Tag Archives: Sports Management

College

Crown Point alum Bosse earns CCAC Pitcher of the Week honor with St. Ambrose U.

Leave a comment

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Jacob Bosse was honored as Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Pitcher of the Week on April 23.

The junior left-hander at NAIA member St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa, threw an eight-inning complete game with a career high-tying 12 strikeouts and four walks in a 14-1 win against Judson University. He had a shutout going until the seventh inning.

In eight mound outings (all starts) for the 2024 Fighting Bees, Bosse is 2-1 with a 6.00 earned run average, 53 strikeouts and 36 walks in 36 innings. Opponents are hitting .218 against him.

In his first season at St. Ambrose in 2023, he pitched 11 times (six as a starter) and was 1-0 with a 3.82 ERA, 53 strikeouts and 38 walks in 30 2/3 innings.

SAU head coach Tony Huntley and pitching coach Hunter Keim could decide to send Bosse to the bump Sunday, April 28 against visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph (the school in Whiting, Ind., has players familiar to Bosse including Jorge Santos) or save him for next week’s CCAC Tournament in Joliet, Ill.

Pitching wasn’t always the thing for Bosse.

Growing up in Crown Point, Ind.,and playing Little League and Cal Ripken/Babe Ruth ball and travel ball with Top Tier, he was an outfielder.

At Crown Point High School, he only stepped on the mound once in awhile.

“I’d go in if we needed a guy,” says Bosse. “I had no real feel for how to be a pitcher.”

He went up the ladder for the Bulldogs, playing on the frosh team as a freshman, junior varsity squad as a sophomore and varsity as a junior. He could be found in left field or center field.

Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Steve Strayer leads the CPHS program.

“He’s probably one of the best coaches I’ll ever have,” says Bosse of Strayer. “He’s a great guy. He really gave me confidence. 

“He helped me become a better baseball player and a better person.”

While working out for a 2020 senior season that wound up canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bosse began to get serious about pitching.

After graduation, the left-hander stuck with it.

As fits his personality, he threw himself the task of getting better at the craft.

“I’m a very fierce competitor,” says Bosse, 22. “I care a lot about what and how I’m doing. If goes beyond the game for me. I’m planning my days out around what I’m going to do to get better. 

“My competitiveness and hunger to do better every day are my best qualities.”

Delivering from a high three-quarter arm slot, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Bosse mixes a four-seam fastball, “circle” change-up, 12-to-6 curveball and a slider.

He has topped out at 92 mph and sits at 87 to 91 mph with his fastball. His change travels at 75 to 78, curve at 70 to 74 and slider at 76 to 79.

“I try to get more arm-side sink (with the change-up),” says Bosse. “I try to get a lot of fade to it to miss more barrels. It plays really well off my fastball.

“I do get a lot of natural run. When I pull it down, I get more back spin than side spin. I try to create a rise effect with it.”

Bosse attended a Prep Baseball Report showcase through Top Tier and was drawn to South Suburban College, a National Junior College Athletic Association member in South Holland, Ill. It was where he became a pitcher-only.

Toeing the slab for the Steve Ruzich-coached Bulldogs, Bosse pitched in 37 games (29 as a reliever) in 2021 and 2022 and went 5-3 with 5.72 ERA, 96 strikeouts and 70 walks in 74 innings.

Pitching for the NWI Rippers in a Babe Ruth district game in the summer of 2021, Bosse struck out a record 20 batters. He faced 24 batters and gave up one hit in 6 2/3 innings. Of 106 pitches, 69 were strikes.

“I do consider myself to be a pretty high-strikeout pitcher,” says Bosse. “I do take into account how many pitches I’m using. If I can strike out a guy as fast as I can, I try to do that and really challenge him.”

Through Twitter (now X), Bosse was recruited to St. Ambrose by assistant coach Joe Vaccaro.

“I came out here for a visit, loved it and decided it was the place for me,” says Bosse. “It is a really nice place.”

In the summer of 2022, Bosse played for the Crown Point-based Lake County CornDogs of the Northern League. In 2023, he was with the Northwoods League’s Rochester (Minn.) Honkers. This summer he’s due to play for the NWL’s Fond du Lac (Wis.) Dock Spiders.

A Sport Management major, Bosse expects to finish his undergraduate degree in the fall then begin masters classes. He says he plans to play 2025 might come back in 2026 as a graduate student. The pandemic plus his time in junior college has added to his eligibility clock.

Bosse’s favorite MLB team is the Los Angeles Dodgers. A recreational basketball player growing up, his favorite athlete is former Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose.

“I got to see him play a couple of times when I was a kid,” says Bosse. “That’s how I grew to love Chicago.”

Jacob is the oldest of Brad and Diana Bosse’s two children. Allyson Bosse is studying Business at Indiana University South Bend.

Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (St. Ambrose University Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)
Jacob Bosse. (South Suburban College Photo)

Jacob Bosse.
Jacob Bosse with sister Allyson, father Brad and mother Diana.
College

Indiana’s Cerny enjoys standout freshman spring, summer

Leave a comment

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Tyler Cerny opened his college baseball career on the 2023 Big Ten Conference all-freshman team.

The Indiana University second baseman picked up where he left off in the spring by earning all-Appalachian League honors in the summer with the Greeneville (Tenn.) Fly Boys and is now back on the Bloomington campus getting ready for his second year.

