TERRE HAUTE —
It’s standard practice for losing high school coaches — especially coaches who led teams on a deep postseason run — to heap praise on their seniors one last time. It’s even more so when one of those seniors was the rock of a given team for a four-year period.
And so it was last Saturday when Terre Haute South fell to Indianapolis Cathedral in a tight 1-0 semistate loss at Plainfield. I covered the game, and inevitably, I asked South coach Kyle Kraemer about standout senior pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed, who played his last game in a Braves’ uniform after a sterling career.
“He’s got to be the best player to ever play in Vigo County …” Kraemer said.
It threw me for a little bit of a loop when he said it. Not because what he said was hyperbole, because Reed is an outstanding baseball player, but because there were immediately other candidates that flashed in my mind.
And that’s pretty incredible. I’m no grizzled long-time Hautean. I haven’t been in Vigo County very long to have other “greatest” candidates flashing through my head, especially with Reed setting the bar as amazingly high as he did.
My first baseball season in Terre Haute was 2005. Obviously, there’s far more Vigo players of yore I haven’t seen than I’ve seen. Given that, The Best Player In Vigo County History argument is not one that I’m going to try and settle here. No way.
And I’m sure as heck not going to argue with Kraemer. In terms of his devastating double-whammy pitching and batting prowess, Reed is the best I’ve seen, Vigo County or otherwise. Reed finished his senior year with a .585 batting average, 16 home runs and 48 RBI, with teams pitching around him as a matter of course. On the mound, Reed was 8-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 108 strikeouts.
Reed was drafted in the 25th round by the New York Mets on June 7 and is undecided whether he’ll sign or play baseball at the University of Kentucky.
Outstanding … right?
Yet it’s a testament to the strength of Vigo County baseball, then, that even in a short period of time I’ve been around, the other two Vigo high schools can present legitimate candidates of their own.
You never forget the first elite player when you come to a new area and Terre Haute North’s Josh Phegley is that player for me.
In 2006, he hit .592 with 13 home runs and 50 RBI and was Indiana’s Mr. Baseball. Phegley also pitched when he wasn’t catching, and though he wasn’t in Reed’s class on the hill, he was no slouch.
Like Reed, Phegley was the leader of a semistate team that lost a close game to Indianapolis Cathedral. He was not drafted out of high school because he had earned a rare full-ride baseball scholarship to Indiana.
After his Hoosiers’ career was over, he was drafted in the sandwich round (between the first and second rounds) by the Chicago White Sox in 2009. He’s currently playing at the Double-A level at Birmingham.
Like Reed and Phegley, West Vigo catcher Jeremy Lucas was the bedrock of a 2009 Vikings team that advanced to the 3A state championship game. Lucas hit .490 and set a Vikings’ record with 49 hits that season. He wasn’t quite in Reed or Phegley’s class in terms of power, but the eight home runs he had in 2009 is excellent by normal standards for high school baseball. Lucas also had 46 RBI.
Lucas’ senior year numbers aren’t quite there with Reed or Phegley’s, but he helped lead his team one step further in the postseason, and at a very important position to boot. And for those who say it was 3A, I would submit that the difference between 4A and 3A is negligible in baseball, especially once you get past the sectional level (and West Vigo’s sectional is rarely a walk in the park).
Lucas was drafted in the 35th round in 2009 by the Baltimore Orioles, but elected to go to Indiana State. He will be a junior for the Sycamores next season.
Keep in mind, that trio is just the elite of the elite Braves, Patriots and Vikings’ candidates since 2005. The talent level goes oh so much deeper.
The excellence continues with players like North’s Nick Ciolli, Joe Meggs, Skyler Pearson, Michael Eberle, Parker Fulkerson, Brandon Dorsett and the late Jordan Shaw-Tyler. Or South’s Jacob Hayes, Koby Kraemer and Cole Vicars. Or West Vigo’s Jordan Pearson and Tyler Wampler — both ex-Vikings probably the closest to Reed since 2005 in the hitting-pitching combo department — with Cameron Fagg and Scott West.
All of the aforementioned Vigo baseball alumni play or played Division I baseball, or would have played in Shaw-Tyler’s case, at some point in their post-high school careers. (Apologies if I left a Division I name or two out. There’s so many players who have excelled since 2005, it’s hard to keep track of them all.)
My point in reeling off these names isn’t necessarily to ballyhoo any one player’s ability against another. It’s to point out how unbelievably good baseball is in Vigo County, even using a very small seven-season sample size.
There are other counties around the state, most of them in fact, that would kill for that level of talent over a 25-year (or more) period. Factor in the counties adjacent to Vigo County (former Northview star Brady Shoemaker only misses the elite list above by dint of geography) and the talent pool deepens.
Finally, imagine all of the pre-2005 names I didn’t list because I wasn’t here to see them. The names in the debate many of you can have would be so much deeper than mine.
