TERRE HAUTE —
When a ballplayer has been struck by more pitches than his strikeout total, he clearly knows how to handle himself at the plate.
Joe Meggs of the Terre Haute Rex leads the Prospect League in getting hit-by-pitches, reaching base 13 times via the bruise while striking out just nine times.
Despite a recent slump, Meggs was hitting .317 prior to Tuesday’s game. His .420 on-base-percentage is among the best in the league.
“He’s right on the plate and he just competes. That’s a toughness. I’m just impressed by how he comes to the ballpark everyday prepared to play,” manager Brian Dorsett said. “He expects a lot out of himself. He expects to have success.”
He and Koby Kraemer, former teammates at Indiana State, have been mainstays in the No. 3 and No. 4 spots in manager Brian Dorsett’s lineup. Meggs batted cleanup in Kraemer’s absence Tuesday night, going 0 for 3 with a sacrifice bunt.
Meggs was a .326 batter as a freshman at ISU, and he hit .317 during his recent sophomore season, his first on the field at the University of Washington after transferring when his father Lindsay took the head coaching job in Seattle.
The Terre Haute North graduate also has 10 stolen bases despite lacking elite speed.
“I told him before the season he was going to get double-digit steals. He gets good jumps, he knows when to run,” Dorsett said.
West Vigo coach Steve DeGroote once compared Meggs’ approach to Pete Rose, said Dorsett, who explained that assessment.
“He just looks to pound the strikezone with his bat. He’s just right on the plate and his bat just takes that one path right threw the strike zone, does a lot of damage,” Dorsett said.
Meggs earned All-Pac 10 honorable mention honors after leading the Huskies at the plate. Coach Lindsay Meggs’ team went 17-37.
“As a team, it was kind of a long year. We’re pretty young and had some injuries and I think it was a valuable experience. I think it will be valuable for us, and it should help us in the long run,” Joe Meggs said. “The team always comes first. … I did OK for myself.”
Meggs missed 10 games of action at the start of the season due to a broken bone in his hand.
The injury was the result of overuse. In other words, his batting average doesn’t stay above .300 without work ethic and toughness, traits that might make him a successful coach some day.
Meggs just hopes that day comes much later.
“I think it would be hard to say no [to coaching]. You always want to play as long as you can,” Meggs said.
• Prettyman added to coaching staff — Ronnie Prettyman, the son of Indiana State Director of Athletics Ron Prettyman, has joined the Rex coaching staff.
Prettyman was a .263 hitter during five minor league seasons, reaching the Double-A level in 2009 before calling it a career.
After two years away from the game, Prettyman was ready to return.
“I’ve been out of baseball now for about a year and a half. I’m just real excited to get back into it. I had some good opportunities here work-wise. I’m thankful to the Rex for giving me the opportunity to get back into it,” Prettyman said.
Prettyman said he played in the Jayhawk League in Kansas. He had an opportunity to play in the Cape Cod League after getting drafted, but opted to sign to play in the minors.
“It’s a lot of fun for these guys coming from all over the nation to get out in front of a crowd and enjoy playing in front of a good atmosphere,” Prettyman said.
Prettyman is talking with Indiana State coach Rick Heller about joining his coaching staff.
• Fisk throws six no-hit innings — Rex pitcher Conor Fisk, a hard-throwing right-hander, threw six no-hit innings to earn the win Sunday at Lorain County.
He had thrown 105 pitches so Dorsett opted to take him out.
“Out of respect for his college coach, we kind of limit his pitches because he’s pitched a lot,” Dorsett said. “I told him ‘had your coach not said anything, I would have left you in there.’”
Fisk, who was drafted by the Brewers out of high school and opted to continue to work on his game in college, has impressed Dorsett.
“He’s in great shape. He takes really good care of himself, runs all the time. I think he probably could have went the distance. It’s good to find that out if he could,” Dorsett said. “I know he’s made a lot of strides in the past year.”
Terre Haute Rex
King of Pain: Rex’s Meggs leading league in hit-by-pitch
- Terre Haute Rex
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Hayes leaving Ohio State to play for ISU
Hometown baseball has been good to Terre Haute South graduate Jacob Hayes.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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