Cerny, who turned 20 in July, is a Sports Management major with three remaining years of eligibility. Classes began Aug. 21 and individual baseball work has started. Team practice is later this fall.

A 6-foot-2 and 193-pound righty swinger, Cerny appeared in 59 games for the 2023 IU Hoosiers (57 starts) and hit .276 (61-of-221) with 10 home runs, four triples, nine doubles, 43 runs batted in, 47 runs scored, .837 OPS (.348 on-base percentage plus .489 slugging average) and 10 stolen bases.

Batting No. 7, 8 or 9 in the Indiana order, Cerny reached safely in 46 games, produced a hit in 40 contests played and scored in 30 games.

“The most important thing when you’re a hitter is to get on-base,” says Cerny. “I’ve been working to do that a little bit better. This summer I tried to lower my strikeouts and get my walks.

“Upwards of .400 would be a really good on-base percentage for me. If I could get there in the spring that would be awesome.”

Cerny drew 13 walks in 2023 and would like to significantly raise that number.

How can he do that?

“Seeing pitches better and controlling the strike zone,” says Cerny. “Just switch at pitches I know I can hit that are in the  zone and laying off the ones that are down and away and no chasing.”

New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor says he wants to “play offense on defense” and Cerny takes the same approach.

“It means don’t let the ball attack you, go and attack it,” says Cerny. “Go get every hop.”

Another shortstop is Cerny’s all-time favorite player — Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.

Jeff Mercer is head coach at IU.

“I love him,” says Cerny of Mercer. “He’s probably the best coach around. He’ll get out you for stuff and make you better every single day.”

In 27 games for Greeneville, Cerny hit .336 (38-of-113) with five homers, two triples, six doubles, 23 RBIs, 26 runs, team-best .934 OPS (.376/.558) and three steals.

Former major league pitcher Dennis Cook managed the Fly Boys.

“It was a really fun experience being down there,” says Cerny. “Everybody in the organization was really nice and fun to be around. I made a lot of friends on the team.

“Playing baseball everyday — that’s what you signed up for. It was really fun.”

Cerny is a 2022 graduate of Center Grove High School in Greenwood, Ind., where he earned three letters in baseball and three in basketball. 

He missed his sophomore baseball season because of the COVID-19 pandemic and much of his junior year with a non-COVID-19 illness.

Cerny helped Center Grove to Johnson County titles as a junior and senior and was all-county as well as an Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association North/South All-Star Series invitee as a senior.

Playing for Keith Hatfield on the diamond and Zach Hahn on the hardwood, Cerny was part of sectional championship baseball and basketball teams in 2021.

“I love Keith,” says Cerny of Hatfield. “I still talk to him to this day. I work out with him sometimes during the off-season. He’s a big mentor for me and was great to play for.”

Born in the suburbs of Chicago in 2003, Cerny moved to Indiana with his family at about 2 and grew up in Greenwood.

After a few years playing for father Jason Cerny at Greenwood Little League, he played travel ball for Indiana Elite (coached by Phil Milto and A.J. Zapp) and the Indiana Bulls. He also had fall campaigns with Team Indiana heading into his junior and senior years.

Jason Cerny played baseball and football at Lakeview High School in Cortland, Ohio, and earned an Engineering degree at Purdue University and is now an account manager.

Since Tyler’s birth, mother Raeanne Cerny has been a stay-at-home mother.

Younger sister Brennah Cerny is a sophomore at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis where she plays basketball.

Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Greeneville Fly Boys Image)
Tyler Cerny. (Greeneville Fly Boys Photo)
Tyler Cerny. (Greeneville Fly Boys Image)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)

Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Image)
Tyler Cerny. (Indiana University Photo)
College

Righty fireballer Moore lands at Oregon

Leave a comment

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Indiana-born fireballer Brock Moore is slated to play his last collegiate baseball season in the Pacific Northwest.

Moore, who was born in Greenwood, Ind., and grew up in Carmel, Ind., and graduated from University High School, committed this summer with the University of Oregon for 2023-24.

The first day of online summer classes for the Sports Management major begins for the big right-hander on Monday. He is to move to campus around Sept. 8 with the first baseball event slated for Sept. 14.

A 6-foot-6, 245-pounder, Moore has a four-seam fastball that sat at 94 to 96 mph and touched 98 this past spring while pitching for Menlo College — an NAIA program in Atherton, Calif.

Throwing from a high three-quarter arm slot, Moore also has a sinker, change-up and slider.

“I throw it kind of weird,” says Moore of his sinker. “I throw it with no seams, a reverse slider grip and I just pronate at the top of my arm action. 

“It kills a little bit of the velocity. It’s like 90 to 92 mph and I get some good run.”

It’s a four-seam “circle” change and sweeping slider that Moore throws.

It was when he figured out how to use his height to his advantage that Moore really took off as a pitcher.

Moore, who turned 23 in May, graduated from University in 2019 and watched from the dugout as the Trailblazers claimed an IHSAA Class 1A state championship. 

He was ineligible to play as a senior. He did not play baseball as a freshman and was on the junior varsity squad at Carmel High School as a sophomore. 

Following his mother to Terre Haute, Moore transferred briefly to Terre Haute South Vigo where he did not play and then back to Carmel while missing a full semester of classes and finals. He reached out University and got caught up academically and played there as a junior.

