Homers fly, especially for Hanover’s Christie, Indiana Wesleyan’s Salmon

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

Several players doubled down on power during the Indiana college baseball week of Feb. 28-March 6.
NCAA Division III Hanover’s Alex Christie (Center Grove High School graduate) knocked five home runs for the week — two against Purchase and one each against Mary Washington, Kean and Neumann — in Myrtle Beach, S.C. It was Christie’s first five homers of the 2022 season.
Also lofting five homers was NAIA Indiana Wesleyan’s Evan Salmon — two homers in Game 1 and one in Game 2 against Cleary and one apiece in Games 3 and 4 against Spring Arbor.
IWU’s Zach Rabe clouted two in Game 1 against Cleary and two in Game 3 against Spring Arbor. Salmon has eight homers in ’22 and Rabe four.
NCAA D-I’s Ball State’s Trenton Quartermaine socked four home runs for the week — one against Coastal Carolina, one in Game 1 against Florida A&M and two in Game 2 against Florida A&M. Quartermaine’s season total for circuit clouts is five.
NAIA Indiana Southeast’s Trevor Campbell homered twice against Lindsey Wilson and once each in Games 1 and 3 against Northwestern Ohio. Ray Aponte smacked homers against Lindsey Wilson and Northwestern Ohio (Games 1 and 3).
NCAA D-III Franklin’s Logan Demkovich (Munster) homered in all three games against Hope while Noah Wood (Indianapolis Lutheran) produced big flies in Games 1 and 2.
Purdue’s Cam Thompson cracked a walk-off homer as Purdue (12-0) topped Longwood 6-5 in 11 innings in Game 3 of the series. The Boilermakers continue to enjoy the best start in program history. Thompson has two homers in ’22.
Indiana’s Brock Tibbitts (New Albany) rapped two homers against Miami (Ohio) while teammates Matthew Ellis (Miami and Game 2 vs. Missouri State) and Homestead graduate Carter Mathison (Games 1 and 3 vs. Missouri State) also enjoyed two-homer weeks. Ellis has five dingers on the year while Tibbitts and Mathison (the 2021 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year) have two each.
Butler’s Aaron Steinhart went deep twice against Northern Kentucky. The blasts were his first two of ’22.
Evansville’s Tanner Craig (Austin) cranked homers against Kentucky, Ohio (Game 1) and Illinois-Chicago (Game 2). He has six homers on the season.
At 5-3, Valparaiso is off to its best eight-game start since 1999.
NCAA D-II University of Indianapolis third baseman Armen Torosian homered in Games 2 and 3 against Wayne State, raising his season total to three.
Purdue Northwest finally opened its season and went 3-1 in a series at Southwest Baptist.
Anderson’s Tyler Smitherman (Westfield) bashed two homers in Game 1 against St. Norbert, doubling his season HR tally.
Earlham’s Christian Lancianese homered twice in Game 2 against Wilmington. Nathan Lancianese homered once in Game 3 of the series. They were the season’s first bombs for both players.
Manchester’s Brady Perez (Rochester) ahieved lift-off in Games 2 and 4 against Kalamazoo, raising his season HR mark to five.
Rose-Hulman’s Shane Garner (Sullivan) rapped his first two homers of ’22 in Game 1 against Saint Mary’s (Minn.) and Dubuque.
NAIA Saint Francis freshman Sam Pesa (Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger) homered in Games 1 and 3 against Huntington. His grand slam in Game 1 was part of a 13-run fifth inning. Pesa has a team-best five homers in ’22.
Goshen’s Peyton Smith (Daleville) homered in Games 3 and 4 against Grace. He has three homers on the season.
It wasn’t all about slugging.
NAIA Indiana University Kokomo posted three shutouts against visiting Ohio Christian — 5-0, 10-0 and 1-0. Owen Callaghan (Hamilton Southeastern), Lucas Letsinger (Hamilton Heights), Ben Harris (Northwestern), J.T. Holton (Clinton Central) and Ryan Beck (Mt. Vernon of Fortville) combined for 18 strikeouts and six walks over 23 innings.
Indiana University South Bend beat Concordia (Neb. 1) 2-1 in Game 2 in Auburndale, Fla., without a hit. Nolan Unger’s second-inning groundout drove in Coby Campbell with the first run and Jake Dykstra (Lake Central) scored on a seventh-inning wild pitch. The Titans have won four straight.
Crown Point graduate Josh Hoogewerf (9 K’s, 0 BB, 7 IP) and New Prairie alum Noah Brettin (2 K’s, 0 BB, 1 IP) combined on a 1-hitter as NCAA D-III Trine beat John Carroll 1-0 in the first game of a doubleheader in Lake Myrtle, Fla.
Dalton Nikirk (Bedford North Lawrence) delivered the walk-off RBI single to plate Easton Rhodes (DeKalb) for the Thunder.

