As the Cavaliers head into National Junior College Athletic Association baseball tournament play, they have combined to whiff a school-record 530 batters in 57 games. Punch-outs have come at a rate of 10.82 per nine innings.
A good many of those whiffs have come from pitchers who hail from Indiana high schools, including team leader freshman right-hander Cole Martz (Huntington North Class of 2023) 89 plus freshman Peyton Niksch (Andrean Class of 2022) 69, freshman Jackson Peeler (Hebron Class of 2023) 43, freshman J.J. Calmes (Warren Central Class of 2023) 18, freshman Kolton Floor (North Miami Class of 2023) 13, sophomore Hunter Niksch (Andrean Class of 2021) 11, freshman Brett Cook (Andrean Class of 2023) 5 and sophomore Leroy Lepper (Heritage Class of 2022) 2.
“That record is something that we don’t really set our sights on,” says Shafer. “I honestly didn’t know were were threatening it until a few days before we broke it.
“We are really deep on the mound and most of our guys have the ability to go and got a big strikeout when we need it and that takes some pressure off our defense. That record gets broken when you have aggressive pitchers that have good stuff and that is credit to our arms and how hared they have worked.”
Kankakee (35-21-1) plays in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region IV tournament slated for May 16-18 at Robin Roberts Field in Madison, Wis. The Cavs’ first game is 9 a.m. Central Time today (May 16) against Madison. Black Hawk and Rock Valley are the other two teams in the field for the double-elimination event.
Greyhounds head coach Al Ready and pitching coach Adam Cornwell have decided to hand the ball to junior right-hander Diego Cardenas to start today (May 2). First pitch is slated for 2 p.m. Central Time.
Cardenas, a 21-year-old South Bend, Ind., native and Environmental Sustainability major, brings up the same word when describing Ready and Cornwell.
“It’s amazing,” says Cardenas of playing for Ready. “It’s a great experience. It’s a unique way of coaching and a lot of the players get along with it. He’s very brave and confident in his guys.
“He trusts all of his players and that’s pretty sweet.”
Cardenas says Ready, who played at UIndy and is in his 17th season coaching in the program (sixth as head coach), does not go by the book.
“He’s very unorthodox,” says Cardenas of the man who has the Greyhounds at 32-14 overall and 27-5 at the top of the GLVC standings. The team has won 11 straight.
Says Cardenas, “(Cornwell) gives me a lot of confidence by giving me my own space and making corrections when they’re due.
“He lets us be our own person which is great.”
Cardenas has gone from a reliever going into the season to a mid-week starter and then a weekend arm for conference games.
In eight mound appearances (all starts) in 2024, Cardenas is 5-0 with a 2.70 earned run average, 37 strikeouts and 25 walks in 46 2/3 innings. Opponents are hitting .195 against him.
The 5-foot-11, 200-pounder throws from a three-quarter arm angle and uses a two-seam fastball, change-up and slider to get hitters out.
“I get a ton of arm-side run,” says Cardenas of his two seamer which has hit 91 mph and sets at 86 to 89. “Not a lot of vertical (movement), more horizontal.”
A combination of splitter and change-up, he calls that pitch a “splange” and it goes 80 to 83 mph.
“I choke the daylights out of it,” says Cardenas of the grip.
Wedging the ball deep in his hands in a traditional slider grip, the righty makes deliveries at 77 to 80 mph.
Born and raised in South Bend with Larry and Kelly Cardenas as parents and former John Adams High School ballplayers Esai Cardenas and Benicio Cardenas (who also on the team at Marian University’s Ancilla College) as older brothers, Diego played at South Bend East Side Little League as a youngster and travel ball as a teen with the Indiana Nitro.
At Adams, 2021 graduate Diego Cardenas was a middle infielder when not on the mound.
Cardenas underwent Ulnar Collateral Ligament reconstruction (Tommy John surgery) and redshirted for the 2022 UIndy season. That summer he played in the College Summer League at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., for the Turf Monsters.
In his debut season with Indianapolis in 2023, Cardenas got into nine games (all in relief) and went 0-0 with a 9.00 ERA, eight strikeouts and 11 walks in eight innings.
