You've discovered the home of one of Indiana's premier baseball clubs, the Bandits Baseball Club.  The Bandits Baseball Club is in its 13th year of providing training for players ages 8 to 18.  In addition, the Bandits Baseball Club is sponsoring the following travel teams for 2009:  9u, 10u, 11u, 12u, 13u, 14u, 16u, 17u & 18u.  Bandits's teams are not about winning at all cost, but rather looking at the "big picture" of  a player's career.  The Bandits stress fundamentals, knowledge and playing the game the right way.  We're here to assist the player with achieving his goals, whether it be playing high school baseball, college baseball, or possibly beyond.  The Bandits' program has produced scores of good high school players and almost as many college players in the past 13 years.  Feel free to browse our site and contact us if you should have any questions. 

Rushville Consolidated High School and Indiana Bandit standout, Jordan Hoeing, has committed to continuing his playing career at Indiana - Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) next year.  Hoeing will be the second recruiting class for IPFW's Bobby Pierce.  Coach Pierce is a very knowledgable baseball guy and is excited to have Jordan committ to be a Mastodon according to Coach Fenimore.  The Don's compete at the NCAA Division 1 level and play in the Summit League which consists of Oral Roberts, Southern Utah, South Dakota State, Centenary, North Dakota State, Oakland University and Western Illinois.  Jordan will play infield and possibly outfield for Coach Pierce and looks to make an impact right away.

Jordan has been with the Bandits since he was 9 years old ... 9 season in all through his 17 year old year.  When asked about Jordan, Coach Fenimore commented,  "He is an exceptional athlete and has worked very hard to get this opportunity.  Besides being a great baseball player, he's a great young man and comes from a good family.  I know that his family is as proud of him as the coaching staff and I are.  Jordan is a prime example of what this Club is all about and what one can achieve with hard work and dedication." 

Coach Fenimore commented on how Jordan was seen; "Jordan was spotted by Coach Pierce during one of our Fall Season games that we played in Fort Wayne at IPFW and again was seen at several Prep Baseball Report events.  When we were first introduced to Coach Pierce, he'd only been on the job at IPFW for about 3 days and was still figuring out what keys went to what.  Coach Pierce was impressed at how our team played the game and hustled and really liked several of our players that fall, Jordan being one of them.  We were playing an 18u team at the time and competing as a 17u team with several sophomores on our roster."

Coach Fenimore commented on Coach Pierce by saying, "my first impressions of Coach Pierce is that this is a man who is excited about baseball and eager to teach the game.  Someone whom I'd want my kid to play for if given the opportunity.  The more we've talked and corresponded and the more I've read about IPFW and Coach Pierce, the more I like the fit for Jordan.  It's a good fit for Jordan and IPFW and I'm excited for both of them."

We look forward to following Jordan and the Don's in the future.  You can visit the Mastodon's website at www.gomastodons.com.

The Indiana Bandits 2010 team has it's first player commit to play in college.  Standout Clint Chestnut from Pike Central High School has committed to continue his playing career at Vincennes University for Coach Chris Barney. 

The pitcher/infielder enjoyed a successful spring with Pike Central as he posted a 0.420 batting average with 12 doubles, 5 home runs, 27 RBI's and scored 23 runs.

The 6'-3", 215 lbs, Southern Indiana Standout continued his success this summer with the Bandits, leading the team in homeruns (5) and contributing 27 RBI's.  On the mound, the right hander posted a 5 and 2 record with a save.

Clint is the son of Dave and Lisa Chestnut of Petersburg, IN.  (Home of Dodger great Gil Hodges).

Coach Fenimore commented on Clint, "Clint is a fine young man, comes from a good family and is an exceptional baseball player.  He's a very coachable player.  It's been a pleasure to work with Clint and have him with our team.  He's earned this spot and we know that he'll be successful for Coach Barney at VU."

Coach Fenimore ended by wishing "Sparky" good luck at VU.

13u Indiana Bandits announce Expanded Roster, and supplemental tryout date:  September 20, 2009 from 4PM to 7PM.

In response to an abundance of talented players interested in the Bandits Baseball Club, the 13u team will be expanding its roster in order to accommodate this demand.

The 13u team will undertake a rigorous off-season training program as a  cohesive unit of 20  to 25 players.  Due to the demands of middle school baseball for some players, but the absence of middle school ball for others, the 13u Bandits will play mid-week games throughout the spring with those players able to do so.

On weekends and during the summer months, the team will play a split-schedule with squads known as “Fox” and “Gibson”, named in honor of the Club’s two most accomplished players and their fathers: Jake Fox of the Chicago Cubs Coach Terry Fox, former director of Bandits Baseball, Club Kyle Gibson of the Minnesota Twins and Coach Harold Gibson, founder and president of Bandits Youth Foundation 

The 2010 13u Indiana Bandits plan to play 125 to 150 games and participate in the following leagues:  Southwest Ohio League, SANDLOTT, Central Indiana Travel League, and Indiana Select League.  Each player will have the opportunity to play in a minimum of 60 games, and perhaps as many as 85 games. 

