USAthletic Baseball Club currently has four teams 15U, two in 16U and 18U. High School and Vanderbilt University pitcher Reid Schaller lets one go for the Auburn (N.Y.) Doubledays. At the time, the system was loaded with first baseman. He gave up a single to make it 9-8 but Hunter Smith of D-Bat was thrown out at second. Teaching the mental side of baseball was a strength Reida saw in Henderson. Ruxer played travel ball for the Indiana Prospects at age 12 and for the Indiana Bulls at 13 and 17. Schaller is grateful to his Vandy coaches, including head coach Tim Corbin. Clay Woeste just played in the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho, where he made the all-tournament team as Indiana University Southeasts starting second baseman and lead-off hitter.The NAIA Ball Podcast selected righty swinger Woeste (.374, 8 home runs, 21 runs batted in, 89 runs scored, 38 stolen bases and a 1.053 OPS) as second-team All-America and Grenadiers head coach Ben Reel as National Coach of the Year.While finishing fifth in its first World Series appearance, IUS went 50-16 overall and 26-1 in the River States Conference.At 22, Woeste (pronounced Wee-Stee) can look back on many baseball memories.It was surreal, says Woeste of playing in Lewiston. Tiegs helped Larrison and other Sycamore hurlers with a throwing routine that includes weighted balls and helps loosen and strengthen. (Hillsboro Hops Photo). High School and Vanderbilt University, is playing professional baseball in 2019 with independent New Jersey Jackals. High School graduate who played at Vanderbilt University, is now with the Auburn (N.Y.) Doubledays in the Washington Nationals system. We all have our hands in a lot of different areas. Ruxer was chosen in the 29th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft and did not sign, opting to go to Louisville. If youre going to play, one of the best ways is by watching, says Whisler. As the son of a talent evaluator, Garrett Christman has grown up around professional baseball. In college, he became physically stronger and faster. What can i do to keep my mind sharp and give back to the younger generation? I asked as many questions as I could and tried to get better in every aspect, says Larrison, a 2014 Shelbyville (Ind.) Ruxer played three varsity seasons at Lawrence Central. Moeller's Clay Burdette was 2-for-3 driving in a run in that game with Elder'sVaughn going 1-for-2 and CHCA'sMurphy throwing a scoreless inning of relief. Recent Xavier grad Lane Flamm of New Richmond was also instrumental in those seasons. That went to building a winning culture with our team and one thats a Noblesville currently.. Ethan Larrison, a 2014 Shelbyville (Ind.) In three games (one start) and six innings with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals, he was 0-0 with a 16.50 ERA, one strikeout and seven walks. His head coach was Mitch Hannahs and Jordan Tiegs his pitching coach. One of the hardest seasons a professional baseball player can have. I try to make it as close to 12-to-6 as possible, says Larrison of his curve. I learned a lot from him. Future big leaguer Chris Carter was on the team in both 2002 and 2003. When it came to pitching, he showed me how to pitch to certain hitters and about reading the hitters swings. You are a student-athlete. (Rick Nelson Photo), Reid Schaller, 21, is in his first professional baseball season in the Washington Nationals system. Ohio native Gary Adams was head coach at UCLA when Whisler was with the Bruins. He has trained at both St. Vincent Sports Performance and the new Pro X Athlete Development. Centerville's Matthew Graveline just graduated and is set to be an Ohio State Buckeye. After an off day, Midland blanked UBC National 8-0 as Vaughn was 1-for-3 scoring a run. High School graduate, pitched four seasons at Indiana State University and made his professional baseball debut in 2018 in the Arizona Diamondbacks system. Murphy then coaxed a fly out from Patrick Engskov that Midland right fielder Tate Farquhar ran down to end the contest and give the Redskins another trophy and banner. The first full pro season was also when he was introduced to the TrackMan data. Its all about being consistent.. Reida played at Kentucky for Gary Henderson, who led Mississippi State to the College World Series and was named National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Coach of the Year in 2018. In 2013, Schaller was a teammate of future Los Angeles Angels minor league pitcher Travis Herrin. Born in Indianapolis, Schaller grew up near Thorntown and played Little League baseball at Dover and Thorntown. Matt Reida, a graduate of Western High School in Russiaville, Ind., and the