TERRE HAUTE —
Following a standout baseball career at Terre Haute North, Max Hutson took his talents to one of the nation’s most prestigious collegiate programs at Wichita State.
Injuries never allowed Hutson to reach his potential, although he earned four letters as a Shocker and earned Academic All-Missouri Valley Conference honors in 2007.
Upon graduation, Hutson returned to Terre Haute and has spent the past two years as a volunteer assistant with the Indiana State program under Coach Rick Heller while also running a youth baseball school.
Hutson is now taking his career path to the next level, as he has accepted a job as an assistant coach at Southeastern Community College in Burlington, Iowa.
“Coach Heller gave me a good recommendation, and Coach [Justin] Schulte and I got along really well,” Hutson said. “About a week later, we signed the deal.”
Hutson is going to one of the nation’s top junior college programs, as last year the Blackhawks won 44 games and finished one win short of qualifying for the Division II JUCO World Series.
SCC shortstop Yhoxian "Chippy" Medina was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 38th round of the major-league baseball draft, while two Blackhawk players are continuing on to play in Division I.
One of those is pitcher Dakota Bacus, who ironically is trading places with Hutson and coming to Terre Haute to play for the Sycamores this fall. Bacus pitched against several of his new teammates in the summer of 2010 for the Moline (Ill.) American Legion team in the regional tournament, defeating Wayne Newton Post 346 in the finals.
Hutson enjoyed his time back in Terre Haute, and realizes that the first rung on climbing the ladder of collegiate coaching is to be an assistant and continue to work his way up.
“Being at ISU was an awesome experience for me,” Hutson said. “Learning the game under Rick, Tyler [Herbst] and Brian [Smiley], and I had a lot of fun. It was nice being back home and seeing all the people I know and love.”
One appealing aspect of junior college baseball is that there is both a fall season and a spring season, so the opportunities to coach games are plentiful. SCC will begin its fall season next weekend, and comes back to Indiana to play in a tournament at St. Joseph’s College in Rensselaer in September.
Hutson majored in finance at Wichita State, but the competitive nature of baseball is something he just doesn’t have out of his system yet.
“I love being able to continue doing baseball, which is my passion in life,” he said. “My long-term goal is to be a Division I head coach someday. I am going to work hard and try to work my way through the coaching ranks and let the chips fall where they may.”
• Bits and pieces – Terre Haute South and Pepperdine grad Kristen Seaton has begun volleyball practice with the Indiana Hoosiers.
Because of a medical redshirt year with the Waves, Seaton will have one year of eligibility for IU while she works toward a master’s degree.
In a videotaped interview on the IU athletic Web site, the 6-5 outside hitter said that she doesn’t mind the dropoff from the picturesque setting of Malibu, Calif., to being back home in Indiana.
“It’s good, it feels like home again,” she said. “It’s nice getting to meet with a new group of girls, and play in front of people I know – finally.”
Seaton said the veteran Hoosiers have accepted her well to the program in a short time.
“It’s been awesome, and I feel like I really fit right in,” she said. “I’ve only been here for about a week or so, but everyone has really pushing each other and holding each other accountable. “They want to win, Seaton added. “It’s really nice coming to a very competitive group of girls.
The Hoosiers will have four televised matches this year.
They will play on ESPN2 when they visit Nebraska on Oct. 8, 2011, a game that will be broadcast via tape-delay on Oct. 9. Indiana's trip to Michigan State on Oct. 26 will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. The Hoosiers will host Iowa and the BTN on Nov. 12, with the game tape-delayed on Nov. 13.
The Hoosiers will also play before cameras at Ohio State on Nov. 20, a game broadcasted by the BTN.
• Northview grad Trent Lancaster is not a member of the Indiana State football team this fall, delaying his enrollment until the spring semester as a “greyshirt.”
He can participate in spring workouts, but the upcoming school year will not count as one of the five calendar years an athlete has to complete four years of eligibility.
• Terre Haute North grad Ben King has transferred from ISU to DePauw and joined the Tiger football team in time for the beginning of fall practice.