INDIANA COLLEGE BASEBALL
Records Through March 6

NCAA D-I
Purdue 12-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Notre Dame 8-1 (0-0 ACC)
Indiana State 6-4 (0-0 MVC)
Valparaiso 5-3 (0-0 MVC)
Butler 5-6 (0-0 Big East)
Ball State 5-7 (0-0 MAC)
Indiana 4-6 (0-0 Big Ten)
Evansville 3-9 (0-0 MVC)
Purdue Fort Wayne 0-11 (0-0 Horizon)

NCAA D-II
Southern Indiana 6-3 (0-0 GLVC)
Indianapolis 4-6 (0-0 GLVC)
Purdue Northwest 3-1 (0-0 GLIAC)

NCAA D-III
Earlham 5-1 (0-0 HCAC)
Franklin 4-2 (0-0 HCAC)
Anderson 4-4 (0-0 HCAC)
DePauw 4-4 (0-0 NCA
Wabash 3-1 (0-0 NCAC)
Rose-Hulman 3-3 (0-0 HCAC)
Trine 2-3 (0-0 MIAA)
Hanover 2-6 (0-0 HCAC)
Manchester 0-7 (0-0 HCAC)

NAIA
Oakland City 13-5 (2-1 RSC)
Saint Francis 12-6 (2-2 CL)
Taylor 12-7 (3-1 CL)
Grace 9-8 (3-1 CL)
Marian 9-9 (1-3 CL)
Indiana University-Kokomo 8-6 (3-0 RSC)
Indiana University Southeast 8-7 (0-0 RSC)
Indiana Wesleyan 7-9 (3-1 CL)
Bethel 7-13 (1-3 CL)
Indiana Tech 5-6 (0-0 WHAC)
Indiana University South Bend 6-8 (0-0 CCAC)
Huntington 4-8 (2-2 CL)
Calumet of Saint Joseph 4-6 (0-0 CCAC)
Goshen 4-10 (1-3 CL)

Junior College
Vincennes 5-9 (0-0 MWAC)
Ivy Tech Northeast 3-2 (0-0 NJCAA XII)
Marian’s Ancilla 1-13 (0-0 MCCAA)

Week of Feb. 28-March 6
NCAA D-I
Monday, Feb. 28
Coastal Carolina 9, Ball State 6

Tuesday, March 1
Northern Kentucky 13, Butler 8
Indiana 15, Miami (Ohio) 2

Wednesday, March 2
Butler 5, Manchester 2
Kentucky 5, Evansville 4
Purdue 6, Charlotte 2

Friday, March 4
Ball State 6, Florida A&M 3
Jacksonville 4, Butler 1
Evansville 4, llinois-Chicago 2
Notre Dame 6, Illinois 1
Purdue 6, Longwood 1
Tennessee Tech 13, Purdue Fort Wayne 4
Missouri State 9, Indiana 7
East Carolina 5, Indiana State 4
Valparaiso 4, Omaha 2
Omaha 9, Valparaiso 2

Saturday, March 5
Ball State 7, Florida A&M 4
Ball State 6, Florida A&M 1
Jacksonville 11, Butler 3
Evansville 12, Ohio 5
Illinois-Chicago 7, Evansville 5
Notre Dame 2, Michigan 1
Purdue 6, Longwood 5 (13 inn.)
Tennessee Tech 7, Purdue Fort Wayne 1
Indiana 12, Missouri State 3
Maryland 10, Indiana State 4
Valparaiso 7, Omaha 5