University of Indiana, is now a volunteer assistant baseball coach at the University of Alabama. They were very in-line together with their coaching styles, says Whisler. (Hillsboro Hops Photo), Ethan Larrison pitched in 15 games for the Hillsboro (Ore.) Hops and was invited to the fall instructional league by the Arizona Diamondbacks. There have been plenty mentors and role models in Ethans life, from his father who played catch with him in the front yard and coached some of his teams to his older brother, who was a Shelbyville basketball player. Hes full of knowledge and that kind of rubbed off on me.. Reid Schaller returned to competitive pitching in 2018. I would soak in as much as these guys could tell us and paid attention to everything that was said. I talked how important it is to stay healthy and use the weight room to their advantage, says Christman, who also answered players questions. With the recent lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, USAthletic players just got back together after about 10 weeks apart. I get it. There was camaraderie on that team, says Whisler. He will also be serving an internship with the Indiana State baseball program as part of his sport management/marketing major. The next rungs on the Diamondbacks minor league ladder are Kane County (Low Class-A), Visalia (High Class-A), Jackson (Double-A) and Reno (Triple-A). Louisville went 51-14 and played in the 2013 College World Series. Extension quantifies exactly how much closer a pitchers release point is to home plate.. I improved by mental game (in college), says Christman. I trusted him. It was good to set that precedent. His final high school season saw him earned all-state, all-Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference and all-Marion County honors. Im looking to continue playing.. Along the way, the Redskins had to best teams featuring Manny Machado, Archie Bradley, Dylan Bundy and Mark Appel. (Cosgray) made me think this is the time I can get better and bring it to the varsity team, says Schaller. I want to help people the best that I can, says Gregor, who completed his finance and entrepreneurship degree during fall semesters after beginning his pro baseball career in 2013 and is certified in weightlifting and functional movement systems. In his last two years at Butler, he went to the mound 24 times (20 as a starter) and went 7-8 with a 3.09 ERA. Ive always liked numbers, says Ruxer, a 2011 graduate of Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis. High School in 2001 before coming a two-way player at UCLA and pitcher in the Chicago White Sox and Florida Marlins systems. After his surgery, Schaller still threw from a three-quarter arm slot, but he shortened up his delivery. I didnt realize what all went into the job. They want to control the game, says Ruxer. Im not holding anything back. I learned to bounce back from a bad game and to adjust. In high school, he joined the Midland Redskins and helped them to an American Amateur Baseball Congress Connie Mack World Series title in 2009. We played together since we were younger.. Its our career ultimately. He developed us so that by the time we were seniors we just went out and playedThats why we were so good our senior year.In 2017, Lawrenceburg (31-2) won the Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference and IHSAA Class 3A South Dearborn Sectional then topped Boonville 7-5 in the semifinals of the North Harrison Regional before bowing 4-2 to eventual state champion Jasper in the final. We pretty much jump into games.. Will Murphy of Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy came on with runners on the corners in the seventh and Midland clinging to a 9-7 lead. Cardinal Ritter grad Malatestnic grateful for chance with Eastern Illinois U. Im also learning to manage the running game better and getting really good at PFPs (Pitcher Fielding Practice) and things like that.. Wes and Warsaw, Ind., native Kara have four children 5-year-old triplet girls Gwynn, Molly and Vivyan and 3-year-old boy Guy. He talked about how to handle emotion and adversity and play the game one pitch at a time. He named second-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference. Gregor was selected in the 40th round of the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Chicago White Sox, but opted to go to Vanderbilt. In the GCL, he made five mound appearances (all starts) and was 0-1 with a 1.54 ERA. They were both hard-nose and expected a lot of you. I liked that. Just being around (Corbin) matured me as a person. Their jobs on the line. High School and Indiana State University reliever Ethan Larrison pitches out of the stretch for the Hillsboro (Ore.) Hops in 2018. It was awesome, says Garrett of Connor, who was a sophomore third baseman/catcher at Butler in 2018. There were a lot of former major leaguers there. He found that change could be made through grip, arm action and some minor mechanical cues. While at UK, Bohannon was honored as the 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association/Baseball America National Assistant Coach of the Year. Matt Reida holds a communications degree from Kentucky, where he graduated Cum Laude in 2014 with a 3.69 grade-point average. The 2010 graduate of Western High School in Russiaville, Ind., played four baseball seasons at the University of Kentucky a Southeastern Conference member concluding in 2014. At 5, he was racing 50 cc machines in motocross.His parents Matt and Karen Woeste moved from northern Kentucky to Aurora, Ind., so fourth grader Clay could ride on a track owned by the family of Ezra Hastings (who is now a professional motocross racer).Since there was no motocross in the winter, Clay played basketball in the winter. My freshmen year he was more hands-on and harder. That first short season was tough, says Ruxer. Everything happens for a reason. Our team chemistry was really good. The Redskins defeated D-Bat United out of Dallas, Texas 9-8. A shortstop and right-handed pitcher at Butler, the Giants used him as a pitcher-only at the rookie-ball level. He adds to that winning culture for many of the sports at Noblesville.. He went 1-0 with a 3.75 ERA. Im pretty high-effort now, says Ruxer. When Reid moved with his family father Matt, mother Heather and older brother Mason to Lebanon when he was in the fourth grade, he played in the Lebanon Little League and then got into travel baseball, donning the colors of the Indiana Mustangs, Indiana Prospects, Evoshield Canes Midwest, Cincinnati Reds Scout Team and Midland (Ohio) Redskins before heading to Vanderbilt. A little bit of everything, says Reida. The 21-year-old credits Vandy pitching coach Scott Brown for helping him come back. It was a great honor to be able to play and learn from one the best-regarded baseball coaches in the sport, says Gregor of head coach Tim Corbin, who led Vandy to the College World Series championship in 2019 and is to be inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in January 2020. (Rick Nelson Photo). Its great area for baseball, says Reida. The entire coaching staff is very intelligent and helped me with my prospects, says Schaller. Selected in the third round of the 2018 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the Washington Nationals, Schaller headed to Florida to pitch for the Gulf Coast League Nationals. In 127 1/3 innings, he struck out 102 and walked 35. What is Reida doing with the Crimson Tide? He goes to the bump for Doubledays manager Jerad Head and pitching coach Franklin Bravo with a large pitch repertoire. His hoops coach Bill Rose persuaded him to play in what is now called Aurora Youth Baseball.I never really turned back after that, says Woeste, who raced until 11 and placed in the top three twice and won at the Amateur National Motocross Championships at Loretta Lynns Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tenn., then turned more and more attention to the diamond.When he reached middle school, Woeste played for the Cincinnati Tribe travel organization.During his high school years, he was with Reds RBI team coached by Roosevelt Barnes, father of Tribe teammate R.J. Barnes.We got close and I went with him, says Clay of R.J. Roosevelt Barnes is now also the head baseball coach at LaSalle High School in Green Township, Ohio.Woeste played briefly during his senior summer for the Midland RedHawks and then that fall with the Midland Redskins.After attending South Dearborn schools for grades 4-8 and transferred to Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Plans call for USAthletic to play in games at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind., Victory Field in Indianapolis plus road trips to Louisville and St. Louis. Wes played for the Indiana Bulls from age 13-18. Throwing from a high three-quarter arm slot, Larrison touched 96 mph and sat at 92 to 94 mph with his four-seam fastball near the end of the college season. Christman decided to pursue the major he did because it combines elements of kinesiology, exercise science, sports administration and even coaching. They have time to read up on the hitters. Travel ball included the Central Indiana Kings (a Kokomo area team organized by Matts father Chad Reida and Tim Weir), Indiana Bulls and Midland (Ohio) Redskins. I learned a ton from Coach Calloway, says Reida. One big thing is that I learned to fail, says