TERRE HAUTE —
Perseverance was one of the stories for the Terre Haute Rex during the 2011 season as manager Brian Dorsett took the team to its first playoff berth in its second year of existence.
As can happen in a 56-game schedule, injuries to the pitching staff and on the field created adversity, but a deep bench and midseason acquisitions helped the team push through to a Prospect League West Division title.
Key players — and leaders — from last year such as two-year Rex standout Koby Kraemer, big midseason pickup Steven Bruno and Indiana State outfielder Lucas Hileman are gone.
Except for reliever Nick Cunningham, the entire pitching staff will be brand new to Rex fans, who built on the inaugural 2010 season by averaging more than 1,000 fans per home game at Bob Warn Field.
Indiana State catcher and Missouri Valley Conference Most Valuable Player Jeremy Lucas is on the roster, but the West Vigo graduate is expected to be drafted in next month’s MLB Draft.
Terre Haute native Jacob Hayes, who redshirted for the Sycamores this spring, returns to the team as a quality left-handed hitter.
“Versatile player, can play infield and outfield. Look for him at both spots,” Dorsett said. “He’s got a lot of upside and will be a big plus for Indiana State next year.”
Another MVC player, Southern Illinois’ Nick Johnson, is a returnee who could bat in the middle of the order but could be a late arrival due to a knee injury.
Catcher Brett Teschner is back behind the plate, and Cunningham will return after his season with the Arizona Wildcats.
Chris Roglen, a part-time starter in 2011, is back and Dorsett expects more in 2012 from the big right-handed hitter.
“He did not have a good year last year for us. But I knew he possessed the ability to get it going when we brought him in,” Dorsett said. “Sure enough, he had a tremendous season at Scottsdale Community College. They’re going to the JUCO World Series, and hit third for them all year.”
Late-season pickup Michael Schroeder, a Northwest Indiana native who provides a left-handed arm and a capable bat, is another player Dorsett is excited to get back in Terre Haute.
“With the returning guys, what’s nice about that, they know what it’s like to play here,” Dorsett said. “They’re excited to be back. They can pass that message to the other players that they’re going to love it. A lot of these kids don’t play in front of these types of crowds so that’s something the new guys can look forward to.”
As noted above, pitching depth can be big in wooden-bat collegiate summer leagues such as the Prospect League.
Dorsett is excited about a staff that includes Indiana State right-handed starter Ryan Torgerson, the Sycamores’ No. 3 starter.
“He’s going to be big for us we believe. We’re excited to have him,” Dorsett said.
Purdue’s Robert Ramer who has tossed 40 1/3 innings this spring with a 4.91 earned-run average, could be a key player for the Rex.
Dorsett and pitching coach John Howes will have multiple left-handers to send to the hill this year.
“We’re really excited about our pitching. Added quite a few lefties to the staff, something we were a little deficient in last year,” Dorsett said.
Among the lefties will be: Kyle Zimmerman of Wayne State, John Oltman of Creighton, Clay Manering of Parkland Community College, Ben Dartnell of Eastern Michigan and Christian Hull of Southeast Missouri State.
Right-hander Will Robinson of Valparaiso University and Billy Timmerman — a Valparaiso native who plays for Belmont Abbey — and Tommy Strunc of Creighton round out the pitching staff.
Terre Haute’s bullpen could be a strong point. University of Tennessee closer Nick Blount, a 6-foot-6 right-hander, will take over closing duties. Blount had 10 saves for the Volunteers, and Cunningham is a likely candidate for a set-up role.
Newcomers in the field include infielders Edwin Cheatham, Jason Blum, Spencer Mahoney, and Jeff Limbaugh, who is also an outfielder. Indiana State outfielder Casey McCurdy should also provide another solid left-handed bat.
The Rex open the season Tuesday at Danville. The Prospect League schedule has changed this season, with teams only playing teams within their division. The Rex and Dans will play 12 times this season, for example.
Rex general manager Roland Shelton hopes to capitalize on this opportunity to solidify a rivalry with the nearby Dans. The Rex are hoping the two teams can award a traveling trophy to the team that wins the season series.
A schedule heavy with division foes will limit travel and create more three-game series vs. opponents.
For Dorsett and his coaching staff that includes Ronnie Prettyman and newcomer Bobby Segal it’s a chance to do more coaching since they’ll get to know the opposing players better.
“We’ve always tried to make sure we were able to record as much as possible as far as pitching charts go. We also have a book on the opposing hitters,” Dorsett said. “We want to chart what they swung out and where it was hit. Then we’ll show our guys the chart on how to play them. We’ll go over that prior to the at-bats, prior to the game. Guys will tend to start moving on their own and getting in position. It will make it a little more fun because u truly do build a book on them.”
The Rex home opener is Thursday against the Quincy Gems. Fireworks will follow after the game’s conclusion.
Terre Haute Rex
Rex summer league team will have almost entire new pitching staff
- Terre Haute Rex
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2012 an up, down season for Rex
The Terre Haute Rex went through plenty of trials and tribulations during the summer of 2012.
The team got off to a sluggish start to settle for third place during the first half of the Prospect League race, but manager Brian Dorsett rallied the troops to a second-half title. -
Metro Roundup: Dorsett, Rex players honored in Prospect League postseason awards
Terre Haute Rex closer Nick Blount won one award and shared another and Brian Dorsett shared Manager of the Year honors as the Prospect League announced postseason awards Saturday.