In 2018, Moore went 7-0 with a 2.77 ERA on the mound and hit .347 and 25 RBIs.

Moore spent one season each at National Junior College Athletic Association members Rend College in Ina, Ill. (2020), and Danville Area Community College (2021) and two at Menlo (2022 and 2023).

The COVID-19 pandemic cut short the 2020 season at Rend Lake. Moore relieved in one game and went 1-0 with no strikeouts and one walk in 1 1/3 innings.

At Danville Area, the righty came out of the bullpen for all eight of his mound appearances and went 0-1 with 15 strikeouts and 15 walks in 12 1/3 innings.

After pitching for the Park Rangers of the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021 — the only summer he has played since becoming a collegian, Moore headed to California.

With the 2022 Menlo Oaks, he got into six games (four starts) and was 0-2 with a 4.00 earned run average, 25 strikeouts and 15 walks in 18 innings.

In 2023, all 11 of his appearances were starts and he went 2-5 with a 3.33 ERA, 70 strikeouts and 20 walks in 51 1/3 innings. That’s over 12 strikeouts per nine innings.

“I definitely learned to get a routine down,” says Moore. Juco was mostly go on your own and figure it out. Menlo was more organized. We had team lifts every week, a set practice schedule.”

Alex Hoover is the head coach at Menlo. Trent Verlin is the pitching coach.

“(Verlin) was the one who helped me master my change-up. I worked on it every bullpen and every pitching session. We worked on change-ups every time. 

“That helped my arm path and working out front. I saw velocity rise and it made the change-up my best secondary pitch.”

Moore also began working with online pitching trainer Ben Baggett (who is with the Toronto Blue Jays organization). 

Roommate Evan Wilcox, an Ontario native who was also at Rend Lake in 2020, found Baggett on Instagram and started training with him and Moore followed suit.

Baggett pitched at Stanford in 2019. Former Oregon player Jack Marder was on the Cardinal coaching staff and is an assistant at his alma mater. 

Marder reached out to Moore and an offer was made and accepted.

At one point Moore was going to play this summer for the Northwoods League’s Rochester (Minn.) Honkers, but plans changed.

Moore attended a pre-draft workout with the Texas Rangers in Cincinnati and later agreed to join former Purdue University head coach Mark Wasikowski at Oregon in 2023-24. “Waz” has led the Ducks since the 2020 season.

Blake Hawksworth was named pitching coach in July.

It has been announced that Oregon will move to the Big Ten Conference, but the Ducks will be in the Pac-12 during Moore’s season in Eugene.

Starting has been Moore’s most-recent role, but says he is also OK with coming out of the bullpen.

Growing up, Moore’s favorite player was Boston Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia.

“He was a small guy,” says Moore. “But I loved Dustin.”

Moore’s favorite pitcher is right-hander Justin Verlander, who recently went back to the Houston Astros.

“I just love the way that he throws,” says Moore. “He brought life to having a very high-spin fastball and living up in the (strike) zone.

“He’s been doing that now for 20 years. He found a way that worked for him and he stuck with it. He’s phenomenal. He’ll go down as one of the greatest of all time.”

Moore played for the Indiana Mustangs — a travel organization led by University head coach Chris Estep — from 8U to 17U.

“I have to give him so much credit,” says Moore of Estep. “He’s helped me so much through my life. I look at him as my godfather almost.”

Brock’s parents are divorced. Jeff Moore is in sales and development with Blue Horseshoe in Carmel. Karen Moore is a dental assistant at Smiles in The Village in Westfield.

Step-sister Rose Lurie is 20 and an Indiana University student. 

Step-brother and welder Ben Lurie is 23 and slightly older than Ben.

Brock Moore. (Menlo College Photo)
Brock Moore. (Danville Area Community College Photo)
Brock Moore. (College Summer League at Grand Park Photo)
Brock Moore. (Menlo College Photo)
College

Stickann keeping it fun with Southland Vikings

1 Comment

By STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Sullivan Stickann loves it when ballplayers have a smile on their face.

“The biggest thing I emphasize loving coming to the ballpark every day,” says Stickann, manager of the Northern League playoff-bound Southland Vikings in northwest Indiana this summer and pitching coach/recruiting coordinator at Olive-Harvey College in Chicago during the school year. “You want to have fun every day and get better.

“It doesn’t have to be miserable. I always push the kids hard but they have fun at the end of the day.”

Stickann was in junior high when he decided he wanted to be a coach and teacher. Along the way, he narrowed that to coaching and working in an athletic department.

He counts Olive-Harvey head coach Jameel Rush and former minor leaguer and 5 Star Great Lakes/Great Lakes Sports Hub president Bobby Morris as his biggest mentors.

“I spend almost every single day with him,” says Stickann of Rush. “We’ve become really good friends. He’s taught me a lot.

“(Morris) has given me a lot of good intel. He’s been in the game for a really long time and he played pro.”

At 24, Stickann is the youngest manager in the six-team Northern League — a hybrid of amateur and professional players — and he is an army of one. He does not have an assistant. 

The 2017 graduate of Highland (Ind.) High School had John Bogner as a prep head coach.

“He just loved everybody in the program,” says Stickann of Bogner, who recently became field boss at Chesterton High School. “He stays in-touch with me to this day. He’s a great family guy.”

Stickann spent two years at Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby, Ill., and one each at Trine University in Angola, Ind., and Wright State University-Lake Campus in Celina, Ohio. He plans to finish a Sports Management degree through American Public University.

