Platt, a righty-swinging graduate student and corner infielder, steps in the batter’s box with the idea of identifying the pitch then doing damage with it.
“I try to keep it simple,” says Platt. “I want to hit a hard line drive.”
Heading into a series between NAIA River States Conference leaders Indiana University Southeast (24-12, 16-2) and IU-Kokomo (27-13, 15-3) at Kokomo Municipal Stadium (two games Saturday, April 13 and one Sunday, April 14), Platt has played in all 40 games (39 starts) and is hitting .361 (53-of-147) with seven home runs, four triples, 18 doubles, 43 runs batted in, 43 runs scored and a 1.138 OPS (.451 on-base percentage plus .687 slugging average).
Platt has already been named RSC Player of the Week twice in 2024 — Feb. 20 and March 13.
This spring is his third at IUK after two at Olney (Ill.) Central College. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic abbreviating the 2020 season and affecting the next season for junior college athletes, he has another year of eligibility in 2025 and intends to continuing as masters in Accounting. He already has a Finance degree.
After playing a total of 28 games and hitting .215 (11-of-51) at OCC, Platt participated in 38 games for the Cougars in 2022 and hit .253 (24-of-95) with no homers, one triple, three doubles, 14 RBIs, eight runs and a .647 OPS (.342/.305) followed by 43 contests in 2023 while hitting a healthy .366 (52-of-142) with two homers, five triples, 11 doubles, 20 RBIs, 38 runs and a 1.023 OPS (.467/.556).
The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Platt is primarily a third baseman and has a defensive approach.
“I think I learned this from (Hall of Famer) Scott Rolen,” says Platt. “It’s the hot corner so I look for the for the (hitters’) strike zone in front of the box and visual where they’re going to catch the ball out-front and that’s how I read the ball.
“It gets on you quick. I also play through scenarios in my head on what I need to do (when the ball is him to me).”
Platt admires many athletes and one is a former infielder.
“I like (Hall of Famer) Derek Jeter for the way he carried himself in baseball,” says Platt.
“Coach Brantley gave me an opportunity to come here and put myself in good position to start right away and I did,” says Platt. “He’s a well-spoken coach. He knows the game.”
Dennis Conley won 1,158 games at the National Junior College Athletic Association level and led Olney Central to 40 consecutive winning seasons.
“He was old school for sure,” says Platt of Conley.
“My first year that league was stacked,” says Platt. “There were dudes from every Power 5 team that summer.”
Platt was born and raised in Logansport, Ind. He played T-ball at Riverside Park. From ages 9 to 12, he was in recreation ball at Crain and Metz fields. From 13 to 15, he competed in the Logansport Babe Ruth League.
At 13, he also began travel ball. He was with the Battle Ground Tomahawks at 13U and Monticello Tribe at 14U before three summers with the Indiana Prospects. On more than one team his coach was Dan Walbaum.
Before heading to college, he was with Don Andrews-managed Kokomo American Legion Post 6.
Platt was a three-sport athlete at Logansport High School, playing football, basketball and baseball for four years and graduating in 2019.
He was a middle linebacker for the varsity football team as a freshman. He dressed with varsity as a freshman and sophomore and started every basketball game his last two years. He was a four-year varsity baseball player.
A second baseman as a freshman, he was shortstop the next three and also did some pitching for then-head coach Jim Turner Jr.
“He kept it pretty light,” says Platt of Turner. “He wanted to make sure you were doing the right things. It was on you to do the extra work and make sure you were prepared.”
Tucker is the youngest of Brad and Stacey Platt’s three children, behind Alexis and Kelley. Alexis Platt (now Alexis Miller) was a swimmer at Logansport High and Kelley Platt was a standout gymnast for the Berries and is now head coach.
Brad Platt spent decades as an assistant baseball coach at LHS.
“I was always at the field and picking up on things early,” says Tucker of his time with his father. “I got BP and (fungo reps) with him. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without him.
“He’s given me all the opportunities in the world to succeed.”
“It is the best tournament in the world for youth athletes,” says Held, who left the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and joined the Indiana Bulls travel organization as executive director in the fall of that year.
In the summer of 2018, Held left the Bulls to coach at Indiana University. In 2021 he left IU and returned to the Bulls as director of operations.
“It’s nice to have so many opportunities for the Indiana kids,” says Held. “That’s what I wanted (when I started Team Indiana).”
Not only is it a tournament where it’s the best of the best available 18U baseball talent but it draws coaches from all over college baseball. Every Major League Baseball organization sends multiple people, including scouting directors and cross-checkers.
“It makes it extremely impressive for the kids to play in that kind of environment and atmosphere,” says Held. “(Evaluators) make sure they take their notes, cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s.”
About two-thirds of Team Indiana Bulls roster played at the WWBA Worlds in 2022.
“Having experience the previous year in Jupiter is a huge asset,” says Held. “It’s such a big atmosphere that you can get caught up in it.”
Held says returnees know what to expect. They’ve seen all the golf carts, college coaches and pro scouts and it doesn’t overwhelm them.
Who gets to play on Team Indiana?
“We have an idea within our organization who we want to target,” says Held. “A misconception going around now is that we’re just an Indiana Bulls team. That’s not the reality of it.
“We’re trying to find the best players we can in Indiana. This year it turned out that we had a really good squad with the Indiana Bulls that we didn’t need to go (outside of the organization) as much.
“We’re always trying to identify the best players that we can and take down the best that we can.”
Fifteen of 19 tournament roster players in the Class of 2024 with position, high school and commitment status according to Perfect Game website): catcher Sage Adams (McCutcheon/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher Ty Adamson (Westfield/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher Collin Cirks (Lake Central/Uncommitted), third baseman R.J. Cromartie (Penn/Notre Dame commit), shortstop Josh Girvan (Zionsville Community/Wabash Valley), right-handed pitcher Jack Grunkemeyer (Batesville/Uncommitted), third baseman Drew Helton (Whiteland Community/Purdue Fort Wayne commit), shortstop Brayden Hibler (Westfield/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher Gavin Kuzniewski (Fishers/Ohio State commit) and outfielder Jayce Lee (South Bend St. Joseph/Notre Dame commit), catcher D.J. Scheuneman (Mt. Vernon of Fortville/Ball State commit), right-handed pitcher Aiden Schwartz (Lafayette Harrison/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher Griffin Tobias (Lake Central/Indiana U. commit), right-handed pitcher Nash Wagner (Zionsville Community/Ball State commit) and right-handed pitcher Simon Wilkinson (Zionsville Community/Illinois).
The four in the Class of 2025: shortstop Trevor Corbett (Noblesville/Uncommitted), outfielder Andrew Krupa (Center Grove/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher Parker Rhodes (Greenfield-Central/Xavier commit) and shortstop J.D. Stein (Carmel/Louisville).
The Indiana Bulls — and Team Indiana — were created as a platform of exposure for players to show their skills in front of college coaches and pro scouts. With that in mind, they let those folks know who’s pitching through social media etc.
At Jupiter, Held tends to put the starting pitchers out there and leaves flexibility on the back end.
“We want to put our pitchers in the best situation to succeed,” says Held.
Looking at the talent pool as a whole, many of the players in Jupiter have already announced or are considering college offers at the NCAA Division I level. Some stay eligible for the next MLB First-Year Player Draft by going to a junior college.
Regardless of commitment status, the athletes are being watched.
“As a college coach you’re always evaluating all the players on the field,” says Held. “You’re just not actively recruiting the kids that are committed already. You always want to have some notes on everybody.