But before that there’s business to attend at UIndy. The eight-team GLVC tournament is May 8-11 in Marion, Ill. After that comes an NCAA D-II Midwest Regional May 16-19 at a campus site and a chance to advance to a Midwest Super Regional May 24-25 at a campus site and then the D-II World Series June 1-8 in Cary, N.C.
“We’re playing loose and confident,” says Cardenas. “We’re playing in a very fun way.”
While he has no real allegiance to an MLB team, Cardenas does have a favorite player.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Marcus Stroman,” says Cardenas of the New York Yankees right-hander. “I love his confidence and his flash.”
Cardenas has two years of remaining eligibility. He expects to take one in 2025 while finishing his undergraduate degree then a graduate year. He says if he had to decide on his concentration now it would be in Management Sciences.
After baseball, he foresees a career in renewable energies, performing research and analytics and hands-in field work.
“I love the outdoors,” says Cardenas. “It’s pretty awesome.”
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Image)
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)
Diego Cardenas. (University of Indianapolis Photo)
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.
“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.”
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.”
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.
With the help of assistant coach Jason Hagerty, the lefty-swinging senior right fielder has untangled his thoughts in the box and it’s helped.
As the first-place Sycamores (29-8, 12-3) head into a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series Friday through Sunday, April 26-28 at Southern Illinois, Stinson has played in all 37 games (36 starts) and is hitting .295 (38-of-129) with 11 home runs, two triples, six doubles, 32 runs batted in, 33 runs scored and a 1.068 OPS (.440 on-base percentage plus .628 slugging average).
He has 11 multi-hit games with three-hit contests March 30 against Illinois-Chicago at Bob Warn Field and April 2 at Indiana. More often than not, he bats No. 4 in the ISU order.
“Hags has been a great addition for us,” says Stinson of Hagerty, who joined the staff in the summer of 2023. “He’s helped me simplify things.
“I’ve simplified it down to the bare minimum. Complicated never seems to work out for me. I’m up at the plate trying to put together a quality at-bat. Whether that’s a hard out or seeing six pitches, that’s a win for me.”
What about driving the baseball?
“I’ve always been able to hit for power,” says Stinson. “It’s been one of my strengths as a ballplayer.
“I really wanted to lean into that this year. I have to be OK with some swings-and-misses. Those are sacrifices you have to make to be a power hitter. I’m trying to get three of my best hacks off each at-bat.”
He has 45 strikeouts and 27 walks.
Stinson doesn’t mind standing on top of the plate, especially against left-handed pitchers.
“It’s makes them uncomfortable,” says Stinson. “If they can put three running fastballs on the inside part of the plate, I’ll just tip my cap to him.”
Led by lefty-swinging redshirt senior Dominic Listi’s 19, ISU batters have been hit by 86 pitches with nine having been plunked five times or more. For Stinson, it’s eight.
But the Sycamores bench does not ask hitters at the dish to “Wear It!”
“We say, ‘Don’t Skate!,’” says Stinson. “It’s about everyone taking one of the team. What it comes down to is taking the extra base for the team.”
Another newcomer to the staff — Kevin Bowers — oversees outfielders.
“He’s keeping us athletic, diving and making plays,” says Stinson of Bowers.
Mitch Hannahs is in his 11th season as head coach at Indiana State.
“He’s intense,” says Stinson of Hannahs. “He holds a high expectation for the team.
“That’s the main reason we’re so successful here. He never let’s that drop.”
About halfway through his prep days, Stinson was 5-foot-11 and 170 pounds. He’s now 6-foot and 210.
“When junior year (at Yorktown High School) rolled around I started getting in the weight room a little more,” says Stinson. “In college, lifting and nutrition became a part of your job.
“I’ve put on 20 pounds of muscle since I’ve been in college. I cleaned up my diet a little more, cooking more meals at the house as opposed to eating out.”
He will not play this summer, instead doing an internship required to complete his Exercise Science degree. It will be with a sports performance facility.
Stinson, 22, has a year of eligibility remaining and he says he will likely use it in 2024-25.
He was redshirted for the 2021 Indiana State season.
“The jump from high school to college was a lot for me with COVID,” says Stinson. “I wasn’t ready for the speed of the game at this level.
“The coaches wanted to give me an extra year to get adjusted.”
In his first two seasons on the field in Terre Haute (2022 and 2023), Stinson got into 77 games (56 starts) and hit .219 (47-of-214) with eight homers, one triple, eight doubles, 40 RBIs and 40 runs.
