Steve Smitherman | www.IndianaRBI.com

Shane Bauer is putting his smarts to use in the Ivy League — in the classroom and on the baseball diamond.
Biomedical Engineering major at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., Bauer is also a 21-year-old right-handed pitcher for the Bob Whalen-coached Big Green.
The 2020 graduate of Brebeuf Jesuit Preparatory School in Indianapolis has been at the school since the 2020-21 school year and has two years of remaining college eligibility. The Ivy League did not have sports in his first year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2023, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound Bauer made 20 mound appearances (all in relief and mostly in the middle of the game) and struck out 20 in 40 1/3 innings.
“I threw pretty consistently,” says Bauer, noting that the league — looking to minimize missed class time — plays Saturday doubleheaders and single games on Sundays as opposed to the usual D-I pattern of single games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
“We try to be done (with classes) by 3 with plenty of daylight for practice,” says Bauer. “We don’t have lights.”
In Bauer’s first collegiate season (2022), the righty pitched in 16 games, went 1-0, posted a team-best 3.12 earned run average and recorded 12 K’s in 17 1/3 innings.
Asked to identify his top athletic qualities and Bauer lists Baseball I.Q. and competitiveness.
“(Knowledge) is where I make my difference at the college level as much as anything,” says Bauer. “I had very good set of coaches when I was younger through travel baseball and private instruction.”
Born and raised in Indianapolis, Bauer played in the what is now Allisonville Youth Baseball-Softball until 10. He was then with the 10U Indiana Bandits (coached by Gene Wise), 11U to 16U Indiana Prospects (coached by father Shawn Bauer at 11U and 12U, Chad Hinds at 13U and 14U and Steve Smitherman at 15U and 16U) and the 17U Indiana Nitro (coached by Eric Dill).
Bauer also received instruction from Jason Taulman and Greg Vogt.
“I could not have asked for a better combination of two minds on the pitching front. It was perfect — Jason with the command and pitch develop and Greg with helping me get stronger so I could throw harder.”
At Brebeuf, he played varsity baseball for three years (losing the 2020 senior season to the pandemic). He was a two-time team captain and earned all-Marion County and all-Circle City Conference honors.
Jeremy Sassanella was head coach Bauer’s first two years with the Braves and Jeff Scott the last two.
“I was too young to have a good idea (about Sassanella),” says Bauer. “(Scott) re-set the culture at Brebeuf. He was a great influence on me.
He credits Scott for instilling leadership skills and still stays in-touch with him.
A prep teammate was star right-hander Andrew Dutkanych IV (Brebeuf Class of 2022).
“That kid was the hardest-working kid I’ve ever been with on a baseball field,” says Bauer of Dutkanych. “And probably the best kid I’ve ever played with.
“He’s an impressive kid. He’s obviously very smart and he works real hard. That’s a lethal combo on the baseball field. He knows so much and yet has the ability to put it into action.”
Dutkanych, the 2022 Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Player of the Year, went 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in four games at Vanderbilt University in 2023.
Bauer, who was in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., in 2021 and 2022, is not playing at the beginning of this summer but is working on developing pitches at PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind. He want to gain a couple ticks of velocity.
He says there’s chance look a place to play at the end of the summer.
At present, Bauer throws a four-seam fastball and change-up with some use of a slider and curveball.
He describes the four-seamer which travels at 85-87 mph as “heavy.”
He also uses a four-seam grip on his change.
“It’s kind of a claw,” says Bauer. “The index finger to the ring finger is turning the ball over.”
Bauer is working to development a “gyro” slider. The goal is zero vertical and as much horizontal as possible while throwing it hard.
His curve is the 12-to-6 kind.
Shane’s parents are both lawyers — father Shawn in intellectual property and mother Amy in tax and bond.
Brother Luke Bauer (Brebeuf Class of 2022) is a corner outfielder and corner infielder and Finance major at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. This summer he is with the Futures League’s Brockton (Mass.) Rox.

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

Arsenal Indiana is expanding for the 2021-22 travel baseball season.
The affiliate of Arsenal USA Baseball is to go with 12U, 13U, 14U and 15U squads in its third season.
“Within two or three years I want to have teams from 12U through 17U,” says Arsenal Indiana director Jeff Cleckner. “I want to have one team at each age group and be very competitive.
“I don’t want to water down the brand with seven 15U teams.”
Cleckner, a graduate of Fremont (Ind.) High School (1989) and Purdue University living in Fishers, Ind., says the focus is on skill development at the younger levels and that the older ones grow their mental approach to the game as they prepare for college baseball.
But first the current campaign where Arsenal is fielding a 17U team with Cleckner as head coach and Arsenal Indiana director and a 14U squad guided by Steve Smitherman. In 2020, 16U and 13U teams took the field for the organization.
Playing six weekends of seven — starting with the first one in June — the 17U team has competed or will take part in events sponsored by Prep Baseball Report, Perfect Game and Bullpen Tournaments.
The team placed second during the holiday weekend at the PBR Indiana State Games at Championship Park in Kokomo. The 17U’s were 22-9-1 through 30 games.
The season wraps with the Perfect Game 17U BCS National Championship July 21-26 at Major League Baseball spring training fields in Fort Myers, Fla. All the other tournaments have been staged at Grand Park in Westfield.
“It’s nice with Grand Park,” says Cleckner of the large complex in central Indiana. “Everyone comes to us.”
High schools represented on the 17U roster include Avon, Fishers, Harrison (West Lafayette), Heritage Christian, Huntington North, Indianapolis Cathedral, Indianapolis North Central, Noblesville, Penn, Plainfield, South Adams, Wapahani, Wawasee, Westfield and Zionsville in Indiana and Edwardsburg in Michigan.
Since the older teams can play as many as seven games in five days, there are often a number of pitcher-only players (aka P.O.’s).
“It’s nice to have P.O.’s,” says Cleckner. “We can supplement as needed with position players.
“We’re mindful of arm care and arm health.”
The 14U Arsenal Indiana team began in early April and will play until mid-July and could easily get in 60 games in 3 1/2 months. The 14U team plays in same types of tournaments that the 17U teams plays at Grand Park in Westfield.
Arsenal Indiana tryouts are planned for late July or early August, likely at Grand Park.
A fall season of four or five weekends features a trip to the Perfect Game WWBA 2022/2023 National Championship Oct. 7-11 in Jupiter, Fla., for the upperclassmen.
“The goal of the fall season is getting a little more work going into the winter,” says Cleckner. “You have new kids who’ve joined your team and you’re creating some chemistry and camaraderie.”
The fall also provides more college looks for older players.
Arsenal Indiana trains in the off-season at Finch Creek Fieldhouse in Noblesville.
What is now Arsenal USA Baseball was began in 1995 by Joe Barth Jr. and son Bob Barth as the Tri-State Arsenal with players from southern New Jersey, Delaware and eastern Pennsylvania. Besides USA National in New Jersey, there are affiliate locations in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Virginia and West Virginia.
Many professionals and college players have come through the Arsenal program.