reserved in high school. He understood that. He really brought out the best in his players.”
Statesman says Hurt would “win a game by any means necessary whether it’s stealing bases or small ball. He usually has some pretty solid pitchers. He knows how to win baseball games. That’s for sure.”
Stutsman was part of a large senior class and Hurt used those players as examples for the younger players.
“It was a really great environment,” says Stutsman, who still stays in-touch with Hurt.
After attending a camp at UIndy, Stutsman went to play for the Gary Vaught-coached Greyhounds.
“He was hard on you,” says Stutsman of Vaught, whose last season at the school was 2018. “A lot of people compared him to (fiery former Indiana University basketball coach) Bob Knight. He was firm. A lot of guys can handle it and a lot of guys can’t.
“You to listen to listen to what he’s saying and not how he’s saying it to you. He’s a great coach. He’s got his mind set on winning games. It was a great experience.”
As his college career progressed, Stutsman became a leader, taking younger players under his wing.
“I had a lot of older guys I looked up to when I was a freshman so I stepped into that role when they left,” says Stutsman.
In the off-season, Dylan spends his time in Bloomington, working out and helping his parents — Steve and Bibbiana Stutsman — who own and operate the Artists Colony Inn & Restaurant in Nashville, Ind. Older sister Samantha Stutsman lives in Bloomington and works for the Indiana University Alumni Association.

Dylan Stutsman. (Schaumburg Boomers Photo)