Sunday, March 6
Florida A&M 5, Ball State 3
Butler 7, Jacksonville 3
Ohio 6, Evansville 4
Indiana State 6, Michigan 5
Purdue 6, Longwood 5 (11 inn.)
Tennessee Tech 15, Purdue Fort Wayne 7
Indiana vs. Missouri State
Indiana State vs. Michigan
Notre Dame 3, Minnesota 1

NCAA D-II
Monday, Feb. 28
Lake Erie 6, Southern Indiana 3

Friday, March 4
Indianapolis 5, Wayne State 3
Southwest Baptist 7, Purdue Northwest 4
Purdue Northwest 5, Southwest Baptist 0
Southern Indiana 11, Trevecca Nazarene 3

Saturday, March 5
Wayne State 13, Indianapolis 2
Wayne State 26, Indianapolis 11
Purdue Northwest 7, Southwest Baptist 2
Trevecca Nazarene 9, Southern Indiana 4
Trevecca Nazarene 15, Southern Indiana 3

Sunday, March 6
Wayne State 13, Indianapolis 3
Purdue Northwest 6, Southwest Baptist 5

NCAA D-III
Monday, Feb. 28
Rose-Hulman 8, Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 5

Tuesday, March 1
Christopher Newport 10, Hanover 6
Cabrini 9, Hanover 5 (11 inn.)

Wednesday, March 2
Butler 5, Manchester 2
Mary Washington 13, Hanover 5
Grove City 2, Rose-Hulman 0

Thursday, March 3
Saint Mary’s (Minn.) 16, Rose-Hulman 7
Hanover 19, Purchase 6

Friday, March 4
Wilmington 9, Earlham 8
Hope 14, Franklin 13
Dubuque 9, Rose-Hulman 7
Kean 9, Hanover 5
Hendrix 14, DePauw 7

Saturday, March 5
Earlham 19, Wilmington 9
Franklin 18, Hope 6
Hope 27, Franklin 7
Hanover 11, Neumann 3
Anderson 11, St. Norbert 4
Anderson 20, St. Norbert 11
Kalamazoo 19, Manchester 6
Kalamazoo 13, Manchester 5
DePauw 9, Hendrix 6
Hendrix 8, DePauw 6
Aurora 9, Wabash 8 (10 inn.)
Wabash 16, Aurora 3

Sunday, March 6
Anderson 6, St. Norbert 2
Earlham 12, Wilmington 11
Kalamazoo 15, Manchester 1
Kalamazoo 8, Manchester 6
Trine 1, John Carroll 0 (8 inn.)
John Carroll 15, Trine 0

NAIA
Monday, Feb. 28
Spring Arbor 9, Goshen 2
Spring Arbor 3, Goshen 0

Tuesday, March 1
Calumet of St. Joseph 19, Lincoln Christian 1
Calumet of St. Joseph 8, Lincoln Christian 0 (suspended in 3rd to April 11)
Grace 12, IU South Bend 7

Wednesday, March 2
Indiana Wesleyan 17, Cleary 8
Cleary 11, Indiana Wesleyan 2
IU Southeast 16, Lindsey Wilson 2

Friday, March 4
Brewton-Parker 20, Calumet of St. Joseph 4
Saint Francis 14, Huntington 9
Huntington 6, Saint Francis 1
Bethel 9, Mt. Vernon Nazarene 6
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 13, Bethel 0
Grace 6, Goshen 2
Goshen 1, Grace 0
Spring Arbor 2, Indiana Wesleyan 1
Indiana Wesleyan 7, Spring Arbor 6
Taylor 8, Marian 1
Taylor 5, Marian 1
IU Kokomo 5, Ohio Christian 0
Oakland City 4, West Virginia Tech 2