Christman. Skip was extremely genuine and a heart-felt guy, says Whisler. Gregor, 27, grew up playing the Carmel Dads ClubCarmel Dads Club and for the Carmel Pups. (Hillsboro Hops Photo), Former Shelbyville (Ind.) I didnt shake off too much.. (Williams) called all the (pitches). After talking it over with his family, he opted to go to Butler to improve his game and pursue a degree in Human Movement and Health Science. Being left-handed gives you a head start running to first base and youre facing a lot of right-handed pitchers so the off-speed pitch is coming into your barrel.. Conrad Gregor, a graduate of Carmel (Ind.) Calloway finished his 36-year coaching career with a 663-310 record with 18 seasons of 20 or more victories and an IHSAA Class 3A state title in 2012. He spent most of the 2017 season with the High Class-A Wilmington Rocks, going 5-7 with a 3.45 ERA in 24 appearances (17) starts with 84 strikeouts and 29 walks in 109 2/3 innings. By doing the little things, youll be rewarded.. Princeton's Andrew Edrington was the starting designated hitter and also scored. Schaller is four semesters from completing his American Studies degree and says he plans to go back at some point to complete it. There a lot of things going on. Several area players were on the squad during their regular season run, but the roster had to be whittled down for the trip to New Mexico. He now is attached to a travel ball organization CageRat Baseball in Colorado Springs, Colo. Tiffany Reida played basketball at Indiana State University. All rights reserved. His boss is Cincinnati was former IU player Billy OConner, who was in his first season as Musketeers head coach. Anchor Down a name that gives a nod to the Vanderbilt Commodores has a presence on social media, including Facebook and YouTube. Each player is there competing for a job. In three seasons at UCLA (2002-04), Whisler hit .304 with 34 home runs and 129 RBIs and also went 11-14 with a 5.00 earned run average, 172 strikeouts and 105 walks in 259 1/3 innings on the mound. OConner, who at 31 is one of the younger coaches in NCAA Division baseball, leads from the front. He added the cutter to the four-seamer and slider during the NCAA Clemson Regional. I saw the see the hours he would spend and his level of commitment, how he would build relationships.. With the help of then-UK assistant and current Alabama head coach Brad Bohannon, Reida began his coaching career in 2016 on the Indiana University staff then led by Chris Lemonis (who is now head coach at SEC member Mississippi State University). As a pro, you play on a nightly basis. He always expected and gave us his all, says Whisler of Adams. He went on to appear in 21 games over 28 2/3 innings. Brandon is the oldest and Caitlyn the second-born. Gregor has also played in the Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox organizations and owns and operates Anchor Down Sports Performance in Carmel. At Lebanon, Schaller played four seasons for Tigers head coach Rick Cosgray and was a three-time honorable mention all-state selection and three-time all-Sagamore Athletic Conference performer. Schaller has been in four games for Auburn (all starts) covering 16 2/3 innings. He is a 2016 Lebanon (Ind.) (Rick Nelson Photo), Reid Schaller, a Lebanon (Ind.) As a freshman, Cosgray had Schaller splitting his time between the varsity and junior varsity teams, going down to get some more at-bats. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Read has played 48 games in the big leagues with the Houston Astros and slugged 123 home runs in the minors. In summer (collegiate) ball, you might get into five or six games, says Larrison, who played for the Prospect Leagues Bobby Segal-managed Terre Haute Rex in 2015, rested his arm in the summer of 2016 and hurled for the Cape Cod Baseball Leagues Hyannis Harbor Hawks in 2017. Theres no reason to leave anything in the tank. The 6-foot-3, 225-pounder has amassed 22 multi-hit games with four in a friendly against the Cuba National Team and four three-hit games. On Dec. 1, 2016, the Angels traded Ruxer to the Royals. In 12 innings, he had 12 strikeouts and nine walks. I love Coach Bo, says Reida, 26. His seventh grade year, his family, including father Mike, mother Kristie and older brother Brandy, moved to Noblesville. In 11 2/3 innings, he struck out 16 and walked three and was moved to the Auburn (N.Y.) Doubledays of the Short Season Class-A New York-Penn League. High School and Butler University in Indianapolis, is a pitcher in the San Francisco Giants organization. Vaughn is a rising senior for Elder who is committed to Central Florida and Edrington is a rising senior at Princeton committed to Clemson.