Having played on both sides, Stickann gets to share what he knows about pitching and hitting.

“It’s weird,” says Stickann. “In high school I was a better pitcher than a hitter. I got to college and I was a better hitter than pitcher.

“It’s really benefitted me coaching-wise. I’m able to work with position players and pitchers.”

He recruited every play who has donned the Southland Vikings red and black this summer.

“We’ve had about 65 players play for this team,” says Stickann. “We have a core group but some guys have to leave early.

“I look for guys who were ranked pretty high in high school and have a good background. Former coaches had good things to say about them. I did my research online and got a couple through word of mouth. I really wanted to focus on speed and defense this season. That’s where our bread and butter is. We play winning baseball.”

On Tuesday, Aug. 1, Southland came to Nappanee, Ind., to play the Elkhart County Miracle with nine, meaning no designated hitter. When Charlie Dumo was injured in the third inning, Stickann had to put himself in the lineup.

Donning No. 79, the lefty swinger/thrower played right field and even pitched two scoreless innings.

It’s about 100 miles between Highland High School, where the team bus departs, and Nappanee. Plus there’s a time difference (Nappanee is on Eastern Time).

“It’s a long drive but I love coming out here,” says Stickann. “It’s a beautiful (turfed) field. It’s always a good atmosphere. 

“Whenever we come here I make sure everybody plays.

“We make it a fun day. We’ll go get food after (the game) and have a blast in the van on the way here.”

Southland (26-22) is scheduled to finish the regular season with games today (Wednesday) at Griffith and Thursday at Northwest Indiana before taking on those same Oilmen in a best-of-three playoff series beginning Saturday at Oil City Stadium in Whiting, Ind.

Sullivan Stickann. (Steve Krah Photo)
College

Merrillville grad Coty seeking next college opportunity

1 Comment

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

Dylan Coty spent the summer of 2022 with a baseball team in Swift Current, Saskatchewan — the 57’s of the Western Canadian Baseball League.
Fitting for a player who counts swiftness as one of his best qualities.
“I know how to use my speed very well,” says Coty, who is in the Transfer Portal seeking four-year college baseball opportunities while playing this summer for the Northwoods League’s Rockford (Ill.) Rivets. “I have a lot of energy.
“I want to let coaches and recruiting coordinators know I can play with these guys.”
To market himself, Coty is also planning to expand his Twitter profile. His handle is @DylanCoty4.
Coty describes his approaches at the plate and in the field.
“I try to drive the ball in the gap,” says Coty, a righty swinger. “If I have to put the ball in the ground and beat it out, I’ll do that, too. There’s nothing wrong with bunting.
“(The defensive key is to) stay down on the ball (and use good footwork). Get the ball first and then worry about throwing the ball.”
Coty, who turns 20 in July, is a shortstop and second baseman and occasional outfielder who graduated from Merrillville (Ind.) High School in 2021 then went to Post Grad Sports in Scottsdale, Ariz., for a gap year experience before college.
The 6-foot, 180-pounder was at Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill., in the fall of 2022 then transferred to Cerro Coso Community College in Ridgecrest, Calif.
Coty has studied Physical Therapy but says be is considering switching his major to Sports Management.
Born in Munster, Ind., Coty grew up in Hammond, Ind., and played Little League at Hessville and Merrillville and one year of travel ball with the Indiana Playmakers.
Also a basketball player (he was on the varsity at Merrillville High), Coty began to see his potential in baseball.
“I got way more serious my junior year when I began playing travel ball,” says Coty. “I knew I could do something with it.”
His high school baseball coach was Paul Wirtz.
“I’m not going to lie. He was very tough on me,” says Coty of Wirtz. “He was one of those guys who wanted me to be great. He always pushed me.”
The son of Donya Coty, Dylan has two older brothers — Darius Coty and Daveon Coty — and cousin Michael Coles.
Darius and Daveon played football and basketball at Hammond Morton High School. Coles played baseball at Hammond High, Parkland College, Purdue University and in independent pro ball (2006-13).

Dylan Coty. (Merrillville High School Photo)
Dylan Coty. (Post Grad Sports Photo)
Dylan City in orange. (Swift Current 57’s Photo)
Dylan City in orange. (Swift Current 57’s Photo)
Dylan Coty. (Rockford Rivets Photo)
Dylan Coty. (Rockford Rivets Photo)
Broadcasting

