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
-
-
Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
Terre Haute Rex fans will get to see their favorite baseball team play two additional home games this year — and it will be a championship team they’re watching.
-
America’s (Class) Time: ISU students analyze Rex attendance data for class project
Though a group of Indiana State University students learned about statistics in class, they discovered even more at a baseball stadium.
-
No comeback this time for Rex
Perhaps the most endearing trait of the 2011 Terre Haute Rex was their ability to repeatedly forge thrilling come-from-behind victories.
-
Rex's pitching staff has big postseason potential
Manager Brian Dorsett has his Terre Haute Rex pitching rotation set up just as he would like, with Prospect League all-star right-hander Daniel Heefner set to take the mound tonight at Quincy.
-
Rex earn playoff spot with 8-3 win against Danville
Going into Saturday’s regular-season finale against the Danville Dans at Bob Warn Field, the Terre Haute Rex faced a potential woulda, coulda, shoulda scenario when it came to qualifying for the Prospect League baseball playoffs.
The Rex had to defeat Danville or Springfield would need to lose to Hannibal for Terre Haute to qualify for its first-ever playoff bid. -
Win today puts Rex in Prospect playoffs
Another day, another comeback in the Prospect League for the Terre Haute Rex.
Conor Fisk got drilled for six hits and four runs in the third inning but the Rex climbed back in the game, eventually tying it at 4-4 in the seventh when Ronnie Mitchell doubled and scored on a single by Jacob Hayes. -
Rex pick up crucial victory, setting up matchup with Springfield
This evening’s 7:05 p.m. home baseball game at Bob Warn Field against the Springfield Sliders is arguably the most important one in the two-year history of the Terre Haute Rex.
So it’s nice that the home team will go into it with guns blazing. -
Nearly 2 years later, Rex a local hit
On a recent red-hot Sunday evening at Bob Warn Field, Terre Haute Rex general manager Roland Shelton pointed out an elderly lady sitting in the sun as a typical fan of the team.
-
Rex drops DeKalb County 13-11
Stephen Bruno hit two home runs, and the Terre Haute Rex pounded out 16 hits in a 13-11 victory at DeKalb County in the continuation of a game that began Tuesday night.
-
Rex spooked in loss
It was exactly three months to Halloween, so that might explain why it was a rather spooky baseball game as Slippery Rock defeated the Terre Haute Rex 6-2 in Prospect League action at Bob Warn Field on Sunday.
-
Rex drop from first
Two disastrous innings from a tired bullpen helped knock the Terre Haute Rex out of first place in the Prospect League West Division baseball standings Friday night.
-
Kraemer's big night keeps Rex in first place
The Terre Haute Rex maintained at least a tie for first place in Prospect League baseball’s West Division on Thursday, getting a huge night from Koby Kraemer in a 9-5 win over the Chillicothe Paints.
-
Rex tighten grip on first place
The Terre Haute Rex and Nashville Outlaws each had their share of highlights and lowlights Friday night in a first-place battle at Bob Warn Field.
-
Terre Haute Rex celebrating Negro Leagues night at Bob Warn Field
Director of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, Bob Kendrick, is in Terre Haute to celebrate the history. He and George Altman, who played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues prior to joining the Chicago Cubs, will be honored prior to the Terre Haute Rex game tonight at Bob Warn Field.
-
King of Pain: Rex’s Meggs leading league in hit-by-pitch
When a ballplayer has been struck by more pitches than his strikeout total, he clearly knows how to handle himself at the plate.
-
Rex can’t shake bad start, opposing pitcher; drop from top of division
The Terre Haute Rex lost 3-1 to last-place DeKalb County on another sauna-like evening at Bob Warn Field, falling out of a first-place tie with Nashville.
-
Metro Roundup: Usually reliable Rex bullpen fails in final two innings
The usually reliable Terre Haute Rex bullpen failed in the final two innings Saturday night, allowing six runs in the final two innings as host Lorain County came from behind for an 8-3 Prospect League baseball win.