College

McIntosh taking advantage of two-way opportunities at Alabama State

May 4, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

When Kyler McIntosh followed his brother’s foot steps and went from Columbus, Ind., to Alabama State University baseball it was with the idea he would be a pitcher-only.
Hunter McIntosh, who had been a four-time all-area selection, three-time team captain and two-time team MVP at Columbus North High School (Class of 2012), pitched three seasons for the Hornets (2014-16) and went 14-6 with two saves, a 3.93 earned run average and 152 strikeouts and 69 walks in 151 innings.
Like his brother, Kyler McIntosh was honored as the Baseball Player of the Year for The Republic, the Columbus newspaper.
Righty thrower/swinger Kyler went 8-1 with 1.68 ERA, 60 strikeouts and eight walks in 62 2/3 innings while also hitting .394 with four home runs, five triples, 39 runs batted in and 29 runs scored in his senior season at Columbus North (2021), made the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series as a pitcher and headed for a mound in Montgomery, Ala.
Then McIntosh had a conversation with Alabama State head coach Jose’ Vazquez and his staff.
“I had them watch me swing a little bit and take some ground balls,” says McIntosh. “I was really mainly a pitcher — definitely freshman year — but I had the chance to earn my spot in the lineup.”
In 2022, McIntosh pitched in 17 games (nine starts) and played in 41. He went 4-4 with one save, a 5.78 ERA, 64 strikeouts and 17 walks in 67 innings while also hitting .384 (38-of-99) with three homers, two triples, nine doubles, 22 RBIs and 20 runs. The Hornets went 34-25 overall and 21-8 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference and ended the season in the NCAA D-I Knoxville Regional.
This spring, McIntosh has been Alabama State’s starting shortstop when he’s not pitching.
He’s been in 42 games for the Hornets (30-15, 18-3). He is hitting .301 (46-of-153) with four homers, two triples, 10 doubles, 28 RBIs, 38 runs and an .840 OPS (.369 on-base percentage plus .471 slugging average).
On the mound, McIntosh has 11 appearances (eight starts) and is 3-3 with a 5.16 ERA, 35 strikeouts and six walks in 45 1/3 innings.
With all the throwing his does from the bump and in the infield, arm care of McIntosh includes plenty of weighted ball work.
“I get treatment all the time,” says McIntosh. “A couple of days after I pitch I get it scraped out and rubbed out and everything. I just do a lot of recovery. I drink a lot of water.”
McIntosh does not throw bullpens between starts — like many pitchers do.
When it looks like he might be used in relief, he throws flat ground pitches to a teammate instead of taking ground balls between innings.
“I don’t throw off a mound in the bullpen, I just get eight (warm-up) pitches,” says McIntosh. “I have two totally different mindsets when I pitch or play short.
“When I play short, it’s about having fun and keeping my team engaged and locked-in. I’m kind of psycho when I pitch. He flip a switch pretty quickly and focus on keeping me locked-in.”
Not a high-octane hurler (his top velocity is 87 to 89 mph), McIntosh employs a wide variety of pitches — sinker, slider, curveball, change-up and cutter — mostly from a three-quarter arm slot.
“I’ve learned to command them so I don’t get beat up too bad on the mound,” says McIntosh, who works this season with first-year pitching coach Branch Kloess.
Of late, McIntosh has been in the No. 2 hole in the Alabama State batting order. He explains his offensive approach.
“As a freshman, I knew (pitchers) were going to attack me,” says McIntosh. “I went up there and hunted the fastball. The first fastball I got I tried to smash it. This year is kind of the same, but they have a scouting report on me. I get pitched a lot differently then I did last year. If I do get a fastball I try to jump on it. This year it’s thinking fastball and adjusting to off-speed.
“If I see a hanging breaking ball I know I have to go after it.”
McIntosh cherishes his time with Puerto Rico native Vazquez.
“I’ve learned so much Spanish,” says McIntosh. “Playing for him is so enjoyable. I enjoy the coaching staff. It’s definitely fun when we’re winning and we’re doing a good job of that right now.”
Currently on a three-game win streak, Alabama State has three more conference series and two mid-week games prior to the SWAC Championship May 24-28 in Atlanta.
Kyler has a number of mentors. Besides his father, there’s father Dennis, Will Nelson (Hunter’s best friend and the owner of Tipton Lakes Athletic Club in Columbus) and Devin Mann (a Columbus North teammate of Hunter McIntosh who is now at Triple-A with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization).
“My dad is consistently on my butt to keep working hard,” says McIntosh. “My mother (Lani) definitely keeps me in-line. When I need something I go to her and she helps me out.”
McIntosh works out and takes lessons from Mann in the off-season.
Born in Seymour, Ind., McIntosh grew up in Columbus. He played rec ball in town and a CERA Sports Park & Campground — aka CERALand — then travel ball with the Indiana Bulls, Indiana Outlaws (which became the Canes Midwest).
Kyler played at Columbus North for head coach Ben McDaniel and assistants Mike Bodart (who is now Bull Dogs head coach), Daniel Ayers (who was selected in the 2013 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and pitched in the Baltimore Orioles system) and Hunter McIntosh.
McIntosh was with the Canes in the summer of 2020 and in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021.
Following his freshman year at Alabama State, McIntosh played in seven summer games for the Appalachian League’s Johnson City (Tenn.) Doughboys.
“I was super-tired,” says McIntosh. “My first college season really kicked me in the butt when I didn’t think it would.
“I went home early and tried to rest my body and gain weight. Gaining weight has always been my problem. I’ve always gone out there and grinded games out.
“I’ve always been kind of a scrawny kid.”
At 6-foot-1, 172 pounds, McIntosh anticipates staying in Columbus and working out while trying to pounds to come back to the Hornets a little stronger and healthier.
McIntosh is a Business Management major with a minor in Finance. His father owns a mowing business and is a distributor for Pepperidge Farms and George J. Howe Company and Kyler can see himself getting involved with one of those after graduation.

Kyler McIntosh. (Alabama State University Photo)

