TERRE HAUTE —
After suffering a turf toe injury in the first game of Indiana State’s season, Lucas Hileman played through the nagging ailment the remainder of the spring.
Hileman, a speedy outfielder who played one year at Baylor and John A. Logan before transferring to ISU, is providing a boost to the Terre Haute Rex after struggling through his first spring for the Sycamores.
Hileman flashed his potential as a freshman in the Big 12, hitting .395 in 50 plate appearances for the Bears.
Hileman saw his batting average settle in at .260 for ISU, stealing seven bases in nine attempts.
With the Rex, he’s already stolen four bases, showing that the burst is back in his step. Hileman is also batting .441 with three doubles and 14 runs scored in 11 games of action.
“Turf toe is an interesting deal. It’s the big toe of my pivot foot. Everything I do in baseball it affects. It affects my swing, my back foot that pivots around. It affects running, base-stealing, taking routes to baseballs in the outfield,” Hileman said. “It was basically a toe jam, but I never really had a chance to rest it, to get it healthy.”
Rex manager Brian Dorsett is glad to have Hileman round out a talented outfield. Hileman joins Chris Manning, Ronnie Mitchell, Joe Meggs and Nick Johnson as part of a rotation.
“His energy, he’s getting on base, stealing bags and he’s made some nice plays in the outfield as well,” Dorsett said. “The fact that he’s getting on, that stimulates that offense right away at the top, with Manning, that’s helped us a lot.”
Manning has been a force in the leadoff spot for the Rex, ranking among the top hitters in the Prospect League with a .369 batting average and 11 stolen bases.
“Manning’s an incredible hitter,” Hileman said. “Mitchell’s hit into some tough look. I’ve been telling him — he’s a younger guy — and that’s how the game goes. He’ll be the guy that gets hot in July when it really matters.”
Soon to be 21 years old, Hileman is thankful for the opportunity to play with the Rex for multiple reasons, one being it’s his home ballpark.
“This ballpark’s probably the best one in this league. It’s been a joy to be a part of,” Hileman said. “This organization. I’ve played for three different teams, three different leagues. This is the best organization by far.”
Hileman said the atmosphere around the Rex is special.
“The way the organization treats the players and the fans. The fans I can tell are treated really well and they show that to us,” Hileman said. “A big part of summer ball is playing in front of a lot of people and people coming out and having a good time. The fans make this team. The fans make Terre Haute Rex what they are. I give a lot of credit to the fans of Terre Haute because they’re some of the best I’ve seen in summer baseball.”
Hileman just hopes to maintain his strong play and help the Rex challenge for a second straight playoff berth.
“The main concern for me this summer was to be healthy. Consistency has always been my problem. I’ve started off really hot, I’m typically a hot starter, but I’ve got to figure out something within myself to stay consistent all the way through,” Hileman said. “That’s part of baseball. Showing up every day and taking the same approach to it. That’s part of growing up as a baseball player really, that’s part of the thing that I need to work on and want to accomplish this summer.”
Terre Haute Rex
Hileman gets a toe hold with Rex
ISU player recovers from injury to have successful summer season
- 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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