But I’m not here to debate, I just want to celebrate. There is no question in my mind that baseball is the best-played sport in Vigo County. I would put Terre Haute up against any other Indiana locale as the best baseball city in the state.
Who’s better? Who’s best?
Who cares? I’m just glad I get a chance to appreciate it.
• Thanks for the well-wishes — I don’t like to advertise my aches and pains — everyone has their own problems in life and mine sure as heck aren’t any more important than anyone else’s just because I have a newspaper column — but I would like to publicly thank all of those who wished me well after my recent heart catheterization.
I had it last Wednesday, and so far, I received very positive news. I will be back to full strength very soon, so I plan to cover Indiana State (unfortunately, I was recovering when the football and basketball teams made moves late last week) and all other aspects of the area sports scene per usual.
Again, thanks to all of those who had well-wishes. They are always appreciated.
Todd Golden is sports editor of the Tribune-Star. He can be reached at (812) 231-4272 or todd.golden@tribstar.com. Please check out Golden’s Down In The Valley blog at blogs.tribstar.com/downinthevalley.
From the Press Box
FROM THE PRESS BOX: No debate about quality of Vigo baseball
- From the Press Box
-
-
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
If you had to pick one word that would describe the 2013 Indiana State baseball season, it would have to be frustration.
-
FROM THE PRESSBOX: Content McKenna has enjoyed seeing ISU's progress
It all happened so fast in June 2010.
One minute, Kevin McKenna was head coach of the Indiana State men’s basketball program. Then — poof! — he was gone.
McKenna resigned from his head coaching position at ISU on June 13, 2010 to take an assistant coach position on Dana Altman’s then-burgeoning University of Oregon staff. -
MVC can't wait on Crieghton to move forward
Will they go or not? That’s been the question that the Missouri Valley Conference and Creighton have been faced with since rumors of the Bluejays’ potential exit went public in December.
-
FROM THE PRESSBOX: Can Sycamores reverse fortunes heading into MVC Tournament?
Mastery of a basketball season comes in many forms. Mostly, it comes in forms that involve avoidance of turnovers, anemic scoring and poor defense.
The mechanics of X-and-O success in basketball are obvious, but what’s often overlooked in building a successful campaign is managing the rhythm of the season, which is the hardest thing of all. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Accountability isn't Lansing's alone in ISU's recent struggles
Taking ownership has always been one of Indiana State men’s basketball coach Greg Lansing’s strengths.
When ISU has lost games in his three seasons at the helm that it was expected to win, Lansing has always been willing to fall on the sword and take blame for it. -
TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State has far more occasions to rise to
Rejoice, Indiana State basketball fans. The Sycamores’ 68-55 victory at No. 15 Wichita State on Tuesday is worthy of celebration.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Big plays in last 10 minutes story of the season for Indiana State
You’d think I’d have learned by now.
It’s 20 games into Indiana State’s men’s basketball season and I still expect the Sycamores’ offense operate like a well-oiled machine from the opening tip. -
Sycamores blossom on Hawaii trip
Quick quiz … what’s the state flower of Hawaii?
Don’t worry. I can’t just rattle state flowers off the top of my head. I had to look it up too, even though I’ve seen them all over the place in Honolulu.
I didn’t even know that Indiana’s state flower is the peony, which replaced the apparently unloved zinnia in the 1950s.
Hawaii’s flower, and they’re ubiquitous in Waikiki tourist shops and in actual flora on Oahu, is the yellow hibiscus.
The yellow hibiscus is big, bold and bright. I’ve never seen one blossom, but I imagine it has to be a beautiful sight.
What I have seen blossom — and it’s the only reason flowers would be brought up in my column — is the Indiana State basketball team at the Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic. -
TODD GOLDEN: ISU needs to have its realignment head on a swivel
Have you ever driven past a cow pasture during a severe thunderstorm? If it’s really bad, the cows will congregate in a herd to protect themselves from the tumult.
-
TODD GOLDEN: ISU AD Prettyman keeps it close to the vest
Do you want to know who’s on the short list to become Indiana State's next football coach?
-
TODD GOLDEN: Trent Miles leaves Sycamores with giant legacy
To glean perspective on Trent Miles’ time as Indiana State’s football coach, I went back into the Tribune-Star’s archives to remind myself of what the football program was like when Miles arrived to rebuild it.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Scoreboard watching and the threat matrix for ISU
Indiana State football coach Trent Miles reaffirmed his belief Tuesday that a victory over Youngstown State on Saturday will propel the Sycamores into the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs for the first time since 1984.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Twists and turns, but Luck passes eye test
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck made his much anticipated Lucas Oil Stadium debut Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Looking back and forward at ISU athletics
It started in State College, Pa., and ended in Eugene, Ore. Few Indiana State athletic seasons have spanned the nation in as many sports as 2011-12 did for the Sycamores’ athletic teams. And from coast-to-coast there was glory and heartbreak alike.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU progresses under Prettyman
He didn’t say a word, but it was as clear as Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman sat in the PK Park dugout and watched the Sycamores take batting practice prior to their NCAA Regional at Oregon last Thursday, he beamed with pride.