College

IUSB’s Berger tries to stay away from free passes

April 25, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Robbie Berger will be working with numbers when he graduates.
Right now the senior right-handed pitcher is putting up some impressive digits for the Indiana University South Bend baseball team.
A fifth-year senior playing for head coach Doug Buysse and associate head coach/pitching coach Zane Gonzalez, Berger is scheduled to graduate this spring with an Accounting. He already has a job lined up in that field.
As a pitcher, the 23-year-old has 11 mound appearances (10 in relief) in 2023 heading into a home game today (April 25) against Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe Saint Francis (Ill.) at Rex Weade Stadium in Granger and is 1-2 with three saves and a 2.63 earned run average.
In 51 1/3 innings, he has 42 strikeouts and just three walks, three hit batsmen and one wild pitch.
“I’ve never been a hard thrower in my life,” says Berger. “I’ve always kind of relied on making batters get themselves out.
“I’m always going to give up hits and that’s part of the game. But if I can eliminate walks and hit-by-pitches it makes it that much harder to score runs.”
Berger averages 7.4 K’s per nine innings.
“I never really try to strike out guys,” says Berger. “I just try to be around the (strike) zone.”
The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder throws from a high three-quarter arm slot and uses a four-seam fastball that sits at 83 to 85 mph, a straight change-up, cutter (thrown as hard as possible with slider-like movement) and a “1-to-7” curveball.
The way Berger is used reflects his team’s new approach to pitching.
“At IUSB — for the most part — we changed around the way we attack games,” says Berger. “We’re trying to steal outs essentially.
“In the past, our back-end bullpen guys had trouble getting outs. So we put those guys at the front of the game and see if they can get through three innings and have our normal starters from past years come in an close out the game.
“We flip the script a little bit (closer, middle relief then starter).”
It’s the NAIA Titans’ take on the “opener” thing that the Tampa Bay Rays have done successfully in the majors.
“The mindset of the pitching staff is to constantly get to the next guy,” says Berger. “There’s 27 outs and we want to get them as fast as possible.”
In Berger’s 2023 relief outings, he has been used for 4, 3, 4, 4, 6, 6, 6, 6, 4 and 5 innings.
Born and raised in South Bend, Berger played travel ball for the Indiana Land Sharks 10U until his junior year at John Glenn High School in Walkerton, Ind.
He credits Land Sharks coaches John Kehoe, Tom Washburn and Dennis Ryans for guiding his early baseball path.
John Nadolny was his head coach at Glenn.
“He’s a great guy and was fun to play baseball for,” says Berger of “Nud.” “He wants the best out of his players and was good at pushing and motivating us.”
Berger was selected for the 2018 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in South Bend. He did not play and underwent Tommy John surgery that summer.
He was invited by head coach Kevin Bowers to Lincoln Trail College in Robinson, Ill., where he was part of the team while rehabbing from his procedure.
To be closer to home, he transferred to IUSB.
While still recovering, he played some with Buysse’s summer team in 2019. He played for Buysse’s summer team in 2021 and took last summer off to concentrate of weight training and arm care.
What are Berger’s top qualities as an athlete?
“Consistent and hard-working,” says Berger. “Day in and day out, you’re going to get the same from me.”
The righty made three starts with a complete game and went 2-1 and 19 strikeouts and no walks in 18 innings in 2020 — the season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2021, Berger made 10 mound appearances (all starts) with two complete games and was 5-4 with 53 strikeouts and 14 walks in 53 1/3 innings.
In 2022, he started seven times in 14 outings with two complete games and was 2-2 with 52 K’s and 12 walks in 42 2/3 innings.
Robbie is the son of educator and boys basketball Robb Berger, who has 387 wins in 25 seasons and is in his second stint at Mishawaka Marian High School. He teaches at South Bend Washington High School.
Robbie says his father has always been able to pick up on body language.
“If I had a bad day and he noticed it, he said, ‘you better change that right now,’” says Robbie Berger of Robb. “The stuff you can control the most is attitude and body language.”
Grandfather Bob Berger, an Elkhart County Sports Hall of Fame inductee and Nappanee (Ind.) High School graduate, coached basketball in South Bend for 32 years, including 20 as head coach at Riley High School.
“He tells me to try to stay positive,” says Robbie Berger of Bob. “He tells me I have stuff to work on if I had a bad day — stuff like that.”
Robbie is two years older than sister Cassee, who is an IUSB junior.

