From small-town Indiana to the big stage, local baseball talent is making waves across professional baseball this season. Here's the latest on how these standout athletes are performing.
Northview graduate Braydon Tucker continues to dominate on the mound. Last Friday, Tucker earned the win as his Double-A Reading Fightin Phils cruised past the Hartford Yard Goats 11-3. The right-hander tossed six strong innings, allowing just five hits, two runs, and a walk while striking out three. Through five games this season, Tucker boasts an impressive 3-2 record with a sparkling 1.73 ERA, having logged 26 innings and fanned 29 batters.
Meanwhile, Terre Haute South product Tim Herrin is making his mark in the big leagues with the Cleveland Guardians. Herrin pitched a scoreless inning of relief in Cleveland's 8-5 win over the Athletics on May 1, allowing just a hit and a walk before escaping the frame. He followed that up with another solid inning in a 14-6 victory over Oakland last Saturday, surrendering one hit and striking out one. In Thursday's 8-5 win over the Kansas City Royals, Herrin worked 0.1 inning, giving up no runs on a hit and a walk. For the season, he's pitched 10.2 innings with an 0-1 record and five strikeouts.
Indiana State alumni are also leaving their mark at various levels of the game:
Colin Rea continues to be a reliable arm for the Chicago Cubs. In Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Cincinnati Reds, Rea started and went 5.1 innings, allowing six hits, two runs, and three walks while striking out five. Through eight games (five starts), he's 4-1 with a save and a 4.03 ERA over 38 innings, with 35 strikeouts.
Sean Manaea saw action for the New York Mets in Wednesday's 10-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies, pitching 0.1 inning and allowing three hits and one run while striking out one. The lefty currently holds a 6.85 ERA through eight games, covering 22.1 innings with 24 strikeouts.
In Triple-A action, Clay Dungan of the El Paso Chihuahuas had a productive week. In a 19-7 loss to the Albuquerque Isotopes last Saturday, he collected two hits and drove in three runs. He followed that with a hit, an RBI, a walk, and a run scored in Tuesday's 10-9, 10-inning win over the Tacoma Rainiers, and added a run scored in Wednesday's 11-10 victory.
Randal Diaz of the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks is making an impact at the plate. In a 9-3 win over the Asheville Tourists, he walked once and scored two runs. He reached base on a walk in Sunday's 6-5 win, then exploded for two hits, two RBIs, a walk, and two runs scored in Tuesday's 14-8 victory over the Hub City Spartanburgers.
Grant Magill of the High-A Winston-Salem Dash contributed a hit, an RBI, and a walk in last Saturday's 9-7 loss to the Greensboro Grasshoppers.
Luis Hernandez of the High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels reached base once on a walk in Sunday's 6-5 win over the West Michigan Whitecaps.
Cole Gilley of the Single-A Clearwater Threshers earned the win in a 7-2 victory over the Palm Beach Cardinals, working three innings of relief and allowing three hits, one run, and one walk while striking out two.
From Double-A to the majors, these Indiana-bred athletes are proving that hard work and dedication pay off—one pitch, one hit, and one win at a time.