Team Indiana Bulls know way around annual Perfect Game WWBA Worlds

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Team Indiana has been a regular participant in a premier annual youth baseball event.

Started by Dan Held, the fall team has had a sustained bid to the Perfect Game-sponsored World Wood Bat Asssocation World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., for years.

“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.

The Team Indiana Bulls went 2-1-1 at the 2023 WWBA Worlds held Oct. 4-9. There were 104 teams including 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team — a squad with many players from the Hoosier State.

“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.

Dan Held.

5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team turns heads in Perfect Game WWBA World Championship

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

A squad chock-full of exceptional players — many from Indiana — competed in the high-profile World Wood Bat Association World Championship sponsored by Perfect Game.

The 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team went 4-2, making it to the Sweet 16 in the 104-team event at Oct. 4-9 at Roger Dean Complex in Jupiter, Fla.

The field featured another squad fullof players from the Hoosier State — Team Indiana Bulls. With an online tournament roster featuring standouts from Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, 5 Star/Top Tier Roos Mafia went 8-0 and won the title.

“Jupiter is the best tournament in the country every year for high school ballplayers,” says Bobby Morris, who served as hitting/assistant coach for the 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team. “We had a good run.”

From the Class of 2024 looking at Indiana players (there were also eight from Illinois, three from Kentucky, one from Michigan and one from Nebraska on the 30-man online tourney roster), there was outfielder Cole Decker (Evansville North/Cincinnati commit), first baseman/third baseman/right-handed pitcher Josh Ferguson (Evansville Central/Marshall commit), right-handed pitcher Alex Graber (Homestead/Northern Illinois commit), middle infielder Reid Howard (Forest Park/Western Kentucky commit), right-handed pitcher/utility Christian Klug (Indianapolis Bishop Chatard/Navy commit) and left-handed pitcher Ethan Lund (Hamilton Southeastern/Uncommitted);

Also, catcher/third baseman/outfielder Thomas Lynch (Evansville Memorial/Purdue commit), right-handed pitcher Brendin Oliver (Mooresville/Cincinnati commit), catcher/first baseman J.T. Stiner (Indianapolis Cathedral/Uncommitted), right-handed pitcher/third baseman/middle infielder/outfielder Cameron Sullivan (Mt. Vernon of Fortville/Notre Dame commit), right-handed pitcher Conner Vander Luitgaren (Center Grove/Evansville commit), right-handed pitcher/first baseman Mason Weaver (Homestead/Uncommitted) and right-handed pitcher Max Winders (Carmel/Western Kentucky commit).

Representing the Class of 2025 were first baseman/left-handed pitcher/outfielder Mason Braun (Home schooler from South Bend/Uncommitted), first baseman/left-handed pitcher/outfielder Davian Carrera (Boone Grove/Indiana U. commit), right-handed pitcher/third baseman/shortstop Xavier Carrera (Boone Grove/Indiana U. commit) and first baseman/third baseman/right-handed pitcher Joshua Flores (Lake Central/Cincinnati commit).

According to their Prep Baseball Report file, travel affiliations for these Indiana players: Decker (Louisville Legends 2024 National); Ferguson (Indiana Nitro Gold); Graber (Elite Baseball Training-Chicago); Howard (Midwest Canes); Klug (Cubs Scout Team); Lund (Nitro Gold); Lynch (Indiana Bulls Black 16U); Oliver (Canes Midwest 17U); Stiner (Cubs Scout Team); Sullivan (Indiana Nitro); Vander Luitgaren (Canes Midwest); Weaver (17U Indy Sharks Lantz); Winders (Canes Midwest); Braun (Indiana Tucci Mustangs National); Davian Carrera (5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs National); Xavier Carrera (5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs National); and Flores (5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs National).

Morris, owner of the 5 Star Great Lakes Chiefs based in Crown Point, Ind., coached a 5 Star team with Carmel resident Jerry Cowan in Jupiter the past two years. 

In 2023, Morris and Cowan joined with Chris Tierney of Elite Baseball Training in Chicago. 