-
TODD GOLDEN: MVC pitching helped prepare Sycamores for regional
Nick Petree, Pierce Johnson, Ty Blach.
These aren’t just elite-level starting pitchers Indiana State’s baseball team faced this season. They comprise three of the last five pitchers the Sycamores faced period. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU baseball has pluses, minuses for tourney bid
Last Thursday, when Indiana State’s baseball jumped around in a celebratory dogpile after clinching the Missouri Valley Conference regular season championship at Bob Warn Field, no one thought that a little over a week later, the dreaded NCAA Tournament bubble would fly over Terre Haute. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Subtle switch has fostered MVC baseball parity
When Indiana State was crowned as the regular season baseball champion of the Missouri Valley Conference last Thursday, it marked the fifth different regular season champion the league has had since 2005.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU has done enough to be in NCAAs
When you get older, you’re supposed to get wiser. I don’t know if I qualify, but I’m trying.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: TH’s Murans back in the Derby … this time with favorite
When Terre Haute native Paul Murans experienced his first Triple Crown horse racing run as part-owner of Mucho Macho Man in 2011, the experience was — to borrow a phrase from one-time Marquette coach Al McGuire — seashells and balloons.
-
TODD GOLDEN: IHSAA debate interrupts more pressing issues
State Senator Mike Delph has sowed a 15-year-old wind and put the emotional class basketball debate back on the public’s mind.
-
TODD GOLDEN: ISU eyes prize one game at a time
Most baseball fans know that the baseball season — even a college baseball season — is a marathon, not a sprint.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Grass is green enough for Indiana State in Missouri Valley
Take a look around the Missouri Valley Conference landscape and it would be easy to assume that a significant portion of the league membership is searching for perceived greener pastures.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Sycamores are Odum’s team now
Soooo … who wants to talk about the 2012 Indiana State men’s basketball season?
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: ISU will face uphill climb in MVC in 2013
The Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinals are always scintillating. No more so than Saturday when Illinois State upset 15th-ranked Wichita State 65-64 and when No. 25 Creighton took care of business with a 99-71 victory over Evansville.
Arch Madness indeed. -
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Effort, heart, concentration are fleeting for ISU
Every time Indiana State’s men’s basketball wins a game, you think to yourself, OK, now is when these Sycamores live up to their potential.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Peyton’s place belongs to Eli
The good people of Indianapolis justifiably puffed out their chests throughout Super Bowl week as the city received deserved rave reviews for the job it did as hosts of Super Bowl XLVI.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Teammates, colleagues express their loyalty to Weatherford
Sometimes you worry whether someone is stopping to smell the roses when they smell rosiest.
-
FROM THE PRESS BOX: Does melted ice reveal Belichick's heart of gold?
If you’re into Youtube — and who isn’t these days? — there’s a vintage television profile of then-Cleveland Browns coach Bill Belichick posted on the popular site.
-
TODD GOLDEN: Indiana State men caught between expectation, reality
The Missouri Valley Conference is hush-hush on how it puts together its matchups for the annual conference schedule.
- More From the Press Box Headlines
-
TODD GOLDEN: Don't give up on ISU baseball just yet
Raw: Trucker Bumps I-5 Bridge Before Collapse
Raw: Texas Deputy Shot by Colo. Suspect Honored
Suspect in Killing of Officer Found Dead in Cell
Major Detours Following Wash. Bridge Collapse
American Held in Grisly Czech Murders
Raw: Jersey Shore Reopens for Summer
Today in History May 25
High Wire Spectacle Thrills Crowd in Austria
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
UK-bound Pakistan Plane Diverted, 2 Men Arrested
Britain Braces for Possible Copycat Attacks
Bus Fire Kills 16 Children, Teacher in Pakistan
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
ShowBiz Minute: Shelton, King, Lopez
Raw: Gay Rights Activists March in Ukraine
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Today in History May 24
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
A Slice of Apple History Up for Grabs
Raw: Apple 1 Computer Sells for More Than $650k
Young protestor goes viral on Youtube
Toronto Mayor says he's not a crack head
Maine island offers lighthouse getaway
Should We Prepare for Quakes?
Lynn Kindergarten Class Rescues Ducklings
Congressional gold medal awarded to civil rights heroes
Charles Ramsey visits Kentucky
Unique Display Greets Guests At Revel Casino
Cape Cod Train Service Worries Residents
BASE jumper rides snowmobile off cliff to honor dead friend
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
SHOCKING: School Guard Throws Girl Down Stairs
Star Wars X-Wing Star Fighter Made of Legos
Actress Amanda Bynes Arrested in New York
Singer Psy Has An Imposter
President Obama Heckled at National Security Speech
Morgan Freeman falls asleep on air
