TERRE HAUTE —
Before they even stepped on their high school diamonds as freshmen, they were familiar names to a lot of their teammates and especially to their coaches.
The fact that they never took that recognition for granted is why Terre Haute South’s A.J. Reed and Riverton Parke’s Haley Chambers are the Tribune-Star’s Athletes of the Year for spring sports.
It’s a repeat honor for Chambers, still just a junior, and she didn’t think she was going to get it.
“I didn’t expect it at all,” she told the Tribune-Star earlier this week. “We had a rough year, and I was disappointed in the season.”
A rough year for the Panthers, however, means not winning the Class A state championship like they’d done a year earlier. A rough year means being ranked first in the state virtually the entire season.
“A lot of people had a lot of expectations for us,” she said.
Those are the standards Riverton Parke has set during the past three years; although Chambers would be the first to admit she’s had plenty of help, it’s a safe bet to say that her name comes up first when people wonder why the Panthers have been consistently ranked so high those three years.
Reed didn’t get to carry a state championship trophy during his four seasons at South, although he did get through his high school baseball career without losing a sectional game and lost a 1-0 game in this year’s Class A semistate because of an unearned run.
He was South’s ace pitcher since his freshman year, turned into one of the state’s top sluggers during the past two campaigns and put together a senior season awesome enough that coach Kyle Kraemer called it the best in Vigo County history. He also scrimmaged Tuesday against other candidates for Indiana’s Mr. Baseball award that will be announced next month.
“It’s cool,” he said when told of his honor earlier in the week. “It’s a good honor to be recognized as the top male athlete of the spring.”
Part of Reed’s improvement during the past four seasons has come because of maturity, his coaches agree. Both Kraemer and John Hayes, who has been the manager for Wayne Newton Post 346 during Reed’s American Legion baseball career, can remember specific instances in which the younger Reed would strike out, then take his frustration out to the mound with him.
Of course, he doesn’t strike out as much anymore.
“Mentally he has gotten quite a bit stronger,” Kraemer said. “He has more of an understanding of the game of baseball and how it’s supposed to be played.”
“He’s grown up a lot in the four years he’s played for me,” Hayes agreed, “and he’s matured as a hitter.”
Reed’s improvement as a hitter — as demonstrated by a plethora of intentional walks during recent high school postseason play — may have the major league scouts evaluating him as a position player in addition to a pitcher; his defensive play at first base has gone from adequate to very good, and his ability to track popups might indicate he wouldn’t get lost in the outfield either.
“Baseball is my whole life,” he said this week, “and I work every day to get better, in every aspect.
“I try to picture in my mind what I have to do to get better,” he added, “and I work on my mechanics. There’s rarely a day when I don’t do something that pertains to baseball.”
“He thinks the baseball game, and he’s a great young man to have on your team,” Hayes said. “He loves to play, and he’s worked hard.”
The next level of competition, whether it be the University of Kentucky or somewhere in the farm system of the New York Mets — who drafted him in the 25th round earlier this month — will add even more, Kraemer predicted.
“He can get a lot stronger,” the South coach said. “Physically, the sky’s the limit for him.”
Although being a left-handed pitcher is also a significant part of Chambers’ identity, she too is a lot more than that. Coach Joe Cox of the Panthers, in fact, listed her offensive numbers first when questioned about her improvement, just like Kraemer and Hayes did in talking about Reed.
“Her batting average was up this year [to .587], she tied our school record for doubles, she led us in stolen bases … she continues to improve,” Cox said this week.
If power is Reed’s offensive signature, Chambers can frighten her opponents in different ways. A left-handed batter with speed, she can slap the ball on the ground for a hit practically on demand, yet she’s equally adept at muscling up and driving the ball. Playing for a school that’s known plenty of softball success, she’s already Riverton Parke’s career leader in doubles, triples and runs scored with one more season to play.
She’s also an outstanding defensive player for the Panthers at shortstop or third base, which lefties aren’t supposed to be able to play.
“I think I’ve played just about every position,” she said this week. “I don’t catch — but I caught when I was younger.”
Chambers plays first base when she’s not pitching for the Indiana Shockwave, her summer travel team.
“She’s playing travel ball against [other] college-bound girls,” Cox noted. “She keeps busy all the time and she continues to work hard.”
“I practice once a week for my travel team … and I continue to practice on my own,” Chambers said. “My dad [Dave] is my hitting coach … I work all year around.
“[Softball is] pretty much my whole future,” Chambers summarized. “It’s paying for my education [she’s verbally committed to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville], and it’s very important.”
Sports
Related Photos
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Tribune-Star file/Jim Avelis College or the big league: Terre Haute South’s A.J. Reed graduated. He’s either headed to University of Kentucky or the New York Mets. Tribune-Star/Jim Avelis
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Just a junior: Riverton Parke’s Haley Chambers will be back next year as a senior.
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Tribune-Star file/Rachel Keyes Always improving: Terre Haute South’s A.J. Reed says he works on the mechanics of baseball almost every day. “Baseball is my whole life,” the 2011 graduate said.
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Tribune-Star file More than a pitcher: Although being a left-handed pitcher is also a significant part of Chambers’ identity, she too is a lot more than that. Coach Joe Cox of the Panthers, in fact, listed her offensive numbers first when questioned about her improvement.
Discussion
Talent and Humility: Chambers, Reed are spring Athletes of the Year
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