Born in Nashville, Tenn., Stinson came to Indiana as a toddler and grew up in Yorktown, Ind.
He played rec ball in the Yorktown Junior Athletic Association then with the Yorktown Tigers travel team which became the Indiana Generals. He later represented the Indiana Prospects.
“That guy was a great coach,” says Stinson of Fauqher. “I enjoyed playing for me.”
The core of that early travel team were the starters for the 2019 team that made it to the IHSAA Class 3A Kokomo Semistate before losing 5-0 to eventual state champion Andrean.
“They were moving up and we were planning on taking state in 2020 (but the season was canceled because of the pandemic),” says Stinson. “During COVID people were joking and had T-shirts made that said, ‘Yorktown Tigers State Champs 2020.’”
With continued devotion to strength, Indianapolis native Jesse Wainscott is preparing for his first full season of professional baseball.
“I’m consistently in the weight room,” says Wainscott, a 6-foot-1, 207-pound right-handed pitcher signed with the Seattle Mariners as a minor league free agent on Aug. 10, 2023 and assigned to the Arizona Complex League Mariners to do a six-week rehab assignment. “For a pitcher, it’s how fast and explosive can you be?
“It’s smooth, controlled explosion. When I was younger I knew I wanted to throw harder and I wasn’t always the tallest guy. With bigger, stronger legs I can produce more force.”
It’s the principle of Mass = Gas.
Throwing from a three-quarter arm slot, Wainscott delivers a four-seam fastball, slider and change-up.
The “rise/run” four-seamer has reached 95 mph this spring. The “gyro” slider is thrown harder and breaks later than a “sweeper” and generally travels 84 to 85 mph.
Wainscott describes his change-up grip as “mid-split.”
“If you were to take a two-seam grip and move it up on the horseshoe, my middle finger is on the right horseshoe and my ring finger grabs the other one,” says Wainscott, who saw his first pro action in minor league Arizona spring training games. “It’s all about refining and fine-tuning your best pitches.
“I enjoy having three (pitches) because the change-up I have now really opens up everything to (left-handed batters). They don’t just minimize and take out one pitch because I have a change-up and that helps me out tremendously.”
His focus is on winning 0-0 counts and getting first-pitch strikes.
“If I’m doing that it doesn’t matter what pitch it is,” says Wainscott. “Getting ahead in the count is very big.
“In pro ball, we’re putting ourselves in a spot to succeed.”
To get ready for spring training, Wainscott went to PRP Baseball in Noblesville, Ind., working extensively with Assistant Director of Pitching Luke Jaksich.
“He’s smart and knows what he’s talking about,” says Wainscott of Jaksich, who played at Andrean High School in Merrillville, Ind., Saint Joseph’s College in Rensselaer, Ind., Ball State University and for the independent pro Sioux City (Iowa) Explorers.
Wainscott pitched four seasons at Eastern Illinois University (2019-22), where he was a Communication Studies major and Dietetics minor.
With an extra year granted because of the 2020 season being shortened because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hurler spent a fifth year at Arizona State University (2023) where he was a teammate of former Fort Wayne Carroll High School and Valparaiso University right-hander Nolan Lebamoff.
In 36 mound appearances (28 in relief) for the Jason Anderson-coached EIU Panthers, Wainscott went 3-5 with one save, a 5.12 earned run average, 83 strikeouts and 52 walks in 91 1/3 innings. In 2022, he held teams scoreless five times and struck out at least one person in all of his 15 appearances (14 as a reliever).
“The was a fun summer,” says Wainscott. “There was a lot of morale, good dudes and good baseball.
“That summer I felt like I finally came into myself with mound presence and confidence. My velo ticked up and my breaking ball really started snapping harder. I really came into the back-end bullpen role.”
He had the chance to return to EIU, but Wainscott opted to transfer to Arizona State for the exposure and competition that he would have the chance to experience at such a high-profile program.
In 16 games (all out of the bullpen) for the Willie Bloomquist-coached Sun Devils, the righty went 1-1 with two saves, a 6.53 ERA, 18 strikeouts and five walks in 20 2/3 innings.
