Baseball in Fort Wayne

Posts Tagged ‘Taylor University’

Rhett Goodmiller, a catcher from Ossian, will transfer from NCAA Division I Central Michigan University to join the Taylor University Trojans this fall. He will have three years of athletic eligibility remaining.

During his freshman season at CMU, Goodmiller played in 50 games and started 38. He posted a .266 batting average for the Chippewas with nine doubles, 23 RBIs, and a .410 on-base percentage.

A 2008 graduate of Norwell High School, Goodmiller was part of a 35-0 team that took home the Indiana Class 3A State Championship in 2007. Following that season, he was named the Chris Rood Junior of the Year, an award given to the top junior baseball player in the state of Indiana.

As a senior, the two-time First Team All-State selection tallied four home runs and 32 RBIs on a .472 average to go along with 33 stolen bases.

Goodmiller also played five seasons of club baseball wiht the Summit City Sluggers.

Taylor University’s Ryne Otis has been named the Mid-Central College Conference Baseball Player of the Weekfor the second consecutive week..

Otis’ was awarded the honor after extending his hitting streak to 14 games when he recorded hits in all six of Taylor’s games a week ago. The Ossian native recorded two hits in five out of six games to give him 15 multi-hit games on the season.

For the week, Otis hit .647 with a .941 slugging percentage. He had two doubles, a home run, scored seven runs and drove in ten as the Trojans completed a 4-2 week against Huntington University and Goshen College.

Taylor’s starting first baseman had no errors in 37 chances last week. In 242 total chances this season, Otis has committed just two errors for a .992 fielding percentage.

With 40 RBIs in 34 games this season, the freshman is currently ranked second in the MCC. He’s batting .429 to go with a .622 slugging percentage.

Taylor University baseball freshman Ryne Otis has been named the Mid-Central College Conference Player of the Week, as announced Monday afternoon by the MCC office. The award is the first in Otis’ young career.

Otis hit .600 in six games last week, including four multi-hit games to bring his season total to 10 games with at least two hits.  He accounted for 18 of Taylor’s runs in a 5-1 week for the Trojans by crossing the plate 9 times and driving in another 9 runs.

From Ossian, Indiana, where he played his high school baseball at Norwell High School, Otis is currently riding an 8-game hitting streak, including a .548 batting average in his last ten games. After batting just .161 in his first ten collegiate games, Otis is now third on Taylor’s team with a .351 batting average.

Otis and the Trojans (19-9, 5-1 MCC) will be back in action when they host Huntington University (16-11, 9-3) on Wednesday for a doubleheader.  First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.

BASEBALL COMEBACK LEADS TO CHAMPIONSHIP

Taylor scored 13 runs in the final three innings Saturday to erase a seven-run deficit and earn the Trojans the championship at the Bryan College Baseball Invitational by defeating Emmanuel College 16-10. Down 10-3 in the fifth inning, the Taylor bats came alive to score four runs in the fifth inning and nine runs in the sixth to complete the comeback.

Paul Passiales headlined the Trojan offense by finishing 4-for-5 from the plate, including a monster home run blast to give him two RBIs in the game. Michael Kraynak hit a home run for his second of the day.  The junior then closed the day out on the mound, receiving no decision. Joining the home run parade was Cassidy Emery, who had a three-run blast and a double as he finished with three runs batted in.  Nate Hillery (Noth Side) finished the game with two hits, including a three-run double. Picking up the win in relief was Brent Kimbro.  The freshman pitched 2 1/3 innings after starter Chris Howell (Bishop Dwenger) left the game.

The championship game victory gives Taylor (3-3) momentum as they head to Kentucky next week to take on Brescia University.

Note About Taylor Baseball: the folks at this school’s on-line development area have it together. Not only do they regularly e-mail me press releases about their achievements, they also have RSS feeds for their team news and results. Well done Taylor. Kudos.

Taylor head baseball coach Kyle Gould announces the signing of Chuck Weaver to the Trojan club for the 2009-10 school year.

Weaver will graduate from Homestead High School in Fort Wayne this spring. The 6’5″ right-handed pitcher also plays third base and helped his team to a 4A State Runner-Up finish in 2008 for coach Steve Sotir.

Ranked as the #71 prospect in the State of Indiana by Prep Baseball Report, Weaver hit .349 as a junior and played in the summer for the Fort Wayne Cubs.

Coach Gould is excited about Weaver joining the Trojan roster,

“Chuck is a very versatile player with a lot of potential. He posses great size, a power arm, good defensive instincts and the ability to hit the ball with some power. He has had great success playing on one of the top high school teams in the state of Indiana as well as in the summers with the Fort Wayne Cubs. He has the ability to be an impact player both on the mound and at third base for us during his time at Taylor.”

The Taylor University Athletic Department plans to broadcast live stats for most home softball and baseball games this Spring.  Fans who cannot make it to the live events will be able to follow the live, play-by-play action by clicking on the Live Stats icons that appear on the Taylor athletics website.  These images can be found on the right hand side of the athletics website (www.taylor.edu/athletics) or by clicking on the ‘Schedule and Scores’ section of each team’s home page.

After clicking the Live Stats link, the page will automatically refresh every 30 seconds with the updated time, stats, play-by-play, and score.

The school is currently providing live stats on the Internet for all remaining home contests for the men’s and women’s basketball teams. Plans are being made to provide coverage next fall for Trojan football and volleyball, along with men’s and women’s soccer games.

The Taylor University baseball team features several area standouts, including; Nate Hillary (Junior – Fort Wayne North), Ryne Otis (Freshman – Norwell), Travis Carsten (Freshman – Homestead), Taylor Kinzer (Sophomore – Homestead), and Chris Howell (Sophomore – Bishop Dwenger)

Taylor University will conduct a baseball skills camp on three consecutive Sundays (January 25, February 1, February at the Kesler Student Activities Center on Taylor’s campus in Upland.  Offerings include sessions on hitting, pitching, and catching. 

Instructors are Taylor head coach Kyle Gould, his staff and players.  Each participant will receive a Taylor Baseball Camp T-shirt. 

For camp registration, contact Coach Gould at (765) 998-4635 or kygould@taylor.edu.  Visit www.taylor.edu/athletics/baseball for more detailed info.

MARION, Ind. – The Taylor University baseball team hit seven home runs in total; including one from North Side standout, Nathan Hillary, to top the University of St. Francis before bowing out at the hands Huntington University in the Mid-Central Conference Tournament where they fell 9-2, ending their season at 27-19.

Starting pitcher Chris Howell (Bishop Dwenger) picked up the win for the Trojans in the first game to improve his record to 5-1.

In the second game, Taylor Kinzer (Homestead) got the starting nod. He pitched three innings and gave up three earned runs in the loss.

After finishing the regular season third in the MCC standings, Taylor matched that effort with a third place finish in the conference tournament.