Latest news with #Kouts
Indianapolis Star
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Using tactic developed by Yankees coach, state champion Lutheran wreaks havoc on basepaths
INDIANAPOLIS – The Lutheran baseball team's unique and aggressive style of baserunning utilizing a technique developed by Fort Wayne native Matt Talarico. Talarico is the baserunning coordinator for the New York Yankees. He began his coaching career at Division III Heidelberg before making stops at Toledo, Dayton and Wright State. In 2018, Talarico helped the Raiders rank seventh nationally in stolen bases using jump leads. Lutheran doesn't use signs to initiate stolen bases. Using jump leads, the Saints rely on timing and anticipation to swipe bags. The Saints time the pitcher's leg lift, springing into their lead as the pitcher's windup begins. If the runner times it right, the runner goes every time. If the runner doesn't time it right, they're still in an athletic position, breaking down and turning a jump lead into a secondary lead. 'I just went for it.' Lutheran pulls off hidden ball trick in Class A final Lutheran runs its way to first title: 'I wanted to prove how good we were' "The leaders at Baseball Academics Midwest learned (jump leads) from (Talarico)," Lutheran coach Josh Meaney said of the AAU baseball program he's an assistant coach for. "The Yankees run the same program. It's all about timing. It's about pitcher timing and pitcher tendencies when you get your bound. "If you land on time, you go. If you're not, you get in your secondary and wait for another pitch." The tactic can be risky, but when timed right it's almost indefensible. Senior Owen Lecher used a jump lead to swipe second and third uncontested in the first inning. Senior Austin Brandenburg used the technique to steal home in fifth inning. The Saints stole four bases in their 14-1 win over Kouts in Friday's Class A state championship and forced multiple errors with their aggressive baserunning. Leadoff hitter Nate Hughes led Lutheran with 15 steals this season. He's one of four players with at least 10 steals. Twelve players have at least one steal. The jump leads put pressure on the defense, and it also causes indecision in the pitcher. Seeing a runner take off could force the pitcher's delivery to speed up, throwing off the windup mechanics and making it harder to throw a strike. "It's exhausting for them, that why I want to do that," Meaney said. "We want to create that pressure. (Kouts pitcher Billy Miller) couldn't command the strikeout pitches. When you're worried about runners running, one through nine, you've got a tendency to leave one over the plate and that's what we hit."
Indianapolis Star
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Lutheran pulls off hidden ball trick in Class A baseball title game: 'I just went for it'
INDIANAPOLIS – It's something you're more likely to see on a Little League field or in a baseball movie, a play known as a hidden ball trick. Pulling off the play requires cunning and collaboration, plus a mental lapse by the baserunner, but the Lutheran Saints have made it a regular part of their game, so much so, they pulled one off in Friday's 14-1 Class A state championship win against Kouts. The Saints led 3-0 in the fourth inning, but the Mustangs appeared poised to cut into their lead. Reid Estill drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on an error by second baseman Landyn Parker. In an effort to uplift his teammate, shortstop Masen Parker decided to try the hidden ball trick. IHSAA baseball state finals: Scores, schedule, highlights After making the error, Parker held onto the ball for a couple seconds. Once pitcher Ryan Redding didn't get the ball right away, he knew to linger around the mound, giving his fielders time to set up. Parker slyly handed the ball to Masen Phelps at shortstop and Phelps waited for the runner to take his lead. As soon as Estill stepped off the base, Phelps tagged him out for the first out of the inning. "It's always (Landyn) who does it. He had the error, he's coming back (toward me) and I say, 'give me the ball' and I just went for it," Phelps said. "Us playing together our whole lives made that a factor," added Parker. "We've been playing together since we were 13. We just know right there. I made an error, it's on me, I'm going to give it to him and he's going to make up for it." The play takes some deception, and the umpire has to be in position to see the tag. The Saints have executed it in games where the umpire doesn't see the tag, negating their trickeration. Second base umpire Brent Hunt worked a Lutheran regular season game against North Central where the Saints used the hidden ball trick to get the final out of the game. In an advantageous twist of fate, Hunt knew to be in position to see the tag against Kouts. "We do not practice that at all," Lutheran coach Josh Meaney said. "We started it last year. In the last two years we've probably pulled it out 10, 12 times. The pitchers know, they know what to do. They know not to be on the mound, they just kind of hang out. "Masen was standing right behind. (Estill) had no idea and Masen made the tag." Kouts scored one run in the fourth, but the hidden play trick eliminated a more costly inning. Phelps flexed his baseball IQ again in the seventh inning. With Redding nearing his pitch limit. Phelps intentionally dropped a line drive with a runner on first base, allowing him to turn a 6-4 double play to end the game. "They're taught to be smart baseball players," Meaney said. "Masen and Ryan have been friends for years, they're inseparable. For him to get his buddy out of that situation with that play is absolutely incredible."