Wainscott grew up in Perry Township on Indy’s south side and is a 2018 graduate of Perry Meridian High School. He honorable mention all-Mid-State Conference as a sophomore after posting a 2.05 ERA and 50 strikeouts in 44 1/3 innings in 2016. He was first-team all-MSC and honorable mention all-state after going 5-3 with 1.76 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings in 2017.
Jake Banwart became Perry Meridian head coach in 2018.
Among his travel ball teams were the Indiana Prospects and Tom Ancelet-coached Midwest Astros (now 5 Star National Indiana).
Jesse is the oldest of Vince and Patty Wainscott’s two sons and considers them both strong mentors.
“I call my dad after every bullpen or outing,” says Jesse. “I go to him for baseball/life advice all the time.
“My mom doesn’t always understand the baseball side. Early in my career, I really looked up to Coach Ancelet. He always trusted me with the baseball.”
Wainscott’s mentality is about adapting and growing. He’s always picking the brains of other players and coaches.
“I just try to pick up on things,” says Wainscott. “If I’m learning something new everyday, I’m consistently getting better.”
Younger brother Chris Wainscott (Perry Meridian Class of 2020) is a thrower (discus, hammer and shot) on the track and field team at Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., after beginning his college career at Thomas More University in Crestview Hills, Ky., as a track and football athlete.
“He’s just a tank,” says Jesse of his 270-pound sibling.
Jesse Wainscott. (Kenosha Kingfish Image)
Jesse Wainscott. (Seattle Mariners Photo)
Jesse Wainscott. (Eastern Illinois University Photo)
The Purdue University baseball player is convinced there is always room for improvement and he does not let adversity stand in his way.
“I’m always an unfinished product,” says Taylor, a 22-year-old righty swinger who regularly takes reps at third base, second base and both corner outfield spots and used by the Boilermakers as a designated hitter this past weekend in Greenville, N.C. “I consider myself to be a guy who will be to be successful in any situation I’m in. I’ve enjoyed the challenge of being able to play multiple spots. I’m good with playing where the team needs me.
“I have a great relationship with Coach (Chris) Marx I’ve learned a lot from him in the infield last fall and this spring. I’ve changed my mechanics. I’m staying back on my right leg and moving through the ball.
“I soak in everything everybody tells me and try to apply it to my game.”
Taylor, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 195 pounds, plays for head coach Greg Goff, who sets the bar high for his players.
“We need to be tough and energetic and things are going to be hard,” says Taylor. “You’ve got to be willing to rise to the challenge every time.
“Be ready for adversity to hit because it will.”
A quote from strength coach Tony “Ty” Webb also sticks with Taylor: “Persist without exception.”
Heading into the March 5 game at Notre Dame, Taylor has appeared in eight games for Purdue (8-3) and is hitting .313 (5-of-16) with three doubles, seven runs batted in and and two scored.
After donning No. 37 last year, he switched to No. 13 (worn in 2023 by Jake Jarvis) for his final collegiate season in 2024.
“I’ve just always liked lower numbers,” says Taylor. “I wanted to switch it up for my senior year.”
In 2023, Taylor played in 22 games and hit .200 (4-of-20) with one homer (in pinch-hit role), two doubles, three RBIs and four runs.
“My career has had its ups and downs,” says Taylor.
While making his first start at first base, he collided with a runner while taking a throw from the outfield. The play resulted in a concussion and adversely effected his back and shoulder.
“I had to build myself back up,” says Taylor. “It’s just one of those things. If you choose to be persistent — no matter what — you’re going to get what you want.”
Through a recommendation from former Purdue teammate Paul Toetz, Taylor connected with trainer Brady T. Knudsen, owner of Madison-based High Definition Performance.
Working with Knudsen helped Taylor get back strength and mobility.
“That’s another bit of adversity I’ve had to overcome,” says Taylor. “I want kids with Type-1 Diabetes know they can play college sports at a high level.
“It takes work, but you can do anything you put your mind to and I’m a true believer in that.”
Type-1 Diabetes — like baseball — is very numbers-based and Taylor manages the numbers regarding his insulin etc.
Born in Columbus, Ohio, in 2001 to Todd and Jennifer Taylor, Keenan moved around during his childhood.