Robbie Berger. (Indiana University South Bend Photo)

College

Before joining Marines, Miller helping Indiana State on mound

April 20, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Lane Miller’s final college baseball season is ending with him performing a different function than when he began.
Before the 2023 campaign at Indiana State University, Miller announced he would join the U.S. Marines after the season and apply for Officer Candidates School (OCS) in Quantico, Va. He has completed a Sport Management degree and Master of Business Administration (MBA) certification at ISU and is now working on a Sports Leadership minor.
“I talked to the coaches and my priority was going to be to get ready for that,” says Miller. “I was just going to be a leader on the team and help where I needed to help.”
He coached up his teammates, gathered statistics and contributed to scouting reports.”
Then came a need for him to pitch. He made starts March 28 against Purdue, April 2 against Illinois-Chicago, April 9 against Illinois State, April 16 against Belmont and — in an adjusted schedule — is slated to start again Monday, April 24 against Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois at Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute.
6-foot-4, 211-pound right-hander is 3-0 with a 1.95 earned run average. He has 16 strikeouts and eight walks in 27 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .196 against him.
With a 10-2 victory at No. 4 Vanderbilt, No. 22 Indiana State ran its win streak to 11 (Illinois-Chicago two games, Indiana, Illinois State three games, Purdue, Belmont three games and Vandy).
It’s the second double-digit streak since Mitch Hannahs has been head coach. The Sycamores previously won 12 in a row in 2014.
Through April 19, Indiana State was No. 12 in the NCAA Division I RPI (Rating Percentage Index) rankings.
“Everybody is taking it game-by-game,” says Miler. “We can’t get too far ahead of ourselves. Coach Hannahs says, ‘anywhere anytime.’ That’s how it is in college baseball right now. Any team can beat anybody at anytime.”
Miller says the Sycamores are out to prove that they deserve the recognition.
“We just pick each other up on good days and bad days and keep moving forward,” says Miller.
Consistency is what Miller sees when he looks at Hannahs.
“It’s knowing that we’re going to get the same thing every day when we show up at the field. I know he has a high expectation not only for himself, but for his coaches and the team as a whole.
“His loyalty to us is second to none.”
Miller, who made 15 mound appearances (18 innings) 2020-22, works closest with Sycamores pitching coach Justin Hancock.
“He’s very determined,” says Miller of Hancock. “He knows what he wants out of the pitching staff and each player. He holds them to a high standard.
“His standard never falters on a daily basis.”
Miller throws a two-seam fastball, change-up and slider and has been working in a pitch that is a mix of slider and curve. Depending on the count or situation, he also change arm slots — over-the-top or sidearm.
Throwing from the side, his two-seamer moves left to right and slider right to left.
“I’ve done a good job of not doing one or the other (arm slot) too much,” says Miller. “I’m a very quick pitcher. I tend to work fast. With the 20-second pitch clock rule the faster I work the less time the hitter gets to think.
“It’s really worked to my benefit.”
Born in Evansville, Ind., to a military family, Miller spent early years in South Carolina and Idaho, and settled in Boonville, Ind., in his seventh grade year. He played most of his travel ball in middle school and high school with the Ironmen.
Lane is the son of Todd Miller and Summer (Hart) Williams. His father was in the military for more than 20 years, serving in the U.S. Navy and with the Special Forces. His mother played basketball at the University of Evansville. Sister Daleigh Miller is an Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis senior. Brother Caiden Miller is a Marine.
A 2017 graduate of Boonville High School, Miller was an all-Pocket Athletic Conference performer in football, basketball and baseball. On the diamond, his head coach was Cory Julian.
“He held me to a higher standard than he did anybody else,” says Miller of Julian. “He counted on me to be the leader of the team.”
Miller played multiple positions for the Pioneers in all three sports — wide receiver, quarterback, cornerback, punter and kicker in football, forward and center in basketball and first base, third base, shortstop outfield and pitcher in baseball.
Miller played with the Terre Haute Rex at the end of the summer of 2022. He was with the Local Legends of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021. He did not play summer ball in 2020 — the year of limited opportunities because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The righty was Pitcher of the Year with the Saugerties (N.Y.) Stallions of the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League in 2019. He was with the Rex in 2018. He went to summer school at Indiana University in 2017.
Recruited by Chris Lemonis (who departed IU for Mississippi State), Miller left after the fall and transferred to ISU. He sat out the first year with the Sycamores and also underwent foot surgery as a freshman and had surgery on both hips in 2020.