Indianapolis Star
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Indianapolis Star
Lutheran runs its way to first IHSAA baseball state title: 'I wanted to prove how good we were'
INDIANAPOLIS – From the opening pitch, the Lutheran baseball team dictated the tone of Friday's IHSAA Class A state championship game against Kouts at Victory Field. The Saints treat the baseball diamond like a fastbreak on the basketball court. They swing early in counts, they run at every opportunity, they take extra bases and force the opposition to make plays to beat them. They force teams out of their comfort zone, and love to capitalize on mistakes. Leadoff hitter Nate Hughes doubled on the first pitch he saw, the Saints (21-10) scored three runs in the first inning and kept pouring it on, earning a 14-1 win over Kouts (27-7). IHSAA baseball state finals: Scores, schedule, higlights The victory gives Lutheran its first baseball championship. Eleven of Lutheran's 14 runs came on Kouts errors. The Mustangs committed six errors to Lutheran's four. "(Kouts starter freshman Billy Miller) is 14, 15 years old. We have to speed him up," Lutheran coach Josh Meaney said. "He threw strikes, but we hit them. We hit him and we hit him hard, and that's what we've done all year. "Not to be rude or mean, but I wanted to prove how good we were." Owen Lecher started the scoring with an RBI single in the first. Gage Meaney, the coach's son, added a two-run double. Kouts scored one in the fourth inning on an error, but Lutheran answered with vigor in the fifth. The Saints scored two on errors. Gage Meaney cleared the bases with a double into left field, and Austin Brandenburg stole home, capping a six-run inning. Lutheran scored five runs in the sixth, building a comfortable lead over the Mustangs. Meaney's five RBIs set a record for RBIs in a Class A championship game. "It feels great," the younger Meaney said of winning the championship. "Bringing the first ever title back to Lutheran is great. I had some struggles at the beginning of the year, so I never thought I'd accomplish anything like that. I saw the ball really well today, and the Lord helped us out a lot." Setting a record during a championship game seemed impossible for Meaney earlier this season. He injured his hamstring in early April and sat out for a week. He came back and struck out seven times in three games. His timing was off, and his confidence was low. Needing to find a way to bust his slump, Meaney raised his hands in his stance and eliminated his stride, allowing him to be quicker to the ball. He recorded five hits after the mechanical changes and developed into another offensive threat for the Saints. Hudson Mills scored three runs for Lutheran. Hughes and Caleb Courtot had two hits each. Senior Ryan Redding earned the win on the mound. Redding went the distance, allowing one unearned run on two hits with six walks and seven strikeouts. Redding entered the final inning 16 pitches below his 120-pitch limit. He forced a lead off ground out but hit the next batter. Facing his last batter, Landon Garrett, Garrett smacked a line drive to Masen Phelps at shortstop. Instead of catching the ball, Phelps dropped it on purpose, allowing him to flip it to Landyn Parker at second for a force out. Parker then had enough time to throw to first, doubling off Garrett and ending the game. "I've been trying to find the words, surreal is the best way to describe it," Redding said of earning the win in the state final. "I couldn't have done it without my guys. ... I'm just happy I got to do it with my best friends. "We practiced that play 1,000 times, the little drop and shove. It never actually worked but I'm glad it did (tonight). (Masen) is my best friend. I'll never get a chance to play another game with him, so I'm glad that's how it ended."
Chicago Tribune
21-02-2025
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Washington Township's Rob McGowan hasn't won like this before. ‘Probably none of us have ever even seen it.'