King is a 6-0, 200-pound defensive back who redshirted last fall during his freshman year at ISU. His first game as a Tiger will be in Terre Haute on Sept. 3 as DePauw plays at Rose-Hulman.
• Haley Chambers, who pitched Riverton Parke to the Class 1A state softball championship two years ago, has moved near Indianapolis for her senior year and is now attending Cascade High School.
She is playing volleyball for the Cadets, and verbally committed last year to play Division I softball for Southern Illinois-Edwardsville.
• Terre Haute North grad Molly Martin was honored by Hanover College last spring as the school’s top senior athlete.
Martin capped her four-year career as the leading scorer and rebounder in Hanover’s women’s basketball history. She totaled 1,887 points and 1,091 rebounds in her career.
The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s most valuable player as a senior, Martin was a first-team selection for four consecutive years and was the HCAC’s freshman of the year in 2008. She was also named the most valuable player in the league tournament the past two seasons.
She now works at Union Hospital in Terre Haute in the fitness department.
Joey Bennett is a former Tribune-Star sports reporter and copy editor who now teaches at Northview High School in Brazil. He can be reached at tribstarcollegereport@yahoo.com.
College Report
JOEY BENNETT: ISU baseball assistant headed to Iowa JUCO
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COLLEGE REPORT: Kentucky baseball star Reed earns All-SEC
Kentucky sophomore baseball standout A.J. Reed of Terre Haute South Vigo High School earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference honors in voting by the league coaches for the recently completed season.
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Catching up as the school year winds down
Odds and ends from here and there as the school year quickly winds down. For starters, high jumper Nick Jaeger of Terre Haute South was named the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference’s male track & field newcomer of the year:
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College Report: Lively earned collegiate upgrade with strong play
Hillary Lively signed to play Division II basketball at Maryville (Mo.) during her senior year at North Vermillion, but those plans changed and she would up at nearby Danville Area Community College — where she recently concluded an outstanding two-year career.
Lively was impressive enough to earn a Division I scholarship to Southeast Missouri State of the Ohio Valley Conference, and both her future and past college coaches think she will continue to succeed there.
“She fits what we need,” SEMO coach Ty Margenthaler said. “She has college experience, she is strong and physical and plays well around the basket and moves well.
“Her strength, rebounding and touch around the basket will be a big help. On the defensive end, she’ll be able to guard a true center.” -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley prep athletes getting ready for next level
The NCAA “regular” signing period begins Wednesday for all sports except football, field hockey, soccer, track and field, cross country and men’s water polo.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Conferences honor Valley softball players
Several Wabash Valley area college softball players have been honored by their respective conferences for outstanding play this spring.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Jake Newton makes big impact for Lincoln Trail College
Jake Newton had a long time between playing in competitive basketball games, a span of about 18 months, and used the frustration from that long dry spell to produce a stellar freshman season for Lincoln Trail College this winter.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed earns SEC Player of the Week honors
After belting three home runs during a five games last week, Kentucky sophomore left-handed pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed was named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Spring newcomers making marks
Several freshman baseball and softball NCAA Division I players from the Wabash Valley have already made immediate impacts at their new schools, while others are waiting for their turns to shine.
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COLLEGE REPORT: A.J. Reed named third-team preseason baseball All-American
Two-way sophomore standout A.J. Reed was one of three University of Kentucky players named third-team preseason All-America by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Sponsler honored after big week for Wabash men's hoops
Wabash College freshman Ross Sponsler of Terre Haute North was named the North Coast Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for the period ending Jan. 6.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad Hughes finds success after facing preseason adversity
A.J. Hughes knew he was in for a battle as he competed with three other walk-on punters in the preseason for the lone starting job on the Virginia Tech football team.
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Etling, Meggs enjoying great year
It’s been a great year so far with more to come for a pair of longtime friends and St. Patrick’s School classmates.