Saturday, March 5
Calumet of St. Joseph 6, Brewton-Parker 4
Brewton-Parker 12, Calumet of St. Joseph 11
Huntington 6, Saint Francis 5
Saint Francis 6, Huntington 1
Bethel 9, Mt. Nazarene 6
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 5, Bethel 2
Mt. Vernon Nazarene 5, Bethel 3
Grace 16, Goshen 12
Grace 13, Goshen 11
Indiana Wesleyan 26, Spring Arbor 1
Indiana Wesleyan 19, Spring Arbor 18
Marian 20, Taylor 10 (8 inn.)
Taylor 12, Marian 10
IU Kokomo 10, Ohio Christian 0
IU Kokomo 1, Ohio Christian 0
Oakland 11, West Virginia Tech 10 (11 inn.)
Oakland 7, West Virginia Tech 6
IU Southeast 26, Northwestern Ohio 12
Northwestern Ohio 3, IU Southeast 2
IU South Bend 20, Michigan-Dearborn 5
IU South Bend 13, Michigan-Dearborn 9

Sunday, March 6
IU Southeast 11, Northwestern Ohio 8
IU South Bend 8, Concorida (Neb.) 7
IU South Bend 2, Concorida (Neb.) 1
Southeastern 6, Indiana Tech 2
Southeastern 6, Indiana Tech 0

Junior College
Monday, Feb. 28
Vincennes 7, Joliet 2

Friday, March 4
Ivy Tech Northeast 4, Anderson JV 3
Wabash Valley 16, Vincennes 0
Kellogg 16, Vincennes 7

Saturday, March 5
Wabash Valley 16, Vincennes 0
Kellogg 16, Vincennes 7
Miami-Hamilton 13, Marian’s Ancilla 8
Ivy Tech Northeast 13, Lincoln Trail 3
Lincoln Trail 8, Ivy Tech Northeast 6

Sunday, March 6
Lake County 1, Marian’s Ancilla 0
Lake County 16, Marian’s Ancilla 5
Lincoln Trail 12, Ivy Tech Northeast 5
Ivy Tech Northeast 6, Lincoln Trail 1

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Carr wants Mt. Vernon (Fortville) Marauders to play with ‘Dirtbag’ intensity

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Ryan Carr wants his Mt. Vernon (Fortville, Ind.) High School baseball players to play with an edge.

As a reward, the Marauders head coach presented “Dirtbag” T-shirts to those athlete who exhibited this brand of baseball in 2018 and plans to do the same again in 2019.

“We’re too nice sometimes,” says Carr. “(The incentive) gave them a reason to play a little harder. I want (opponents) to know they played a game of baseball.

“Every year the team has become closer and closer to what I want. We’re a year older and a year more experienced.”

After seeing Mt. Vernon go 16-12 in 2018, Carr heads into his fifth season as head coach next spring.

“It sounds so cliche’, but I want to get good kids to play hard,” says Carr, who learned more about the profession by attending the annual American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in Indianapolis in 2018. “I want to get as much out of them as I can.

“I want them to play the game right and be respectful. I tell them to give ‘100 percent, 100 percent of the time.’”

Carr came back to Mt. Vernon (he was an assistant on Dustin Glant’s staff while teaching freshmen physical education during the spring semester in 2012) after spending 2013 as an assistant at Indianapolis Arsenal Tech and 2014 as head coach at Indianapolis Manual.

At the latter stop, the baseball program had been dormant and Carr helped bring it back. It was an experience that was both difficult and rewarding.

“I was knocking on doors and creating relationships to make sure we could field a team,” says Carr. “I had no assistant coach. I did get a lot of support from athletic director and assistant principal Don Burton.”

The Redskins won one game in 2014.

When Carr took over at Mt. Vernon, he was the fifth head coach at the Hancock County school in six years. He has tried to bring a sense of stability to the program and has sent players on to college baseball each year — Zach Spears (Miami University of Ohio and now in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization) in 2015, Noah Powell (Ball State University) and Kennedy Parker (Anderson University) in 2016, Braydon Augustinovicz (Franklin College) and Ryan Beck (Indiana University Kokomo) in 2017 and Caleb Rush (Frontier Community College in Illinois) and Dino Tharp (Urbana University in Ohio) in 2018.

