The Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association has released its Hall of Fame class for 2017. The induction ceremonies will be held Friday January 20, 2017 at the Sheraton at Keystone at the Crossing in Indianapolis, IN. This event will be part of the 3-day IHSBCA state clinic and information is available at www.ihsbca.org. Tickets are available by contacting HOF Banquet Chairman Gary O’Neal at 812-273-3964 or IHSBCA Executive Director Brian Abbott at 260-358-7310.
This year’s Hall of Fame class includes three coaches; a selection from the veteran’s committee; and a benefactor. Each of these recipients will be recognized and will speak at the HOF Banquet and receive two plaques commemorating their induction. One of those plaques will be on permanent display at the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame in Jasper, IN. See www.indbaseballhalloffame.org for further information.
COACHES:
Greg Marschand has coached the Lewis Cass Kings for 35 years and compiled a 548 – 383 record during that time. He has won 5 sectional titles, 2 regional championships, 1 semi-state crown, and was the 2009 Class 2A runner-up losing to Heritage Christian in the state finals. His teams have also won 10 Mid-Indiana Conference championships. Greg is a 1999 inductee into the Columbus State University Hall of Fame where he set school career records of 32 victories (32-12), most innings pitched (327 2/3) and most starts (48) as four-year starter (1973-76).
Chip Sweet spent 21 years coaching baseball at Shakamak High School. A graduate of Shakamak H.S. and the University of Florida he began his coaching career in 1990. During his coaching years he won 328 games against 162 losses. His championships included 14 Sectionals, 6 Regionals, 4 Semi-States, and one state championship in 2014, which was the last game he coached. His teams won 11 Southwest Indiana Athletic Conference titles and 9 Tri-Rivers Conference crowns. He was a South All-Star coach at Jasper in 2004 and had his number retired by Shakamak HS.
Steve DeGroote graduated from Twin Rivers High School in Bode, Iowa. He completed his college degree at William Penn College where he played baseball, basketball, and football. He coached 6 seasons at Corwith Lesley High School in Corwith, Iowa before coming to Indiana State University as an assistant baseball coach from 1980 – 1985. In 1993, Steve took over the West Vigo High School program and coached there until 2013. During that time he won 10 sectional titles, 5 regional championships, and 1 semi-state crown while compiling an overall record of 441 – 118. His 2009 team was the state – runner up. He won 11 Western Indiana conference titles, coached 12 D1 players, and had 3 players drafted out of high school. He also coached cross-country, boys and girl’s basketball, and football.
VETERAN’S COMMITTEE:
Paul Ehrman spent 41 years umpiring for the IHSAA and various college programs. A graduate of Carroll (Flora) High School in 1963 and Ball State University in 1967, Paul began teaching and coaching at Taylor High School 1967-69 and followed that with stints at Delphi (1969-73) and Batesville (1973-78) before becoming athletic director at East Central High School from 1978-87.
A career change to State Farm Insurance began in 1987 and he is still an active agent today. From 1964-2004 he umpired and officiated baseball for the IHSAA; in addition to umpiring 15 years of softball. Paul umpired 40 baseball sectionals, 22 regionals, 12 semi-states and 7 state finals (2 in 1970’s; 2 in 1980’s; 2 in 1990’s; and 1 in 2004). He worked an average of 40 high school games in those 41 years and sprinkled in 15 years of umpiring college baseball.
Named District Umpire of the Year numerous times he also found time to establish an umpiring school and do umpire scheduling for 20 Southeastern Indiana schools from 1986 – 2004. One of the highlights of his career was to umpire state finals that Don Mattingly participated in.
BENEFACTOR:
Barton L. “Bart” Kaufman has long been involved in baseball in Indiana. He prepped three seasons at Shelbyville High School and then went on to play collegiately at IU for Ernie Andres. His senior year he was named all Big Ten and hit .452, which was runner-up to Bill Freehan of Michigan. He then attended Law School in Bloomington and continued to play and coach baseball in the amateur leagues in Indianapolis. As a part of that extended play, he was a participant in the Dodgertown Adult Fantasy Camps and is a member of the Hall of Fame in that area.
In 1982, Indianapolis mayor William Hudnut appointed Bart to help bring an NFL team to Indy and in the process he found two major baseball franchises that considered moving to the capital city, but those moves never came to fruition. More recently, Mr. Kaufman has been involved in new facility developments that have allowed young people to keep playing baseball and softball.
Kaufman Stadium is the home of softball at the Jewish Community Center in Indianapolis; Kaufman Field is the home of the Marian College Knights baseball team; and Bart Kaufman Field is the new home (as of 2014) for the Indiana University baseball team. His donations and generosity are second only to his love for the game and the opportunities that it affords our young people today.