His family, which includes younger siblings Brynn Taylor (now a Purdue sophomore studying Hospitality and Tourism Management) and Ian Taylor (a Guerin Catholic sophomore center fielder who also plays for the Indiana Bulls and is and football running back at GC), went to Oregon, Wisconsin, Texas and back to Wisconsin before landing in Westfield, Ind., when Keenan was 12.
He played travel ball for the Indiana Bulls until we moved until he aged out. He spent his 18U summer with the Indiana Nitro and joined the Midland (Ohio) Redskins for one tournament.
“(Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Andriole) was a legend,” says Taylor of the coach who passed away in 2020. “He was a very positive influence on all of us at Guerin. He taught us the value of hard work and what it looks like to be a highly-successful baseball player.
“We spent the first practice just playing catch in the outfield.”
Among his prep teammates was current Purdue senior outfielder Weston Gingerich, Matt Parenteau (now at Indiana State University) and Jake Andriole (now at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina and one of Rich’s sons).
Guerin Catholic won Circle City Conference baseball titles in 2017 and 2019. In the latter season, Taylor hit .419 with 16 extra-base hits, 19 RBIs, 29 runs and was honorable mention all-state, all-Hamilton County and all-CCC. The 2020 season was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taylor was at Butler University in Indianapolis in 2021 and Parkland College in Champaign, Ill., in 2022 before landing at Purdue.
Keenan says he has heeded the words of his parents.
“Every day when I went to bed as a kid, he told me to, ‘dream big; there’s nothing in this world you can’t accomplish,’” says Taylor of his father. “Pursuing those goals and believing you’re capable of great things is the biggest battle a lot of people face. They’re told they’re not going to be this or they’re not going to be that. It’s something I had to battle early in my high school career. I wasn’t the biggest guy. I wasn’t the fastest guy. I always had a deep belief that I could go play in a conference like the Big Ten.”
Todd Taylor encourages oldest child to be willing to think outside the box.
“Go out on your terms,” says Keenan. “With everything he does, he has a great attention to detail. That’s something I’ve tried to apply, too, especially in my baseball career.
“My mom has also been important for me. She says, ‘you gotta have a keep moving attitude; life is going to be tough. You’ve got to be willing to be tough and fight back.’”
Nearly a century after an Indianapolis team gained the inaugural Indiana American Legion baseball championship, the Hoosier State will debut its first softball teams.
That initial diamond title came in 1926.
In 2024, Beech Grove Post 276 on the city’s near southeast side will sponsor Indiana’s first girls fastpitch softball — hopefully one each for the junior and senior divisions — and bring a Legion baseball squad back to Marion County for the first time in more than a decade.
North Carolina adopted what is believed to be the first American Legion softball teams in 2018.
Post 276 member Wayne Harmon is heading up the organization of teams that is to play home games this summer.
“We are on the ground floor,” says Harmon, who is being helped by long-time friend and former high school classmate Dan Turner, who is head baseball coach at Irvington Preparatory Academy in Indianapolis, the 2023 Greater Indianapolis Athletic Conference champions. “It’s a coalition between the American Legion and helping the community and the kids.
“We’re promoting it in the surrounding counties so we can have other (Indiana) teams involved and can play each other instead of traveling.
Harmon says there is no cost to players because the program is American Legion-sponsored with the help of fundraisers.
Based out of Beech Grove High School, the team has adopted the name of Indianapolis Hornets Legion Lady Softball. According to Harmon and Turner, players 13U to 15U for juniors and 16U to 19U for seniors will come from the metropolitan area. Post 276 is part of American Legion Department of Indiana’s s 11th District.
“As of right now we will take anyone from Marion County,” says Harmon. “I’m reaching out to posts across the state to see if there are female teams for them to play while we’re there with the (Indianapolis Hornets baseball) team.”
Turner continues to coach IPA baseball, but will serve the Legion softball program as an organizer.
“It’s exciting for me to do something different and challenging and get the girls softball side off the ground,” says Turner. “We can make a difference for the youth. We’ve made an impact with the boys, now we’ve got to focus on the girls.”
It’s about more that sports.
“I want to bring in some professional motivators to develop young women,” says Turner. “I want them to understand there’s opportunities out there in this world. There are careers for them.
“There are decisions that affect your life and let’s make those positive.”
Turner says there is a goal of scheduling Hornets games early in the week — Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday — to draw travel ball players.