“The Transfer Portal is a thing and it’s real so you’ve always got to be prepared.”
Through their diamond associations, the families of Held and Scott Rolen have become close.
When Rolen was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame this summer, the Helds were invited to stay at the Cooperstown resort where they were able to “hobnob” with Hall of Famers and attend the Cardinals party with owner Bill DeWitt and former St. Louis manager/Hall of Famer Tony LaRussa.
“On the day of the induction I wore an IU tie,” says Rawitch. “Most of the world just thought it was a red tie. It had a small IU logo at the bottom and I took a picture with Scott and I was showing it off at the end of the day.”
“It was very cool to be part of the group to call him in Bloomington to let him know that he had gotten in (to Cooperstown),” says Rawitch. “(Pedersen) actually stayed at my place during the induction. With (Anderson, Ind., native) Carl Erskine (who received the Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award) there were a lot of Hoosier people in Cooperstown in July and it was pretty cool to see all those people and feel a kinship with them.”
Josh grew up in Los Angeles, the son of Bob and Cynthia Rawitch. They were were journalism veterans. His mother was a career professor and later a provost and his father was a reporter and editor at the LA Times and an adjunct professor for years. Both worked at Cal State-Northridge.
A cousin from Massachusetts — Ken Roth — attended Indiana about a decade before Josh and moved out to LA and lived from Josh and his family.
“He always talked about how great Indiana, Bob Knight and the Big Ten,” says Rawitch, who played second base and third baseball for Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles and got to visit when his father had a Midwest conference. “When I saw the campus I just fell in love with it and realized that’s where I wanted to go.”
IU is where Rawitch met the women he would marry. Josh and Erin have two children. Emily (15) works in the Hall of Fame gift shop. Braden (13) is a shortstop and pitcher who played at Cooperstown All Star Village this week.
As Hall of Fame president, Rawitch has had the chance to experience many special moments, including being on stage at the induction ceremony or attending the dinner the night before that is just for living Hall of Famers plus the commissioner and the museum president.
“Those are the most surreal things that have happened since I’ve been here,” says Rawitch. “But for me it’s really been it’s just seeing this community, the people that work here and being part of a really, really incredible institution. Almost everyday something happens where I pinch myself and say I can’t believe I get to be a part of it.”
Rawitch, who turned 47 in July, oversees the daily operation of the Hall of Fame which employs nearly 100 full-time staff members a welcomes more than 300,000 annual visitors.
He estimates that about 400 artifacts are brought into the collection and many others are considered.
“It is a living, breathing museum every single day,” says Rawitch, who says the Hall of Fame’s library contains 3 million documents and many books, documents, photos, audio tapes etc. are regularly considered for acquisition. “It’s not as well known to the public, but it’s pretty cool.”
Fundraising or helping in the building of an exhibit is another part of Rawitch’s job.
“We’re constantly looking for ways to promote the game,” says Rawitch.
About a week a month, Rawitch is traveling. He spends the rest of the time in Cooperstown.
Trips might include taking a plaque to a park or visit to the World Series, All-Star Game or spring training.
In 2023, Rawitch has been at the London Series with the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals and Mexico City Series featuring the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants.
Before taking his current position, Rawitch was with the Arizona Diamondbacks, serving as senior vice president of communications then senior vice president of contest & communications.
Beginning in 1995, Rawitch spent two stints with Los Angeles Dodgers, holding the titles of vice president of communications, director of public relations and broadcasting, assistant director of public relations, baseball information coordinator, advertising & special events coordinator and intern.
In 2001-02, he was a beat reporter for Major league Baseball Advance Media then went back to the Dodgers.
“The class that I taught was basically everything I did for the Diamondbacks and the Dodgers — everything from media relations and how you pitch a story to how you find statistics to the point you’re making for a broadcaster. Social media grew dramatically over the time I taught the class.
“We debated on how things were handled from a communications standpoint and how we might have handled it differently,” says Rawitch.
In 2018, Rawitch received the prestigious Robert O. Fishel Award for Public Relations Excellence.
“Probably 15 years ago or so I had a boss that told me he thought I could be a club president some day,” says Rawitch. “The seed was planted that somewhere during my career down the road the opportunity would come up.”
It was not until previous Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson was getting ready for his retirement that he reached out to Rawitch about applying for the position.
“It’s certainly not something I ever thought about,” says Rawitch. “I dreamed about being in Cooperstown with a plaque when I was a kid, but I certainly never dreamed of working and living in Cooperstown.
“I’ve done it for a couple of years and it’s better than I could have ever imagined. It’s such a special place. It’s a great community and great place to raise a family.”
Josh Rawitch. (National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum Photo)
Derek Simmons has spent more than a third of his life as an assistant college baseball coach. Simmons, who turns 37 on May 31, is in his fourth season on the staff at Indiana University. He wears multiple hats for the Hoosiers. He is the program’s recruiting coordinator and helps with hitters and infielders. On game days, he coaches third base. As recruiting coordinator, Simmons travels to high school games in the spring. “I try to get out and see our commits,” says Simmons of a group that ranges from the current senior class (2023) to freshmen (2026). He missed one IU game while traveling to watch a commit in California. “Then I see our top-priority guys who are uncommitted or we are trying to recruit.” Indiana hitters have an approach that centers on velocity. “You’ve always got to stay on fastball timing,” says Simmons. “For us it’s the fastball and then we try to adjust to anything else.” Each day in practice, the Hoosiers are seeing 92 to 95 mph off pitching machines. Simmons, who played mostly shortstop and second base in college and pro ball, preaches the fundamentals with his infielders. “But I give our guys a lot of freedom with one hand and outside of the funnel because 80 percent of the balls aren’t going to be hit right at you,” says Simmons. “They’re going to be hit either to your left or your right. It forces our guys to use their forward and their backhand.” Indiana plays many games on turf, where the ball tends to move faster. To get acclimated to a dirt infield, infielders will sometimes will go to IU’s softball diamond — Andy Mohr Field. It’s located next to Bart Kaufman Field. As third base coach, Simmons has a routine. “Before each and every game I always watch the other teams take infield-outfield,” says Simmons. “I get to know how the outfielders’ and infielders’ arms are and how they move in space. “I like to be very aggressive. I like going first to third and and first to home.” Simmons considers several factors when deciding to send a runner or hold them up at third base. There’s the number of outs, the strength of the outfielders’ arms and who’s the on-deck hitter. “Is it a guy who’s swinging the bat really well to where I can hold the (runner) up at third or is it a guy hitting lower in our lineup and I’m going to gamble and send this (runner),” says Simmons. Jeff Mercer is head coach of a Hoosiers staff that also features pitching coach Dustin Glant and volunteer Zach Weatherford plus director of player development Scott Rolen and director of baseball operations Denton Sagerman. Simmons describes Mercer as “very passionate.” “He’s a very humble guy,” says Simmons. “He is very workman-like in everything that he does. You always know what you’re gonna get. He’s very even-keel and doesn’t get too high and doesn’t get too low. “I’ve known him for over 12 or 13 years now. I love coming to work for guy like him. He is incredible.” Before landing in Bloomington, Simmons served two seasons at Kent (Ohio) State (2018-19), one at Alabama (2017), four at Kennesaw (Ga.) State (2013-16) and two at Central Michigan (2011-12) after the 2004 graduate of Chattahoochee High School in Johns Creek, Ga. (near Duluth) played two seasons as an infielder at NCAA Division II University of Montevallo (Ala.), including a D-II World Series appearance in 2006, and two at Georgia State plus a stint with the independent professional Gateway Grizzlies (Sauget, Ill.). Simmons was an assistant to Jeff Duncan at Kent State, Greg Goff at Alabama, Mike Sansing at Kennesaw State and Steve Jaska at Central Michigan and played for Goff at Montevallo and Greg Frady at Georgia State. Duncan is a former Purdue assistant. Goff is now Purdue’s head coach. In his career, Simmons has coached or recruited 53 all-conference honorees, a pair of conference “of the year” award winners, nine All-Americans and four Freshmen All-Americans. He was also named to Baseball America’s Coaches to Watch list in 2018 and 2019. He is also a part of the USA Baseball program, which includes stints with the 18U National Team and the 14U National Training Development Program. “Once I got done playing, you know, I just enjoyed the college game so much that I wanted to get into college coaching,” says Simmons. “I never wanted to leave college. “I’ve just been really fortunate enough to have a great support group. My wife (Erin, the mother of daughter Bella and son Braxton) has been incredible and I just love the college game. Absolutely love it.” Simmons and the Hoosiers (23-10, 7-2) go to Illinois April 14-16 for a three-game Big Ten series. IU sits atop the conference standings, just ahead Michigan State (20-10, 6-3) and Michigan (18-14, 6-3).