-
Hayes leaving Ohio State to play for ISU
Hometown baseball has been good to Terre Haute South graduate Jacob Hayes.
-
Rex edge Bombers; get share of first place
The Terre Haute Rex moved into a tie for first place with the Nashville Outlaws after a 3-2 win against Dubois County on a steamy Monday night at Bob Warn Field.
-
Sharp defense, six runs in 7th drive Rex past Danville
You might not think a defensive play perpetrated by Ronnie Mitchell and Koby Kraemer would have been a key in the Terre Haute Rex’s 10-2 victory over the Danville Dans in a Prospect League baseball game at Bob Warn Field on Sunday.
-
Hileman celebrates birthday in style
The Terre Haute Rex treated 1,107 fans, including baseball legend Tommy John, to an effective combination of hitting, pitching and defense in downing the DeKalb County Liners 9-5 in Prospect League action Saturday night at Bob Warn Field.
-
Early advantage doesn’t hold up for Terre Haute Rex
Friday night was a lost opportunity for the Terre Haute Rex, who were in a quest to improve to 3-2 in the Prospect League’s second-half standings.
-
Four Rex players get All-Star call
The Terre Haute Rex garnered four selections to the Prospect League All-Star game, which is to be played July 13 at Linda K. Epling Stadium in Beckley, West Va.
-
Heefner pitches Rex to 4-3 victory
The Terre Haute Rex evened its second-half Prospect League record at 2-2 with a 4-3 victory against the Richmond RiverRats on Thursday at Bob Warn Field.
-
Hileman gets a toe hold with Rex
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.
-
Rex rally for late Monday victory
The Terre Haute Rex opened the second half of their Prospect League season with a victory, defeating first-half Western Division champion Quincy 10-9 in 11 innings in baseball action on Monday.
-
For now at least, coach trades Rex for Colts
Jeff Brown starts his new job today, and even the 18- to 20-hour days he predicts could almost seem like a break to him.
At least it’s just one job — and one sport.
-
Rex can’t bounce back, lose 7-4
Two late comebacks kept the season’s biggest crowd interested Sunday night, but the Terre Haute Rex couldn’t overcome an early deficit and lost 7-4 to the Dubois County Bombers in Prospect League baseball at Bob Warn Field.
-
BULLPEN SPARKLES
A stolen base by Joe Meggs was the game’s biggest offensive play — “Who would’ve thought?” he said afterward — and the Terre Haute bullpen continued to sparkle Friday night at Bob Warn Field as the Rex defeated the Chillicothe Paints 1-0 in Prospect League baseball.
-
Rex get another win
Conor Fisk pitched eight dominant innings for the Terre Haute Rex, leading the team to a 7-3 victory at Danville on Tuesday night.
- More Terre Haute Rex Headlines
-
Heftier home schedule awaits Rex fans
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Astronauts Enter World's 1st Private Supply Ship
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Dragon Arrives at Space Station in Historic 1st
Passenger Restrained on Flight to Miami Arrested
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Today in History
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Shell Readies Arctic Drill Ship
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
Beer Here!: An Historic Exhibit
FAMU Bandmates: Victim Volunteered to Be Hazed
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Sudden Storm Topples Wisconsin Trees
Wild weather for Memorial Day weekend
Inspiration for the class of 2012
Colorado College Student Shot While Trespassing
Will Smith & Josh Brolin on "Men in Black 3"
80-Year-Old Skydiver's Nightmare Jump
JWoww Sizzles in a Black Bikini
Sliders on the Grill
Cruise ship crunch
Backstage With Beyonce
Ultimate Creamy Potato Salad
Pope's Personal Butler Under Arrest
Jenny McCarthy's New Man
Tyler's Classic Coleslaw
Britney Spears Under X Factor Fire
Flesh-Eating Bacteria Victim Hits Milestone
Hurricanes and Heat Waves Across America
Kristen Stewart Is Red Hot
Shark Attacks Australian Fishing Boat
Bradley out for playoffs
Kayaker Survives Trip Over Washington Waterfall