Mild brings enthusiasm as baseball broadcaster

Leave a comment

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

“Let’s go on a cowhide joyride!”
It’s become the home run call for young baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.
Bringing his love of the game and excitement to his job, the northwest Indiana native is in his first season as the play-by-play voice of the Atlantic League’s Southern Maryland Blue Crabs (Waldorf, Md.).
“Every game is a big game — it’s a baseball game,” says Mild. “I’ve listened to too many boring broadcasters.”
Mild, who was born in Hammond, Ind. the son of Mark and Becky Mild and the older brother of Breeann, grew up in nearby Crown Point as a Chicago Cubs fan.
Mom’s favorite from the 1980’s was Rick Sutcliffe. Breeann Mild (Crown Point, Ind., High School Class of 2020) is now a pre-med student at Purdue University.
Andrew bonded with his father with Len Kasper as Cubs TV play-by-play man. Pat Hughes and Ron Santo formed the radio tandem. Hall of Famer Harry Caray died before Andrew was born, but he appreciates his passion.
“He brought the excitement and was kind of like the No. 1 fan,” says Mild. “I grew up a baseball fan. My baby pictures were taken in a giant glove.
“I just want to bring that excitement and for people to be interested, laugh and have a great time. I want to build a connection. I don’t want to be the next Harry Caray. I want to be the first Andrew Mild.”
The young broadcaster has noticed that Hughes talks slow and gets excited when necessary.
“You listen to these guys over 100 times a year and you start to develop your own relationship with them,” says Mild. “Ron Santo was so invested.”
As an eighth grader at Col. John Wheeler Middle School, Mild went as Hall of Fame slugger Ted Williams for “Wax Museum” day.
“I love hitting,” says Mild. “It’s the hardest thing to do in sports. You can fail 7 out of 10 times and still be the best hitter in the league. Ted had a passion for it and I have a passion for it.”
Andrew grew up playing baseball and Wiffle@Ball with cousin Riley Clark.
“He supposedly taught me how to hit left-handed,” says Mild. “I do everything righty except for golf and bat.”
Mild, who turns 24 in July, learned about the gig with the Blue Crabs through TeamworkOnline.com. He sent in an application and his reel developed during his seasons with the Frontier League’s Windy City ThunderBolts and Northern League’s Lake County CornDogs and went through a few interviews. He was offered the job and moved to Maryland in mid-February.
Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own for road games.
“You just have to be prepared,” says Mild. “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that.
“Fans just love the stories.”
Field staff for the Blue Crabs is manager Stan Cliburn, pitching coach Daryl Thompson, bench coach Ray Ortega and hitting coach Brandon Lee.
Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard.
FloSports.tv is the live streaming partner of the Atlantic League. The Blue Crabs use streamlabs.com software to produce their scoreboard and other video elements.
Mild typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scorebook next to the mixer.
“It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.”
A 2018 honors diploma graduate of Crown Point High, where he played baseball through his junior year, Mild got to broadcast for a league champion in his hometown in 2022.
“The CornDogs’ first season was so instrumental to the rest of the league,” says Mild. “The other cities can see just how well it did in Crown Point. I give all credit (CornDogs majority owner) Ralph (Flores). He built a really strong team in a really strong place.
“The nice thing about Legacy Fields in Crown Point is that it’s right on the border of Crown Point and Merrillville and Schererville is right there. We got a mixture of guys on that team. We had a packed house every night. I had a great time being the first voice of the team and getting my feet wet being the No. 1 (broadcaster) for a collegiate team. Winning the whole thing, that was great.”
Mild was an intern at Windy City in 2021 while making a transition from being a Sport Management/Communications double major at Manchester University in North Manchester, Ind., — where he was an outfielder on the baseball team — to a Sports Media major with a Marketing minor at Butler University in Indianapolis.
He partnered in the ThunderBolts booth with No. 1 broadcaster Connor Onion.
“I always came in ready,” says Mild. “I was always asking Connor and my boss — Terry Bonadonna — what I could do better. “They were always willing to talk to me about broadcasting. That’s why I was there — to learn and get better.
“They understood my passion. They knew whatever they told me wasn’t just going to be wasted air. What can I keep? What do I get rid of? Trying to slow down my talking was a big thing.
“Now I tell myself if you feel like you’re talking too slow you’ve got the right pace. I’m a natural introvert and I became a broadcaster. Good for me.”
Mild also got many practice reps on his friend’s MLB: The Show video game or by muting a contest on TV or online.
Lecturer/head of Butler+ Media Nick White presented many on-air opportunities while Mild finished up his degree in December 2022 — about two months before landing his current position.
“Life comes at you fast as Ferris Bueller once said,” says Mild. “I try to look around every once in awhile.”
Another way Mild sharpened his skills was to call games for Crown Point Babe Ruth. Andrew’s grandfather — John Pearson — is president of the league and was an umpire in the first Cal Ripken World Series. Grandmother Gale Pearson is always around the park. His parents are also board members.
“It was great, especially during COVID when fans couldn’t really attend the games,” says Mild of broadcasting games on Facebook Live. “They could see and hear everything.
“Helping them out during a time of crisis was my way of giving back to the game and the people who love the sport.”
His first partner was Alex Coil, who is a graduate of Valparaiso (Ind.) High School and Arizona State University and now a play-by-play announcer for the Triple-A Memphis Redbirds.
Onion introduced Mild to Bob Carpenter’s Baseball Scorebook.
“I like it because it gives you lots of space to write down notes,” says Mild. “It allows you to put the defense on top of the opposing lineup. If I forget the guys’ name I can look down and look back up and I know I have time to put together a sentence and call the play.
“The good part is that you spend so much time with your guys that you can just look at them and know immediately who it is. It might take you the first game of a series to learn the other guys. But after a few games you get into a rhythm and know who that is.”
Mild does not have a broadcast partner at Southern Maryland. There is a producer in the booth at home, but he’s on his own at the road.
“You just have to be prepared,” says Mild “The good news is that we have so many great guys on the team that I can talk to before the game. A lot of them are willing to tell good stories and I relay that.
“Fans just love the stories.”
Aside from play-by-play, Mild prepares game notes, distributes lineups (at home), interviews players after a win and feeds social media and the online scoreboard.
He typically has a team and a personal lap top open with his scoreboard next to the mixer.
“It keeps me on my toes,” says Mild. “But I don’t know if I’d want to do anything else.”
Rule experiments in the Atlantic League in 2023 include the designated pinch-runner, single disengagement limit and “Double Hook” designated hitter.
Each club will list a player who is not otherwise in the starting lineup as a designated pinch-runner. That player may then be substituted at any point into the game as a baserunner. The player who is substituted for, as well as the pinch-runner, may then return to the game without penalty.
South Maryland’s designated runner is switch-hitting outfielder and former collegiate track and field champion sprinter J.T. Reed.
The disengagement rule relates to the pitch clock and keeps pitchers from abusing the system while also leading runners to take more daring leads.
If the starting pitcher fails to make it through fifth inning, the club loses the DH for the remainder of the game and must either have its pitcher hit or use pinch-hitters when that spot comes up in the batting order.
Like Major League Baseball, the Atlantic League has a pitch clock, 3-batter minimum, wider bases, banned the shift and “ghost runner” or extra-inning free runner.
The broadcaster disagrees with a scoring decision that sometimes comes with the latter rule. He also understands why things like this have been implemented.
“If the ghost runner scores it should not be a blown save,” says Mild. “We’re getting to the point where there are so many things you can turn to that are streaming and at your finger tips, you need something that is going to interest them and keep their attention. That is scoring more runs at a higher volume even if it means changing the rules of the game.
“This pitch clock, I love it. We had a 14-2 game last night and it only went 2 1/2 hours. You could add a few seconds, but otherwise it’s a great rule.
“After awhile hitters and pitchers get used to it. Hitters are not stepping out of the box and pitchers are working a little faster.”
Mild is living his dream.
“I’d like to thank the game of baseball and my friends for supporting me throughout the whole process,” says Mild. “They challenged me to be better.”