Jeremy Payton took over the baseball program at alma mater Paoli (Ind.) Junior-Senior High School on the second day of official practice in 2022 and was soon coaching the Rams in games. As the 1994 Paoli graduate approaches his second season in 2023, Payton has been able to actually prepare. “We didn’t have a lot of time to break things down,” says Payton. “We’re way ahead of the curve. “We’re already way ahead of where we were last year. I didn’t know where kids played when I took over.” Players — mostly pitchers — who are not involved in basketball have been attending IHSAA Limited Contact Period sessions and preparing their arms and bodies for the season. “They been throwing 30 to 45 minutes two days a week,” says Payton. “They come in tired from doing weights and conditioning.” The first official day of IHSAA practice is March 13. Coming back to high school baseball Payton had to familiarize himself with the pitch count rule (1 to 35 pitches requires 0 days rest; 36 to 60 requires 1 day; 61 to 80 requires 2 days; 81 to 100 requires 3 days; and 101 to 120 requires 4 days). When he last coached the limit was based on innings. “That was definitely learning curve last year,” says Payton. “The kids didn’t have the endurance and the ability to cover more than 40 or 50 pitches early and that was different than what I was used to.” Payton’s coaching staff includes varsity assistant Jeremy Reynolds, volunteer Davis Minton (Class of 2020) and junior varsity coach Ashton Minton (Class of 2019). In a group of about 24 players for varsity and junior varsity squads, there are three seniors and eight or nine freshmen. Among returnees is junior Trey Rominger, who only struck out three times in 65 plate appearances while hitting .327 with a .431 on-base percentage, in 2022 has been drawing college interest. He is already the school’s all-time leading rusher in football. There are also a number of travel ball players. “We’ve got a lot of good things coming,” says Payton. “It’s just a matter of getting all the pieces in the right spot.” Aron Busick (Class of 2020) is on the baseball team at Oakland City (Ind.) University. Paoli (enrollment around 400) is a member of the Patoka Lake Athletic Conference (with Crawford County, Mitchell, Orleans, Perry Central, Springs Valley and West Washington). The Rams are part of an IHSAA Class 2A sectional grouping in 2023 with Clarksville, Crawford County, Eastern (Pekin) and Providence. Paoli has won eight sectional titles — the last in 1995. Paoli plays on Trinkle Field (named for Ken Trinkle, who pitched in 216 big league games for the New York Giants in 1943, 1946-48 and Philadelphia Phillies in 1949). As a U.S. Army Corporal during World War II, Trinkle saw action in the “Battle of the Bulge” and was awarded a Bronze Star. The on-campus facility recently got upgrades to sod, dirt and warning track and an updated seating area and locker room. The old press box was torn down and a storage room was put in its place. As a feeder system there is Paoli Youth Diamond Sports (T-ball to 12U) and a school-affiliated junior high program for Grades 6-8. That team has 18 games scheduled April 4-May 22 with home dates at Trinkle Field. The team plays PLAC and non-conference opponents. Payton’s baseball coach at Paoli was Tom Stuckwisch. “He was a mentor,” says Payton of Stuckwisch. “He was our baseball coach, math teacher and assistant football coach. “He was easy to approach. He was very laid-back. “You didn’t have to make the game real complicated. Just go out and play and relax. Do the little things right and good things happen.” During Payton’s prep career, the Rams were won about three quarters of their games. The 1993 team won a sectional then lost to Jasper and Scott Rolen in the regional. The 1994 team — ranked among the state’s Top 20 — was edged 2-1 by Springs Valley in the sectional championship game. Payton graduated from the University of Southern Indiana in Evansville. He moved back to town in 2000 and was a Rams baseball assistant for four years in the mid-2000’s on the staffs of John Hahn and Kyle DeSpain. Hahn played baseball at Butler University in Indianapolis. DeSpain holds the Hanover (Ind.) College single-season record for doubles with 25 in 2001. After his baseball stint, Payton served as head softball coach at Paoli through 2012. Outside of coaching, he is an independent financial advisor in town. Jeremy and wife Marci have two children — Addie (13) and Collier (9) — in Paoli schools. “My son loves baseball,” says Payton. “He’s been coming to practices and throwing and hitting.”