College

Yoho makes way through injuries, excels in Indiana bullpen

April 13, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Injuries have caused Craig Yoho to persevere since he stepped on a college baseball diamond and he thanks the woman he married for getting him through the tough times.
Yoho, a 2018 graduate of Fishers (Ind.) High School, went to the University of Houston and appeared in eight games as an infielder with three starts for the Cougars before getting hurt in 2019. He got into one game in 2020 and did not play in 2021 and 2022 and went through two Tommy John reconstructive arm surgeries and a procedure to fix a dislocated knee cap.
Now at Indiana University, the 23-year-old right-handed pitcher has made 10 mound appearances (all in relief) so far in 2023 and is 4-0 with a 1.40 earned run average. In 19 1/3 innings, the 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has 34 strikeouts and nine walks.
He joins sophomore left-hander Ryan Kraft as one of the arms that head coach Jeff Mercer and pitching coach Dustin Glant can call upon at the back end of the Indiana bullpen.
Indiana is 23-10 overall and 7-2 in the Big Ten Conference heading into a three-game conference series Friday through Sunday at Illinois.
While at Houston, Yoho met soccer athlete Sydni Dusek.
“Before I had my journey with injuries she had her stint with injuries and that’s where I got my mindset,” says Yoho. “You never quit. You just keep coming back. You get up from adversity.
“Just being around her and I saw how she handled all the adversity. She’s been a huge helping keep my spirits up through all the years of not playing baseball and still supports me to this day.
“She’s definitely been a huge impact.”
Craig and Sydni were married in July 2022 in Dripping Springs, Texas.
Yoho had a pretty clean bill of health in high school.
Then his first Tommy John surgery coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, making for a difficult rehabilitation.
“Then I had poor ramp-ups for pitching while also (playing a position),” says Yoho.
At Fishers, Yoho won four baseball letters while becoming the Tigers’ career leader in home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage and walks and the single-game leader in homers, games played, plate appearances, runs scored, walks and defensive innings played.
He started at shortstop and helped a Matthew Cherry-coached team win the 2018 IHSAA Class 4A state championship.
Yoho played a part in winning two HC conference titles and was twice named to the all-Indianapolis Star Super Team and all-Marion County. He was also a first-team Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association all-stater and selected for the 2018 IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series. He also lettered in basketball.
Throwing from a low three-quarter arm slot (close to the path he used as an infielder), Yoho throws a four-seam fastball that tends to be 92 to 94 mph “in the zone.”
Yoho, who also employs a slider, curveball and change-up, says IU coaches don’t count pitches that are outside the strike zone.
Growing up in Fishers, Yoho got started in the Hamilton Southeastern youth league and was with the Indiana Bulls travel organization from 11U through high school. His coaches included Jeremy Honaker, Sean Laird and Dan Held.
“Those guys are really the foundation of where I learned to play baseball,” says Yoho. “(Honaker) was a great coach. I started getting recruited while playing for him.
“He helped me a lot through my recruiting process.”
Yoho also gives a lot to credit to Cherry.
“He was huge in instilling the work ethic by just being around him for four years,” says Yoho. “He was big on building a culture and being a close-knit team.
“That carries over when you get to other places and want to build the same thing with your new team.”
Craig is the son of Lance and Connie Yoho. Older brother Brandon Yoho (Fishers Class of 2015) was an infielder at Purdue Fort Wayne.
A Sport Marketing and Management major with a Business minor, Yoho is on target to graduate this spring.
Because of his medical redshirt etc., he has more years of eligibility. It’s too early to tell if he’ll come back to college after 2023.
“I want to play professional baseball,” says Yoho. “If I get that chance I’d love to do that.
“I plan on playing baseball as a long as a I can.”