For more information, contact Jeff Farren via email at jeff@hanovergrp.com

Missouri pitcher Kyle Gibson agreed to a $1.85 million signing bonus, with the resolution just beating an 11 p.m. deadline.

The Indiana Bandits are looking for  a few players to fill their roster for the fall season.  The 18u Bandits (2010) will be competing in the following tournaments . . .

• Sept. 5th - DH vs. Naptown 9 - Rushville, IN
• Sept. 12th - Indiana Wesleyan Round Robin # 1
• Sept. 19-20 - Michigan Fall Wood Bat Classic (Adrian College) all turf field (4 games)
• Sept. 26-27 - Rocky Top Fall Showcase - Jefferson City, TN  or Cleveland State Classic (4 games)
• Oct. 3 - 4 - U of Indianapolis  Fall Wood Bat Tournament (4 games)
• Oct. 10th - Indiana Wesleyan Round Robin # 2
• Oct. 11th - DH vs. Cincinnati Playground All-Stars - Rushville, IN
• Oct. 17th - DH vs. TBD @ DePauw University
• Oct. 24 - 25 - Tenneesee Smoky Mtn. Wood Bat Classic - Jefferson City, TN (4 games) 

In all a 20 to 26 game schedule.

Cost per player is $275.00.

If you are interested in finding out more about the fall baseball opportunity, contact Bruce Fenimore at blfjrf@verizon.net or 765-561-0521.

Two of this year's 17u Indiana Bandits team showcased well at a recent Prep Baseball Report event in Fort Wayne.  The event was held at Indiana Tech on August 30th.  Below is an excert from the events evaluations:

Players from all over the state attended the Prep Baseball Report Open I.D. Showcase at Indiana Tech on Aug. 30. There were several standout performances at the event, including several of Class of 2010 and Class of 2011 prospects who emerged as players to pay close attention to in the coming years.  As for the Class of 2010, Vincennes Lincoln RHP Nick Heinz (89 mph) took top honors among the senior crop of prospects with Rushville SS Jordan Hoeing following in a close second with his BP rounds that had all the scouts talking. In the Class of 2011, Highland’s 6-6 RHP Keith Mahler showcased an 87 mph fastball, Culver Military Academy 3B/RHP Max Terhar and Decatur Central SS Ron Shelton stood out among the pack.  In the Class of 2012, keep an eye on FW Carroll OF Grant Wilson and Norwell left-handed hitting C Kyler Mills, who showed promise as top-level prospects in the sophomore class. Here’s a look at the top prospects at the event: 

2010 Top Overall Prospects

 2.     Jordan Hoeing, SS, Rushville HS:  The right-handed hitting Hoeing was the showcase’s top hitter, shortstop, and runner (6.96 on a slow track). Quick and athletic, Hoeing moves fluidly, takes excellent paths to the ball, and has a solid, accurate arm (82 mph). At the plate, he was blasting balls over the left field wall with his ultra quick bat and put one of the best rounds of BP this year.  

7.   Adam Armstrong, RHP, New Castle HS: At 6-foot-1, 175 pounds, Armstrong possesses a quick arm, arm strength and several off-speed pitches. Armstrong’s fastball consistently registered at 82-83 mph, and touched 86 mph once. With development of his off-speed pitches, Armstrong is definitely a pitcher to keep close tabs on next spring.

Prep Baseball Report's recent showcase event at Indiana Wesleyan University (July 15th) was well attended and several Bandit players from the 17u team performed well.  Congrats to the Bandit players and keep up the good work.  See portion of article below:

Three of this year's Indiana Bandits 17u team were selected to participate in the All-Indiana Crossroads Baseball Showcase at the end of June.  To qualify for this showcase, players were nominated by their high school coach.  Indiana is divided into 6 regions with 15 players being selected from each region.  Representing their schools from our Bandits team were Trey Thurston (Madison Community HS), Jordan Hoeing (Rushville Consolidated HS) and Caleb Fenimore (Rushville Consolidated HS).  The showcase featured a pro-style workout along with 2 games for each participant.  Severel Indiana and Mid-western college coaches and scouts were in attendance at this event.

From the 90 players selected to participate, 15 to 16 were chosen to play for Team Indiana in the Midwest Baseball Classic in Plainfield, IL at the end of July.  Caleb Fenimore was selected to participate with Team Indiana in this event as a catcher.  This was based on the recommendations of the coaches at the showcase as well as college coaches who were consulted to make up this team.

Congratulations to Trey (Danny), Jordan and Caleb.  Keep up the good work!  We'll be watching!