Scott Rolen, who was a standout at Jasper (Ind.) High School and for 17 Major League Baseball seasons for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Toronto Blue Jays, will be enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., this summer. July 23 is the big induction day. The man who signed the future Hall of Famer who was selected in the second round of the 1993 MLB First-Year Player Draft is also a Hoosier. Hobart’s Scott Trcka was an area scout with the Phillies when he secured Rolen. “I followed him all summer,” says Trcka, who saw Rolen play multiple times and became friendly with his family. “I did all the leg work. I did all the (research on) make-up and signability.” The popular theory in the scouting world was that Rolen would pursue his hoops option instead of baseball. “Indiana’s a basketball heaven,” says Trcka. “Both of his parents (Ed and Linda) were teachers. He had a scholarship for basketball at (the University of) Georgia. “(Other scouts) didn’t think he would sign. I had a handshake. It was a tough negotiation. It was a long summer. But it got done. “He was not like a $1,000 college senior. He was a high school player and you needed to spend some time on him.” It was a different environment three decades years ago. “Today they’d walk away from a guy like that or drop a ton of money on him,” says Trcka. “Compared to the player he is, I gave him nothing. I gave him fair money for the round and the place. I didn’t over do it. “It was a trust thing.” At Jasper, Rolen was a third baseman, shortstop and pitcher. “He had a fastball he could pump up to 93 (mph),” says Trcka. “He showed his arm strength then and all it did was improve. When he got up to the big leagues he had a rocket. “With his arm and his agility he could’ve played shortstop in the big leagues.” Track notes that average major league runner gets down down the line from the plate to first base in 4.3 seconds. Rolen was clocked in 4.01. “That’s flying — especially for a big man.” says Trcka of player who was 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds in the majors. “He had pretty good instincts on the bases. He’d take that extra bag. “He was a special guy.” Rolen went into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2019 and is now Director of Player Development at Indiana University. In a New York Times article by Tyler Kepner dated Jan. 24, 2023, Trcka is credited with Dick Lawlor and Marti Wolever as scouts that recommended Rolen to former Phillies scouting director Mike Arbuckle. Like so many relationships he made in 27-plus years as an MLB scout, Trcka enjoyed the one he made with Rolen’s parents. He still gets Christmas cards from them and still hears from players, families, coaches and other scouts. “It was a great game,” says Trcka. “I loved it. Even though the job did take me away from the family, I couldn’t ask for a job that I enjoyed more.” In various capacities Trcka scouted for the Phillies 1989-2001 and 2013-16, San Diego Padres 2002-05 and New York Mets 2006-12. He covered winter ball in the Dominican Republic from 1998-2001. In 2005, he was assigned four MLB teams in spring training along with 24 minor league teams during the season. In 2007, he spent two weeks covering pro baseball in Japan. “It was a good job,” says Trcka. “I enjoyed my time. I met a lot of great people. If you were to tell me I’d have access to go into major league clubhouses and things like that when I was a kid, I would probably lose my marbles and couldn’t wait to grow up. “I signed a lot of big leaguers. That was the biggest thrill.” Besides Rolen, Trcka also signed the following MLB players as an area supervisor: Steve Parris (1989, fifth round), Gary Bennett (1990, 11th), Mike Grace (1991, 10th), Tony Fiore (1992, 28th), David Doster (1993, 27th), Kevin Sefcik (1993, 33rd), Jason Boyd (1994, eighth) and Kevin Plawecki (2012, first, 35th overall selection). New Haven (Ind.) High School graduate Doster played mostly second base at Indiana State University and in the bigs and Japan. Westfield (Ind.) High School alum Plawecki was a catcher at Purdue University and played his eighth MLB season in 2022. As a crosschecker, Trcka recommended Pat Burrell, Jason Michaels, Jorge Padilla, Brett Myers, Marlon Byrd, Gavin Floyd, Khalil Greene, Tim Stauffer, Colt Morton, Dirk Hayhurst and Aaron Nola. The first time Trcka saw LaTroy Hawkins he was a lanky freshman at Gary (Ind.) West Side High School. “He was a good kid,” says Trcka. “I really liked him. He had a whip for an arm. You knew he was going to be pretty good. “He turned out to be a real gem.” Hawkins went on to pitch 21 seasons in the majors and went in the IHSBCA Hall of Fame in 2018. Trcka helped fellow scout Bill Bryk conduct tryout camps for the Pittsburgh Pirates in northwest Indiana. It was during the change toward more analytics and less traditional scouting that Trcka was let go by the Phillies. “Everything has changed now,” says Trcka. “Baseball people don’t run the game anymore. “It was once a great game, but it’s far from that anymore. Statistical information doesn’t tell what a real player is about inside.” Not that Trcka ignored the numbers. When scouting college players, he always sought out the press box and found the stat sheet. He wanted to know how many times a batter struck out or walked and how many stolen bases a player had. “Doubles were always big,” says Trcka. “Doubles can show what the future holds for you as far as home run power. “We looked at all that stuff. All scouts did that. Not just me.” What about WAR (Wins Above Replacement)? “I don’t know how to do it and I don’t want to know,” says Trcka. “It was a different time. I know you’ve got to move with the times, but when something’s not broke don’t fix it.” In recent years, Trcka has been focused on his family including grandchildren. When he happened to be watching a game on TV and saw a batter make the last out in one inning and start on second base in extra innings, he was introduced to what commonly is called the “ghost runner.” “What’s going on in this game?,” says Trcka. “They’re doing a fine job of trying to destroy the game. “It’s a sad commentary.” The son of Dick and Joan Trcka, Scott spent his first three years of high school at Hobart and his senior year at Calumet, graduating in 1976. As a Warrior, Trcka played for his father and against future big league slugger Ron Kittle, who was a senior at Gary Wirt High School. Dick Trcka spent 28 years in a variety of coaching roles at Calumet and won more than 200 games as head baseball coach. The field at what is now Calumet New Tech bears his name. Scott Trcka was Director of Player Personnel and Development for the summer collegiate wood bat Northwest Indiana Oilmen in 2019.
Paul Gries has been a very active member of the Evansville, Ind., athletic community. The Pocket City native taught for 34 years in the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation — 10 at Plaza Park (K-8) and the rest at Central High School. His main subjects were Physical Education and Health. Whatever the season, Gries was organizing and coaching youngsters in flag football, softball, baseball, soccer, basketball and more. In 1978, he accepted an invitation to join John Wessel’s Central boys basketball coaching staff. In 1980, he was asked to be a Bears baseball assistant. “We hardly had a program at all,” says Gries, who took over as head coach in 1981 and began working in earnest on Central’s field. “If you want to call it a field,” says Gries. “It was nothing. But I had dreams of what I wanted the baseball field to look like.” With the help of players, coaches and parents, a diamond which was named in honor of Gries in 2016 (Paul Gries Field was dedicated in 2017 a few days after Gries underwent heart surgery) was steadily-crafted. Gries, 79, was head baseball coach at Central for 21 seasons (1981-2001) before retiring at 58 and going into the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2002. His teams went 408-196 and earned the first seven sectional titles in program history (1981, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1996, 1997 and 1998) plus the first two regional championships (1981 and 1987) and only semistate crown (1987). Central lost 4-1 to the LaPorte’s mythical national champions in the ’87 state championship game at Bush Stadium in Indianapolis. Gries coached in the IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series in 1987 and was named National Coach of the Year in 2000. “I had some good players (including 1985 graduate and future big league pitcher Andy Benes) and tied to get the most out of every player,” says Gries. “I was spending 14-hour days at Central High School. I was putting every ounce into it. “It just wore me out.” It was in 1987 that Gries was approached by longtime professional baseball man and Evansville resident “Singing” Ed Nottle, who had a daughter who was taught by Gries. Nottle wanted to help Gries and other coaches raise money for their programs. “We had car washes, candy sales and whatever you can image, but we were making making peanuts until Ed came along,” says Gries, who gathered all the high school and college coaches in town at the EVSC office and what came from planning sessions was the Friends of Bosse Field “Night of Memories.” What began as a group of former baseball professionals who wanted to ensure that the history of Bosse Field would not be forgotten while fundraising turned into the Tri-State Hot Stove League. Gries served with that organization for 31 years, including stints as vice president and president, and is still involved. One of the first “Night of Memories” guests was National Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Gries flew to New Jersey to bring Yogi to town. Over the years, Evansville native and Indiana Baseball Hall of Famer Don Mattingly aka “Donnie Baseball” was at the first special night and has only missed it on a few occasions. Gries coached Taylor Mattingly (Don’s oldest son) at Central. When Don was playing for the New York Yankees, he would get in the batting cage take swings after winter workouts by the Bears. “He’d say, ‘Paul, give me some situations.’ I’d, ‘man on third, tie game, one out in the eighth or ninth inning’ and Mattingly just hit those fly balls,” says Griese. “It was unbelievable how Mattingly prepared himself.” The next Tri-State Hot Stove League “Night of Memories” is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023 at Meeks Family Fieldhouse in the Carson Center at the University of Evansville. A paid autograph session is slated from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Central Time followed by a chat and live/silent auction at 6. Featured guests include Don Mattingly, Jamey Carroll, Jerad Eickhoff, Aaron Barrett, Colson Montgomery, Elijah Dunham, Cameron Decker, Wayne Hagin, Denny McLain, Darrell Evans and Graig Nettles. “He’s unbelievable,” says Gries of emcee Hagin, who has been a play-by-play man for the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets. “People love listening to the stories.” Among past guests: Mattingly, Carroll, Eickhoff, Barrett, Hagin, Gabby Allison, Rick Ankiel, Clint Barmes, Andy Benes, Yogi Berra, Raymond Berry, Lou Brock, Don Buse, Steve Carlton, Jack Clark, Roger Clemens, Danny Cox, Andre Dawson, Jim Edmonds, George Foster, Kyle Freeland, Steve Garvey, Bob Gibson, Goose Gossage, Mark Grace, Bob Griese, Kevin Hardy, Keith Hernandez, Whitey Herzog, Paul Hornung, Al Hrabosky, Andruw Jones, Tommy John, Jim Kiick, Harmon Killebrew, Lily King, Ray Lankford, Tony LaRussa, Johnny Latner, Larry Little, Gaylord Perry, Bobby Plump, Ozzie Smith, Bob Feller, Brooks Robinson, Scott Rolen, Enos Slaughter, Frank Robinson, Andy Van Slyke, Lee Smith and Brad Wilkerson. “They come from all over when they know Don Mattingly is here,” says Gries. “They can get close to him. People in New York can’t do that.” College/Pro Football Hall of Famer Griese (Rex Mundi High School Class of 1963 and Purdue University Class of 1967) has been to many “Night of Memories.” “We do this for the kids,” says Gries, who notes that the a non-profit group has raised close to $2 million for youth athletics and youth-focused organizations in Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky in three decades. Gries says the event at its peak netted up to $90,000 in one day. Some of the money has been given to Habitat for Humanity. Gries says Mattingly, Bob Griese, Brian Griese (Bob’s son who now coaches with the San Francisco 49ers), Calbert Cheaney (a 1989 Evansville Harrison High School graduate who played at Indiana University, the National Basketball Association and now coaches with the Indiana Pacers) and Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Jerry Sloan (who played at Evansville College and the NBA and was a longtime NBA coach) all gave large sums to sponsor homes. A 1961 graduate of Evansville Mater Dei High School, Gries’ prep baseball coach was Len Will (an Indiana Football Hall of Famer). “He was the gentlest man that I know,” says Gries. “That was the example he shared with us (athletes).” On the basketball court, Gries eclipsed the 40-point mark three times including a single-game record of 44. That was long before the 3-point arc was put in place. Mater Dei was led on the hardwood by Ed Schultheis in Gries’ freshman and sophomore years and Tom Gore in his junior and senior seasons. Gries went to Indiana State College (now Indiana State University) for basketball and baseball during an era when freshmen were not allowed to play on the varsity. The injury bug kept biting him on the hardwood. He suffered torn cartilage working out early in his freshman year then experienced ankle and groin ailments as a sophomore and decided not to stick with the Duane Klueh-coached Sycamores. On the diamond, Gries earned three letters (1963-65, helping the Sycamores go a combined 37-24-2) playing for Paul Wolf (who wound up as a member of both the IHSBCA Hall of Fame and ISU Athletics Hall of Fame). One of his fond memories is playing catch with future IHSBCA Hall of Famer Tommy John and having John feed the pitching machine for him during preseason workouts before the 1961 Terre Haute Gerstmeyer High School valedictorian reported to spring training. Gries paced Indiana State in batting average, hits and runs as a junior in 1964 (.357, 25 and 20 ) and senior in 1965 (.413, 26 and 13). He hit .439 in conference games and was Indiana Collegiate Conference co-MVP with Ball State’s Merv Rettenmund (who went on to play 13 in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and California Angels and coached for the Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres twice, Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers). “The great thing about Paul Wolf is that he was old school,” says Gries. Wolf was a minor league middle infielder 1926-33, including time with the Indianapolis Indians in 1930-31. He was able to pass on wisdom to Gries, who was a switch-hitting shortstop at Indiana State and moved to second base in his second of two pro seasons in the Washington Senators organization (1965-66). “Pee Wee” (he was 5-foot-9 and 157pounds) spent much of the 1965 Appalachian League season on the disabled list with a sprained ankle after a collision at home plate. It was during the Vietnam War era and Gries left baseball to joined the U.S. Army Reserves and got married for the first time. “I got to see the difference between high school and college and college and pro,” says Gries. “What a big step it is.” Divorced in 1989, Gries was single for 14 years and has been married to Mary, a fellow Catholic who moved to Evansville from Auburn, Ind., for 19 years. Gries has five children, 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. “They are the joy of my life,” says Gries. “I’m going to spend as much time with my kids as I can.”
Paul Gries.
Paul Gries at the Tri-State Hot Stove League “Night of Memories.”
Kelcey Mucker grew up in the southern part of Indiana and excelled at multiple sports. Born in Washington, Ind., and moving to Lawrenceburg, Ind., around 18 months, Mucker would go on to shine at Lawrenceburg High School. The 1993 graduate played in the Indiana-Kentucky All-Star Boys Basketball Series as well as the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series and the Indiana Football Coaches Association North/South All-Star Game. At the time, he was told he was the first to ever pull off that three-sport feat. One of his teammates in the Indiana-Kentucky and IHSBCA North-South games was Jasper’s Scott Rolen. Both were named to the 2018 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team. Mucker, who swang the bat from the left side and threw the baseball and the football with his right arm, was headed to Indiana University on a football scholarship with plans to also represent the Hoosiers in basketball and baseball when his path turned to professional baseball. Selected in the first round of the 1993 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Minnesota Twins, all-state outfielder Mucker did not sign right away and had time for those summertime all-star appearances. One day before he was to begin classes at IU — Aug. 9, 1993 — the 6-foot-4 athlete signed with the Twins. “The offer was good and I weighed my options,” says Mucker, the Lawrenceburg High School Athletics Hall of Famer. “I feel like I could’ve played baseball a lot longer than the other sports.” Basketball was his favorite and he excelled at football. He did not put the time into baseball he did the other two. “It was something I could do,” says Mucker, who went on to play 597 pro games, including 109 with the 1995 Fort Wayne (Ind.) Wizards. Mucker played in the Twins system 1993-99 — seeing time at Double-A the last two years. He hooked on with the Cleveland Indians organization as a minor league free agent in 2000 and was released in April. The Oakland Athletics hired him as a scout and assigned him to a Deep South territory. He first moved to Metairie, La., outside New Orleans. He was in Baton Rouge, Fla., for 14 years and three years ago moved 20 miles east to Denham Springs, La., where he lives with wife Lisa. Mucker, who is beginning his 22nd year with the Athletics, is responsible for knowing the baseball talent in Louisiana, Mississippi and southeast Texas (Houston area). At this time of the year, Mucker is spending much of his time getting ready for the spring season. He meets with potential signees through in-home visits or (since the COVID-19 pandemic) sometimes over Zoom calls. “Getting into homes was pretty big for us as area scouts — that face-to-face contact,” says Mucker. “That’s still challenging going into 2022. “I like talking to parents and kids at the ballpark. It’s not so impersonal.” Mucker’s job is tied to being organized. “It’s knowing my area and what’s going on on a daily basis — not only for me but my supervisors and everybody above me so they can get that second look,” says Mucker. “We all can evaluate a player. What ballparks are we going to get in?” Emails let him know when there are changes in games and he’s always on top of the forecast. “I feel like I’m a weatherman,” says Mucker. “Rain is not good for a baseball game.” But — generally speaking — the weather is good and baseball can be played 12 months a year in Mucker’s area. In the winter months, that is often a workout or showcase. “Kids are always working out — sometimes a little bit too much,” says Mucker. “From the draft (now in July during the MLB All-Star break) until start of the season, we’re getting ready for 2022. “I try to see everybody we can prior to next spring so we have an idea.” Unlike Indiana when the snow might still be flying in April, high school baseball in Mucker’s territory tends to start the third week of February. Mucker also keeps tabs on players’ social media accounts. “They might Tweet something they shouldn’t and be a bigger risk,” says Mucker. “For us as scouts that’s part of the equation.” Not all MLB organizations bring their scouts together during the draft. With the exception of 2020 with travel restrictions, Mucker and his colleagues go to Oakland during that time. Mucker is vice president of the Southeastern Scouts Association — a group made up of scouts living in the Deep South and representing all 30 MLB teams. “We meet once a year and talk about initiaves and giving back to the game within our region,” says Mucker, who has also been part of the Buck O’Neil Professional Baseball Scouts & Coaches Association. Mucker notes that there is some uncertainty about what will transpire in baseball until the current lockout is resolved. Scouting has always been competitive, but now that the draft has been cut down to 20 rounds (it was 40 in 2019 and five in 2020) it is even more important to know as much information as possible about players and also what other organizations think about him. How much do the Reds like that player? Can we wait until the third round or take them in the second? “It’s another way — on a bigger scale — to be organized within your territory,” says Mucker. Though he’s lived away from Indiana more than two decades, Kelcey Adair Mucker still has family ties there. His father — retired Indiana State Police trooper of 30 years — Hubert Mucker Jr., is just outside Lawrenceburg. Brother Stacy Mucker and son Kelcey Aaron Mucker live in Lawrenceburg with many other family members in Washington or Indianapolis.