College

Ball State right-hander Klein relishes closer role

April 13, 2023 stvkrh905 Leave a comment

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

Sam Klein keeps getting more stingy as his college baseball career progresses.
The Ball State University right-hander missed the first month of the 2023 season working out some soreness.
He got into his first game March 19 and has worked stints of 4, 2 2/3, 3 2/3 and 3 1/3 innings.
For a team that is 23-9 overall and 10-2 in the Mid-American Conference heading into a three-game MAC series Friday through Sunday at Central Michigan, Klein is 3-0 with one save an 0.66 earned run average.
He has 16 strikeouts and five walks in 13 2/3 innings. Opponents have hit .196 with eight singles and two doubles.
All 38 of Klein’s appearances for the Cardinals since 2021 have been out of the bullpen with the last two being BSU’s closer.
That has caused him to develop a mindset.
“You have to do your job or else you’re not going to win the game,” says Klein. “My job is to go out there and compete.
“I use my natural competitive nature to help myself on the mound. I’ve only thrown the last four weeks. I’m getting back into the role.”
Born in Tennessee, Klein grew up in Bloomington, Ind. He played his early baseball at Winslow Sports Complex and competed in the Monroe County Youth Football Association.
As a teenager, he began travel baseball — first for Demand Command then Diamond Dynamics and the Troy Drosche-coached Indiana Bulls.
A 2020 graduate of Bloomington High School North, Klein lost his senior prep season to the COVID-19 pandemic.
As a junior, he went 6-0 with one save and a 1.31 ERA for the Richard Hurt-coached Cougars. He produced 51 strikeouts and nine walks in 32 innings. A shortstop when not pitching, Klein hit .333.
In his first college season of 2021, Klein took the bump 11 times and posted a 1-0 mark with one save and a 5.52 ERA. He whiffed 12 and walked 11 in 14 2/3 innings.
In 2022, Klein made 23 appearances and went 4-3 with 11 saves and a 3.18 ERA. He fanned 47 and walked 21 in 34 innings. Foes hit .179.
His career WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched) is 1.32.
Klein has become accustomed to how Ball State head coach Rich Maloney and pitching coach Larry Scully will use him.
“Usually if it’s a close game in the seventh inning I’ll come down to the bullpen and start stretching out,” says Klein. “If (the game is) tied or it’s a save situation I’ll usually go in.”
A 6-foot-3, 210-pounder, Klein uses three pitches from an over-the-top arm slot — a rising four-seam fastball clocked at 90 to 93 mph, a 12-to-6 slider that looks like a curveball and a change-up with drop and arm-side movement.
Last summer Klein pitched for the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod League, making five appearances (four as a reliever) with no decisions.
“It was a great experience,” says Klein. “It was really good competition. The coaches and players all know what they’re doing.”
In the summer of 2021, Klein took the mound seven times (all starts) for the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League’s Hamilton (Ohio) Joes and went 5-0 with a 1.84 ERA. He had 55 strikeouts and 15 walks in 44 innings.
Klein, who turned 21 in January, is eligible for the 2023 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
But he is focused on the here and now.
“If I do well out here that helps my chances,” says Klein. “I don’t tend to think about much about it while I’m playing.”
Sam is the second of three children born to teachers Bill and Brittany Klein.
Professional baseball player Will Klein (Bloomington North Class of 2017) is the oldest and prep softball/volleyball athlete Molly Klein (Bloomington North Class of 2025) the youngest.
Will Klein, 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander, was a mound standout at Bloomington North and Eastern Illinois University and was taken in the fifth round of the 2020 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals.
He was with Double-A Northwest Arkansas in 2022 then pitched in the Arizona Fall League. The 23-year-old begins 2023 at Northwest Arkansas.
“He’s a little stronger than me and throws harder,” says Sam Klein of Will. “He relies on (velocity) a little more than I do. I’d like to think I have a little more command than he does.”
Like his brother, Sam is a Biology major.
“It was my favorite thing in high school,” says Klein, who is considered a sophomore academically and athletically. “I stuck with it.”

Contact Steve Krah at stvkrh905@gmail.com