“If kids can get some extra reps and still be involved on the weekends, it’s a win-win for us,” says Turner.
Says Harmon, “We’re not necessarily looking at varsity players. It could be junior varsity or freshmen or even people who got cut. If they’ve got the skill of softball and baseball they’re more than welcome.”
As of this writing, there are 17 Indiana baseball teams listed on the American Legion website. Senior (19U) squads are Clay County Post 2, Kokomo Post 6, Muncie Post 19 Chiefs, Princeton Post 25, Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders, Crawfordsville Post 72, Valparaiso Post 94 Black, Valparaiso Post 94 Green, South Bend Post 151, Rockport Post 254, Terre Haute Post 346 and West Terre Haute Post 501. Junior (17U) clubs are Kokomo Post 6, Princeton Post 25, Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders, Valparaiso Post 94 Green and South Bend Post 151.
Indiana state champions in 2023 were Lafayette Post 11 (seniors) and Plymouth Post 27 Diamond Spyders (juniors). Winner of the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C., was League City, Texas.
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.
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.”
“There’s a lot of families who have put a ton of time and effort into Kouts Youth Baseball and we’re starting to see the rewards of that,” says Dorshorst.
This past summer Dorshorst coached the Kouts Mustangs 11U travel team with oldest son Grayson (now a Kouts sixth grader and nearing 12) on the team.
Dorshorst has lived in Kouts and is now located about 10 minutes away in Valparaiso. He was head baseball coach at Morgan Township Middle/High School 2009-16 and left the school as a teacher after the 2016-17 year and is now a realtor for Listing Leaders.
He has a few more weeks to work with middle school baseball players at Kouts with some high schoolers mixed in. An IHSAA Limited Contact Period goes Aug. 28-Oct. 14.
What does Dorshorst emphasize?
“I’m a pitching-first guy,” says Dorshorst. “That’s always been my thing. We’re going to pitch and we’re going throw strikes.”
On offense, it’s all about applying pressure to the other team. That means putting the ball in-play.
The personnel dictates what the Mustangs will do.
“I’m very adaptable,” says Dorshorst. “It’s not one-size-fits-all for every team. Each team has its own identity.”
The Mustangs are part of an IHSAA Class 1A sectional grouping in 2024 with Bowman Academy, DeMotte Christian, Hammond Science & Technology, Morgan Township and Washington Township. Kouts has won five sectional crowns — the last in 2011.
Dorshorst says he expects Ian Garavalia (Class of 2019) to return as a volunteer coach and is working to find other assistants for 2024.
With community assistance, Dorshorst has been working on maintenance at Keith Nuest Field. The mound has been re-worked and an ideas meeting to discuss the master plan is to happen in the next few weeks.
“We’ve got ideas,” says Dorshorst. “It’s a work-in-progress.”
A recent Kouts graduate to move on to college baseball is Owen Winters (Class of 2022) at Purdue Northwest in Hammond, Ind.
The Mustangs have a large sophomore class and Dorshorst sees many of those players that are probably on the college baseball track. The majority of the starting lineup in the 2023 Hammond S&T Sectional were freshmen. Kouts is coming off a 13-12 season.
With the exception of the 2020 which was taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mustangs have won 13 or more games in each campaign since 2019.
A 2022 graduate of Lincoln High School in Wisconsin Rapids, Wis., Dorshorst received his degree from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Before injuries curtailed his career, he played for the UWO Titans.
Jason’s wife Katie Dorshorst is a first grade teacher at Kouts Elementary School. Youngest son Maddox is a third grader and almost 9.
From the Summit City to the Valley of the Sun, Nolan Lebamoff enjoyed his baseball playing career.
As a right-handed pitcher he competed at what is now Wallen Complex, took to the travel ball circuit with the Summit City Sluggers at 14 and spent his prep diamond days at Carroll High School — all in Fort Wayne, Ind.
He was a varsity player for Chargers head coach Dave Ginder as a sophomore and junior.
After breaking his arm while on the mound in the summer of 2017 playing for the Todd Armstrong-coached Sluggers, the son of Andy and Deb Lebamoff went to live with uncle Tommy and aunt Alexia Lebamoff, rehabbed with Mark Sheehan (who has trained with Dr. Tom House, founder of the National Pitching Association) and graduated from Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Ill., in 2018. He did not play for the Wildcats.