Kelcey Mucker in 1996.
Gathering at the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in New Castle, Ind., in 2018 (from left): Hubert Mucker Jr., Kelcey Adair Mucker, Stacy Mucker, Kelcey Aaron Mucker and D’Kari Mucker.
IHSBCA members may vote for up to four coaches and two players/contributors. Deadline for returning the ballot is Oct. 31. Inductees will be honored at the State Clinic Jan. 14-16 at Sheraton at the Crossing in Indianapolis.
IHSBCA HALL OF FAME 2022 BALLOT Coaches Steve Strayer (Active) A graduate of Prairie Heights High School, Manchester College (bachelor’s degree) and Indiana University Northwest (masters degree), Strayer has been a head coach at Boone Grove and Crown Point (current) and has a record of 641-238 with 15 conference, 14 sectional and nine regional titles. He has coached 13 IHSBCA All-Stars, 64 future college players (23 NCAA Division I). He is a six-time District Coach of the Year (1996, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2007 and 2019). In 10 seasons at Boone Grove, Strayer won 223 games with seven Porter County championships. His Crown Point teams have won 418 in 19 seasons with numerous sectional regional crowns and eight Duneland Athletic Conference titles. He has been IHSBCA president and was a North All-Star coach in 2005 and 2021. Strayer teaches math at Crown Point High School. Steve and wife Jennifer live in Crown Point with daughter Charlotte.
Lea Selvey (Active) A graduate of Redkey High School, University of Evansville (bachelor’s) and Ball State University (master’s), Selvey has spent his entire career at Jay County — five years as an assistant and 32 as head coach — and is 515-343 with seven sectionals and three regionals. His teams have won five Olympic Conference titles and he was named OC Coach of the Year three time. He also has an Allen County Athletic Conference crown to his credit. Selvey was a District Coach of the Year in 2019. He has served the IHSBCA as president, a regional representative and been on numerous committees and been an All-Star assistant twice. He’s also been a Regional Coach of the Year. Selvey has coached 14 All-Stars and had numerous players go on to college baseball with two being selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and two others playing independent pro ball and overseas pro baseball. He coached the 1992 NABF Topps Player of the Year. Selvey started the junior high program at Jay County and has been active with the Summit City Sluggers travel organization for nine years. He has also been involved with cross country, boys basketball and girls basketball over the years. Lea and wife Denise have three children (Josh, Kristen and Kyle (wife Leah) and currently teaches Science at Jay County High School.
Dean Lehrman (Active) A graduate of Heritage High School and Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne, Lehrman was a four-year baseball letterman in high school and pitched four years in college. He has been a head baseball coach of 42 years — nine at Woodlan and 33 at Heritage (current). His teams have won 615 with 12 Allen County Athletic Conference titles along with eight sectionals, three regionals and one semistate. There’s been three Final Four appearances and a state runner-up finish (2007). He’s an eight-time ACAC Coach of the Year. He’s also been a District Coach of the Year and twice been on the All-Star coaching staff. He also coached football for 39 years, including six as head coach (40-26). Dean and wife Janice have three children (Camryn, Derek and Ryne) and four grandchildren. Dean retired from teaching math at Heritage High School in 2020.
Gary Rogers (Active) A graduate of Merrillville High School and Huntington College, Rogers has been a head coach of 34 years — 32 at Fort Wayne Bishop Luers and two at Leo (current) with 513 wins. His Luers teams won four sectionals, one regional, one semistate and one state championship (2008). He was the State Coach of the Year in 2008 and has twice been a District Coach of the Year. He has been on numerous IHSBCA committees and is very active in the Fort Wayne baseball community. He was a volunteer assistant at Indiana Tech for many seasons, worked the Wildcat League for 33 ears and is on the board of the Northeast Indiana Baseball Association (he is an NEIBA Hall of Famer).
Mark Grove (Retired) A graduate of Bluffton High School and Ball State University, Grove won 513 games, nine sectionals, four regionals and was a semistate runner-up in 1995 at Churubusco High School. His teams won nine Northeast Corner Conference championships (four tourney titles) and two Allen County Athletic Conference crowns. Grove coached 40 players who went on to college baseball and one MLB Draft selection. He has coached 25 All-Staters, six North All-Stars and twice coached the All-Stars. He was a District Coach of the Year several times. A longtime IHSBCA member, he has served on several committees (co-chaired “Baseball Strikes Out Kancer”) and is currently helping at the state clinic registration table. He is a Northeast Indiana Baseball Association Hall of Famer and has mentored many coaches. He is a willing participant/organizer of clinics and youth baseball events.
Tim Terry (Active) A graduate of Clinton High School and Indiana State University (bachelor’s and masters), Terry has been a baseball coach for 43 years — 41 as head coach — with 620 wins and eight sectionals. His teams have won 20 or more games 10 times and he has been a conference Coach of the Year on nine occasions. He has twice been a District Coach of the Year, served as an IHSBCA All-Star coach twice and coaches several All-Staters and All-Stars. He’s been on many IHSBCA committees. Terry played football, basketball and baseball at Clinton and baseball and Indiana State before an injury sidelined him. He was a South Vermillion High School assistant in 1979 and 1981 and Turkey Run High School head coach in 1980. He became SVHS head coach in 1982. He has also coached many Little League, Pony League, Babe Ruth and travel ball teams. He’s been a varsity football coach for three years and girls basketball coach of 34. In three sports, he has 922 victories. Terry was an Industrial Arts and Physical Education teacher and has been South Vermillion athletic director for the past six years. Tim and wife Kim (an SVHS Science teacher) have four boys (T.J., 26, Carlton, 22, Cooper, 21, and Easton, 16).
Doug Greenlee (Retired) A graduate of South Putnam High School, Indiana State University (bachelor’s) and Ball State University (masters), Greenlee won 503 games in a 28-year span, including 25 at Kankakee Valley High School with three sectionals, two regionals and seven conference championships. He was the 2013 IHSBCA North All-Star head coach and coached nine All-Stars and numerous future collegiate players. His Kankakee Valley teams were ranked No. 1 on three occasions. Greenlee has served on several IHSBCA committees and been an athletic director of 16 years at four different schools. He officiated baseball for more than 25 years and worked four State Finals.