Andrew Mild.
Andrew Mild (left) and Alex Coil.
Andrew Mild. (Lake County CornDogs Photo)
Southern Maryland Blue Crabs baseball broadcaster Andrew Mild.
College

Young brothers firing in playoffs for Franklin, Indiana Wesleyan

Leave a comment

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

A pair of brothers are pitching for their respective colleges during the 2023 postseason and doing it well.
Senior right-hander Jackson Young is at Franklin (Ind.) College in the NCAA D-III Birmingham (Ala.) Regional. He is slated to start the tournament opener on the hill for the Lance Marshall-coached Grizzlies (33-11) today (Friday, May 19).
Sophomore righty Drue Young is with Indiana Wesleyan University (Marion, Ind.) in the NAIA Opening Round in Kingsport, Tenn. He started Tuesday, May 16 for the Rich Benjamin-coached Wildcats (39-18-1) and helped them secure a spot in the final by earning the win against Bryan. He struck out five in six innings.
IWU, which received votes in the final NAIA national poll, beat No. 11 Missouri Baptist 7-6 Wednesday, May 17 and punched its ticket to the 2023 NAIA World Series May 26-June 2 in Lewiston, Idaho.
It will be the first World Series appearance for Indiana Wesleyan.
Jackson Young, who is 5-foot-10 and 175 pounds, has made 12 mound appearances this season (11 as a starter) and is 8-0 with two complete games, a 3.76 earned run average, 72 strikeouts and 12 walks in 81 innings. Donning No. 3 in Navy Blue and Old Gold, he went the distance and whiffed eight May 12 in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament win against Transylvania.
The team won its fourth HCAC tournament title.
At 5-7 and 175, Drue Young is 6-2 with two complete games in 16 appearances (15 starts), a 3.84 ERA, 89 strikeouts and 22 walks in 91 1/3 innings.
For his FC career, Jackson Young has taken the bump in 38 games (21 starts) and is 17-2 with one save, a 4.15 ERA, 141 strikeouts and 46 walks in 167 innings. Also a third baseman, he amassed 58 at-bats in 2020 and 2021. He has been used exclusively as a pitcher in 2022 and 2023. He hit .368 as a Center Grove High School (Greenwood, Ind.) senior in 2019.
In two seasons at IWU, Drue Young has pitched in 39 contests (23 starts) with a 4.32 ERA, 144 strikeouts and 47 walks in 154 1/3 innings. He wears No. 20 for the Red and Gray.
First-team all-conference status was accorded to both Young brothers — Jackson in the HCAC and Drue in the Crossroads League.
Both Young brothers were born in Greenwood and graduated from Center Grove — Jackson (22) in 2019 and Drue (20) in 2021.
Trojans head coach Keith Hatfield has allowed the Youngs to use the Center Grove facilities to train in the off-season. They’ve also traveled up to Noblesville, Ind., to put in work at PRP Baseball.
While they have spent plenty of training time together, they’ve only played together one time. Drue subbed for a sick player and pitched for Jackson’s Indiana Astros travel team.
“Physically we’re different,” says Jackson. “But when it comes to the mental aspect of pitching we both have similar mindsets. We both love to train. We push each other.
“Even when we’re not physically together and at school. We’re calling each other and talking about how our pitching session went and things like that.”
Says Drue, “We’re super close. We pretty much do everything together.
“Both of our seasons are a testament to how hard we worked over the summer. We set the bar for ourselves regarding expectations. We exceeded our expectations.”
Marshall has been Franklin head coach since the fall of 1997 and won more than 600 games. The year’s squad has already reached the highest victory total during his tenure.
“Coach Marshall has kept us motivated this entire year,” says Jackson. “He’s always trying to keep our energy up and for guys to be active and involved in the games.
“He believes in us.”
Benjamin’s first season as Indiana Wesleyan head coach was 216 and 2023 will be his last. After the season he will become athletic director at Mississinewa High School in Gas City, Ind. He has amassed more than 500 career wins, including more than 150 at IWU.
The Wildcats beat Huntington to win the Crossroads League tournament and went into the Opening Round as the No. 4 seed.
“Nobody expected us to win,” says Drue. “We went there are played super loose. We played free. We didn’t have any pressure. It was awesome.
“(Coach Benjamin) encourages us a lot to play for each other and be selfless individuals on the field. He’s done a really good job of instilling the culture into the program.”
Jackson throws a four-seam fastball, slider and change-up from a high three-quarter arm slot.
The four-seamer which cuts with glove-side run (in to a left-handed batter and away from the right-hander) sits in the mid 80s and has topped out at 90 mph this season.
More of a “slurve” or “sweeper,” the slider has been clocked at 75 to 79. The split change-up drops and is normally 80 to 81 mph.
Drue delivers from a three-quarter slot with a four-seam fastball, curve, slider and change-up.
“The four-seamer runs and sinks a lot,” says Drue. “It’s been up to 92 this year. It’s usually sitting around 89 to 91.”
A “slurvy” 11-to-7 curve travels at 75 to 78 mph.
The slider has depth and late drop — sometimes going to the back foot of the lefty hitter — goes 80 to 84.
The norm for the change-up is 82 to 84.
Jackson, who is a Sociology major with a focus in Criminal Justice, has decided he is coming back to Franklin for his fifth year in 2024.
Drue is a double major at IWU — Marketing and Sports Management.
Jackson and Drue are the sons of Chris and Julie Young. Chris Young owns a flooring distribution business. Julie Young is the principal at Isom Elementary School in Greenwood.
With the brothers on different teams and schedules, it becomes a matter of coordination for their parents.
“We lucked out this year,” says Drue. “(Jackson) was mostly pitching on Sundays while I was pitching on Fridays. Most of the time they were able to be at both games.
“Last year it was more split. We were both throwing on the same day. It’s just a divide-and-conquer thing.”
Older sisters are Brianna in Tampa, Fla., and Emily in Noblesville.
Jackson played for many teams growing up culminating with the Indiana Astros. Those 17U and 18U travel teams were coached by former Franklin College players Jacob Burns and Tyler Ison.
Drue was at Center Grove Little League early. In high school, he played travel ball with Indiana Elite and at 17U, the Indiana Mustangs.
From sixth grade to sophomore year, Drue was also a wrestler.
“I attribute wrestling to my toughness,” says Drue. “It was something really good to get into, keeping versatility in my blood. Things happen where some sports get in the way of others. When you find the sport you love the most (baseball) you ride with it.”