Carr expects three seniors to return for 2019 — left fielder Dylan Cole, catcher Sam McCarty and center fielder Thomas Obergfell. Carr sees Cole going to an Ivy League school for academics only with the other two weighing their options of playing college ball.

A 2000 Norwell High School graduate, Carr was a four-year starter for head coach Bob Mosier.

“I learned that it does not matter what grade a kid’s in, if he’s good enough, let him play varsity,” says Carr. “It’s not always a very popular decision to play young guys. But if they’re good enough, put them on the field.”

Carr was one of three freshmen seeing considerable playing time when Norwell won the 1997 Bellmont Sectional and met future Notre Dame and major league pitcher Aaron Heilman and his Logansport teammates in the first round of the Kokomo Regional.

That was the last year of the IHSAA single-class system in Indiana. Carr recalls that the focus at the time of the switch was on basketball.

“It didn’t change that much for baseball,” says Carr. “We were in a sectional before with 2A’s and 3A’s. The Bellmont Sectional was made up of Adams and Wells county schools.”

Mt. Vernon is part of a Class 4A sectional grouping with Anderson, Connersville, Greenfield-Central, Muncie Central, Pendleton Heights and Richmond.

In 2018, the tournament was hosted by Mt. Vernon. Pendleton Heights beat the Marauders in the championship game. The last Mt. Vernon sectional championship season was 2011.

Mt. Vernon is a member of the Hoosier Heritage Conference (with Delta, Greenfield-Central, New Castle, New Palestine, Pendleton Heights, Shelbyville and Yorktown). The Marauders went 6-8 in HCC play in 2018, finishing tied for fifth with Pendleton Heights and Shelbyville and behind conference champion New Palestine (11-4), New Castle (9-4), Yorktown (8-6) and Greenfield-Central (7-7).

HCC games are played as Friday night doubleheaders unless New Castle (which does not have lights) is hosting and then the contests are on Saturday.

Mt. Vernon’s lighted varsity diamond is on-campus and has a short brick wall in front of the dugouts rather than a screen. There is an adjacent practice field.

Carr is still filling his 2019 coaching staff. Michael Thompson has been with him each year at the varsity level and will return. Jerry Grill will lead the junior varsity. Other coaches at the varsity, JV and C-team levels have not yet been solidified.

Typically, Carr likes to have 40 players in the program.

“Every year I get better at (explaining to players how they might fit),” says Carr. “I try to be forthright and open, telling them ‘this is the role you’re going to play.’”

Marauder Baseball Club will field 8U through 13U teams in 2019. The club’s first season was 2018.

Other feeder programs for MVHS include middle school baseball, Mt. Vernon Optimist League, Oaklandon Youth Organization and various travel organizations. The Midwest Astros are headquartered in Greenfield. Marauders also play in the summer for the Indiana Bulls, Indiana Nitro and others.

The son of Megan Carr, Ryan grew up in Bluffton, Ind., and participated in local youth leagues and travel ball for the Fort Wayne Indians during his high school years.

He played four seasons (2001-04) at Manchester College (now Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind.).

The Rick Espeset-coached Spartans won Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles in 2002 and 2004, an HCAC regular-season crown in 2004 and went to the 2004 NCAA Division III College World Series in Appleton, Wis.

“He’s an interesting cat,” says Carr of Espeset. “He’s always thinking and changing. He tries things his players maybe don’t understand. But he’s proven himself.

“I loved playing for him.”

Carr tries to mimic Espeset calm demeanor.

“He’s not a rah-rah guy,” says Carr. “I’m more excitable, but I try to keep it cool. I don’t get in an umpire’s face.”

Carr got his history/social studies in 2006. After holding non-education positions, his first teaching job was at Indianapolis Marshall High School in the fall of 2011. That’s when he began helping Glant at Mt. Vernon.

Now a high school history and government teacher at Mt. Vernon, Carr is engaged to Joanna Sajda.

Ryan Carr (left) and fiancee’ Joanna Sajda enjoy Turkey Run State Park in the spring of 2018. Carr is entering his fifth season at head baseball coach at Mt. Vernon High School in Fortville, Ind., in 2019.