Dave Ginder (Active) A graduate of Carroll High School and Anderson University, Ginder is 400-142 in 19 seasons as Carroll head coach with seven Northeast Hoosier Conference, 10 sectional, four regional, two semistate and two state crowns (2010 and 2011). He was the State Coach of the Year in 2010 and 2011, NHC Coach of the Year in 2003, 2011 and 2013 and a District Coach of the Year in 2007, 2010 and 2001. Ginder is an active IHSBCA member, having served as an All-Star coach in 2011 and many years as a member of the 4A poll panel. He has also been involved in many local baseball camps and clinics and is member of the American Baseball Coaches Association and Northeast Indiana Baseball Association. Dave and wife Kristen reside in Fort Wayne and have three children (Langston, 22, Dresden, 20, and Jantzen, 17). Dave teaches mat at Carroll High School and Kristen is a Registered Nurse at Parkview.
Players Wallace Johnson (Retired) A graduate of Gary Roosevelt High School (1975) and Indiana State University (1979), Wallace played for legendary coach Bob Warn at ISU and was co-captain on the Sycamores’ first Missouri Valley Conference championship team and first NCAA Tournament team. Johnson led the nation in hitting (.502) that season and hit .422 for his college career. He was inducted into the ISU Hall of Fame in 1985. Drafted in 1979 by the Montreal Expos, Johnson was a Florida State League MVP and helped Denver (1981) and Indianapolis (1986) and Triple-A championships. He made his MLB debut with the Expos in 1981 and became the team’s all-time leader in pinch hits (86). For his big league career, Johnson hit .255 with five home runs and 59 runs batted in over 428 games. After his playing career, he was third base coach for the Chicago White Sox for five seasons.
Jamey Carroll (Retired) A graduate of Castle High School (1992) and the University of Evansville (1996), Carroll played for Dave Sensenbrenner in high school and Jim Brownlee in college. He was an All-American in 1996 and Caroll’s name is in the UE record book 27 times. Drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 14th round, he went on to a 12-year big league career with the Montreal Expos/Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Cleveland Indians, Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins and Kansas City Royals. Carroll posted a 16.6 WAR WITH 1,000 hits, 13 homers, a .272 average, 580 runs, 265 RBIs, 74 stolen bases, .349 on-base percentage and .687 OPS (on-base plus slugging). He led National League second basemen in fielding percentage in 2006 and plated Matt Hollday with a sacrifice fly in a 2007 NL Wild Card Game. Jamey and wife Kim have 11-year-old twins (Cole and Mackenzie). He works in the Pittsburgh Pirates front office.
Players/Contributors Dave Taylor (Active) A standout player at Southmont High School and Wabash College (where he was team captain), Taylor coached Little League, Babe Ruth, high school, AAU and American Legion ball. During an AAU coaching stint in Florida he realized the level of travel baseball and how Indiana was underrepresented in this arena. He formed the Indiana Bulls with the vision of providing Indiana high school players with the opportunity to pursue their college and MLB dreams. In 1992, the Bulls sponsored two games and Taylor coached the 18U squad with future big leaguers Scott Rolen and Todd Dunwoody. He coached the Bulls four more seasons, served as president for 10 and officer for 20 and has been director since 1992. More than 170 Bulls players have been drafted (12 in the first round) and over 300 have received NCAA Division I scholarships. The organization has 22 national titles and a professional staff that works 12 months a year. There are currently 25 teams ages 8U to 17U. Several are coached by former professionals who played for the Bulls. Taylor resides in Brownsburg and is a leading insurance defense trail attorney, He has served 20 years as a certified Major League Baseball Players Association agent and represented more than 100 pro players. He continues to represent former players in various legal matters.
Bryan Bullington (Retired) A graduate of Madison Consolidated High School, Bullington was a two-sport athlete (basketball and baseball). As a pitcher, he was 6-3 with 74 strikeouts as a sophomore in 1997, 10-1 with 1.69 earned run average and 65 strikeouts as a junior in 1998 and 15-0 with 1.49 ERA and 127 strikeouts as a senior in 1999. He threw a one-hitter in helping Madison win a state championship in 1999 and was named Indiana Mr. Baseball by Hoosier Diamond. He was MVP of the IHSBCA North/South All-Star Series and selected in the 37th round of the MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals. Bullington opted to attend Ball State University. In three seasons he was 29-11. He was Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2001 and 2002. When he left BSU, he held school records for single-season wins (11), career wins (29), single-season strikeouts (139) and career strikeout (357) and still holds MAC single-season and career strikeout marks. He was named to the BSU Hall of Fame in 2014. Bullington, a 2001 U.S. National Team pitcher in 2001, was the No. 1 overall draft selection by the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2002. He’s just one of two Indiana players taken with the top pick. He logged 12 pro seasons (missing 2006 because of a torn labrum) with a 61-38 record, 3.68 ERA and 602 strikeouts in seven minor league campaigns. In five seasons with the Hiroshima Carp in Japan, he was 46-48 with a 3.25 ERA and 550 strikeouts. He pitched in 49 MLB games with the Pirates, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays and Royals. Bullington lives south of Chicago with his wife and three children and is a scout for the Milwaukee Brewers.
A.J. Reed (Retired) A 2011 graduate of Terre Haute South Vigo High School, where he played for Kyle Kraemer, Reed was a three-time all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference honoree, first-team All-State (2010 and 2011) and Indiana High School Player of the Year (2011). He was also an IHSBCA South All-Star and the series MVP. He is listed in the IHSBCA record for walks in a season (first) and home runs in a season (sixth). Reed played three seasons at the University of Kentucky (2012-14). After his junior year, he earned the Southeastern Conference Player of the Year, Golden Spikes Award (for the nation’s top amateur player), Dick Howser Trophy and Player of the Year honors from ABCA and Baseball America as well as the John Olerud Trophy and several first-team All-America mentions and Collegiate Baseball/Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year. In 2012, he was on several first-team Freshman All-America lists. The Houston Astros selected Reed in the second round of the 2014 MLB Draft and he was an All-Star in Minor League Baseball in 2015, 2017 and 2018. He was a two-time recipient of the Joe Bauman Award for leading MiLB in homers and was Rookie of the Year and MVP at Lancaster of the California League in 2015. Reed retired from baseball in May 2020 and resides in Riley with Shelby and their two dogs. He plans to return to college in January to finish his bachelor’s degree.