Junior forward Rob McGowan has a sense of the Washington Township boys basketball team's history. The 6-foot-3 McGowan knows it was a big deal when the Senators clinched the Porter County Conference round-robin title on Feb. 14. 'It's great for us to put a number up on the wall,' he said. 'None of us have ever been there. Probably none of us have ever even seen it. The last time they won, I was in sixth grade. So that's great for us, just getting back to winning more for the program. That's a first step to doing other stuff.' Indeed, the PCC championship is the first for Washington Township (17-3, 7-0) since the team shared the title with Kouts in 2020. The Senators last won the title outright in 2019, their second straight solo, and their only other title came in 2016, when they shared it with Boone Grove. Scott Bowersock, who is in his 15th season as Washington Township's coach, knows the history too. 'I say this in a very non-arrogant way: Before I got here, we only had 11 or 12 winning seasons in 80-something years,' he said. 'There was no PCC round-robin championships. The highest win total before I got here was 14. It wasn't traditionally rich.' Bowersock's 2019-20 group — 'the best team I ever had,' he said — set the program record for victories by going 19-6. Before playing River Forest on Saturday, the Senators had three games left in the regular season and were targeting 20 wins. 'These guys want that,' Bowersock said. 'They're hungry to be that team. Coming into the season, we were above .500 last season (11-10), and we wanted to build upon that. We talked about, 'What kind of legacy do you want?' This junior class especially wants to leave an everlasting legacy.' Winning the PCC Tournament title for the first time eluded the Senators, who lost to Kouts in the championship game on Jan. 25. But a more substantial prize — the first sectional title in program history — remains possible, with teams such as Kouts, Marquette and Bowman also in the field. 'We definitely have goals,' McGowan said. 'We're dialing in for sectionals.' McGowan has been doing his part on a balanced and multipronged team that has four players averaging at least 11.1 points. He's averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 7.7 rebounds. McGowan is a tri-captain along with junior guard Kyle Banker and junior guard Aiden Armstrong. 'He's a great guy, great teammate,' Banker said of McGowan. 'He's always uplifting. I don't know if I've ever had to really get his head in the game. We've had to do that for a lot of the guys, get them focused up. But Rob's always locked in, always ready to go, always ready to play.' Armstrong expressed similar sentiments. 'He's a great teammate,' Armstrong said of McGowan. 'He does all the dirty work, gets all the rebounds, putbacks. He's always working hard.' McGowan paced the Senators with 11.6 points and 7.6 rebounds last season. 'My rebounding has improved,' he said. 'Statistically, maybe not, but I've been way more consistent this year. … Everyone on our team can score. That definitely helps. I've tried to become a little more dynamic. Our new style — push the ball in transition, fast pace — I try to be more of a ballhandler.' McGowan also tries to lead his teammates. 'I just try to set an example,' he said. 'I don't necessarily tell people what to do because everyone has their own ways. They do different things. But what I try to do is helpfully critique and lift people up.' In December, McGowan was recognized as one of the Rising Stars of Indiana. The Indiana Association of School Principals program is designed to recognize juniors for academic achievement. Bowersock lavished praise on McGowan. 'He's the epitome of what this culture is about within our program,' Bowersock said. 'He gets it done on the court, and more importantly, he gets it done off the court. He's No. 1 in his class. He's very, very, very, very smart. 'You couldn't ask for a better leader. He's one of the few players I've had in 15 years where the last half of the season, he essentially was a sophomore captain. That doesn't happen very often, when a sophomore is the vocal leader of a program. But that's just the kind of respect he's earned. He's a kid who's just going to outwork you. You put that talent together with hard work, it makes for a pretty special player.' The Senators hope this season proves to be special, but they could have other opportunities. The only senior on the roster is forward Jackson Smith, four of their top five scorers are juniors, and their leading scorer is freshman guard Brogan Banker, Kyle Banker's younger brother. But they believe their time is now. 'Our camaraderie and chemistry is the biggest thing,' McGowan said. 'Everybody gets along really well. We do a good job of not letting outside distractions get in, not letting other opinions get in. Everyone likes each other. That's important. 'It's just a different feeling. We have fun. Our practices are serious, but we have fun. That's important too. At the end of the day, it's a game. We're doing it for fun. But we're also doing it to win.'