Jackson Young. (Franklin College Photo)
Jackson Young. (Franklin College Photo)
Drue Young. (Indiana Wesleyan University Photo)
Drue Young. (Indiana Wesleyan University Photo)
High School

Alum Redford first-year head coach, teacher for New Albany Bulldogs

1 Comment

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

Tim Redford was a player at New Albany (Ind.) High School when he proclaimed that one day he’d be the Bulldogs head baseball coach.
He just didn’t know that he’d be 24 when that proclamation came true.
Redford, a 2016 New Albany graduate, was offered in the job that came open with the retirement of Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Chris McIntyre in July and was school-board approved in early August.
The former catcher is also a first-year teacher with three hours each of Health and Physical Education each school day at NAHS.
Redford is heading into the fourth week of IHSAA Limited Contact practice. Twenty players who are not tied up with fall or winter sports have been on Mt. Tabor Field for two hours on Mondays and Thursdays.
“It’s nice,” says Redford of the limited contact. “I haven’t seen these kids play. I can figure out what we’ve got.”
Redford says heavy weightlifting and conditioning will likely start after fall break.
The past two years, Redford has been an assistant baseball coach at NAIA member Rheinhardt University (Waleska, Ga.).
“I love the college level,” says Redford. “But there’s nothing like home.”
Redford, who turns 25 in January, played for McIntyre. He was New Albany head coach for 26 seasons.
“He helped us off the field as much as on it with becoming good husbands, fathers and citizens,” says Redford for Coach Mac. “A lot of these kids aren’t going to play college baseball and it’s important.
“He did an incredible job.”
Redford was a catcher at New Albany and then at Kaskaskia College (a junior college in Centralia, Ill.) and NAIA member William Woods University (Fulton, Mo.). He says this experience helped prepare him for coaching.
“Catching is the hardest position in baseball in my opinion,” says Redford. “You’re involved in every play
be the quarterback on the field.”
Former Purdue University All-American Mitch Koester was Redford’s head coach at Kaskaskia.
“He’s great coach and a very, very good recruiter,” says Redford, whose college decision out of New Albany came down to the KC and John A. Logan in Carterville, Ill. “He’s a players’ coach. He knows his stuff.”
In two seasons at William Woods, Redford played for two head coaches — Brock Nehls (who went on to be pitching coach at Emporia State, Kan., University) and Chris Fletcher (who has helped start baseball at Moberly, Mo., Area Community College).
Redford earned an associate degree at Kaskaskia, an undergraduate Exercise Science degree with a concentration in Sports Management from William Woods and a Masters in Sports Administration and Leadership from Rheinhardt.
New Albany (enrollment around 1,840) is a member of the Hoosier Hills Conference (with Bedford North Lawrence, Columbus East, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County and Seymour).
The Bulldogs were champions of an IHSAA Class 4A sectional grouping in 2022 with Bedford North Lawrence, Floyd Central, Jeffersonville, Jennings County and Seymour. New Albany won its 23rd sectional title at Jennings County.
Redford is in the process of assembling his full coaching staff.
“We want to make sure we get the right guys in there,” says Redford.
Improvements at Mt. Tabor since Redford played include turf in fair and foul territory in the infield.
“They’ve rarely have to cancel home games last two years,” says Redford.
The facility also features in-ground dugouts, bleachers that wrap around dugout to dugout and a large press box with a locker room underneath.
New Albany Little League gives a foundation of the high school program
“Little League baseball around here has always been big,” says Redmond. “It’s got all the bells and whistles and a good reputation.
“It’s super nice to have a community that supports baseball as much as this one. That’s for sure.”
Shortstop Tucker Biven (Class of 2022) was an IHSBCA North/South All-Series participant and has moved on to the University of Louisville.
Pitcher/shortstop Landon Tiesing (Class of 2023) has committed to Kent State University.
Tim Redford III met Colleen Bayer at William Woods and recently purchased a house together. Tim III is the son of Tim Redford II and Marsha Redford and younger brother of Kyle Krinninger.