For the Dubois County Bombers of Huntingburg, Ind., it’s about serving the community and providing opportunities for college baseball players in the summer. A member of the summer collegiate wood bat Ohio Valley League, the Bombers play at League Stadium, where the movies “A League Of Their Own” (1992) and “Soul Of The Game” (1996) were filmed and where Southridge High School plays its home games in the spring. For the first film, the stadium was expanded from a capacity of 800 to 2,783 and given an antique look (the original grandstand dates back to 1894). In 2019, the Bombers drew 998 fans per game — among the highest attendance figures in the team OVL, which had nine teams at the time and now sports 10 (besides Dubois County, there’s Kentucky’s Hoptown Hoppers, Owensboro RiverDawgs, Madisonville Miners, Fulton Railroaders, Paducah Chiefs, Muhlenberg County Stallions, Henderson Flash, Franklin Duelers and Full County Rhythm). “We’re fortunate because Columbia Pictures left us a stadium that we can put that many fans into it,” says Mike Uebelhor, a Huntingburg native who is a principal owner and managing partner for a group that purchased the team in 2012. “We just wanted to make sure that the team stayed here in Dubois County.” The Bluff City Bombers of the Central Illinois Collegiate League moved to Huntingburg in 2005 and were renamed the Dubois County Bombers. The CICL then merged with the Prospect League. As the Prospect League has a larger geographical footprint, the Bombers moved to the Ohio Valley League as of the 2013 season. According to Uebelhor, the previous owner was planning on moving the team to another venue. “We just wanted to make sure this this stadium was not going to sit here and rot,” says Uebelhor. “And so that’s why we kept it here.” There are 33 season employees. Mike’s wife and daughter — Mary and Ashley — put the whole package together. Mick Uebelhor, a sophomore on Southridge’s IHSAA Class 3A state champions in 2021 is Mike and Mary’s son and a Bombers intern. “We all have our second separate job opportunities and job descriptions and it all works,” says Mike Uebelhor. There’s both an electronic and manual scoreboard. Bombers players where throwback-style uniforms and Peaches — a nod to the All-American Girls Baseball League’s Rockford Peaches — greet fans, help run on-field contests. There are “Musical Chairs” for kids and adults. The opposing teams participates in the “Dizzy Bat Spin.” Peaches and fans dance to “Cotton-Eyed Joe” in the fifth inning. Many little girls at the park don the same pink outfits as the Peaches. Girls can get eye pink and boys eye black. One youngster was heard to say after his blacking, “I’m a professional baseball player.” There’s a vintage bus parked in front of the stadium with Rockford Peaches on one side and Bombers on the other. Promotional dates include ’60s Night, Shark Night and Faith & Family Night. The regular season of fun began began June 4 and runs through July 24. “We’ve always promoted this as 50 percent baseball and 50 percent entertainment,” says Uebelhor. “Most folks would not remember tomorrow what the score was, but they remember they had a good time and they come back. And that’s how we grew up being able to grow our attendance along with a lot of corporate sponsors.” There is an outfield sign for set designer Harold Collins, who customarily destroys sets after use but agreed with Connie Kay Nass (Huntingburg mayor 1988-96) to keep the improvements to League Stadium. According to Uebelhor, Budweiser paid $1 million for its permanent sign. Coca-Cola paid $500,000.
Eight former major league players have played at League Stadium — Buddy Blemker, Jim Rushford, Bob Coleman, Steve Cishek, Mitch Stetter, Scott Rolen, Alex Graman, Sean Manaea and Daniel Johnson. Blemker, a 1955 Huntingburg High School graduate, Huntingburg native Coleman and Rolen (Jasper Class of 1993) are in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. A pitcher, Blemker played for the Kansas City Chiefs. Coleman played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians and managed the Detroit Tigers and Boston Braves. Third baseman Rolen played for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays and Cincinnati Reds. Catcher Rushford played for the Dubois County Dragons in 1996 and later with the Milwaukee Brewers. Pitcher Cishek was with the Bombers in 2006. He has played for the Florida/Miami Marlins, Cardinals, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Angels. Southridge graduates Stetter (Brewers) and Graman (New York Yankees) pitched in the bigs. Oakland Athletics hurler Manaea was with the Bombers in 2011. An outfield with DC in 2015, Johnson was drafted by the Washington Nationals and has played for the MLB Indians. The 2021 Bombers roster features seven local players — pitcher Weston Allen (Asbury University), first baseman Connor Oxley (Oakland City University), outfielder/second baseman Tucker Schank (Indiana University) and catcher Chase Taylor (University of Evansville commit) of Huntingburg, outfielder Jared Sermersheim (West Virginia Tech) and pitcher Carter Stamm (University of Southern Indiana) of Jasper and infielder Simon Scherry (Heritage Hills High School of U. of Evansville) of Santa Claus — and the rest reside with 17 host families. There’s usually a waiting list to host players. Many in town have taken players in — Bombers or the independent Dubois County Dragons (1996-2002) — for years. Taylor, who helped Southridge to the 3A state title on Tuesday, June 22 (the same night that Jasper gave the county a second champion by reigning in Class 4A), was the starting catcher for the Bombers on June 24. In his debut, Taylor caught former Southridge teammate Allen and stroked a double and scored a run in his first at-bat. He threw out a would-be Franklin base-stealer in the fourth inning. Travis LaMar, an assistant coach for Southridge who played for the Bombers in 2007-09, has been on the DC coaching staff since 2017 and head coach since 2019. “It’s great for the community,” says LaMar of the Bombers experience. “The community really gets involved and really supports us. “You bring in these college kids and it gives them an opportunity to develop their skills and play the game every day and have a little bit of fun while they’re doing it.” LaMar is an Evansville Harrison High School graduate who was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 44th round of the 2006 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. The 6-foot-6 right-hander opted to pitch for Olney (Ill.) Central College and then Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. He then played independent pro ball for the Lake Erie Crushers and Evansville Otters and was an assistant coach at Harrison. Travis and Kate LaMar have been married since 2018 and have nine-month old son named Drake. The LaMars reside in Holland, Ind. Travis also teaches physical education at Caze Elementary in Evansville. LaMar pulled double-duty during Southridge’s state run, going with the Raiders at practices and games and letting his Bombers assistants run the show when there was an overlap. “I was stretched pretty thin but, you know, it kind of all worked out and it just kind of goes back to the kind of the family atmosphere that we have,” says LaMar. “A lot of these players are from around here and they they understand the league or they’ve been in the league before. “So you know I can kind of put a lot of trust in that I can put the trust to my coaches.” Willie Poe, who played for the Bombers’ 2015 and 2017 OVL championship teams, is in his first season on the DC coaching staff. The Lexington, Ky., native pitched at Bellarmine University. He coached at Iowa Wesleyan University and Indian Hills Community College before joining former Bombers head coach Andy Lasher’s staff at Oakland City U. Bryce Wilz returns as a DC assistant after pitching for the Bombers in 2013. He played at Southeastern Illinois College and Brescia University. He is currently the pitching coach at SIC. He has coached in the OVL with Muhlenberg County (2018) and was to be with Madisonville in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic took the season away. Mark Peters is in charge of player recruitment for the Bombers. The Huntingburg native has been connected to high school and college baseball for more than two decades as both a coach and recruiter. Bombers home games air of WITZ 104.7 FM with Hall of Famer Walt Ferber on play-by-play and Roger Stuckey on color commentary.
Travis LaMar
League Stadium, Huntingburg, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)
League Stadium, movie site (Steve Krah Photo).
“A League Of Their Own” was filmed at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)
“Soul Of The Game” was filmed at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)
League Stadium is in Dubois County, Ind., home to two 2021 IHSAA state champions — the Southridge Raiders and Jasper Wildcats. (Steve Krah Photo)
The Dubois County Bombers won the 2018 Bluegrass World Series. (Steve Krah Photo)
On-field contests are a staple at Dubois County Bombers games. (Steve Krah Photo)
League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind., was updated and dedicated in 1991. (Steve Krah Photo)
A Dubois County Bombers “Peach” applies eye pink to a little fan. (Steve Krah Photo)
Many little girls at Dubois County Bombers games dress like the Rockford Peaches as seen in “A League Of Their Own,” a movie filmed at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)
A vintage bus in front of League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind. It’s the home of the Ohio Valley League’s Dubois County Bombers. (Steve Krah Photo)
A vintage bus in front of League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind., serves to remind folks that “A League Of Their Own” was filmed there. The movie about the All-American Girl Baseball League came out in 1992. (Steve Krah Photo)
A famous line from the 1992 movie, “A League Of Their Own.” It was filmed at League Stadium in Huntingburg, Ind. (Steve Krah Photo)
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