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

Advertisement

Alum Steimel now pointing way for Sullivan Golden Arrows baseball

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A man who has been leading at the developmental levels of community baseball is now the head coach at Sullivan High School.

Tony Steimel, a 1990 Sullivan graduate, has spent the past decade in charge of the recreational Sullivan Baseball League, which begins with 4-year-olds who swing against pitches from coaches and play in games where outs are counted.

“We want to get kids used to real baseball as young as possible,” says Steimel, the SBL president. “We don’t challenge kids enough. They can handle more than we give them credit for.”

For the last five years, the owner of Steimel Communications in Sullivan has been a volunteer, spending much of his time coaching seventh and eighth graders in games all around west central and southern Indiana.

“That’s as key and important as anything we’ve done around here,” says Steimel of a non-school affiliated group which plays as far north as South Vermillion territory, as far south as Barr-Reeve and as far east as Edgewood. “What they do going into high school is really critical to your program.”

Those teams played “A” and “B” five-inning doubleheaders while using up to 10 different pitchers with an eye on the future.

“Anybody who has the mental capacity and the desire should be put on the mound,” says Steimel. “That’s the same way it is at the junior varsity level.”

This spring, Sullivan has schedule 20 dates for its junior high-aged teams and Shawn McKinney will coach those kids when not working with the junior varsity or varsity squads at the high school.

“It’s in good hands,” says Steimel of the junior high program. “We’ll be on the same field. We’ll definitely be talking.”

Steimel, who will also be assisted by newcomer Josh Wood and local baseball veterans Tom Hannon, Tom Hanks, Brian Pirtle and Brian Schulze, takes over a Golden Arrows high school program with a history of success.

Since 1985, Sullivan has gone 534-357-1 with 10 seasons of 20 wins or more.

Matt McLaren guided the Arrows for six seasons (2012-17) and went 110-62. The last three squads were 21-9, 20-9 and 21-6. He is now head baseball coach at Richland County High School in Olney, Ill.

Bob Mirkovich (1964 to 1981, 238-150-3) and Craig Grow (1995 to 2004 and 2010; 194-112-1) are two of the winningest Sullivan coaches over the years.

Current Sullivan athletic director Otto Clements was Steimel’s head coach in his senior season.

Mirkovich coached in the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series in 1976 and 1982 and Craig Grow coached the All-Stars in 2002.

Sullivan players in the series have been shortstop Jack Smith (1976), pitcher Charley Noble (1977), outfielder Greg Bender (1982), shortstop Greg Wood (1986), pitcher Jon Boothe (1987), shortstop Michael Rinck (1998), shortstop K.C. Grow (2001), pitcher Devin Jones (2002) and third baseman Korey Grow (2004).

Sullivan has won 16 sectionals (1970, 1972, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, 2015), three regionals (1976, 1987, 1991) and one semistate (1976) and had one state runner-up finish (1976).

Thirteen times, the Arrows have reigned as conference baseball champions (1973, 1976, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1997, 1998  and 1999 in the old Tri-River Conference and 2017 in the Western Indiana Conference).

Sullivan is the WIC West Division with Greencastle, North Putnam, Northview, South Putnam and West Vigo.

The East Division features Brown County, Cascade, Cloverdale, Edgewood, Indian Creek and Owen Valley.

In 2018, WIC teams will again play a home-and-home series against divisional foes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays with the first game counting toward conference standings. Crossover games will be played at the end with the top teams in each division meeting for the championship.

The Arrows are in an IHSAA Class 3A sectional grouping with Brown County, Edgewood, Owen Valley and West Vigo.

Sullivan heads into the spring with a few familiar varsity faces and some new ones. There were around 24 players on the first day of practice Monday, March 12.

Some of those have less baseball experience than others. But Steimel welcomes them.

“There are teams that need players and players that need teams,” says Steimel. “We want to include kids that need to be part of something positive. There’s a lot of negative things kids can get into.

“It should set a good example for our star players as well.”

While graduation took six seniors in 2017 and five of nine position players and three of five starting pitchers are gone, the Arrows still have senior right-handed pitcher/shortstop Sam Steimel (a University of Evansville commit) and senior catcher Shane Garner. Both have been starters since they were freshmen.

Senior outfielder/left-hander Chris Taylor and junior corner infielder Jack Conner also returns.

“We’ve got a really young group,” says Tony Steimel. “Our sophomores are solid but unproven. Kids that played JV last year will be asked to step up this year.”

Sophomore right-hander Bray Foster slots in as Sullivan’s No. 1 pitcher behind Sam Steimel. Sophomore first baseman Max Mize is also in the mix.

While Sam Steimel has been playing for the Indiana Bulls, his father says many of his top players have played travel baseball with organizations based in Terre Haute, including the Indiana Havoc (a group Tony Steimel has coached) and Mad Dog. There’s also Sullivan American Legion Post 139.

Sullivan plays its games on-campus at a field that got new lights a few years ago. Plans have been drawn up and budgets made for upgrades in the next few years. That includes 35-foot high netting to replace the backstop and new handicap-accessible bleachers.

Tony and Alison Steimel, a Sullivan graduate, will be married 20 years in 2018. Besides Sam, they have another son. Freshman Eli is a left-handed pitcher and first baseman.

The Steimels (from left): Alison, Tony, Eli and Sam. Tony Steimel is the new head baseball coach at Sullivan High School. Sam Steimel is a senior and Eli a freshman for the Golden Arrows.