After a few games with the Todd Farr-coached 18U Summit City Sluggers that summer, Nolan launched into five collegiate springs and four summers.
Lebamoff credits words from Post for taking him through his college pitching career: “You don’t have to be great, you just can’t be bad. You just need to be level.”
Says Lebamoff, “You’ve rather be the guy who stays steady and consistent. I learned the mental part of baseball my freshman year and that carried me all the way through.”
“I wasn’t throwing very hard, maybe touching 83 (mph),” says Lebamoff. “But I had a really good year.”
Many conversations with Schmack involved making a mark.
“What do you want your legacy to be?,” says Lebamoff. “What do you want to be known for in life?”
The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder made 81 of 82 mound appearances in relief and went 9-3 with 12 saves (including 11 in 2019), a 4.03 earned run average, 127 strikeouts and 64 walks in 116 innings.
Those are the numbers, but they are not what stick out most to Lebamoff.
“I got a lot of friendships, a lot of good experiences, a lot of good memories and incredible stories,” says Lebamoff. “I took a lot of life lessons like how to deal with adversity.”
He is to be in the wedding of former Kankakee teammate Owen Behrens in November.
“That’s what I live for — meeting people, making friends and seeing where they go in life,” says Lebamoff.
Lebamoff follows the careers of many of his summer teammates and coaches.
“It’s fun to root for them and hope they chase their dreams just as much as I did,” says Lebamoff.
That final season of summer ball with Duluth, Lebamoff made 22 bullpen appearances and went 5-1 with three saves, a 1.38 ERA, 38 strikeouts and 12 walks in 32 2/3 innings.
He finished his year at Arizona State with 25 games, a 3-0 record, 4.50 ERA, 21 strikeouts and 18 walks in 26 innings for a squad that went 32-23 overall and 16-13 in the Pac-12 Conference.
Lebamoff, who turned 24 in April, earned a Political Science degree from Valpo U. and exhausted his playing eligibility at ASU in the spring.
“I wanted to be the best college baseball player I could,” says Lebamoff. “I think I achieved that.
“I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do (next). I said I’ll figure it out and something will come my way.”
After the season, Bloomquist asked Lebamoff about his plans and the former pitcher is a graduate assistant coach for Sun Devils baseball while studying at the school in Tempe, Ariz., to be a Master of Organizational Leadership.
This past summer, he combed through the Transfer Portal and watched their Synergy Sports reels while doing research on players.
He also called donors and helped get Name Image Likeness (NIL) deals for ASU players and helping them grow their brand on social media.
“When I was playing NIL money didn’t entice me,” says Lebamoff. “I just wanted to play.”
Shirts with his name and Arizona State number (37) were produced and family members purchased them.
Lebamoff is in charge of 14 ASU student managers, serving as their line of contact with the coaching staff and organizing their schedules and practice duties.
During the season, Lebamoff will help out on the field. Right now, the team is in the individual skills phase of fall practice.
“I enjoy it,” says Lebamoff. “They’re good kids. A lot of them were here last year. I already know a lot of them.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
Lebamoff has become very close with Bloomquist, who played 14 years in the big leagues and became head coach his alma mater in June of 2021.
“I love him,” says Lebamoff. “In a way, he’s like a second father to me. “As soon as I got here I fell in love with the culture he brings. He’s a fun guy to play for. He expects a lot out of you.
“He works his butt off every single day. He loves this program more than anybody else. He takes great pride in it and expects that out of every player and every coach.”
Lebamoff says Bloomquist is always willing to learn.
“He’ll always listen to you,” says Lebamoff. “I’ve never been disrespected by him as a coach, staff member or player.
“He’ll shoot you straight. I have nothing but good things to say about him. He gave me two unbelievable great opportunities. I cannot thank him enough.”
Andy Lebamoff is retired from Cap n’ Cork in Fort Wayne. Deb Lebamoff was a stay-at-home mother since Nolan was young.
Nolan has two older sisters. Olivia (Lebamoff) Miller is married and lives in Park City, Utah. Natalie Lebamoff played soccer at Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger High School and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, earned her Master of Business Administration and Master Sports Administration at Ohio University and now works in corporate partnerships with the Chicago Bulls.
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