By STEVE KRAH
Eric Barnes has taken to coaching baseball on the other end of Warrick County in southwestern Indiana.
After six seasons (including COVID-19 campaign taken away in 2020) leading the Pioneers program at Boonville High School to the south, Barnes has gone to Lynnville-based Tecumseh Middle/High School to the north.
Barnes was hired to guide the Braves in the summer and began his second year teaching at Lynnville Elementary in the fall after serving as an educator at Castle Elementary. He is still in the Warrick County Community School Corporation, just closer to wife and Warrick Education Center/Warrick Pathways and Career Center homeschool advisor and Tecumseh volleyball assistant coach Katy Barnes and son Mason Landry Barnes (3).
As Eric says with the initials MLB, his son has grow up to play baseball.
For the second straight year, Tecumseh volleyball was the IHSAA Class 1A state runners-up. Braves spikers have been in the State Finals five times since 2002.
The school boasts state champions in boys basketball (1999), girls basketball (2021-22) and softball (2009, 2011, 2017, 2022 and 2023).
On the baseball side, Barnes takes over a very successful program. Tecumseh has won 17 sectional crowns — the last in 2022. The Braves were 1A state champions in 2003 and state runners-up in 2002, 2010 and 2022.
“The success of a community that is so small is impressive to see,” says Barnes. “They all have such a spirt for Tecumseh and Tecumseh sports.
“They support the school in a way that just blows my mine.”
Tecumseh (enrollment around 290) is part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping in 2024 with Cannelton, Evansville Christian, Northeast Dubois, Springs Valley and Wood Memorial.
“Hopefully, in the next couple of years, we have the chance to go for a state championship,” says Barnes. “(Being close to home and a shot at a state title) were on my mind when I made the decision (to accept the Tecumseh job).”
The Braves are a member of the Pocket Athletic Conference (with Boonville, Forest Park, Gibson Southern, Heritage Hills, Mt. Vernon, North Posey, Pike Central, Princeton Community, Southridge, South Spencer, Tell City and Washington).
An IHSAA Limited Contact Period ran Aug. 28 to Oct. 14 and Barnes conducted at least a dozen workouts two times a week for up to two hours.
Considering Tecumseh’s small size and other sports, the numbers were good with up 14 at some of the sessions.
“We took advantage of those days,” says Barnes. “We had pretty good weather.”
The current “dead” period which includes weightlifting but no baseball activities ends with the beginning of the next Limited Contact Period on Dec. 4.
Barnes says he is expecting around 11 at those practices with others involved in basketball and wrestling.
“Those guys will get a lot of work in and once winter sports is done we’ll hop right in with some game stuff,” says Barnes, who introducing players to how he and his staff want things done. “It’s just projecting those expectations that Tecumseh has had for years now. Nothing’s changed really it’s just different people.”
Barnes is a 2007 graduate of Evansville (Ind.) Bosse High School who was briefly at the University of Southern Indiana then finished at Oakland City (Ind.) University for Mighty Oaks head coach T-Ray Fletcher.
Two of Barnes’ Tecumseh assistants — Tristan Cummings and Trent Creek — also played at OCU. Both have pitching backgrounds.
Cummings (Tecumseh Class of 2015) was also on the Braves coaching staff of Ted Thompson (who led the program to a 96-54 mark in six seasons and is now head coach at Henderson County in Kentucky). Creek is an alum of the former New Harmony High School and was a junior varsity and later varsity assistant for Barnes at Boonville.
Barnes is in the process of finding junior varsity coaches.
Tecumseh’s home field is Braves Ballpark, which played host to a sectional in 2023. The on-campus facility was new in 2019 and features lights and is all-Bermuda grass which makes it easier to maintain. There were cut-outs for the bases.
The field is next to the tennis courts but seems isolated with a field or woods on two sides.
“There’s a certain feel that you have,” says Barnes. “The fans are right on top of the action. They are there and engaged.
“It’s almost feels like a college baseball atmosphere in some ways. There’s just a buzz going on.
“It feel like everybody’s with us.”
Tecumseh has a Cub baseball program for seventh and eighth graders (and occasionally sixth graders). Workouts began a couple of Sundays ago and 14 players attended. The season begins around spring break.
Working with these players gives Barnes a chance to know them and have them understand his vision at Tecumseh.
“There’s talent there,” says Barnes. “That’s exciting to see.”
Many younger players come through the Lynnville Summer League or Elberfeld Baseball & Softball League.
Recent Tecumseh alums moving on to college baseball include the Class of 2020’s Dustin DuPoint (Quincy, Ill., University) and 2023’s Conner Anglin (Southern Indiana), Dax Bailey (Oakland City), Drew DuPont (Lake Land College in Mattoon, Ill.) and Brody Julian (Danville, Ill., Community College).
D.J. DuPont (Tecumseh Class of 2024) is considering college options. There is also large and talented Class of 2025, some just getting to the varsity level.
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