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Rex out of playoffs
Successful playoff baseball = clean baseball.
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Rex mix, match their way to win
The Terre Haute Rex clinched a playoff spot last Thursday … but there were still four games to be played.
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Rex turn eye to Prospect playoffs
Fans attending this evening’s Terre Haute Rex game should expect some handouts, some surprises — and probably better start by the home team than the Rex could provide Saturday night.
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Rex drop road game to Sliders 7-1
One night after a dramatic come-from-behind victory, the Terre Haute Rex went down meekly to the Springfield Sliders 7-1 in Prospect League baseball Friday night.
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Rex defeat Springfield twice, clinch spot in playoffs
It was a long but fruitful night for the playoff-bound Terre Haute Rex.
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Playoff march continues: Rex creep closer to postseason with victory over Dans
Hire the band, make the floats, and rent out a street.
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Rex split, retain 3 1⁄2-game advantage in West Division
A five-run ninth-inning rally fell far short for the Terre Haute Rex on Sunday night in Prospect League baseball.
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No no-hitter, but Rex triumphs
Kyle Zimmerman took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, lost his control and the lead, but the Terre Haute Rex offense had an immediate answer Friday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Travel baseball teams enjoy busy summer
So in the past two or three years, the increase in local travel baseball options has been led by three groups, Indiana (formerly Terre Haute) Havoc, Riley Recreation League and Junior Rex.
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First-place Rex top rival Bombers
If you haven’t been to a Terre Haute Rex game yet this season, tonight might be the time to go.
The Rex have a second straight home game against the Dubois County Bombers, a potential Prospect League West Division playoff preview — and a battle between maybe the division’s two biggest rivals. -
Rex top Cavemen, raise record to 14-6
The first-place Terre Haute Rex picked up a 6-4 victory Wednesday at Hannibal, Mo., against the Cavemen.
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Rex win first game of Saturday doubleheader
Terre Haute maintained its stronghold on first place in the Prospect League West Division on Saturday, the Rex defeating Dubois County 6-1 in the first game of a doubleheader.
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Strunc fans 10, Rex win 12-10
Power pitching and power hitting kept a season-high crowd of 1,732 Rex fans on the edge of their seats Friday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Starting role suits Cunningham as Rex win
Nick Cunningham took the mound Thursday in his relatively new role as starting pitcher looking to give the Terre Haute Rex some breathing room atop the Prospect League West Division standings.
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Rex fall at Danville, maintain two-game division lead
The Terre Haute Rex lost 7-4 on Wednesday at Danville, falling to 9-4 in the second half of the Prospect League schedule.
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High drama, but no win
Pinch-hitter Michael Eberle provided patient Terre Haute Rex fans with plenty of excitement by belting a three-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to tie the score against the Springfield Sliders at 9-9.
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Rex cool off against Springfield
It was a game Terre Haute probably didn’t deserve to win, and, despite an outstanding bullpen effort and focused hitting in the last few innings, the Rex did lose Monday for the first time since July 4 at Quincy.
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Rex roll to lead in division
A constant theme repeated by Terre Haute Rex manager Brian Dorsett is how his summer-league collegians adjust to the everyday schedule, rather than the four or five-game slates they’re used to.
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Rex bounce back, dominate Dans
Terre Haute reaped the bounty of three Danville errors in the second inning. The Rex made the Dans pay for each of their errors with eight base hits in the inning and Terre Haute never looked back on its way to an 11-4 victory in front of sweltering crowd of 669.
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Rex open second half with victory at Quincy
The Terre Haute Rex opened the second half of the Prospect League season with a 8-7 victory Tuesday night at Quincy Stadium.
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Head coach could be next stop for Prettyman
Credited in part to some unforgettable memories at Cal State Fullerton, where Ronnie Prettyman scored the winning run in the 2004 College World Series, the Indiana State and Terre Haute Rex assistant coach wants to pursue a future in college coaching.
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Cunningham, McCurdy pace Rex to win over league leader
What was essentially a meaningless baseball game as far as the standings were concerned couldn’t have gone much better for the Terre Haute Rex on Saturday night at Bob Warn Field.
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Rex score 4 before getting first hit, then hang on for win
With temperatures over 100 degrees Friday, affairs at Bob Warn Field took a walk on the wild side.
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Rex duo working overtime
It’s obviously a bonus to recruit a college baseball player that can pitch once a week and take the field and bat in the middle of the batting order the rest of the time.
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Rex fall 7-1 to Hannibal
The Terre Haute Rex lost 7-1 on Thursday, falling behind 4-0 after the first inning at Bob Warn Field.
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Rex have winning streak snapped
The season-long five-game winning streak of the Terre Haute Rex came to an end Wednesday night at Dubois County.
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Rex move within four games of first-place Dubois County
The Terre Haute Rex moved within four games of the first-place Dubois County Bombers, scoring the first 11 runs in a 12-6 shellacking at Bob Warn Field on Tuesday.
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Rex take third straight, move to 12-11 overall
Wildness cost the Terre Haute Rex a precarious lead in the fifth inning, but thankfully for the home team Quincy returned the favor in the bottom of the ninth inning.
- More Terre Haute Rex Headlines
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