EBT, headquartered two miles west of Wrigley Field and developed by Chicago Cubs Director of Hitting Justin Stone, has a relationship with the MLB team and 5 Star had a WWBA World Championhip bid so the fall team became the 5 Star/Chicago Cubs Scout Team.

“We have the blessing and the support of the Cubs,” says Morris. “They watch our team closely — not just our performance but from a scouting perspective.

“It’s really exciting for the kids. It’s a great opportunity.”

Morris, a Munster (Ind.) High School graduate who played in the Cubs, Cleveland Indians, Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers organizations, says the positives for the players are numerous. 

A group high-level players — most NCAA Division I commits — gets to play together in elite tournaments and against top-notch teams prior to their trip to Jupiter. Hitters get to hone their skills with wood bats and against better pitching and there is the exposure to professional baseball and scouts from around pro and college baseball.

“I’d like to think they get very good coaching in the process,” says Morris, 50.

Tierney, 40, was the Cubs Scout Team’s director and pitching coach.

“What I spend a lot of my time doing is teaching these guys how to get high-level hitters out and pitch with more confidence,” says Tierney. “These guys are getting constantly challenged.”

Tierney says the level of talent the scout team sees in the fall is far superior to that seen in the summer.

“Whenever we go somewhere they usually put us against the top teams,” says Tierney.

Before Jupiter, the Cubs Scout Team competed in Prep Baseball Report tourneys at The Rock in Franklin, Wis., and Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., as well as exhibitions with Team Indiana, the Cangelosi Illinois Sparks, Chicago Scouts Association and Cincinnati Reds Fall Scout Team.

“It’s easy to collect a bunch of all-star-oriented kids but if they don’t get a chance to play together usually they’re not very effective in (the WWBA World Championship),” says Cowan. “A lot of teams will try to go down there with a collection of studs. We try to work with our kids all fall long. We play in five or six (elite) tournaments before we go down there so they get a chance to jell together. 

“We as coaches have a better feel for what they can do in those team situations.”

Cowan, 55, had coached the 5 Star Midwest National team in 2022 and decided to focus his baseball attention on the fall team.

In forming a fall scout team, Cowan has forms a list of players who will be draft-eligible or headed to a top college program.

“We identify those kids early on,” says Cowan. “I’m already starting to identify the (Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 players) for next year.”

Since getting back from Jupiter, he has already 50 players reach out about getting involved next year.

“When you go down there and you’re one of the top 16 teams in the nation it’s a big deal,” says Cowan. “Now that we’re affiliated with the Cubs we’ve got kids calling us from all over the Midwest.

“It’s growing really fast.”

While the 2023 team was formed through invitations, Cowan says he can see area code tryouts being part of the team-building process in the future.

“It’s a select group,” says Cowan. “We’re looking for the best players.”

Jared Cowan — aka J.J. — is Jerry’s son and served as a Cubs Scout Team assistant. He played for Brad Lantz at Guerin Catholic High School and Jake Martin at Wabash College. The 25-year-old worked with Cubs Scout Team infielders.

And that’s not all.

“Jerry and Jared try to nurture these kids more than from just a baseball perspective,” says Morris. “I’ve got a lot of respect for how they handle things.”

Morris notes that just because an athlete has committed to a school that’s no reason for a coaching staff to take their eyes off of him.

“It’s so much more important for colleges to continue to watch players because of the introduction of the Transfer Portal,” says Morris. “These players have the opportunity of leaving one, two, three years down the road.

“The game has changed with Name, Image, Likeness (NIL money) being available for players. The dynamics are ever-shifting.”

Adds Cowan, “(a player’s) position within the program can change since the time they committed to it. A lot of times these kids are making decisions as sophomores and juniors and they’re babies.

“They’re having to make huge life-altering decisions and they just don’t have enough data points to possibly be making those decisions.”

Cowan has also witnessed what he calls re-recruiting.

School X may offer a 25-percent scholarship and School Y comes along proposing 50 percent. 

Sometimes a player has not developed since their commitment and that original offer is rescinded or downgraded.

“Even players who sign (a commitment letter), it’s only a year-to-year contract,” says Cowan. “That contract is renewable (or revocable) every year.”