Tim Redford III. (Reinhardt University Photo)

Tim Redford III. (William Woods University Photo)
College

Sidearmer Bates bound for Grambling State

Leave a comment

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

As Ethan Bates grew up in East Central Indiana, he played some outfield and stood on the mound.
But it wasn’t until he was leaving Frankton (Ind.) Junior/Senior High School in 2020 and getting ready for college baseball that Bates focused on a different way of pitching.
The left-hander turned himself into a sidearmer/submariner and it’s helped him through two seasons at Jimmy Brenneman coached-Frontier Community College in Fairfield, Ill., and earned him a spot with NCAA Division I Grambling (La.) State University in the fall.
It was while playing in a 2019 fall league in Pendleton, Ind., organized by Mike Shirley that Bates began dropping down with his delivery. He liked the results and kept at it.
“I’ve been learning the past two years and trying to get better,” says Bates, who developed as a Frontier CC Bobcat. In 23 games (all in relief), he went 2-0 with 24 strikeouts and 22 walks in 24 innings.
“The whole JUCO experience made a big impact on me as a player and a human,” says Bates, 20. “I got to grind in the middle of nowhere. You have to work really hard to get what you get in JUCO.
“I embrace what it means to be a JUCO Bandit.”
Twitter highlights posted of Bates posted by Frontier CC. That got the attention of Grambling State and he was contacted by Direct Message. He went for a visit and later signed with the Tigers in the fall of 2021.
Grambling State — where Davin Pierre is the head coach — in located in the north central part of the state about 65 miles from Shreveport.
“There’s lots to do,” says Bates. “I wanted wanted to play Down South where it’s warm.”
The past two summers, Bates has pitched in the midday heat for the Palm Beach Xtreme of the South Florida Collegiate Baseball League (there was also two games for Trenton, N.J., Thunder of the 2021 MLB Draft League). His Florida connection was Miami resident and Frontier CC outfielder Nick Pompile.
In his first 17 appearances for the Xtreme in 2022, he is 3-0 with seven saves, an 0.40 earned run average, 28 strikeouts and eight walks in 22 1/3 innings.
Besides a sinking fastball, Bates uses a sweeping slider that moves in on a right-handed hitter and away from a lefty. His change-up drops.
Born in Anderson, Ind., Bates went to middle school in the Pendleton Heights district then transferred to Frankton for high school, where he also play basketball for four years and football for one.
He played recreation ball at Riverfield in Chesterfield, Ind. His first travel ball team was the Indiana Renegades.
Bates spent several summers with the Indiana Bulls, including with head coach Sean Laird at 17U. One of his Bulls teammates was 2020 Mt. Vernon (Fortville) High School alum Nolan Bowser.
He has also trained with Vanderbilt University commit Max Clark (Franklin Community Class of 2023) and Indiana University recruit Andrew Wiggins (Heritage Christian Class of 2023).
A broken shoulder kept Bates from playing baseball as a Frankton freshman. He was with the varsity most of his sophomore year and all of his year season. The COVID-19 pandemic took away his senior slate.
Brad Douglas was and still is the head coach of the Frankton Eagles.
“He’s hard-nosed and a great competitor (just like Laird),” says Bates. “I love playing for coaches who are great competitors and have my back.”
With an associate degree in Sciences & Arts earned at Frontier CC, Bates plans to major in Sports Management at Grambling State.
Ethan, who turns 21 in November, is the son of Ryan Bates (Cami) and Karen Siek (Dan). His siblings are Lauryn Bates, Katie Shadoan and Seth Siek. Katie is the oldest, followed by Ethan, Lauryn and Seth.

Ethan Bates (Cheyenne Bruce Photography)
Ethan Bates (Cheyenne Bruce Photography)
Ethan Bates (Frontier Community College Photo)