EMERSON, Ga. – In today’s era of travel baseball, many teams
pull players from out of state and even from across the country. That is not
the case for the Indiana Bulls organization, who take pride in selecting only
kids from the state of Indiana.
“Well, we get players from the state of Indiana only,” said
Dan Held, head coach of the 16u Bulls Black. “Our by-laws do not allow us to go
outside the state of Indiana, so we really keep it home grown, and we’re really
trying to promote our Indiana kids, and that’s why our organization was built
honestly.”
The organization is celebrating their 25th year
in travel baseball, having been established back in 1991. The Indianapolis,
Ind.,-based team currently has 24 teams ranging from ages eight to 18. The
Bulls Black are just one of the 16-year-old teams, the other being the Bulls
White.
“At the lower ages, it’s a lot about development,” Held
said. “We develop within a winning atmosphere, not that it goes away at the
older ages. With the older ages at the high school levels, we’re really trying
to get these guys showcased to get those college scholarships or pro offers.”
They have certainly done their fair share of developing big
league players over the years as notable Bulls alumni include former and
current every day Major League players. Arguably their most famous alumni is 1997
National League Rookie of the Year and eight-time Rawlings NL Gold Glove award
winner Scott Rolen. Current Major League players include Lance Lynn, Adam Lind,
Tucker Barnhart, Drew Storen and Clayton Richard.
Part of their success of producing players has been the
exposure that they provide for their players. They have been mainstays at the
PG WWBA events since PG began hosting them in the early 2000s. The Bulls Black
are back in Georgia for the 16u WWBA, and the opportunity for exposure was what
Held said was a driving force behind their continued attendance.
“What keeps us coming back is the fact that our kids get to
get in front of colleges that don’t get to get up north, so we’ll be seen by a
lot of the SEC, ACC, Big 12 schools that don’t come up to Indianapolis or the
Midwest area,” Held said. “So, it gives the kids an opportunity that may be
able to qualify for a school like that an opportunity to be seen honestly.”
The Bulls Black currently has three players committed to
college, including Cameron Dennie and Parker Maddox, both of whom are ranked in
Perfect Game’s top 500 prospects in the class of 2019. Dennie, a 6-foot-2,
175-pound righty is committed to Arizona State University, a program that has
produced a few good arms over the years such as Cardinals righty Mike Leake.
“Cam is a special kid with a good arm. He’s a hell of a kid
as far as his makeup, good to have on the team, but he’s got a bright future
ahead of him going out to Arizona State,” Held said. “He’ll do a good job out
there, but he’s a special guy.”
Ranked as the No. 194 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 3 in the state of Indiana, Dennie
runs his fastball up to 91 mph and generally sits in the high-80s. Refining his
game is a current goal of Dennie, as he is currently working on his changeup.
He came to the Bulls as a 15-year-old and attributes much of his growth and
exposure as a player to his time with the Bulls.
“It’s been amazing, honestly. The recruiting process with
the whole team, getting recruited, hanging out with your friends, especially in
the hotels, it’s been fun,” Dennie said. “I’ve definitely improved physically
and mentally in the aspects of the game.”
While Dennie will take his talents out of state, Maddox will
stay in Indiana and attend Indiana University. The future Hoosier, ranked as the
No. 414 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 6 player in Indiana, said that the
school caught his attention after a visit in the fall.
“The facilities are nice. I love the coaching staff. It’s
like 45 minutes away from home and I mean I like it a lot there,” Maddox said. “I
felt like I was at home, because I went to the Hoosier Hysteria last fall and
it made me want to be a Hoosier. That was one of the main reasons why I
committed there.”
Maddox, like Dennie, can run his fastball up in the
high-80s, having been clocked as fast at 88 mph by Perfect Game. The 6-foot,
180-pound righty has been a veteran of the Bulls program, in his fifth year with the team. Held described him as someone who ‘wants the ball,’ and
will go right after hitters. That same mentality was expressed in Maddox’s
evaluation of his mindset on the mound.
“Just get a first pitch strike every hitter,” Maddox said. “Get
the first hitter out and not walk the dude, because I mean once you walk the
first guy, usually the run scores and that’s not good for your team and not
helping anyone out.”
The righties have already made an appearance in the 16u
WWBA, with Dennie throwing five shutout innings against Building Champions White
while Maddox threw an inning against Game On Stealth. The Bulls are 3-2 after
playing their pool play games, falling short of the playoffs. Although the team
was unable to move on, they still showed their talent as an organization, continuing
to showcase some of the best baseball players that Indiana has to offer.
“Well, one thing we always have and in this team, is good
kids. Quality kids, high academic kids, they all get along, they’ve been
playing together for a long time, and I think that makes it a special
experience for not only them but for the coaches as well.”