Former Terre Haute resident Jack Meggs quarterbacked the Bellevue Wolverines football team to the Washington Class 3A state championship this fall, culminating with a 35-3 win over Sammamish Eastside Catholic — Bellevue’s fifth straight crown.
Danny Etling, meanwhile, has completed graduation requirements at Terre Haute South and is preparing for an upcoming high school all-star game and his first college classes in a couple of weeks. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Valley’s women’s college hoops players start strong
Several women’s college basketball players from the Wabash Valley have gotten off to good starts this season on the hardwood. Highlights:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Mayhew, Mascari provide fall highlights
Several dozen Wabash Valley athletes enjoyed successful fall seasons collegiately in cross country and tennis this year. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Former North teammates start strong in college
Former Terre Haute North teammates Ross Sponsler and Matt O’Leary made their college basketball debuts last week and had outstanding initial performances. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Shoemaker OBP leads Chisox farmhands
Former Indiana State, Olney Central and Northview baseball standout Brady Shoemaker opened a lot of eyes last summer in the Chicago White Sox farm system, earning him a spot on a mlb.com blog team that highlighted the team’s outstanding minor leaguers at each position.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Boeglin has plenty of ISU memories, but not all are related to basketball
Melanie Boeglin, an All-American who played on the women’s basketball team at Indiana State from 2002-2006, will be inducted into the 21st class of the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday.
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COLLEGE REPORT: North grad leading DePauw volleyball in winning streak
DePauw’s volleyball team has won seven straight matches entering this weekend’s DePauw Invitational, including four straight wins last weekend to capture the Rose-Hulman invitational title.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Engle moving up football coaching ranks
Michael Engle graduated from DePauw University in the spring of 2011 with a degree in political science and future plans to advance his studies in law school.
Being a coach’s son and a competitive athlete by nature, Engle has put those plans on hold for now. -
COLLEGE REPORT: From Terre Haute South to Division I competition to coaching careers
Adriane Wunderlich and Katelyn Bishop both turned stellar high school careers at Terre Haute South into Division I collegiate careers at Indiana State and Southern California, respectively.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Former prep athletes getting ready for fall college season
An impressive total of at least 122 Wabash Valley athletes and coaches will be competing collegiately for the first time during the upcoming school year or have changed schools to continue their careers.
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COLLEGE REPORT: SP’s Boetjer is Indiana’s Miss Softball
South Putnam’s Brooke Boetjer, who will be a freshman on the Indiana University softball team next spring, was named the 2012 Indiana Miss Softball last month between games at the North/South All-Star games in Carmel.
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College report: North grad Mayhew is second team all-American at IU
Indiana University running standout Zach Mayhew of Terre Haute North was honored earlier this month as a second-team All-American by the United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.
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College report: Bloomfield runner to join IUPUI track, cross country teams
Bloomfield track/cross country standout Julie Riggins will be joining the developing IUPUI program next fall as one of six incoming recruits.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Roberts takes coaching position at UNC-Greensboro
Terre Haute native Mike Roberts is continuing his climb up the college basketball coaching ladder, recently departing Rice for a spot as the associate head coach at North Carolina-Greensboro.
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COLLEGE REPORT: Valley grads playing role for No. 13 Vincennes
A few springtime odds and ends:
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COLLEGE REPORT: Shouse making his mark for Danville Community College
Derek Shouse definitely flew under the radar in his one season of playing for the Terre Haute South boys basketball team last winter.
Not highly recruited, he made his way to Danville Area Community College as a walk-on with the hopes he could find his way onto the court at some point. -
COLLEGE REPORT: Bullock finds sunny home to continue tennis career
Most college athletes progress along similar paths to get to their final destinations athletically, but Terre Haute South grad Taylor Bullock’s route to the Eckerd College women’s tennis team was a little different than most.
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COLLEGE REPORT: TH South QB entertains Division I offers
Danny Etling’s trek to being a big-time college quarterback took a huge step this week when the Terre Haute South junior picked up a scholarship offer from Purdue, according to 247sports.com.
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